Weather or Not!

Tree Felling

Whilst Rosie and the boys are enjoying the Lenault sunshine, I'm working in the UK (Kent), tree felling, and have been lucky with the weather considering.  So far I have only been wet one afternoon, although had to shelter in the 4x4 when one very heavy shower passed over.  It is very wet and slippery underfoot though.  Whether I will be so lucky this coming week, for the next session of tree felling, I don't know - it all rather depends on which forecast I read.

In between these two sessions, I have come up to my sister's (Sally) place in Whatstandwell (Derbyshire). Weather wise it hasn't been that kind.  Sally had asked me to come up and fell a few trees for her - these are in her field behind her house alongside the Cromford Canal.  We did get down there for a few hours yesterday and got quite a lot done.   The morning was quite pleasant but after lunch the grey became a few shades darker.  There was lightening in the distance and thunder rolling along behind.

The storm was getting closer and light rain started to fall. Suddenly the lightening was near us - very vivid orange flashes followed by crashes of thunder, but still only a light(ish) rain.  We were just finishing the tree I had felled, and were going to go indoors, when suddenly there were two huge bright orange flashes right above us, followed immediately by thunder.  It really seemed to be touching the tree tops above our heads. That was it.  We picked up the tools and started to rush back to the house as the rain got heavier. Then the rain instantly changed to hail and it hurt.

Cromford Canal

And like all sensible people we headed back under the tree to get some protection. Not the best place to go.  Fortunately about 50 metres from us is a footpath with a bridge over the field so we dashed for that and stood there, dripping but out of the hail, until the worse had passed.

My plans, apart from helping Sally in her field, was of going for a couple of walks whilst here. Neither of these have been helped by the weather, nor my 4x4 developing a squeak which I've had get sorted out .  Today was heavy rain but in did stop for awhile this afternoon and we managed a couple of, sunny, miles walking along the canal, before the clouds came back and rain started to fall.

And this is the forecast from the Met Office for tonight and tomorrow;

Headline:  Tonight, heavy showers, wintry for a time, icy patches.

This Evening and Tonight: A cold, blustery wind bringing showers overnight, these of snow on Derbyshire hills and briefly also at lower levels for a time through the early hours. A risk of icy patches on untreated surfaces as temperatures drop to around freezing. Minimum Temperature 0 °C.

Monday: A cold day in blustery winds. Bright intervals but also quite frequent showers, some heavy, falling as snow on the Derbyshire  hills. Maximum Temperature 5 °C.

Ummm, could be fun, although I think rain will wash away the snow before I have to drive back to Kent.