What a glorious day!

[Mrs Ava]

What wonderful weather we in this part of Essex seem to be having at the moment.  Today the sky is blue and there is a light breeze blowing.  It is COLD, but so fresh, a proper winter/spring day....just need to be walking along a country lane now through scrunchy leaves looking at all the plump buds about to burst........instead......hoovering awaits me!

Checked out my bulbs in the garden and they are up and everywhere.  Thrilled of Essex is me!  Why, because my back garden is waterlogged 11 months of the year and bulbs are almost treated as annuals as even planting them on grit in raised sun drenched areas, they sit in puddles and rot, but this is year 3 of the same bulbs.  I will have to get out in the garden on Saturday and have a good root around and take some piccies, I know I have primulas everywhere doing their thing.

[Mrs Ava]

[ACE]

Absolutely marvelous weather down here 16c. day and night, I went for a walk along the beach to collect some driftwood in my tee shirt and even with the sea breeze it was bearable.

[Mimi]

Where are you Heritage??

[Carol]

What are you trying to do to us Emma?  The weather is absolutely horrendous out there.  Gale force winds and lashing rain, just what I like in January actually!!!!

The Narcissus bulbs have the cheek to look through early but they will be knocked back soon.  The Crocus and Snowdrop bulbs are well up but not in flower.  Don't tell me yours are in flower Emma!!   My neighbour did tell me today that her aconites and snowdrops are flowering, but I expect yours are too down in sunny Essex.

Ah well, thats what I get for living in the frozen north.

[Muddy_Boots]

Oh whoops!  I tried to reply to this, saying how right EJ was about today.  Then you came in Carol and tried to comiserate by saying we are due for what you have now very soon.  Everything went pear shaped, just like my new mobile phone.  Technicalogicallly illiterate or what!

Love the winter cold and sunshine, hate when others have gales with dreadful rain, just hope we have a satisfying 2005! :D :D :D

[ACE]

Where are you Heritage??

COWES ISLE OF WIGHT. THE SUNSHINE ISLE

[Mrs Ava]

Okay, so today started overcast, but the strong winds quickly blew that away and now the sky is blue and the sun is dazzling!  No snowdrops in flower yet, all my bulbs are late, even being in a semi arid county, due to the cold cold wet soil.  I love this time of year also, never really sure what you are going to wake up to, listening to the wind whistling through the trees, hearing the rain, or the scrunch of snow, scraping the ice from the darn windscreen as your fingers go blue...no...not a complaint, this time of year, I like to breath in that cold fresh air and say out loud................'ROLL ON SUMMER!' :D :D :D :D

[Carol]

I like Winter too actually!   I like really cold winter days when the sun is shining brightly and the frost is thick on the earth.  I don't mind scraping my car of ice.  I hate Wind with a vengeance and would rather have rain,snow, ice or whatever to a pesky wind.  Weather forecast for tonight and the rest of the weekend is for gale force winds maybe reaching speeds of 90 mph.  Hope we manage to get a sleep with that going on outside.    Roll on summer too.

[Marianne]

Hiya Carol,
Here in Herts we have lots of wind tonight (7th Jan) and it is rather cold.  But every day brings us nearer to glorious spring ! 
Can't wait to get planting!
:)

[Wicker]

The gales have subsided for the moment and have been replaced by a DELUGE!! Winds so bad in city centre yesterday that couple of elderly people blown in front of oncoming traffic and fairly serIously injured.  More gales forecast...  Oh yes - ROLL ON SUMMER

[gavin]

Roll on summer - yes!  But it needs the slow and uncertain/certain build up.

Gave me a real spine-tingle to see gorse in flower so early - I took the train up to Aberdeen yesterday, and beyond Arbroath, the gorse was seriously in flower.  Yup, the year is well on the turn - can only get better now!  (Well, at least until November   :P )

All best - Gavin

[Garden Manager]

I think the wind has just about let up on us now. Was blowing a real gale all night and for most of the day today - kept me awake last night too, mostly worrying about the garden and the greenhouse.

I'll tell you what, id rather freezing cold or even pouring with rain than a gale any day! :o

[Wicker]

We've got the deluge again and a bitterly cold wind.  :(

[ina]

Yesterday, fighting the wind on the way to the lottie. At times we almost stood still, not fun.
Today, sunshine and windy but not as bad.

[Marianne]

WE have a lovely dry day here today (sunday).  Let's hope it lasts !  My garden is full of bursting daffies.... a little early I would say ....

[Travman]

I lost 9 panes of glass from my greenhouse with the gales  :(
Many others on our site have lost the complete greenhouse- they were all found in the persons next to them lottie--- upside down and all mangled up , a complete right off  :'(