Still waiting to hear how much better all you are being treated weatherwise.

When I went to the mailbox to get the paper 7am. the weather conditions were reasonably mild but very misty. Here we are now at nearly 11am. and we are surrounded by fog.

I could take my camera out to prove the point, but it may get a mighty big shock and explode !

Yes, the forecast has improved to the good and I now only expect to get occasionally wet over the weekend. Looking forward to warmth and slapping on the suncream whilst wearing sow westers.

i've had far too much weather over the last 24 hours.
it always happens when i take the cover off my motorbike.
it invariably rains and i have to pull on waterproofs with lots of sticky velcro patches.
then i get home and the sun comes out, so i put my shorts on - then it rains again.

the last few hours have been like travelling the world - hot sun; heavy grey cloud and humidity;  a fresh breeze;
a downpour of rain ...

i'm shut away indoors now.

it's definitely a lot more predictable!

The electric blanket is turned on waiting for me to get to bed.

Yes, the sun has nipped over to shine on skip and The Midlands are drenched in rain and lots of it. Now I don't mind rain, Lord knows we needed a bit, but this will have been going on and off for weeks and that can be miserable. It has been getting in my new half built extension and resulted in my hubby and I climbing on the roof last Friday and stapling down the moisture barrier between showers and in strong winds.

One good thing is that after the rain there is going to be some sunshine, at some point.

Enjoy your sun in NZ, I am mighty jealous.

Click for a much better view.

I always turn the blanket OFF before settling down. Yes, I know what a chicken I am - but not an over-cooked one!

Have the very words ' global warming ' been politically stirred again and again to arouse fear and to create even more lame excuses for more and more taxes being imposed?

Up in the morning early, the sky mostly white but wait! There is sunshine! This got me all excited, and full of energy. Got out my gardening rucksack and began chopping away at the ivy on the wall that goes around our garden.

Now although certain of my neighbours (MRs Anubis Evans, for a start) don't like the fact that I leave ivy trailing all over my walls and down to the pavement, I have my reasons. Firstly because insects like the ivy and the birds like the insects - so ivy on the walls = more birds in the garden.

My other reason is a bit more subtle. Having ivy all over the walls discourages the local yahoos from sitting on the pavement with their backs against the wall drinking their cider.

The sun obliged by staying out while I got that job done, and it even continued while I put out a line of washing.

But will it stay out when I want to spend some time lazing in the garden?

Hmmm..... somehow I doubt it. Still, I've managed to discard my fleece indoors today which is something. And I've just found a large spider in my hair presumably from the ivy....*thinks* wish the birds had got that one.....

It's surprisingly cool and damp here today. The garden is probably grateful for this, but I've had to wear a fleece today while indoors. Of course, given our climate, this could now continue into AUgust, when it will be punctuated by thunderstorms.

Plenty to look forward to, then!

Wondering if you other weathercheckers are pleased or angry about your weather these days.

We came across this beautiful cruise ship on holiday last week. It was moored up (is that what you do with liners?) just for one day on the River Dart in Devon last Monday. At 180 metres long the ship had to be turned around on the river ready for it's departure that evening on what is really quite a narrow river for a ship that size. Weighing in at 30,000 tonnes and carrying just under 700 passengers with around 370 crew it towered over everything else on the river. The passengers all from America and Canada on a world cruise, enjoyed a day on shore visiting Dartmouth and the surrounding areas including the Britannia Royal Naval College.

We had a lovely day there too, followed by a trip to Totnes, a somewhat upmarket town whose long, hilly high street seemed strangely empty out of season.

Oh and PS, Skip, on the back of the ship underneath the name "Royal Princess", it had 'Hamilton', and I first wondered if it had come all the way from New Zealand, although I think NZ is included in part of the cruise.

A rather mild winter morning with the outdoor shade temperature 10C at 8am. The clouds are quickly clearing with the promise of another fine, calm, mild day with the mid-afternoon temperature rising to possibly 17C. We are feeling spoilt and we are enjoying every moment - LOL.

Yes, all three today. It never seems so bad when the sunshines though

Our weather forecasters were wrong again. Yesterday they forecast that heavy fogs would be the story for the next four days. This morning was perfect and remained so right through the day. A completely blue sky, calm, and pleasantly warm for winter, up to 17C this afternoon.

This is one occasion that we are pleased that the forecasters don't always get things right.

After a couple of wonderful days we are back to rain and pale grey skies at the moment. Still, the garden needed it, it's surprising how quickly it dries out.

Whenever I'm away from Wales, one of the first things I miss is the green landscape.

On the weekend I took this photo of the lovely Jasmine that grows around the arch in my garden. Just as it finishes flowering, the wild roses will come out in bloom, followed by a flourish of brilliant red rose hips in autumn.

I love dappled sunlight!

The local temperature has gone down again, the wind isn't helping and neither is the fact that our house is a bit open to the fresh air due to the building that is taking place. Got the quilt out again last night, brrrrr.

Had a lovely taste of summer which I hope will return soon, meanwhile I am sure my garden will enjoy the rain we are expecting:D

silly, i know.
but it feels like we don't have any weather here today.
it's just ... grey.

no sun, no rain, no wind.

hope it's more interesting where you are today...

We've had glorious-looking weather here the last two days; it has been deceptive though. Bright sunshine, gorgeous skies, white nights and it is perishing cold.

On a more serious note, the dire weather conditions that have engulfed Burma and now the quake areas of China are fearsome. The consequences of all these natural disasters are heart-rending.

Yes, I've been under the weather all day today after a nasty tummy upset . I awoke at 3am. and didn't get back to bed till after 6am. on acccount of many compulsory visits.

A continuous covering of snow on farmland and orchards delays the blossoming of fruit trees until the season of killing frosts is over. It also prevents the alternate thawing and freezing which destroys wheat and other grains.

Our first is yet to come and it will be interesting to see if we can make it into June before our lawns show us their white winter dresses. That would be much the same as the European lawns not putting on their fancy whites till December. Would that be common or not?

There is still a chill in the air from the snowfields far to the south of us. This morning our windows were slightly fogged up for the first time this year. The outdoor temperature at the moment is 16.6C which probably isn't too bad for early winter.

I would say that today has been the perfect day for me weatherwise. I was working out in the country side: drystone walling in a lovely shady spot overlooking a green valley. There was a little breeze just enough to keep us cool and the temperature just right for hard labour.

What more can I say?

I was sitting today waiting for the washing machine to finish, how long does something take when u keep watching it?
I have only had about 3 washings out on the line this year and saw my neighbour had one out, so i craned my neck out of the kitchen window and looked to the heavens.  Blue sky everywhere, not a cloud to be seen, so i stuck some clothes in the machine and waited.

This might sound strange to some people but i actually like hanging a washing out for some strange reason and i love to do it properly, not just flung up any old way, Natalie said to me "It's going to rain!" and i said "No it's not next door has her washing out, if it was going to rain she wouldn't have put it out. "

So the machine is on it's last spin and i am sitting there with the peg bag in my hands, heard a small rumble and thought surelly that isn't thunder?  After a few more minutes heard a louder rumble, looked out of the window just as the heavens opened, BOLLOCKS! i thought, i'll just have to stick it in the tumble dryer now, Gutted X

Thank goodness plenty of wonderful support is forthcoming here and long may it continue. My personal thanks to one and all as we eagerly look forward to your future weathercheck posts and comments - Skip.

Well, since writing this morning we have seen a few changes. I am writing this in the midst of an electrical storm. The internet connection keeps dropping and the lights keep going out. I shall have to pack it in soon, I'm afraid, and go to bed.

We don't get all that many Electrical storms and when we do they're usually towards the end of summer, especially August. But tonight's storm seems endless, the lightning is lighting up the mountainside and the thunder sounds like Thor and a couple of other northern gods are going at it hammer and tongs!

That said, we probably need a good storm to try and lighten the air a bit. It's been very heavy and humid today, most unpleasant. THere's a feeling of moisture in the air that's not quite rain but it hasn't been good enough to dry a line of washing (always a good barometer for me.)

I've been counting off the seconds between lightning and thunder and they're decreasing dramatically so the storm is getting much closer.

Fingers crossed there'll be no damage to put right in the morning!

Well, that's how it felt this morning. There was some rain last night after a hot sunny day, and then this morning there was thick mist and I was reminded of the old folksong that begins:

'On a misty moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather.......'

One thing about the weather, there's nothing new under the sun!

It's still cloudy but at least now I can see enough blue to make a cat a pair of breeches!

I am not a person who likes it really hot and find current conditions perfect for me. I am walking to and from work 20minutes each way in my shirt sleeves. Already I am considering suncreams as I burn easily. It's lovely ( smiles and sighs in a conteneted fashion)

Here's hoping that you too can post a weathercheck soon and share your good weather news.

Our Indian Summer alias our Autumn has been and gone. Our mid-winter day on 21 June is not too far off. Though today was calm and sunny our maximum temperature today was only 15C.

The forecast for tomorrow mentions a minimum temperature of 2C. Early morning frosts are not far away.

Hells Bells! I draw the curtains and see a thi