Subject: BS: First day of summer ..... From: skarpi Date: 19 Apr 12 - 07:48 AM Well , the last day of our winter time was yesterday and when I went to sleep there was a snow blizzard here where I live , it is told from an old legend that if winter and summer freeze together the summer is going to be good and it did ...today the sun is shining and no wind , so thank you all for the wintertime and may you all have a great summer time ahead of you , love and hug from an Iceman ...witch is one of a kind . |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: G-Force Date: 19 Apr 12 - 08:37 AM Much as I enjoy summer weather, here in SE England we could do with rain right now and plenty of it. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: maeve Date: 19 Apr 12 - 08:42 AM Thanks, Skarpi. I hope your summer is mild and sweet. Maeve |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Megan L Date: 19 Apr 12 - 08:52 AM How strange I was just watching the camera in Austurvoller a lovely day and lots of red baloons. Happy summer my friend |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: katlaughing Date: 19 Apr 12 - 10:23 AM Thanks, Skarpi, happy summer to you, too. Though, summer here won't start until later, which is good. I am not ready for it! It gets too hot and dry, here.:-) ATB, kat |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: skarpi Date: 19 Apr 12 - 10:40 AM Megan , I live now in East of Iceland ....I know its no snow in Austurvöllur Reykjavík ...:Þ hee hee .....but i have plenty here ... |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Jack the Sailor Date: 19 Apr 12 - 11:20 AM Its been two years since we have had any snow in the coastal Carolinas. That's why I moved down here. 4 snow falls in six years.. Enjoy the weather Skarpi. How long is it dark up there on June 20? |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: skarpi Date: 19 Apr 12 - 12:08 PM Jack , its bright 24 hours at that time ...solstice at 21 st ....so no night .......I love that time |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Crowhugger Date: 19 Apr 12 - 01:36 PM Some day I would love to experience solstice in the far north, it sounds amazing. Skarpi I hope your summer matches the old legend. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: gnu Date: 19 Apr 12 - 01:59 PM YO SKARPI!!!! Long time, no see. I hope you have a long summer with good weather. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 19 Apr 12 - 03:32 PM Do you just recognise two seasons in Iceland, skarpi, summer and winter? In the same way we have day and night. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: skarpi Date: 19 Apr 12 - 03:57 PM nobb .....autumn , winter , spring and summer ....but when you live in a country were you have darkness like here like in Nov,Dec,Jan and Feb.. the brighter day light up your life , that´s why among other things we celebrate first day of summer ...like when we she the sun first time in January ...we celebrate as well .....hey we are vikings ...we just lost contact with our viking animal ...:Þ sort of speaking ... |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 30 May 16 - 04:00 PM Well, it is warm enough for summer in some places right now. You all better now, skarpi?? |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: maeve Date: 30 May 16 - 05:00 PM I posted about Skarpi in Jane's Rainbow, keberoxu. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 30 May 16 - 05:05 PM Many thanks Maeve. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 18 Jun 17 - 12:32 PM June is a good month to refresh. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 05 Jun 19 - 12:42 PM Is it summer when the crickets start chirping? Because yesterday, when the sun was low, the crickets were carrying on like mad in the tall uncut grass next to the railroad tracks. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 08 Jun 19 - 12:38 PM I'm calling it summer. The solstice is weeks away, but what is going on is more summer than spring. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 11 Jun 19 - 07:25 PM I guess the pollen all over the parked cars is part of summer as well. The green growing things couldn't get any greener around here or they would bust the green part of the spectrum. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 12 Jun 19 - 12:56 PM How do the rest of you know when summer has arrived? |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 14 Jun 19 - 01:16 PM here summer summer summer ... |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 16 Jun 19 - 02:58 PM refresh |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: JennieG Date: 16 Jun 19 - 08:11 PM Not very winter-y here yet, although we have had a frost and a few fogs. Solstice this weekend, also World Make Music Day......bring your instruments to the bonfire dance, clothing optional.... I don't know how our forbears managed that nekkid dance around a bonfire in mid-winter without dying of hypothermia. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: ChanteyLass Date: 22 Jun 19 - 05:20 PM The first say was pretty nice, but today, the second day, brought a five minute hailstorm to some parts of RI, including mine. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 23 Jun 19 - 04:32 PM Guess I ought to let this thread die and see about a rest-of-the-summer thread. It's just that this past winter was an ordeal, weather-wise, and I still think it's miraculous that summer came back at all. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 17 May 20 - 02:22 PM I do love how Skarpi opened this thread in the first place: it was several Aprils ago, and the winter in Iceland was over, so Skarpi declared it the first day of summer. Fast forward to the first year of the global coronavirus pandemic. I know, you want the first year to be the last year of the pandemic, but face facts -- this thing won't be over and done with in a year. In the meantime, in the Northern hemisphere, schools are closed and the weather is turning warm, and if it isn't summer, sometimes it certainly seem as if it is summer. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Charmion Date: 17 May 20 - 09:14 PM I finally turned the furnace off yesterday. Okay, I accept that it’s Spring at last. But I have yet to see even one swallow yet, so definitely not Summer. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Charmion's brother Andrew Date: 18 May 20 - 12:24 PM So long as we are receiving frost warnings, it is hardly summer. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Charmion's brother Andrew Date: 18 May 20 - 12:25 PM Oh, thanks for reminding me about the furnace. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 30 May 22 - 03:48 PM In the USA it is Memorial Day, known in another century as Decoration Day. We're in between our Mother's Day and our Father's Day celebrations. And school is beginning to wind down, with graduations/commencements. Although the summer solstice is nearly a month away at this point, the commercial/advertising/marketing cycle, with its storewide sales and such, labels Memorial Day as The Unofficial Beginning of the [US] Summer Season. Here, honestly, it is too warm to feel like spring at the moment, as it is a little humid and really sunny and hot outside (sky thankfully a nice hazy blue with few if any clouds). |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 May 22 - 06:32 PM It's been said, with possibly a grain of truth, that the UK gets nine months of winter and three months of bad weather. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 31 May 22 - 10:17 AM > nine months of winter and three months of bad weather Given global warming, it's t'other way around these days. Methinks we tend to only remember sunny days in childhood summers precisely because they're so rare that they're what make an impression, not the days of drizzle. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Donuel Date: 31 May 22 - 01:45 PM May June and July are the months you might encounter a young male black bear around here. They are exploring beyond their birth home for territory of their own. They make snacks of bird feeders. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 31 May 22 - 05:55 PM Is any Brit here old enough to remember the summer of 1959? Glorious it was. It went on and on. Oop north, with long evenings, us kids spent many a late hour outdoors, chasing the rats on the banks of the Irwell or having stone-throwing fights with rival "gangs" of kids who were similarly all in single-figure years. Simpler times! What did we eat? I can't remember! |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Mr Red Date: 31 May 22 - 06:14 PM Humble pie? |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 31 May 22 - 08:36 PM Do try to be positive. You have just the one life. You can do better, seriously. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 31 May 22 - 11:03 PM If the bears are hitting up the bird feeders, the feeders must be supplied with suet. Bears will go a long way to steal a bit of suet, they will. In years past bears have raided the dumpsters where I am staying. I saw one bear ambling through a parking lot -- and I was in my parked car in the lot at the time. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 01 Jun 22 - 07:21 PM Today is the first day of June, another little validation of summer. (Thunderstorms and off the charts humidity.) |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 02 Jun 22 - 06:36 AM I was surprised this morning by a squadron of swifts at housetop height, screaming raucously as they went. I now believe I know the original meaning of "screaming by". |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Raggytash Date: 02 Jun 22 - 09:04 AM "Simpler times! What did we eat? I can't remember!" Probably a Jam Butty and a bottle of water with a liquorice stick in it. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 04 Jun 22 - 02:35 PM > squadron of swifts Apologies: more likely swallows (as discussed by Aristotle). Noisy articles anyhow, and going by overhead so fast I couldn't distinguish. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 06 Jun 22 - 06:52 PM I do wish our summer could continue this way -- moderate heat, moderate to low humidity, refreshingly cool nights. It won't of course. In two months' time we will be fending off the mosquitoes and the days will be muggy to the point of weariness. But the weather is delicious at the moment. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: keberoxu Date: 09 Jun 22 - 05:00 PM Pollen, there is yellow pollen on the winds every day, and if your car is parked outside overnight, you come out in the morning and there is a coating of yellow pollen all over the car. People with allergies are really suffering here at the moment. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 09 Jun 22 - 05:51 PM High pollen (both grass and nettles, saith the weather ppl), plus thunder threatened. Oh Joy. Herself didn't used to have hayfever till the wretched Yellow Peril (oil see drape) sensitised her. Cue loud complaints, early and often. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 09 Jun 22 - 06:20 PM There is little or no evidence that oilseed crops cause adverse reactions. First, the pollen is heavy (the plant wants insects to pick up and transfer the pollen grains) and the measured levels of airborne pollen is extremely low even a short distance from crop fields. Second, while it's faintly possible that volatile compounds emitted by the plants could be implicated, the evidence just isn't there. Take a look at this piece extracted from the BMJ, which looks critically at what evidence there is and which doesn't rely on received wisdom: "The health effects of oilseed rape: myth or reality?" (That'll get you there). I'm not a fan of oilseed rape because it creates a major pollen beetle problem and because it's a monoculture that relies heavily on chemical inputs. We have a farm near us that grows it over dozens of acres. There's a public footpath through the middle of it; last time I walked it when the crop was in full bloom the silence was eerie, no insects, no birdsong. But blaming it for allergies, etc., may be justified in rare cases for unlucky people only, just like lots of other things. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Senoufou Date: 10 Jun 22 - 03:11 AM Well my African husband is always poleaxed by being anywhere near a field of oilseed rape. He's now living in a bedsit in a nearby town, but behind the building is a field of ... yes! oilseed rape! And it's making him so poorly. On top of this, the school where he works as a cleaner has the same crop in a nearby field. Poor chap, he's doped up with Piriton. Yesterday, a quite normal phenomenon for mid-June arrived: a massive swarm of honey bees buzzing in a thick black cloud right in front of my bench in the garden. I'm not afraid of bees or wasps, but I didn't want them zooming down my chimney pot. Luckily they buzzed noisily off up the road. Chap in our village keeps bees, so maybe they were his. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 10 Jun 22 - 05:10 AM Oddly, on continental Europe, where oilseed rape is a major crop, no such concerns are aired. Poor old oilseed is incredibly conspicuous when in flower and it has a strong aroma too. But it flowers when much tree pollen is still being released and it is still in flower when the grass pollen season kicks in. It can be attacked by fungi which release billions of spores, a possible suspect. Basically, there's too much else going on when rape is in flower to directly implicate its pollen in causing harm. As I said, I don't like this crop plant. It requires huge inputs of nitrogenous fertiliser and it needs several treatments with fungicides and insecticides. You'll always see those tractor tracks in its fields. It can never be grown as an organic crop and it's a major monoculture culprit. Along with maize (my personal most hated crop), it is responsible for much nitrogenous runoff into waterways. And when it's grown anywhere near me I get a plague of slugs and pollen beetle. So I'm not sticking up for it, but the CPS wouldn't dream of prosecuting it for causing allergies, what with the complete lack of anything other than anecdotal evidence! |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 10 Jun 22 - 05:56 AM Incidentally, if he's working with cleaning products, and he feels poorly... |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Senoufou Date: 10 Jun 22 - 06:14 AM You may well be right Steve. Before he arrived in UK he'd never had any contact with either pollen or cleaning products (!) so these things must have given his system several shocks. Piriton is effective apparently for his hay fever, but it dopes him up alarmingly. And I seem to remember that farmers spray neonicotinoids on oilseed rape, which harms bees etc. Not good. |
Subject: RE: BS: First day of summer ..... From: Steve Shaw Date: 10 Jun 22 - 07:20 AM Piriton knocks me senseless. I have to avoid it. Even those one-a day jobs that are supposed to be non-drowsy zonk me out to the point when I'm not fit to drive. You sleep well on them though! ;-) |