BS: Signs of Autumn

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 08:06 PM

Autumn soundtrack from foggy morn to crispy nights

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 08:09 AM

Acorns dropping on my head is a good sign of autumn!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 08:18 AM

On the tallest hill for 20 miles
Thousands and thousands of birds
All sit side by side
on the same wire.
I bet they're
talking about
an upcoming
trip

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 08:44 AM

The days of lounging in skivies have passed
The temperature is falling and fast
If I didn't know that soon there'll be snow
I'd prob'ly freeze off my ass.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 09:08 AM

Ah, the first morning of "It is too cold to get out of bed to fetch an extra blanket" delight...

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:26 AM

In Stratford, Ontario, we are seeing condensation on the windows and dew in the grass, a few leaves turning colour (but not many), and the cats snuggling up more consistently, both with us and with each other. For the first time in weeks, I had both cats holding me down throughout breakfast and the newspapers, and they would be there still if Watson had not planted his hind claws in my bare ankle.

Also, we're back to open curtains during the day and closed curtains at night.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 11:54 AM

SPIDERS!!!!GAAAGH!!!
They're coming indoors (as they always do at this time of year, looking for a snug place to overwinter) The days are still warm (today was hot) so we have to have the windows open, and the evil buggers creep in and find a corner.
Yesterday, very early, I toddled into the bathroom and an absolutely massive you-know-what was in the washbasin. They drop in to baths or basins and the shiny surface means they can't get out.
It was HUGE, about the size of a saucer, a strange pale-grey colour, not any of the British species I could recognise. I think it was Morris dancing in clogs and winking at me with an evil grin on its face.
Of course, with my phobia, I screamed the house down, and husband came galloping through to save me. He gently picks them up (shudder) and pops them outside.
I dread the autumn because of this phenomenon. So stupid of me, but a phobia is a phobia.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 09:45 PM

People in my building are complaining about how
there is no heat in their bathrooms when
they shower in the morning ...

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:24 PM

2 weeks ago, 90F and days of serious rain and humid nights... right now as I type, 54F and no rain for several days and prediction of below 50F in daytime next week. I think I will remove 2 of the 4 window AC units and light the pilot on the furnace.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Sep 20 - 08:32 AM

Senoufou, what you need is a house bat.

But yeah, phobias are what they are.

Socks made their first appearance on my feet last night, and long comfy pants rather than shorts went on when I got home. Tiedyed socks. Tiedyed bamboo socks. I love my socks.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Sep 20 - 01:40 PM

Bonzo3legs is correct:
the squirrels hereabouts scarcely know
which tree to forage beneath first,
so many acorns are falling.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Jos
Date: 17 Sep 20 - 07:12 AM

Lots of shiny conkers under my horse chestnut tree - the tree that grew from a conker the children had played conkers with. I know because when I first found it growing it was just a seedling with, at its base, the remains of a conker and a piece of string with a knot tied in it.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Sep 20 - 11:31 AM

***I LOVE FALL CLOTHES***

Velour. Flannel. More velour. Other flannel. Aaaahhhhhh.

And socks. Did I mention tiedyed bamboo socks? Yeah, socks.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Sep 20 - 05:23 PM

Corduroy shirts, anyone? I just bought two of them.

Winter is coming? Bring it on!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Sep 20 - 12:32 PM

But corduroy pants are noisy.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Sep 20 - 01:10 PM

Hee hee Mrrzy, I hope you mean 'corduroy trousers' because I can't imagine anyone wearing corduroy PANTS!
(Don't worry, I know that's the word Americans use for trousers!)

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: EBarnacle
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 02:08 PM

As far as the pants/trousers issue, we ROTC cadets were informed by our training sergeant that women wore pants and men wore trousers.

One sign of autumn that on one has mentioned is the smell of mothballs as the winter clothing is taken out of wherever it has been stored.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Jos
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 02:31 PM

Back when I was a child, women (aunts, and female friends of my parents) wore "slacks", with a zip on the left-hand side.
When I was a teenager, we used to buy jeans (which had a zip at the back, for some unknown reason), put them on back to front and then lie in the bath in them for a while until they moulded themselves to the wearer's shape.
None of the trousers, jeans, etc. that I now own has a zip anywhere but at the front. Some of them button left over right, some of them right over left. I heard somewhere that men's coats button left over right so that they can grasp their swords more easily if they need to defend themselves (or defend some unfortunate woman), but that is hardly relevant now.

None of my clothes smell of mothballs.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 02:40 PM

When I was a girl (late forties!) from autumn onwards we wore 'trews', made from thick woollen tartan material. You're quite right, adult women wore 'slacks'. Our pants ('bloomers') were nearly down to our knees, thick material with a fleecy underside. Our 'chilprufe' vests were woollen with a string that tied round the neck. I had a 'liberty bodice' too, for attaching my kilt. I must sound almost Victorian!
Sorry about this 'too much information' and thread drift...
The acorns, conkers, hips and haws are amazingly abundant this year.
Schools now have banned children from playing conkers (horse chestnut on a string) in case the little darlings get injured. Snowflake generation!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Jos
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 03:52 PM

In one of Mary Webb's books, maybe "Precious Bane", conkers was played with snail shells. Perhaps the word "conkers" comes from "conches", which are, of course, shells.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 06:08 PM

That's really interesting Jos. To 'conk' means to bash, and conk also means ones nose. Years ago, the playground was swarming with conker players swinging away with their prize conkers. Some had boiled them in vinegar to harden them (cheats!) and if ones conker had smashed six others it was called a 'sixer' and so on.
Such a shame that this traditional, seasonal game is now banned. I don't remember any child being injured in the past.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 09:25 PM

Believe it or not we have signs of autumn here in Guam. The other day Wakana and I drove over to Agat for water and Thai food (takeout of course) when we saw that the pampas grass has flowered. Pampas grass is very tall and grows thickly on the inland open ground. It has white tufts that wave in the wind. From across the valley clumps of the grass look like snow. They flower in the autumn and the spring.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 04:18 AM

People grow pampas grass here in UK, but it's a tricky and invasive plant. It goes crazy and is very difficult to remove. Sometimes it needs a tractor and a cable to pull the roots out of the ground, but it often comes back yet again!
A while back there was a daft thing going round about pampas grass. It was said that couples deliberately grew it in their front gardens to announce that they were up for 'swinging' (ie having other couples round for sex sessions, swapping partners) Ridiculous! (Husband just said "Hmmm..." Wonder what he means?)
Everyone's planting Spring bulbs here in the village. I've got eight tubs to get sorted, and today we're going off to Bawdeswell (nearby village) to get early daffodils, miniature tulips, irises and narcissi, plus two big bags of MiracleGro compost (husband is very strong and will lift those into the car for me)

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 12:11 PM

The idea of corduroy underwear is entertaining.

Newsflash: corduroy pillowcases are making headlines!

Fuzzy socks still rule, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 10:45 AM

Fuzzy socks indeed rule. I put on my Thor-Lo padded hiking socks for the first time on Saturday, just before starting up the furnace for the first time since April.

No, I tell a lie -- we had it on for a week in May, when an untimely snowstorm somewhat discombobulated us.

The Canada geese were practising flotilla manoeuvres on the lake yesterday while half of Stratford strolled the paths, eating their last ice-creams of the season. The mallard drakes are in their eclipse plumage, ready to fly south when the time comes, but both they and the geese are quite capable of staying the winter if they can find open water.

I'm not sure what can look sadder than a duck on the ice in January, but I see them every year.

The maples that go red are now all doing so, and every lawn in this very garden-proud town is speckled with yellowed birch leaves. Raking and sweeping will soon resume, and the arsehole who lives up the road will bring out his damnable leaf-blower.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 01:25 PM

The real sign of Autumn for me is when my plastic (lidded) glass of water on my bedside table remains cool all night.. that is when subsidiary signs appear in the form of a down comforter, long sleeved undershirt, and old socks filled with rice and microwaved come down from storage.
   No serious color change in foliage yet, but nights in the 40s are a warning. We are supposed to have a *heat wave* of a week in the low 80s now... but the comforter and 'warmy bags' of rice stay where they are.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 03:10 PM

When the cat food won't come out of the can without a spoon, it is Autumn.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 03:21 PM

It was very hot here today, with lovely sunshine, like the middle of summer. I got all the bulbs planted in my tubs, and they should look very nice in the Spring.
That crazy tame red deer BamBam has been everywhere today snacking on people's late roses and autumn flowers (dahlias, chrysanthemums etc) and then, because all the village children are back at school, he tried to get into the school through the main door. When the Headmistress chased him away, he went next door to the little nursery and got in there. Trouble is he wees copiously on the carpets inside buildings.
I suppose he can't understand why all the children are no longer down by the river paddling & swimming.
At least he won't have an Autumn 'rut', because he's been castrated!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Sep 20 - 12:17 PM

A touch of Indian Summer here.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Sep 20 - 07:16 AM

We're coming up to the Autumn 'rutting season' of deer, when the males get aggressive and ...er...horny (excuse the pun)
The 'tame' deer in our village (BamBam) has committed his worst-ever faux pas. A lady was outside the school this morning, bending down to kiss her young daughter goodbye, when BamBam came up behind her and tried to mount her!!! He was visibly...um...excited. We're all mystified because his owner had him castrated ages ago.
Everyone is talking about it, and giggling. But we're more or less agreed that this has gone too far. He brought his three goat mates and an escaped pig into the pub (beer for the deer and pork scratchings please?) and they all weed again on the carpet. He tried to get onto the school bus. He's out at night in the dark, and some village women went out with torches to try and get him home (no street lights here and it's pitch black at night)
I can't help chuckling though.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 25 Sep 20 - 08:04 PM

When you decide it's cold enough to switch on the central heating and it doesn't work! 2 further days in the very big sweaters before heating engineer arrives and replaces a faulty valve.
I made the mistake of posting our plight on Facebook and had about 20 people tell me to "bleed your radiators". Nothing wrong with our bleeding radiators: if they only needed bleeding, at least some of them would have been warm at the bottom and cold at the top: ours were all stone-cold throughout!
The Facebook College of uber-qualified heating engineers strikes again! Almost as good as the Facebook Faculty of Unqualified Medicine which I encountered the week before.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 02:34 AM

Oh Tattie, I do sympathise! At this very minute (7.30am) I'm awaiting our friendly plumber. Our NEW boiler, installed a few weeks ago, has a little chimney which goes up through the garage roof. The installers had left a gap around it, and of course the torrential rain we've been having has entered and drenched the boiler, doing it no good. We've had to put a mountain of newspaper and thick towels on the top of it, and this morning they're soaked.
So no heating, and thick jumpers on, just like you.
Our area (Norfolk) has had ferocious winds and torrential rain for three days. Many trees are down, blocking roads, and also there have been power cuts all across the county (not our village fortunately)
Most unusual, as the rest of the UK hasn't had this much. We're usually the driest place, but not this month!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 02:46 PM

Senoufou, your boiler installers need a lawsuit. Failing to waterproof a roof opening is sheer incompetence, if not malfeasance.

We have the furnace off again and the fans on again — today’s high is 25C, and we haven to had any frost since the first touch. But the forecast for next week is all rain and chill, so I think we’ve had our lot of the balmy weather.

Our woodshed is stacked full. We’re good.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 03:28 PM

You're probably right Charmion. But the young lad sorted it (He's called George, and such a nice chap) He put mastic into the gap, and is going to board over the spaces in the small breeze-block stack too, which will hermetically seal the overhead roof and completely protect the boiler.
We laughed and said we'll keep changing its nappies (ie the wet towels on the top) until he comes back with the materials for boarding up the gaps.
He told us to put the heating on, it would dry out any damp in the boiler casing. So we're toasty warm now. Good thing, as it's horrible outside. Flooding almost blocked the road over to Fakenham (supermarket) and loads of tree branches down, and shifted to the side awaiting collection.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 03:49 PM

Bleed the radiator? Is that anything like
a radiator flush, or something different?

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 03:56 PM

'Bleeding' the radiators means letting out any trapped air, by use of a special key which opens the valve. You have to do it for each radiator, and then the air locks can't prevent the hot water circulating.
A power flush involves pumping the whole system through to remove any sludge inside the rads and pipes. (The plumbers put a product called Fernox into the system, which prevents internal corrosion, but it isn't 100% effective).
Imagine my husband's amazement when he first came to UK from Ivory Coast. He'd never in his life seen a radiator, or a boiler, or a hot tap (or any tap in fact) or a bath. Plumbing was a complete mystery to him.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Jos
Date: 27 Sep 20 - 03:31 AM

"the fans on again — today’s high is 25C"

That's about 76F. At that kind of temperature (and higher), I just relax and enjoy it.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Sep 20 - 04:20 AM

I think I must be some kind of Saharan lizard, because high temperatures make me feel so happy! I might sweat (well, I do) but I don't want to be 'cooled down' or have icy drinks etc.
My word, the weather here is still being horrible. Strong winds all night and this morning, rain sweeping across the countryside, everyone looking miserable. So unusual for the East. NOT 'Normal for Norfolk'!
We saw all the pumpkins in 'Algy's Farm' fields on the way to Fakenham. He grows acres of them, massive orange ones and smaller white ones. I think the big supermarkets take them for sale in October (Halloween)
Husband thinks it's a wicked waste of food. Nobody in Africa would waste a beautiful pumpkin by carving a face and putting a tealight inside. I reassure him every year by repeating that our shepherdess next-door-neighbour takes lots of pumpkins after Halloween for her sheep to munch.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Sep 20 - 03:47 PM

The golden maples
are now catching up to the red maples
in providing autumn foliage,
although the red ones got a head start.
(southwestern Massachusetts,
not all that far from
New York's Hudson River Valley)

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 10:56 AM

Senoufou, I completely agree with Husband on pumpkin waste. Last Hallowe'en, Himself could find only the little "pie pumpkins", so he bought three and displayed them as shrunken heads, much to the neighbours' amusement. The next day, I cut away the charred bits and steamed them for the flesh.

This year, Perth County will observe Hallowe'en privately. Ontario is well on its way into a second wave of COVID infections, and it's just not worth the risk.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:12 AM

Same here in our village Charmion - Halloween has been 'cancelled' and no children will be coming round the doors for sweets dressed up in scary costumes. Sad really, but essential that we all obey the anti-Covid rules.
But the huge numbers of pumpkins growing in Algy's fields must mean that supermarkets somewhere will be selling them for decorations. And the unusual endless rain has made them swell to a gigantic size!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 06:43 PM

Well, here is something I cannot imagine happening during
a coronavirus pandemic:

a tour bus packed with people
driving the back roads of New England,
staring at the autumn colors in the trees.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Oct 20 - 10:47 AM

I got up this morning in the dark, at half-past six.

News flash: Winter is coming.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 01 Oct 20 - 11:26 AM

The shift to Eastern Standard Time on 1 November will briefly relieve this phenomenon and shift it into the afternoon.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: leeneia
Date: 01 Oct 20 - 01:56 PM

I was going down some stairs and encountered a grasshopper on the railing. Instead of leaping six feet in the air when it saw my hand, it simply sat there, staring. I lifted my hand over it and set it down on the railing again. You know autumn is here when the grasshoppers lose the will to live.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Oct 20 - 11:00 AM

In Southcentral Alaska a proper Autumn lasts about two weeks. We are more than halfway through ours. Most but not all of the deciduous leaves have loosened from the branches and, within a day of them being raked, gale force winds spread the rest all over.

As the lower 48 droughts floods and burns we've had an exceptionally fine Summer and Fall getting the occasional rain that the dry land thirst for, and wonderful sunny days. Since Starbucks doesn't allow seating during the Covid pandemic we've hit the drive-thrus and spent our caffeine amped afternoons walking dogs or hiking (or both).

We've got grand trail systems and most folks actually bag their dogs' 'leavings' appropriately. I haven't heard of anyone contracting Covid from trail use, and it's a cheerful way to say hello to folks. I should emphasize that you meet everyone, all ages and paces, hikers, bikers, camera buffs, skin tones, and species (moose bears and birds). To make it even more unusual, very low mosquito counts for these regions.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Oct 20 - 12:00 PM

No autumn colours among the trees yet as the temperature hasn't been low enough. Plus the endless rain is keeping all the trees/plants in good fettle.
That deer BamBam has taken to playing football every morning with his three goat friends in a nearby lady's huge garden. They began by eating all her hanging baskets' blooms. There's a goalpost (for her grandchildren) and we're sure he tries to score a goal. A wag posted on our Facebook that the deer should be signed up for Dereham Football Club! (Dereham is our nearest town). Deer-ham get it? hee hee
No sign of the escaped pig however.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Oct 20 - 06:31 PM

About time to retire the sandals for the season,
and stick to shoes with thick socks.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: EBarnacle
Date: 04 Oct 20 - 05:07 PM

The trees are starting to turn here in Central NJ. It is not yet Indian [or is it Native Peoples'] Summer yet, as we haven't had a frost to rebound from. The frost line is about 15 miles due North of here.
I am getting ready to put my Short sleeved warm weather clothes up for the Winter. I will soon have to wear sox on a regular basis, even in the house.
I will miss my Hawaiian prints.
Festival season is winding down, even the reruns of the virtual events.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Oct 20 - 07:21 PM

Wearing my winter coat when
I filled the fuel tank on my auto,
outdoors after dark.