Over the last few days, December gloom has descended on Beetley. Gone are the mornings of ‘low winter sun’, accompanied by blue skies and surprisingly high temperatures. The SAD lamp is on by 10 am, rather than after 2 pm.
Instead, we have the feeling that it might still be night, with dark grey skies seemingly yearning for darkness to come. Mist and murk, water in the air even when it isn’t raining, and a damp chill that makes joints ache.
Then the rain appears. Driven by wind, soaking the fallen leaves into mush, and turning firm walking paths into slippery mud.
I can be in no doubt that winter is upon us.
Yes, winter is upon us. We’re bracing for up to a foot of snow today. The lack of light is the hardest part.
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I was shocked when some snow fell here yesterday. Luckily, it didn’t settle.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Does Beetley ever get snow that sticks for a while, or even accumulate?
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Oh yes. We have had a few very snowy years. Like this one. 🙂
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Ooo, that is lovely!
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It’s so dark in the mornings we have been sleeping past 7am. The trouble is our poor old dog can’t wait and leaves us a present on the hall mat. He’s wearing doggy diapers but that doesn’t hold anything else! Other than that he seems quite happy – still eating and barking at foxes in the evenings.
His dementia means he wanders around looking lost but he still pops out of his bed at meal times and looks longingly at us for titbits.We have to be careful what we give him but when it is chicken he is really happy.
As for the weather – I didn’t go out at all yesterday and it made me very miserable. It poured with rain and I had so many places I wanted to go. I’ll try today. Best Wishes, Julie.
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It rained all day and all night here, Julie. It only stopped at ‘first grey’ this morning.
Sorry to hear about your poor old dog, but he is being very well looked after.
Best wishes, Pete.
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We have those days too but this week we had more blue skies than not. I enjoy while I can. And I still need to get one of those lamps!
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The lamp is nice to have on in the office. But it doesn’t help me outside of course! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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The nights are cold but the sun still shows everyday although right now, it is a bit cloudy.
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Just shades of grey here, Arlene. December weather!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Oh no, this is not good weather for Pete! Time for roaring fires, soft blankets, classic movies, and buttered popcorn. hang in there, I know this isn’t your thing, wish we could switch weather, our state is in such a drought. Wishing you patches of sunshine, C
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Thanks, Cheryl. I remember a drought of sorts, in England. It was the hot summer of 1976! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I am imagining some sort of SAD hat that you could wear while walking Ollie. I think a lot of us could benefit by such a device.
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It would have had to be waterproof today, Elizabeth. 🙂
(Unless it could be fitted under my umbrella? )
Best wishes, Pete.
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I can see it now!
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Today started out well, but the clouds came in just after sunrise. One would think we had moved closer to the Artic Cricle. Warmest regards, Theo
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Same here. ‘Hatches battened down’!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ahhhh but Spring is just around the corner 🙂 hang in there Pete
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Four and a bit months is ‘around the corner’?
Thanks for giving me a smile, Bobby. 🙂
Cheers, Pete.
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It’s been downright nippy here Pete. Highs in the 50s during the day, and lows in the 30s at night. Still,I’m not complaining as MA has already had snow.
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Do you get snow in Alabama? I thought it was too far south for really cold weather, Kim.
The rain is relentless this evening, absolutely pummeling down! 😦
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve heard they occasionally get snow, but we haven’t seen anything yet. I hope your gloom clears up soon.
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🙁🙁
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Glooooooooommmmmm. 😦
Best wishes, Pete.
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Same here, the sort of day when you think your eyesight is failing because you can’t see a thing indoors! Then you realise you have to turn on all the lights.
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Exactly that, Janet. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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We have a brisk but sunny day here. The sun makes the cold and wet a little more tolerable, Pete. Is the lamp helping you?
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I think it helps when I am sitting near it. I certainly feel happy enough writing in the office. But it doesn’t seem to help the gloom when I am out in the rain and mud walking with Ollie. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I understand that, Pete. Rain and mud are not appealing to me.
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It’s sunny (as usual) here in Las Vegas today, but rather chilly. The high today is predicted to be only 57° F (14° C). However, the forecast for Monday—most likely our next hiking day—is 67° F (20° C). Nothing like a short sleeve hike in December! We’ve now gone 227 days without measurable precipitation, shattering the 1959 record of 150 days. There’s no rain in the long range forecast. Is there such a thing as a GLAD lamp?
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You could invent the GLAD lamp, David. I would probably buy one. I’ll try anything to beat this gloom!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Tell me about it! I despise the winter, as I’m a summer person who loves heat and bright sunlight. I’m sleepy a lot myself which annoys me as I hate sleeping so feeling sleepy a lot just feels like hours and hours wasted. i wish I could take off to St.Helena from October- April eevry year.
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I don’t hate winter, as I enjoy the crisp clear days it offers. We just don’t get enough of those, sadly.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hmmm, it doesn’t sound like much fun, Pete. I am not a fan of cold weather.
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I can take the cold, but cold and wet combined can wear me down.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Time to hunker down and wait out the “storm” of winter…we’ve all been asked to stay home and not go out here, and the sun is shining!
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Our infection rate is increasing here too, John. Our sun is sort of shining, in between rain storms. It isn’t cold though. I’m wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
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Shorts and t-shirt weather–sigh— almost forgot what that feels like.
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I understand you: as fate would have it we had the warmest spring in years when the virus decided to show it’s face here. So I have had no trips out with my mother this year at all ( not even seen her in person since last winter!!! ). I think of 2020 as the year that wasn’t.
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That’s the perfect way to put it!
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I saw that on the news, John. Big spike in infections! Stay safe.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Fortitude, my friend: the winter solstice isn’t far away 😀 Cheers, Jon.
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March seems a long way off though! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Is the SAD lamp having any effect, Pete?
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I think it is. Sitting in the office in the afternoons, I definitely feel more motivated to write. But is has no effect on how depressing it is to trudge around in driving rain and slipping in mud. That’s something I have just been doing, out on the dog walk. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Glad it’s working for you.
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Same here Pete, bloody miserable weather.
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I certainly need that SAD lamp today. It’s grim outside!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I haven’t seen snow since about 2007. 😦 Really don’t miss it but relive childhood memories of sledding and making snow angels and snowball fights. And of course mother yelling, “Wear your mittens! Don’t forget your scarf and put your boots on.”
Think the high will be near 70 today. 😉
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We have had snow some years sine moving up here, but I don’t like living with it. The roads are treacherous, and the public transport grinds to a halt. My dog seems to quite like it though.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Reading your selection on snow etc gets me motivated. lol
Posting about snow now! 😉
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One good thing about snow is that I was able to take this photo. 🙂
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That is amazing. It looks so real. But I know it’s only a picture in a picture book sitting on your coffee table. 😉
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I was very happy to have taken this photo. It breaks some of the accepted rules, as it is over-exposed, and the subjects (sheep) on the right are too close to the edge of the frame. But I really like to look at it, trying to forget how cold I was at the time. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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We have a bit of blue sky today but snow is forecast for the weekend. Winter is definitely here.
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I have just seen Carol on the BBC. She was forecasting that snow, as well as sleet for down here.
Stay warm, dear Mary!
Best wishes, Pete.
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We finally have cooler weather and I’m lovin’ it! The sad part is though, it never lasts long.
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39 F at best here today, GP. Too cool for me. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I have enjoyed the last week of sub zero temperatures, cold crisp and sunny, but rarely above freezing. Warmer weather on the way for the weekend, but that will result in quite a bit of mud I fear 😦
I think I prefer this to the cold wet winters on blighty 🙂 Keep that lamp on!
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It’s on mate, have no fear!
Cheers, Pete.
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