Strolled to Tescos and back in a bright, sunny winter day, warm in the sun and cold out of it.
Externally it's been a terrible year, the worst since say 1993 or 1985. Authoritarianism, racism, militarism and open class warfare all on the rise. And god knows what Putin has in mind. And ever more worrying climate signs with this record mild December - not only are my spring bulbs coming up, but spontaneous potato plants too, something like 4 months early. Only 3 months since harvest, ffs!

0700 0 Moon
->Sun
Max 4
1830 RAIN

8
1000 Bright Windy
->Darker
1630 LIGHT RAIN
2000 STEADY RAIN
2200 HEAVY RAIN

Typed up more weather diaries - got to Mar 1986.

Some sun
1800 0 * High haze?

Some sun
1700 0 *
Cold.

Miserable, dark day till about 1pm, when it brightened up and there was a very brief sun-break.

Began typing up the 1985-88 weather diaries, the desk diaries which had a similar function to the weather marginalia I started putting in this diary about ten years ago, except that I kept the temperature record in there too. They aren't very dense so a couple of months a day is no trouble.

0900 8 Dark
->LIGHT RAIN
1300 stops
1310 Sun-break

BOXING DAY. Every year I seem to spend the Christmas/New Year period hearing about floods - each year they seem to get worse, and this year's seem to be unprecedented - hints of that last year too with the Dawlish thing. All getting a bit John Wyndham.

8
Bright

CHRISTMAS DAY.

0800 <8
some sun
1030 RAIN
~1400 stops

CHRISTMAS EVE. Cleaned desk, left at 12.20. Got thoroughly rained on coming home, back at 1.05. Weather then cleared up beautifully and we had some very welcome sunshine.

0700 8
1130 RAIN
1230 HEAVY RAIN WINDY
1330 stops
Clearing
Sun <2

Woke up feeling fine. Weather fine too.

0700 0 -> Sun
Colder
1600 -> 3 Ci?Ac? Moon

8 low fast dark Sc Windy W
->
Very windy
RAIN at times in evening

0730 8
->Windy W
1300 RAIN
1330 stops
1500 RAIN
Very windy
1630 stops
1700 Clearing -> Moon

Some sun am
SHOWERS pm
1645 HEAVY RAIN

Washed car in the afternoon as the weather was very mild still.

<8 Sun
Mild
Breezy
1700 8 Cs * Moon-through

8
Mild

Some sun

Very mild weather continuing, and it got drier today at last.

Worryingly mild December weather - though even in the blog December 1988 shows up as very mild, and I know that 1974 and 1934 were also unseasonably warm.

Still don't like hearing birds singing away in December though, it feels like something's not right.

<8 Some sun
clearing
1800 0/8 Cs/Moon
Very mild

8
1700 RAIN
2030 cont

8->Sun-through
1600 <8 Moon

Real dark, dank day. Off to town at 1.30 in drizzle.

0930 8
Dark
1330 DRIZZLE
1500 MIST

8
0900 RAIN
stops
1700 RAIN
Windy

8
1230 RAIN
by 1600 Stopped
->4
Colder

Back through the darkling park at 3.30.

8
1900 RAIN\2100 cont

0700 0
->Sun
2000 8

Rain in the morning, with a 'parting shot' shower at lunchtime.

0600 RAIN
0900 stops <8
1330 RAIN
stops
Sun

Sun glimpses
Mild
1600 ~6 *

8 with Sun-glimpse
Mild

Went to the Co-op rather than Tescos, as it was very windy and I didn't have time to go further.

8
Windy
Mild

Rather pleasant walk up to the clinic on a sunny morning.

0700 0 Sun
1100 <1
1600 <8 Ac-allop

6-8
some sun
2230 RAIN

<=8 Mild

<=8

One of those fortunate mornings where it's raining hard at 7am, and stops about 10 minutes into my walk to work.

0700 RAIN
0800 stops
->Windy

1000 Bright
->
1500 RAIN Very windy
2100 <2 Moon *

0800 Sun
1500 LIGHT RAIN
stops

0730 DRIZZLE
Stops
1230 DRIZZLE
Stops
1700 DRIZZLE
2000 RAIN
stops
2300 Windy
->
~3 Moon

Some sun

<8 Sun
2100 4 Ac Moon

Miserable wet day.

RAIN overnight
RAIN at times
1930 6 Ac Moon-through

0700 HEAVY FROST
Bright
8
Cold
1700 Moon-through

Very cold today, but bright and dry, rather pleasant.

Cold
Bright
<=8
Sun

Woke up to wind and rain, meaning one of my favourite things, a wet Saturday when I don't have to go out. And I'd far-sightedly bought an onion yesterday so I was able to make risotto for lunch.

0800 RAIN Windy
->Very windy
Sun-breaks
1100 RAIN
1200 stops
1700 6 * Moon

Weather has turned properly cold after the mild spell.

Clearing
->
1400 Sun
1500 4
Cold

Got thoroughly rained on on my way to the doctor's in the afternoon.

1200 LIGHT RAIN
1430 STEADY RAIN
1500 stops

Was half-awake till about 11.30 listening to the storm, but then I woke up at 5.30 and the wind had abated.

Had a very pleasant short lunch in the library, reading an Edwardian book on the stock market and watching the clouds go by.

0700 Sun <=6
1200 5 Ci, Cu
Windy
Warm

Very windy walk home. Wish I could enjoy windy weather the way I could before I had to think of the roof!

0700 <=8
1400 HEAVY SHOWER
1600 Windy
1800 Very windy ~4 * Moon

<=8
2200 RAIN

Much nicer weather - actually dried out a bit in the afternoon, and I was able to do some really quick garden tidying when I got back from town.

RAIN overnight
AM clearing
1300 Sun
Windy
Mild

Gammon risotto for lunch - ideal for a wet day. 0800 8
0930 LIGHT RAIN
1200 stops
1500 RAIN
Windy

Windy
0800 Sun
1100 SHOWER
Cold
->Sun

0900 8 S RAIN
1000 Sun ->
1 Sun

<=8
Sun glimpses

Another mild, dark grey day with a brief sun-break about 2pm.

<=8 Mild
1400 Brief sun-break
1645 SPOTS OF RAIN
1915 SHOWER

<=8 Mild
Windy

Must've stayed clear most of the night, because the minimum temperature was 7°C, but when I got up at 9.30 it was a dark, damp day.

8
Dark

Another mild, damp day, but the weather finally broke with a cold front passage about 3pm, and now stars can be seen. 0800 8
SPELLS OF RAIN
1500 <8
HEAVY RAIN
1530 stops
1800 * Mild
1930 0 *

Another dark damp day.

0800 8 Dark
same all day
1000-1200 RAIN
2000 Some *

Rather dark, but very mild, afternoon, weirdly reminiscent of a mild Christmas Day. Tidied up the garden, washed the Herefordshire mud off the car.

RAIN overnight
0800 8
BREEZY
1700 RAIN

Took ages to get home - rain and spray.

..IN AREA
1200 RAIN
1300 Sun-through
DRIZZLE
1500 stops
2045 HEAVY RAIN

Off to Hay at 7.15. Stopped at Membury services, which were shrouded in fog like all the other high places I went through. 25-minute slowdown at Birdlip.

A gentle walk took me to the clinic by 10.40. Very misty and foggy day - I expect there really was fog on Barnes Common!

This time my walk back was particularly contemplative. The Sun was shining through the mist as I went through Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith Bridge, Castelnau, Barnes, Mortlake and Richmond. Stopped for a sit down at Barnes Green where the pond is.

At car, took new route back to the A316 via Twickenham, very pleasant 'dusty' sunlight, reminding me of trips to London in the 70s to see my aunt and uncle.

Alternation of fog and bright sunshine all day, wherever I was, all the way to Bracknell.

0800 FOG
alternating with sun
..OUT OF AREA

After lunch wrote a 'scorer' for my diary weather-extract script - it gives each day a score indicating how likely it is to pertain to weather, based on which key words appear in it. I derived the key words by going through a list of the most common words in the days which I've already excerpted into the Weather Diaries blog. Took about an hour to do, but will save me ages in the long run.

(10.45pm). Really thick fog now. You can actually smell it downstairs.

Some sun
2230 THICK FOG
Moon-through

Raining dispiritingly when I got up, but luckily it began to slacken as I walked up to the clinic.

It's taking a long time each day at the moment to do the Weather Diaries. Will be glad when I wrap back round to whenever it was I started being exhaustive with them - Feb or April I think. Diaries are all very well but if all I did was read them or write them, there'd be nothing to write about...

0800 8 FINE RAIN
1100 less
1200 becoming intermittent
1300 stops
2100 <8 Sc-allop Moon-breaks
2230. 0 Moon

Spent 1½ hours working on a script to speed up the extraction of 1973-82 weather reports from the newspaper archive.

Started reading Mark Steel's autobio again. Just right for the oncoming winter and the general atmosphere of the early 80s hanging over the country right now. Here comes another winter...

8
1500 FINE RAIN

Started raining late last night, still raining when I got up at 8 and carried right on till after noon. Nevertheless took the car out as planned.

cont
0500 RAIN
1230 stops
Some sun pm

0700 FOG ->->
<8 occasional Sun
2300 RAIN
cont

0700 8 ->->
4 Sun
HAZY
Clearing about 1[?]8[/?]00

Was glad of the extra hour because I've had exactly enough time to do everything I intended to today, so far. Took my usual Sunday walk to Tescos - it's not quite the same in the colder weather, but I still enjoy it.

Cold <=8
Some sun
Quite calm

8
1400-1500 RAIN
1900 RAIN

Absolutely flat calm today btw, quite strange. I don't really like calm grey days, they remind me of being unemployed.
This was a good day though.

0800 8
FLAT CALM
->
1200 8 As-allop Sun-through

0800 <8
Gradually more sun
1600 6

Horrible wet day.

0500 RAIN
1000 cont
1400 stops
8

Another fine conjunction in the morning - Venus, Jupiter and Mars in a straight line.

0600 4 *
0800 8
->
1400 ~4 Sun Cold
1700 0 Moon

Deployed thicker coat again, the blue one with silver facings, as it's been getting colder.

8 cold

Looked cold out but wasn't that bad. Pretty dull weather though. Tidied up garden in the afternoon, mowed lawns for what I suspect really is the last time this year this time.

<=8 Glimpses of sun
Wind very light

Scrubbed the back fence with bleach to remove the unsightly algae. It is very damp generally out the back, making it rather unpleasant. I suppose it's the drainage off the garden, which is uphill in relation to the yard. 8 Cold
Windy

Horrible weather, cold and drizzling. Did the woolly hat thing in the morning.

RAIN overnight
cont 0800
8 DRIZZLE
Cold
1600 stops

Cold again. I probly shouldn't be surprised that it turns cold in the middle of October, but I seem to be.

<=8 Cold
1600 Sun-breaks

<=8 some sun
Cold
SHOWERS

Cold grey day, though it started with lots of clear sky and a view of Jupiter and Venus.

0600 4 *
->8
Cold

Typically 6 As, Ac Sun
Cold
Wind strong NW

Cloudy start but turned very sunny about noon. It was quite cold out of the sun though - autumn is asserting itself.

Noticed some of the fences are looking a bit tatty - I don't know if there'll be suitable weather before the winter, but they definitely need repainting.

0900 8
1100 [s->]Sun
1700 <1

Neighbour asked if he could come in at some point and paint the side of his garden house, which is built right up to the boundary. I said that that was fine since my potatoes have been harvested.

Some sun
Much Cu, S

Beautiful Moon-Venus-Jupiter-Mars conjunction in the morning, with bright star nearby. Lucky to have a very cold clear morning.
Soon turned quite warm though, rather to my regret as I'd dressed for 6am and found myself rather hot at 2pm.

Further enhanced the diary search and weather blog search that I use for composing entries for The Weather Diaries blog, so that they'd work at different locations.

0600 0 Moon Cold
Typically 4 small Cu Sun WARM

1300 5/5 Cu/Ci Sun
1830 0

Much sun
Cold

RAIN overnight
0630 HEAVY SHOWER
->
1400 some sun

RAIN overnight
0700 8
->
1600 some sun
1900 RAIN

Was all prepared to get soaked walking home - had dry clothes and a towel ready in the front room - but in the event it just rained a bit at lunchtime.

0700 8
SOME RAIN

Warm, hazy golden day, very pleasant. One of my nicest Sunday walks down to Tescos so far.

0800 0/8 Cs Sun
Very light wind
1200 WARM 2/8
1700 4 Ci/8 Cs

0800 SKY OBSCURED MIST
->low Cu Sun
1700 8

Again a beautiful sunny day, almost too fine for October.

0-3 Cu Sun

Another sunny, cool day, ideal for walking up to the salon.

0-3 small Cu Sun

Very pleasant weather to round off September, sunny and cool, reminding me very much of Sep 1988.

0-3 small Cu Sun
Breezy .

Walked home at a leisurely pace. Saw a fine pair of sun dogs.

~5 Ac, Ci Cu
1630 SUN DOGS

For once, insomnia worked in my favour - I woke up at 3.40 and had a fine view of the lunar eclipse.

Beautiful creamy Full Moon in the evening.

3-7 Ac Sun
1730 <1

Fair weather but cool. Got a nice mauve thin jumper from BHS - I'm short of suitable workwear for this interim period of not hot, not cold weather.

Much sun
<1[s->]6 Ac

Some sun
2000 0 *

More rain - really heavy for a time around 8am.

0700 Some sun
0800 8 HEAVY RAIN
->RAIN
0900 Stopping
->some sun
1600 SHOWERS

Some sun

0700 Sun ~1
Warm later

>=6, some sun

2-7 Cu Sun

Rather nice weather - lots of sun but quite cool.

Much sun
1->6 Cu, Ac

Excuse writing but hands cold from walking home in rain. Walked a long way today, about 12 miles. Huge shower clouds at lunchtime told a clear story, and I got soaked going home at 5pm.

0800 <8 large Cu, some sun
1000 Colder
1200 Huge Cu
1430 HEAVY SHOWERS with THUNDER
1730 stops

Weather rather better today.

0700 <=8
->
1600 6 Ac, Ci Sun

0700 SKY OBSCURED MIST
->1700 0 hazy sun HOT

RAIN overnight
0600 LIGHT RAIN
->
1700 6 Cu, Ci Sun

4-6 large Cu
Sun
1600 HEAVY DROPS OF RAIN

Sun, much Ci & Cu

Woke up at 9am to rain. Weather had turned fine by the afternoon, so went into town.

0900 RAIN
1000 stops
4-7 Cu Sun

Louise Dunstaple's birthday - same day of the week as 1857 too. Lovely day, less cloud than yesterday (yesterday we had the 'arbutus' September weather that I remember from the demountables in 1979).

Walked back to work, my spirits rising every step of the way, and the clouds clearing, till I arrived just after ten.

0700 8
0930 Clearing
->
1600 4 Cu Sun

Typically 8
Some sun very early

2-7 Cu
Sun\Cool
Breezy

Lovely weather, real Indian summer, not too hot. A bit like the picnic in the botanical gardens in Siege of Krishnapur, which I'm currently re-reading.

I'd bought bacon yesterday expecting a cold day on which to enjoy bacon and baked beans, so I had that for brunch before the day got too hot.

0900 0 Sun
WARM
0->4->2 Cu

Much Sc
<=8
Some sun\Breezy

It's been colder the last few days and today was definitely chilly. Felt pretty good though and it seemed like a good day.

Some sun
Typically 8
Chilly. Breezy

Some sun
<= 8

Rather nicer weather with hard-edged shower clouds.

Sun Huge Cu
HEAVY SHOWERS

RAIN overnight
0600 <8
1200 Huge Cu Sunny intervals
1630 RAIN

BANK HOLIDAY. Last day of summer, and it rained most of the time.

0800 RAIN 8
1100 stops
1200 RAIN
1600 stops

0700 RAIN
stops
8

Spent the remainder of the afternoon reading, which wasn't really a sin what with the rain and having a cold.

0900 6 Cu, Ci Sun
->->
1500 8 LIGHT RAIN
1900 cont

Typically 4-6
Cu, Ac, Ci
Sun
WARM

At 9.30pm Capella is very clear in the NNE - it's the end of summer all right.

0700 8
1030-1730 HEAVY RAIN
rumble of THUNDER
->->
1600 5 Ac, Ci Sun

Several lots of quite heavy rain today.

0700 <8
SPELLS OF HEAVY RAIN
1900 clearing
->0

Odd weather - started off almost annoyingly hot, then turned cloudy and cold, and then rained. This sequence suited me though, as the cool bit began in time for me to walk to work after my visit to the dentist's.

0800 Sun HOT
1100 4 Cu
1130 8 Sc DROPS OF RAIN
1400 RAIN
1600 stops

Woke up to red and yellow sky, and it certainly rained from 11am onwards.

0600 7 Ac Sun
->8
1100 RAIN
then SPELLS OF RAIN some HEAVY

Down to Tescos at 1pm, and by the time I got back at 1.50 it had clouded over and begun to rain.

Real end-of-summer feel today, what with yesterday's garden idyll and the darkness and rain today. And the slanting sunlight which has been noticeable these last few days.

0800 0 Sun Pressure dropping
→→
1400 7 Ci, Cs
DROPS OF RAIN
1415 RAIN
1600 stops

Hot-weather lunch of ham sandwiches. Worked in the the garden in the afternoon, but the weather was much hotter by then and I got tired very quickly.

So sat in the garden and had a cup of tea and looked at those two poplar trees waving in the sun and wind, reminding me of my travels, and the hundreds of miles of warm air to the north and west.

0800 2 Ac
1100 5 Ac-cast, Ci
Sun
VERY HOT

RAIN overnight
0900 8
slowly becoming
1300 6 Cu Sun HOT

Drizzly start. Had a warming dinner of 'sausages, beans and chippings'.

RAIN overnight
0600 RAIN
0830 DRIZZLE
1000 RAIN
1030 DRIZZLE
1100 stops
Some sun

Sun 2->7

Rained all day so far - ideal weather for staying in and unpacking, and tidying, and shelving my new books.

0900 8 RAIN
1800 cont
2100 cont

At Hartshead Moor services about 9am the sun had come out but it was still pleasantly cool.

INTO AREA
1400 7 Ac-allop Sun

Woke up early in the morning to hear rain beating on the windows - when I got out at 9.45, it was steadily tipping it down. Spray on the M62 quite appalling, but fortunately it was so serious that everyone drove carefully. A real 'grotesquely awash as a courtyard where a fountain-basin has given way' morning, the ground as bright grey as the sky.

Strordinarily gloomy weather in the morning.

0700 8 dark S
OUT OF AREA

Another day with grey start and end, and sunbreaks in the middle accompanied by surprising warmth.

RAIN overnight
0900 8
1400-1500 Sun-breaks

Typically 8, with 1200-1500 sun-breaks, HOT.
1800 8, smells like rain

0800 8
->
~5 Ac Sun HOT
More cloud later

Beautiful weather - took another Sunday walk to Tescos which I very much enjoyed. Bit of deckchair reading in the afternoon.

0900 0 Sun
->HOT Cloud increasing
1600 6 Ac

0700 8
->
1100 ~5 Sun
->
1500 <1 Sun HOT

Caught up with my weather diary typing.

2-6 Sun
HOT

0800 8
->DROPS OF RAIN
1500 6 Cu Sun HOT

8
1500 DROPS OF RAIN
1900 <8 (low flocc, high Sc)

0700 0 Sun
->
1000 8
1600 6 large Cu
Windy

0700 Sun
->
1600 <=8
1700 <8 Ci, Ac
Breezy

Typically 6 Ci
Sun
HOT

0900 8
->~4/6 Ac/Ci Sun

Rather pleasant weather, bright and sunny but not too hot.

Typically 3 Sun
Cool breeze

Some sun
SPELLS OF RAIN pm

0600 4 Sun
More cloud (Ac, Cu) later

Weather like yesterday but brighter.

6-8 Cu, Sc
Breezy
Some sun

Cloudy in the morning, and much cooler than it has been, but a fresh breeze and no rain, so I felt all right.

0700 8 Sc
Breezy
Later some sun-breaks

It started raining at 10am so postponed trip to town till after brunch. For once this plan worked. Bit of impromptu gardening when I got home - the buddleia is in flower and the rain had weighed down one branch so much that it partly snapped off, so I cut it off neatly.

It started raining again just as I finished doing this, so I timed today exactly right.

0800 8
1000 RAIN
1300 stops
1530 RAIN

0800 8 'large' Sc
Later some sun
Breezy NW
SPOTS OF RAIN

Weather had turned grey in the morning and looked like rain. By 1.15 it was properly raining - I walked slowly home through it after my appointment.

0700 <8 dark Ac
1230 SPOTS OF RAIN
1300 RAIN
1800 HEAVY RAIN
2000 stops
2100 RAIN
2330 cont.

Another scorching hot day.

AM ~5 bubbly Ac Sun
VERY HOT
PM Less cloud

0600 ~5 Ac Sun
1200 6 Cu
-> 1600 8
2000 ~4 low fragments

0700 0 Sun
HOT
Max 4 Cu
Breezy

Often 8
Warm
Breezy
Some sun

Quite nice weather, got quite warm even though it'd been raining at 7am.

0700 8 RAIN\stops
0900 3 Cu Sun
Breezy
HOT
More cloud at times

Pretty hot day. Did some serious trimming of the bushes that overhang the fence from next door. Read the FT magazine in a deckchair.

0800 0 Sun
HOT
->
6-8

Bright start today for a change.

Much sun HOT
Later more Ac-allop

A lot of days recently where it starts off cool and grey, then turns hot and sunny but with untidy, 'steamy' skies rather than settled fair ones.

0800 8
->
1600 ~4 [?]Cu[/?], Ac-cast
HOT

0700 FINE RAIN/DRIZZLE
1000 stops
->
1600 5 Sun HOT

Rather a damp drizzly Bastille Day.

Much FINE RAIN/DRIZZLE
8

Spent rainy morning working from home and doing chores. More rain in the afternoon, more work and chores.

8 Sc all day
LIGHT RAIN on and off

0800 RAIN
->
1700 6 Cu, dark Sc

Gardening in the afternoon.

Much sun
HOT

Really beautiful weather first thing - too hot for walking 5½ miles, so took the car. Took the new coolbag, which I keep in the back of the car, and an ice pack so I could get all my shopping while I was waiting.

0700 0 Sun HOT
Slow cloud increase - Ac-allop, Ci

0700 8
quite quickly -> 4 Ac Sun
Breezy
1900 Even clearer

Got caught in two heavy showers 10 minutes apart on my way home. Very unusual.

0600 8
Some sun breaks
1300 RAIN
1610 HEAVY SHOWER
1625 HEAVY SHOWER
Sun CuNiAnv seen

Cloudier earlier
Sun HOT
1400 Large Cu - Squally
->Sun
1800 Windy

Much sun HOT
1530 DROPS OF RAIN

Very dark in the morning, and then 3 hours' rain, which scotched my plans to go to Tescos. But by the time I'd finished typing up weather diaries, it'd stopped raining, and indeed as the afternoon went on it turned into a fine day. Suspect a warm front passage, so hopefully there might be some cold front excitement later. I love a cold front passage.

Everything in the garden damp, but yesterday I'd been wishing for damp conditions so I could weed the far patio, and I thought it best to go with the narrative, so spent ½ hour out there.

0800 8 very dark S
0900 RAIN
till 1200
1300 ->Sun
1500 3 Cu bits HOT

Saw in the morning that it had rained overnight - and lots of people on FB reported intense storms. I didn't hear a thing though.

RAIN overnight
HOT
Early cloud
->
typically 2 Ci Sun HOT

Bit more pleasant today - still hot, but with a breeze.

Typically 5 Ci
Sun HOT
Breezy

Really hot again (99°F at Heathrow yesterday) but cloudy too, so extra unpleasant.

VERY HOT
0700 Sun
->
1030 8
1230 DROPS OF RAIN
More sun later

Really hot again. Even at 8am when I was exercising the car it was boiling.

VERY HOT Sun
0800 4 Ac-cast
1100 ~3 Ci
More Ac-cast c.1700

Weather very hot, quite flawless blue sky with not a cloud in the sky all day. Dispensed with jacket - must say I looked pretty good; I'm not usually quite so pleased with my appearance.

After work trudged home in the heat.

0700 0 Sun VERY HOT
Same all day

Really hot weather.

0800 ~3 Sun
VERY HOT
Much same all day

Strangely tidy weather - just as the weather notes say, it gradually rained more and more determinedly until, by the time I got back from town about 2.15, I was drenched. Ironically I'd had a hell of a time finding a suitably covering, yet suitably cool, outfit to wear.

0800 <8 HOT Sun
1100 DROPS OF RAIN
1200 LIGHT RAIN
1300 RAIN
1400 HEAVY RAIN
1500 Stops ->Sun

Beautiful day with cumuli, very hot. At my parents' house, roses still growing down the side, just like in the summers of 30 years ago. Very fine.

0700 0 Sun
0900 3 Cu
HOT
Varying Cu

Hot day, hotter than yesterday, and again quite cloudy.

<8 HOT Sun
1600 7 bubbly Ac

Hot, but quite cloudy day.

0700 <8
Some sun
HOT

Some sun
HOT in day
2000 8 high Sc

Chilly grey start - feels like it's been quite a cold June so far.

0700 8
->~6 Sun WARM

Interesting weather - couple of times it went very grey and squally, but no rain fell.

~4 Sun
Typically 4, occasionally 8
GUSTY
1830 SHOWER

0800 <=8 Sun
->
1600 5 Cu, Ci

Rain had been forecast, but hadn't turned up, so went out to mow the lawns at 2.30, only to find a fine rain had just begun. I carried on anyway, mowing the lawn in the rain always makes me think of The Great Gatsby. Carefully oiled the blades afterwards.

Came inside and wrote the basis for a proper search prog for my weather blog - I waste much time every day spotting weather refs and then wondering if I've already blogged them. I have a text search prog but it's quite crude, and this new one is a scanner for the Atom XML format that the export is in. It uses the incremental XML parser I wrote a few years ago.

0800 ~6 Sun HOT
1430 FINE RAIN
1500 RAIN
1530 HEAVY RAIN

Beautiful weather till about 9.30, then clouded over really quickly.

0800 Sun ~2 HOT
->
1000 8 S
Less cloud later

Heavy rain last night well into the small hours. I know because I lay awake a long time on my drink-free night.

0700 5 large Cu Sun HOT
1700 7 Ac HOT

0700 Sun
0800 HOT
1200 4
1600 6
1900 8 very dark festoon Sc Windy
2200 HEAVY RAIN
0300 stops

Another grey start turning hot, and making me carry my coat home in a bag.

0800 8
->
1200 ~4 Sun
1600 HOT

0800 8
1200 4 Sun Fresh breeze
1600 4 Ci HOT

Another damp, dull day, dark too at times. Mood pretty good by comparison.

0800 8 S/Sc
1330 DRIZZLE
stops

Very dark grey weather, warm though. Cleaned upstairs back windows, which face NE and don't get much rain to clean them.

0700 8 dark Sc
Same all day
OCCASIONAL LIGHT RAIN

Left at 5pm, walked slowly home in the heat. Have walked over 8 miles today.

Sun with increasing cloud - Ac, Cs, Ci, perhaps Ac-cast 1700
VERY HOT
1930 RAIN

Typically 6 Ci Sun
HOT

More odd weather - cool and grey in the morning, hot in the afternoon, but with the same N wind all day.

0700 8 Sc WINDY N
->
1300 4 Cu Sun
1700 ~2 HOT WINDY N

Odd weather - bright sun but cool and windy. Unsettling.

0700 Sun WINDY E
WINDY all day
2-6 Cu

Beautiful start to the day, got quite hot walking to work.

0700 0 Sun
Clouding
1200 7
RAIN at times
1600 8 Sc
2000 3 small Cu Sun

Beautiful weather.

0800 0 Sun
->
1600 4 flat Cu
HOT

A fine day, warm but with a refreshing breeze. Proper June weather.

0700 2 Ci Sun
Gradually more Ci.
1900 6 Ci
Warm

Good thunderstorm at 7.30am - fortunately the daily meeting was put forward at 9am, so I set out at 8, missing a drenching.

To the dentist's at 12: it was very hot and muggy and I had my parka on from the morning rain. For the walk home, I took it off and carried it in a bag.

Had a fantastic tea of potato salad, 1-person quiche lorraine and salad. Just right for the torrid weather.

Mowed lawns, garden looking great. No need to wash car thanks to the thunderstorm. 0700 7 S Sun
THUNDERSTORM to 0745
Later rumbles of THUNDER
2-8 Ci, Cu Sun
VERY HOT

Beautiful weather. Went out just now to take a picture of the wild lilac bush in the evening sun for FB.

0700 <1 Sun HOT
1200 5 Cu, Cc Cool E breeze
1600 HOT

Increasing sun to
1800 3 Cu

RAIN overnight
WINDY
8 Sc
1500 Clearing 4 Sun

Some sun
1400 8 Sc
1600 SPELLS OF RAIN

Rotten weather, rotten backache, felt awful.

(8.20pm). Weather has cleared up now, it's a sunny evening. And yet I've been sitting like Howard Hughes in my little room with the curtains drawn, thinking it was still wet and grey...

RAIN overnight
1000 stops 8 Sun-break
1500 RAIN
stops
1900 Clearing
2000 4 Ac Sun

4-7 Cu SUn

Some sun
1000 RAIN
1300 stops
1630 DROPS OF RAIN

Typically 6 Cu Sun

Rather nice weather at first, but it went off a bit later.

0800 <1 Ci Sun
->
1600 6 Ci, Ac, As

Some sun

<=8 Sc[s->]S
Some sun

Weather quite nice first thing - neighbour reading paper in garden, always a good sign - but turned unpleasantly warm, grey and rainy.

Garden looking nice after all the work I did yesterday. Cyanothus really bright blue.

0900 5 Ac Sun
flattening
->
1300 8 LIGHT RAIN
Further rain till ~1700

Lot of noise in the hotel. Got off to sleep at 3am to the sound of rain.

Beautiful weather, but as I raced eastwards it deteriorated, getting hazy, then dull, then cold, then raining.
My theory that I'd caught up with the night's rain was confirmed by the way that when I reached Colchester at 10.30 it was raining, and then the sequence reversed till about 3pm we had the weather I'd left at Cobham at 8.30.

BACK IN AREA
1030 8 SPITS OF RAIN
Cold
->
1400 6 Ac
Warm Sun

Lovely weather, but then it always is when I'm stuck in traffic in London.

0800 ~1
Sun HOT
OUT OF AREA

Another very showery day. One of the showers started about 1.55, so got rained on a bit coming back from lunch.

HEAVY SHOWERS, some longer periods of RAIN
Sun huge Cu

Showery day - fine at first. Talked to E at work; he has a proper appreciation of clouds, he waxed quite lyrical about one huge, hard-edged shower cloud I pointed out.

On the way home got caught in one of the showers: first got soaked, then battered with hail. But then the weather relented and the sun came out to warm me.

Sun alternating with HEAVY SHOWERS, some with HAIL
huge Cu

0700 8 RAIN
0800 stops
Further rain
1400 Clearing ->
1600 6 Cu Sun

Typically 5 Cu Sun

In the afternoon mowed lawns, attended to compost heaps; took advantage of the faster warm-weather decomposition rate to get rid of a whole bagful of shredding.

7 -> 4 Cu Sun
Breezy
Warm

0600 8
0800 Clearing
->
1000 4 Cu Sun

Miserable cold, wet weather, but quite a good day.

0600 some Sun
0800 8
1000 RAIN
1800-cont Cold
2100 cont

Typically 4 Cu
1600 6 Cu, mAck
Sun

Turned into rather a nice day once the cloud cleared - nice and cool, and the sky looked like it might cause trouble later if it wanted to, the cumuli were quite grey and serious though the sun was shining strongly.

0700 8
->
1100 Hazy sun
1200 4 Cu cool breeze
2000 1 Cu

Sun Cs, Ci

1400 6 Ci
1600 6/8 Ci/Cs

Some sun but often 8 large Cu

8 with Sun-breaks
1600 RAIN
1900 cont

0700 Sun
4-7 medium-huge Cu
DROPS OF RAIN at times

Real blustery, showery day, but fortunately was able to do all my walking between the showers.

0500 SHOWER
BLUSTERY SHOWERS all day, 6-8 huge Cu
Windy

0600 RAIN
0700 stops
4-8 large Cu
WINDY W
Sun

Migraine in the morning - eventually got sleepy and woke up about 12.30 knowing that the worst had passed. Lay on the bed rather pleasantly tired, looking at the bright light on the walls and thinking of lying in bed at home in the Christmas 1988 holiday.

Some sun
1600 8
Calm
2030 RAIN

Raining when I woke up at 9.30, so had lunch before going into town.

0900 RAIN
1200 stops
1400 Sun
then 4-8 Cu
Breezy W
Warmer

Some sun but typically 6-8 Cu, Ci, Ac

<=7 Cu, Ci, Ac, As Sun

More bright but chilly weather.

2-6 Cu Sun Wind N Chilly

1230 RAIN
1500 stops
1800 4 sm Cu, huge Cu, sun

Lovely weather, bright with cumuli, bit chilly though.

1-5 Cu, Ci Sun
Chilly

0700 <=1 Ci Sun
Cold
-><8 Sc

RAIN overnight
0830 RAIN
0930 stops 8 S
1600 Sun-breaks

Had expected a dry day today in which to mow the lawn before it rained tomorrow, so was annoyed to hear it start raining at 8am. Luckily grass was dry enough to cut at 1pm, which pleased me as I had to be ready for my parents to come round.

0800 LIGHT RAIN
Typically 4-8 Cu Sun
PM Windier
1800 <8 Cu, Ac
2000 RAIN

0800 4 Ci Sun
1600 4/8 Ci/Cs
1900 8 S, As

Grey morning but a very fine day after midday.

0600 8
1200 Clearing -> 0 Sun

Woken up at 3am by what I think was foxes fighting. Went out to exercise the car at 6am. Foggy morning, with the sun sometimes showing behind roils of cloud.

0600 SKY OBSCURED FOG
->
0800 Sun
1100 8 Sc
1700 clearing
->
1900 <=1 Ci

Another beautiful day, quite summery when I walked home along the riverside.

Sun typically <=2 Ci, Cu

Sun Ci, Cu

Some sun
Mostly 8 Sc

Weather had already been pleasant, with cumuli, in the morning but about 2pm they all vanished and there was a cloudless sky. Quite hot in the sun. Sat out in the garden. Glad I cut back the buddleia - I had a clear view again of those two poplars down by the mill that I love to watch waving in the breeze on summer afternoons.

0900 4 Cu Sun
1400 0
Breeze

Again not quite so warm.

Some sun
5-7 Ac, Ci
Cooler
Windy

Not so warm as yesterday, though it was pretty warm in the sun.

Sun, Ac, Cu, Ci 2->7

Another beautiful day.

BACK IN AREA
1400 <2 Sun HOT
1900 6 flat Ac

The day started off misty and cloudy (at 7.30 when I left) and was still cool when the sun came out properly at Hay at 10am, but it turned hot and bright, like summer, and like a 70s summer somehow, with the hard dark blue sky, and posters for an uncertain election.
At Much Dewchurch there was a house on a rise by the road with a beautiful white cherry tree blossoming in front of it, the white flowers against the blue sky.

0800 Sun ~4
OUT OF AREA

Rather nice weather - another early outing for the lightweight blue coat.

1200 4 Ci, Cu Sun Windy
1800 7 Ci, Ac

Heavy shower just as I left the salon, got pretty wet, but it stopped when I arrived at Waitrose to get the FT, and by the time I got to the Co-op I was quite dry again.

In the afternoon mowed lawns - weather nice then, but going off again now, wonder if the 11am shower was a warm front.

0930 8 low Sc DROPS OF RAIN
1100 HEAVY SHOWER
1500 4 Cu Sun
1800 3/8 Cu/Ci

Weather rather unpleasant due to high levels of pollution - and pollen. It really annoys me to get hay fever when I never used to.

Some sun
Much haze/mist

Cold, foggy morning; when I arrived at work, the campus cat hurried out of the fog for a stroke. The sun burnt the fog it off, and indoors it was pretty warm.

0600 SKY OBSCURED FOG Cold
->
1300 Sun Ci

Some sun

Really cold in the morning, but then the sun burnt off the low cloud and it warmed right up.

0700 FROST Cold - low cloud
1100 0 Sun
1600 8 Sc
1900 8 Ci, As

EASTER MONDAY.
Looked like being a beautiful day at 8am, but it quickly clouded over and turned cold.

0900 0/8 Sun
>1100 8, some sun-breaks later

EASTER SUNDAY.

More sun
progressively >1700 4 Cu

Not the sunnier day I expected from the forecast - the best it could do was not actually rain much, and produce a few sun-breaks in the afternoon.

I do like the expansiveness of Easter, with 4 days off and without the pressure of Christmas. I've never forgotten what an oasis Easter 1997 was in my first year at the forex place. Mind, we had better weather then, but even when Easter is cold and dull like this one, I love it.

0800 8 low Sc SPOTS OF RAIN
Clouds higher later, sun breaks
2030 Clearer *

GOOD FRIDAY. Rather a wet day, but in that pleasant way that you don't have to work in the garden, and can potter round the house without feeling guilty.

0900 8 S LIGHT RAIN till ~1300
More RAIN later

Hazy sun
1700 4/8 flat Cu/Ci, Cs

Windy again, but quite so much as yesterday.

0800 Sun
>4 Cu
1600 8
SPELLS OF RAIN
Windy

Fierce winds last night and all day: pleasant, very windy walk home, and then found I had plenty of energy for exercise. At 5pm, luckily just after I'd got home, there was a squally shower and thereafter till it was calmer.

Very windy
RAIN overnight
Sun/cloud spells
DROPS OF RAIN
1700 SHOWER then calmer

Gave retirement arrangements some thought as I walked home along the riverside, with small, flat, wet-looking cumulus under smooth grey altostratus.

0800 hazy sun
>
1600 4/8 wet flat Cu/As
1900 RAIN

Off into town at 12.45 BST. Very annoying wind and spitting rain, doing its best to ruin my makeup.
When I got there though, a lull in the rain as forecast, and I got home dry, though much buffeted by squally wind. Rather 'Aloysius' weather, with roiling clouds and powerful sun-breaks.

Btw, have often wondered why I couldn't see the very tall pylon at the docks from my house. Although there is a steep ridge between here and there, it still seemed odd. Noticed today that I can see it when the trees aren't in leaf - drew a careful picture of the trees and buildings that line up with it. Actually it's just the very top I can see, the top 20' perhaps.

0800 BST 8 RAIN Windy gusting F7
1300 stops
1500 HEAVY SHOWER Very windy Sun-through
1600 Sun breaks
1900 5 Ci

RAIN overnight
0800 8
<8 later, bright

3-6 flat Cu, some Cs earlier Sun
Windy

In the morning it was raining so I worked at home, had brunch again and was in about 12.10.

0700 8 RAIN
1200 stops
>6 Sun Cu
Windy

Rather a good day, nice weather too with big cumuli.

0600 Sun
Typically 5 large Cu

0800 8
Some sun
RAIN at some point pm

0700 FROST Sun
1100 4 Cu
1300 6 Cu\1700 8

One of those Sundays where the sun comes out late in the afternoon and makes you feel the day has been a good one.

0900 8
1700 4/8 Ac/Cs Sun

8 Sc
FINE RAIN at times
Windy (cold NW)

Annoyingly, it was cloudy until about 11am, and then lovely, if cold, weather. It did get quite dim around totality at 9.30. E expressed his surprise that 85% occlusion wasn't darker, so I told him how it only went to 'evening twilight' darkness with 97% occlusion in 1999.

0700 8
1100 Clearing >
1200 Sun

0700 PAST RAIN 8
Some sun-through in day

0700 8
1600 8 As Sun-through

Dull start but a hazy, mellow afternoon.

0700 8
clearing >8 hazy Cs Sun

0700 8 S
Sun later,
1700 6/8 Ac/As sun-through

8 Sc
1500 RAIN stops soon

Odd weather, very dim and dull in the morning, then some mellow sun in the afternoon, then really cold wind and grey clouds by 5pm.

1100 8 dark Sc
1500 6 Sun
1700 8 dark S Wind N cold

Some sun
1700 6 Ci, Cs

Some sun
1700 7 Ac, As

Some sun
1600 7 As, S, Ci

0800 8
>6 Cu, Ci Sun

0800 Sun
>
1500 8 S
1630 SPOTS OF RAIN

Lovely weather up till about 2pm, had to get my thin summer coat out of the wardrobe to wear into town.

0800 Sun
1300 16°C
1500 7 Sc
1600 8 Sc Windy

Took advantage of the fine spring weather to wash car and give the lawns their first mow.

Sun with 7>4 Ci, Cu by 1800

No engagements this weekend, and good weather forecast too. Think it may be too early to mow the lawn though.

Sun, cloud
Windy

Weather springlike - couple of blue tits flitting around in the apple tree.

0700 0 Sun FROST
1300 6 Ci
1700 6 Ac

Another bright cold day.

0700 0 Sun FROST
gradually more cloud
1400 5 Cu
1600 4 Cu with shower cloud
1900 0 Moon

Bright and cold, a bit cruel like some other early Spring days I remember.

0700 0 Sun
<=2 till
1500 8
1600 4 Ci, Cu
1900 <1 Moon

Bright cold day.

Later beautiful moonlit night with Moon nearly full.

0700 0 Sun FROST
<=2 Wind cold W
2000 0 Moon

FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Beautiful day, archetypally early March.

0900 1 Cu cells Sun Wind strong W
1200 6 Cu
1500 5 Cu, Ci
1730 1/8 frag/Cs Moon-through
1800 RAIN

0900 8
1500 FINE RAIN
2000 RAIN
2100 cont

0700 0 Sun FROST
Typically 4 Ci, flat Cu

RAIN overnight
0700 8
1100 RAIN
1430 stops

0730 <8 Sc
SPOTS OF RAIN
Some sun

0800 7 flat Sc
1500 HAIL SHOWER
1600 Sun from trailing edge
2100 2 *
Wind cold W

Much sun Cold S wind
1230 SHOWER
1500 SHOWER
1630 4 Ac, Cu

0900 Sun FROST
1300 8 Sc Cold wind
1530 RAIN

Rather nice weather, quite March-like with sun and large clouds, though it briefly went quite cold and dark about 1pm.

4 Cu Sun
1200 8 dark
1400 6 Sun

Rather a dull day weatherwise.

8 with bright cracks

0700 0 FROST
>Sun
1100 8
1400 RAIN
1800 cont

0700 0 FROST
>Sun

Beautiful day, very Chubday-like indeed.

0700 0
>Sun
Typically <= 1
1600 3 Ci, Cs
1900 0/8 Cs *-through

Foggy morning.

0600 FOG
>8
1630 8 'wet' Sc DROPS OF RAIN
1900 RAIN
2030 cont.

That sort of Chubdayish weather today, except a bit colder than the actual day itself. The first springlike day we've had.

0800 8
>some sun
Cold
1600 Hint of MIST

0700 RAIN 8 Sc
1600 Sun breaks
Warmer

8 Sc with Sun breaks
Wind SW
1600 RAIN

Weather today exactly like yesterday.

8 S
Cold

Quite dim and dark today, with smooth stratus, and colder. Proper winter weather.

8 S
Colder

8? Sc

Like yesterday, the weather was warmer today than it was earlier this month.

0700 8 S
Gradually >4 Sun by 1600

Much sun
Warmer
1900 0 *

Grey, dry, cold day, quite pleasant to be indoors on. Late in the afternoon got out and pruned the apple tree. At 5-6°C it was just about warm enough to work outside, if I kept moving. Was glad to get back inside though, for my planned beer and crumpets.

8 S
Cold

Much sun
Cold
Typically 4 Cu

Typically 3 Ac Sun COLD
with SNOW SHOWERS 1000, 1500, 1715

Some sun
Cold
1700 <=8

Some sun
1500 SHOWER
2000 ~4 scallop Moon

Was walking across the park in the morning just as the sun was coming up about 7.55. At first it was just lighting up the houses on the far side of the park about ¼ mile away, then the light gradually came down across the field, coming out first on the raised bits, like the field was tipping up towards the sun. Which, when I come to think about it, it was.

0800 ~3 FROST Sun
1900 0/8 Cs Moon-through

0900 SLEET
SPOTS OF RAIN at times
Some sun
Windy W

Meant to mention yesterday, it was the first day since the solstice when the sun has been high enough at 4pm to actually light up the ground.

No sun today, though it was quite bright at times. Quite pleasant walk up to the salon.

0500 SNOW SHOWER
0730 SNOW SHOWER
1900 RAIN Windy
2230 less so

Some more snow about 11pm last night but it came to nothing.

Some sun

It got very dark later in the afternoon and then hailed, and then snowed. Unpleasant walk in driving snow as far as Tescos - luckily just before I got there the flakes turned big and soft, but my gloves were frozen.
Already turned to slush when I came out, so the walk home wasn't nearly so bad.

0800 0 Sun Cold
>cloudier
1530 8 Dark
1540 HAIL
1550 SNOW
1630 slackens Wind NW
2300 SNOW

Shopping in squally shower: everything went well, but just as I was about to return at 12.15, the full cold front was clearly approaching (very sharp initial downdraught) and I took the initiative and cooked dinner right then, eating it and getting back to work by 1.50. Sun was coming out by then and it was pleasant.

0730 Windy 8 RAIN
1130 SQUALLY SHOWER
1230 SQUALLY SHOWER
1330 clearing Sun Colder
1600 6 * Moon

<=8

0600 RAIN, stops
Some sun
1600 Wind N
1900 3/8 ?/Cs Sun *-through

More sun later
Cold
1630 6 Moon

0800 ~2 HEAVY FROST

0800 ~4 Ci Sun HEAVY FROST
Cold.
2000 8 RAIN

Another cold day - I think the maximum temperature hasn't been over 6°C since Saturday. And of course everything in the house has cooled down too.

0800 8 Cold
<=8 all day
later scallop
1730 Moon

Wet snow in the morning, but it wasn't really trying.

0800 8 WET SNOW
>
SLEET
straggles on all day
1500 As Sun-through

Some more snow about 11pm last night but it came to nothing.

Some sun

0800 FROST
Very cold
Some sun
1700 8

Cold day, don't think it went over 4°C.

0900 8
gradually clearer
>Sun COLD
1700 0

Really cold night last night, and cold today. And a short snow shower at noon - the sky having that characteristic pre-snow look at 11am.

0800 Sun HEAVY FROST Very cold
1100 8 S (dark)
1200 WET SNOW SHOWER
1700 0 *

Clearer, colder and Sun-er the later.

RAIN all night
0700 stops
1100 0 Sun Cold
1700 0

0700 8 RAIN
0900 stops
1000 0 Sun
1600 3
1800 0 *
2000 8 DROPS OF RAIN

0800 8
1400 FINE RAIN
1600 cont
0230 RAIN

Much sun
>1600 8

1000 8 Windy
>
~6 Sun Cold
1830 0 *

WINDY at times

RAIN overnight
0700 <8
8 but bright

0700 HEAVY FROST
>Sun
pm RAIN
1630 stops

0800 8
1400 RAIN
1500 stops. Some sun
1730 0

8 Scallop
all day

Woke up at 8.30, read the temperature, went back to bed and slept on till 10.30.

Very cold day, and oddly with mist appearing about noon, and then thickening.

0800 Some sun
HEAVY FROST
1200 MIST
1600 FOG

Rained almost all day. Felt rather listless and unwilling to apply myself, but made bread, and in the afternoon ita properly stopped up the hole in the bathroom ceiling behind the ceiling light switch.

8 S. RAIN
1600 stopped
1800 0 Moon
2000 0/8 low S moon-through

Washed car in the afternoon - at this time of year you have to seize days where the temperature is high enough to make car-washing bearable. (7 or 8°C is about the threshold).

0900 <=1 Sun
Much sun
2000 0/8 Cs Moon

NEW YEAR'S DAY.

8 S
Warmer