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Clocks!!!!!


Jonzjob

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[quote user="Lisleoise"][quote user="Jonzjob"]

WINTER IS HERE!

[/quote]

Not wishing to be pedantic, but 'winter' starts on the 22 december.  Daylight Saving Time starts tomorrow.

[/quote]

Or as my stupid calendar keeps telling me SUMMER TIME ENDS.  [:(]

Anyway, fiver say's i'll be blinking freezing to within an inch of my life well before 22 December!! That makes it winter for me!! [:(]

Stoopid clocks, stoopid winter. [:(]

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It could be worse. It could be winter and you live in England!

At least French winters are reasonably mild (well they are in Centre anyway), and I say that after living in Australia for 8 years! It has taught me to appreciate the seasons because there are no seasons in Australia . It's hot or bloody hot. Sunshine gets really boring too.

This time of year is great. Autumn is so colourful, the leaves falling, nature getting ready for bed, new things to see, and best of all, sitting in front of a blazing fire all cosy and warm with a scotch, book and a Kate Bush cd playing in the background (I find her music perfect for this time of year).

It's not all bad!

R.

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I agree it could be in England, cold, wet and L   O   N   G !!...

Even better if you are going to sit by the fire and listen then this will do for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa2m2OlZoPU . Blame that milk moniter Clair [:D][kiss]

As far as nature going to bed, our garden is waking up again with lots of shrubs coming into flower? We seem to have 2 springs as far as flowering is concerned.. I ain't complaining really, it's just that I love the warm sunshine and I love wearing me shorts! BUT, I don't like me kneez getting cold these daze!

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[quote user="Jonzjob"]

I agree it could be in England, cold, wet and L   O   N   G !!...

[/quote]

But of course it's now ages since we had a "proper" cold winter  - though we still pretend that we do by cancelling/closing everything in sight on the couple of days a year when we do get a few flakes of snow.

Personally I hope that we might get a lovely long spell of freezing weather to kill off some of the nasty garden bugs that have been building up and also (probably irrationally) as it gives the hope of a better Summer next year than the pathetic efforts of the past two years.

The worst thing about changing the clocks is that it engenders the tired old debate about whether we should.

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To Meg & Mog

I did say mild in Centre at least. This will be our fourth winter here and we haven't seen a really cold one yet. Sure it's been cold, but certainly not unbearable. A jumper and jacket for going out max (plus trousers and shoes of course [;-)]

(Quote function kept failing for some reason, so I had to reply like this)

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You cannot generalise in comparisons between England and France, as the climate varies so enormously in the UK and indeed France and bearing in mind France and the Uk are only a few miles apart, it would be decidely odd if by crossing the Channel you found yourself in a sub tropical paradise!

Winters in Southern England are usually mild due to the influence of the Gulf Stream and have been much milder in recent years, to the extent they have not been much different from recent bad Summers! Whereas Continental Europe away from the influence of a warm body of water is invariably colder, although not as rainy.

A lot of people who move to France from the UK are surprised how cold the Winters can be and are taken aback with the amount of money they have to spend on heating their house.

Having a house as far South as you can go in France, within sight of the Med, it always amuses me come late October when all the ice warning roadsigns go up. As most summer visitors have no idea that regular night time Winter temps often go well below zero. 

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I originate from the south of England and remember always being cold there in winter. Snow guaranteed every year, mainly cold and wet.

I spent 8 years in Australia where winter gets the temperatures as low as 19C by day.

I move to the Centre of France and have been surprised by the mildness of the winters here for the past 3 years, despite me being acclimatised to Australian temperatures. I have seen snow once in Centre and that only lasted 2 days. And I mentioned Centre in my original post if you check back.

The comment was only meant to be tongue in cheek anyway.

R.

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LyndaandRichard wrote the following post at 26/10/2008 19:35:

"I originate from the south of England and remember always being cold

there in winter. Snow guaranteed every year, mainly cold and wet."

Lynda and Richard

Snow guaranteed every year!!!!

Your memories of South of England are from many years ago I think, recent Winters have not been like that.

I can remember childhood Winters in Wiltshire when we had deep snow drifts, roads closed and days off school because of the snowy weather but again it has not been like that in recent years.

Climate change has a lot to answer for.[8-|]

Anyone remember the Winter of 1947 ? !!![:)] No I can't quite remember that far back but I have been told about it!

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LyndaandRichard, Yes, the southern English climate has changed a lot in the ten years since you left due to climate change, with any snow now a rarity.  The norm now in southern England are mild wet winters little different from Autumn with the occasional cold dry snap and settled snow a rarity even in Kent, which being further east and away from the gulfstream tends to be colder. Hence the increasing quality of English wine and the interest of the French Champagne growers in the area, due to similarity of the terroir.

I even believe Aviemore in Scotland has had to close its Ski resort, for several recent Winters due to lack of snow. My guess is that the main reason you have been pleasantly surprised by the milder Winters in your area of France, is that these have also changed for the same reason, as historically the centre was known for its very cold Winters!

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The reason we chose Centre was for the mild winters. When we researched the different areas, Centre had one of the highest average temperatures out of all regions for winter. Obviously those figures must have been for the years leading up to 2005.

"I was in Kent.Every year we had snow, and normally for two weeks."

Well I will admit that Kent does get snow at times but then two weeks is not the whole Winter is it.

Indeed it isn't, but I do remember the rest of the winter being bloody cold as well.

Anyway, it's irrelevant now as I was basing my observations on what I knew.

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Isn't it something to do with the farmers / workers / school children in the North being able to go to work in the daylight.

 

At least most of Europe now changes the hour on the same day, it used to be a nightmare in the travel business when the dates varied from country to country.

 

Edit:

That should be "when dates varied between U.K. and mainland Europe."

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[quote user="Cendrillon"]

At least most of Europe now changes the hour on the same day, it used to be a nightmare in the travel business when the dates varied from country to country.

 

Edit:

That should be "when dates varied between U.K. and mainland Europe."

[/quote]

 

Oh they used to vary country to country as well.  I can remember the day when the French train arrived in Bale an hour too late to make the German connection because the clocks were not synchronised.

 

Anyway there is a real question I have been wanting to ask about this.

 

Every spring the government takes away one hour and then gives it back in the autumn.  So for 7 months they have had my hour to do with what they will.  Why do they never give me any interest on my hour?  I reckon by now over the years I should have clocked up a few extra hours in bed with the interest.[:D]

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Snow in Surrey today as well, nice and bright and sunny though which makes all the difference.

First snow in October in S.E. since 1974 according to radio 4.


Cendrillon

Posted this elsewhere on "Big change in the weather" this a.m. Thought I would post it here as well for the benefit of Lynda and Richard.

Still sunny but very little snow left.

Sorry we are fresh out of eggs, just used the last ones to make a Galette Charentaise to share with neighbours
tonight along with some homemade pineau .[:)]

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