Winter - NOT amateur radio

 This frosty cobweb outside the shack says it all!

Cold!!! - NOT amateur radio

For the third morning in a row we have had a frost. For us, it is very cold. Although 1011z, it is still below freezing. The photo shows our back garden.

Real winter - NOT amateur radio

This winter we have had more frosts and snow on the ground than for a long time. Years ago, we had snow on the ground every winter, whereas now to get any snow is the exception. This winter has been more like the winters in the 1950s. As I write there is snow falling and snow on the ground, even though it is officially spring according to the UK Mat Office!

Although I quite like the look of snow, I prefer milder sunnier weather. Roll on spring.

Frosty morning - NOT amateur radio

This was our garden yesterday. We have had a very cold snap. 

It is still very cold this morning. 

Frosty morning - NOT amateur radio

When I first came to Cambridge in the early 1970s, it was cold and frosty in the winter. Snow, when it occurred, usually lasted for several days. These days, snow is rare and frosts are infrequent. The climate is milder. 

These last few days it has been exceptionally cold. The photo was taken a few days ago outside our bungalow. It is extremely cold (for us) at the moment, although we have escaped most of the snow.

Cold - NOT amateur radio

We awoke this morning to a very cold day with frost and fog. Our hedges and trees are white with frost. 

The photo shows the view in our front garden at 0930z.

Heavy frost - NOT amateur radio

This morning we awoke to a very heavy frost. It was quite late before it became milder.

This photo was taken last week and shows the windmill "next door" on a cold and frosty morning.

Most snow has now gone with just the remnants of snowmen. Already this is a much colder winter than we have seen for several years.

Snow - NOT amateur radio

We still have a bit of snow on the ground, but it remains very cold. Already there are signs we are in for a colder winter than we have had for some years. Already we have had many more frosts than last winter and it is still 2 weeks to Christmas.

Cold, bright days - NOT amateur radio

For the last few days it has been cold, frosty and bright - perfect winter days. This is a picture of where we live (RHS), taken in the frost this morning.

The Road Not Taken - NOT amateur radio

As I get older, I must think about things more. Often I wonder what life would have been like had I taken a different fork in the road: gone to a different university, done that PhD, taken a different job, not had children, married someone else, taken the job offer in California and so on. I expect everyone wonders this sort of thing. In a multiverse, maybe we do follow all possibilities but we are not aware of them. I often wonder.

See http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html .

Frosty Garden - NOT amateur radio

The last few days have been glorious with bright sunshine and little wind, but it has been (and still is) cold. We have had night-time frosts, which have been slow to clear.

The photo shows the slow to clear frost in the back garden. You can see where the sun has reached! The bird bath has been frozen solid for days.

Does all this suggest a cold winter ahead? Met Office winter runs from Dec 1st (tomorrow). To me, December, January and February are winter months and March 1st seems like spring again. So, I agree with the Met Office.

See http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ .

Frosty - NOT amateur radio

Although we have had a few frosts this autumn, the one overnight was the coldest so far. Even now at 1040z, there are still signs of it. I wonder if this will be the end of our sweet peas in the garden? They were still flower and it is already well into the second half of November.

No snow - NOT amateur radio

We seem to have missed the snow. Although there is a biting cold north wind, it is dry and the sun has come out. It would not surprise me if we got a frost tonight. This would be the first time this autumn. Up to now it has been very mild.

This afternoon, a walk is called for, although we will have to dress in warm clothes!

UPDATE 1540z:  We walked around the village.