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South Cones are hoisted for Sunday (metaphorically)Gerry.

Hope your shed roof is on tight Gerry as it looks as though Sunday is going to be a might windy. Indeed we had a gust here in High Barnet of 40mph early this morning.

Colin Vaughan ● 6873d15 Comments

Its on its way Gerry. First lot 9.0am on the dot. So batten down the hatches, and the shed roof!! I'll have three reefs in the mainsails,guns tied down and bring her into the wind Mr Bush. Aye Aye Captain. Those were the days,the Frenchies are sculking in Le Harvre, no bottle!!Sorry me imagination is working overtime here!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6872d

Thanks for the gale warning Colin. Glad to say the shed's secured and it's a blowin' a force 6 in sunny Ealing at the mo. Think I'll seek shelter this pm with my book and a glass or three of Glenfiddich!  :-(

Gerry Tan ● 6872d

I see you have your priorities absolutely right Gerry. Think I will join you!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6872d

This time its Monday Gerry, so tie down your shed, retire under the stairs or wherever with a wee dram or two. Keep hold of the Glenflidch bottle it might blow away. Not as bad as 1987 though!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6782d

Thanks for the weather warning Colin. What's a South Cone anyway?  I know it's got to do with weather or something, but why "South"...why not north, or east, or west?  What is a cone?I'm always a bit dubious of weather forecasting.  Me, I rely on a bit of seaweed and garden moss and look at the wind direction and cloud patterns!  :-(

Gerry Tan ● 6782d

From the National Meteorological Library and Archive Fact sheet 08Gale warnings were issued by telegraph to the observation station(s) likely to be affected. The message would consist of a list of places with the words ‘North Cone’ or ‘South Cone’ (for northerly or southerly gales), ‘Drum’ (for gales successively), or ‘Drum and North (or South) Cone’ (for heavy gale or storm). On receipt, the station would hoist the appropriate signal on a staff, this being repeated at points along the coast by the Coast Guard or by other authorized stations.

Francis House ● 6782d

Click on the link in the previous message to download the full fact sheet (pdf).

Francis House ● 6782d

Giant duck trying to avoid storm gets attacked by gianter crow off Portugal.http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/abin/piccygridhtml/avhrr/2008/3/7/1425/ch7.jpg

Tony Wood ● 6782d

Gales from the south west, high spring tides, I'm so glad I never bought property on Sandbanks. Come Wednesday you'll wonder what all the fuss was about, just another example of our nanny state. Don't go out unless you have to, don't have your bed below a chimney stack, don't do this, don't do that, anybody would think we had never had gales before.

Peter Wright ● 6781d

Well if the MetOffice/Government don't warn people. The barrage of Whingers would be up and running with their usual parrot cries of: 'They should do something, all this bad weather is interfering with my Lifestyle!!!!!'Don't know what these wretched individuals, no doubt the same ones who ran out of their houses to the local Police Station to ask for protection,when we had the 'Earthquake' a little while ago,would do if WW3 broke out!!Anyway they were lucky to find a Police Station open at 1am!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6781d

Half an inch of rain in 24 hours in Barnet, and more to come. Pymms Brook is overflowing, as no doubt is the Brent in my old stamping ground. I think a battening down of the hatches and a wee dram, or two(?)is called for, what say you Gerry?

Colin Vaughan ● 6779d

Yes sir, all hatches have been battened down. Did you say a dram or two?  As Jack Train used to say: "I don't mind if I do Sir!"It's been blowing hard here in sunny Ealing Colin.  pleased to say the roofs of our tywo garden sheds are still secure. However, a large branch of our neighbour's old pear tree(30ft high), has blown down - fortunately it hasn't touched our garden wall, but his lawn ain't half a mess now!  He won't want for fine logs on his barbie this summer!  :-(

Gerry Tan ● 6779d

I liked the sound-bite on BBC 24 hour news at 11:00 this morning about the weather.An e-mail correspondent, from north London, asked what the fuss was all about because the only damage in his street was that his wheelie bin had been blown over!

Alan Brainsby ● 6779d

I also noted a measure of disapointment on News 24 this morning. I think they were hoping for 200,000 homeless and half the Country blacked out, so they could repeat it ad infinitum intersperced with the usual ecobable. Not so this time BBC

Colin Vaughan ● 6779d

Absolute washout!-)The worst bit was for the Welsh where a pub became marooned.Another comment was on ITV where "the waves had overtopped a sea wall and brought the beach with them!". The road behind the sea wall was covered in shingle.

Alan Brainsby ● 6779d