July '09 Weather This Month Max Temp = 28.8°C Min Temp = 7°C Max Wind= 18.5 mph Max Rain in 24 hr Period = 32.1 mm Max Rain in 1 hr Period = 9.3 mm Total Rain For Month = 163.1 mm Diary 26th. The
main topic in the garden is AGAIN the weather as it really is
depressing as it every so often stops raining and allows the summer to
show it's face! Yesterday being one of those days where the clouds
broke by mid morning and the sun showed us it still exists. Mandy and I
made the most of it and set to tidying up the garden that included a
cut of the lawn that has just not been possible due to the incessant on
off rain that has never allowed the lawn to dry. The Dahlias made the
most of the sunshine also with many a flower breaking it's cover which
was more than appreciated by the passing bees and butterflies. It was
on the Dahlia that two Meadow Brown butterflies stayed for a while
before an altercation arose and one of them moved on to another flower
type. It was lovely to see a few Butterflies about as they really have
been scarce in the garden. We also noted a Small Skipper and a Small
White in the course of the day. The
Sparrows must still be feeding young as plenty of mealworm is taken
away. They now have to contend with a family of 5 Magpies which are
quite regular as they try to snatch any stray worms from them as they
come out of the caged feeders. 20th. We
decided to have a look back at the Twite today so we dragged our camera
gear with us only for me to discover I had left part of it back home so
it rather limited my chances of a good image (that's my excuse anyway)
Mandy faired a little better but to be honest we struggled with the
light and the flitty nature of the bird. Non the less a few shots (both
Mandy's) are below. We
shall return at some point to get some better images once the talked
about upcoming weather allows and when I find the rest of my
digiscoping gear! 19th. Well
I must have missed the part where the weather forecasters said that the
Barbecue summer would only apply to June! After the hot 28°C in June we
have now dropped down to the 15-17°C mark...which at times feels
distinctly cool. The amount of rain we are seeing is also more than we
were hoping for, as already it has put down nearly 100mm with over 32mm
coming in 24 hrs on the 17th. The plants are looking a little tired
from the heavy showers with not much in the way of direct sun or heat
to aid their growth. I
set out today in search of Twite but the weather turned poor,so in no
time my feet were soaking even though I was wearing waterproof boots.
To be fair the waterproof aspect may refer to the ability of the boots
to hold the water inside! I
really hate wearing glasses as it's a nightmare with rain, even a
trusty base ball cap or wide brimmed Tilley fails to stop the rain on
your lenses. Anyhow, it rained most of the walk and even a few
scatterings of Niger seed could not tempt this quite rare breeding bird
into our sights, so I shall try again when the weather is a little
kinder. Maybe I can get one or two shots of them before they move
on...I hope! Back
to matters in the garden and this morning before I went out I was
greeted with a welcome sight as it hung from the peanuts...a juvenile
Great Spotted Woodpecker. So I have now put out plenty of suet cakes so
I can tempt it back for a longer stay. Another little bird that has not
been to the garden for at least 3 years is the Pied Wagtail. We used to
have Pied Wags coming to the garden in the breeding season as the
mealworms were such a big attraction to feed to their young, but, after
swapping the Pied for the Grey wagtail, they stopped coming. After a
few brilliant years of the Grey Wagtail, we have now gone back to
Pied, and, although we miss the Grey it is nice to welcome back the
Pied. We were surprised also to get a good number of Bullfinch turn up
last week, with 2 males, one female and 2 young, what a lovely tally
for the garden. Birds
are still feeding young including Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin,
Sparrow, Starling and Dunnock. The Mistle Thrushes are now becoming
more scarce in the garden but it seems that at least 2 broods of 2 have
managed to survive which is quite good. Magpies are now regulars to the
garden with 3 young in tow. I like these birds and find their bother
boy antics quite a fascination. 2nd. A
record for the garden was set today at 20:11 as the hottest temp
recorded since my records began (Sept 06) as the temperature maxed out
at a massive 28.8°C. The previous high was set in June 07 with a top
temp of 28.1°C. It has felt very sultry again today although the
weather forecasters are now saying a cooler period is about to begin
with the chance of a heavy shower or two to start this off tomorrow. 1st. Phewww
what a day. It's been very warm today and to be honest the dewpoint has
reached a level which states "very uncomfortable" and boy it has been.
The 27°C was reached today around 15:00 and the temp is still showing
23.5°C at 20:30 tonight. The fan has been on constant all night to make
sleeping easier but this really is not the weather to be good for
sleeping or working in....even a cooling drink in the garden is to much
like hard work! We had a barbecue out on the decking tonight as Mandy
and I turned our attention to a holiday for next year. We are still
unsure as to where we will go although Goa is still a very attractive
destination with Lesvos not far behind although a trip to Thailand is
still somewhere I do fancy as I know quite a few people with homes out
their that are always trying to persuade me....one of said people has
promised me a guide book on his return from spending 3 months their in
his second home....hmmm we shall see. 
