Benvironment

Looks like October is going to pass without a frost up here. They've had one down in Glenrothes but it needs to be a degree or two cooler still before we'll get one on the hill. Last year we'd already had frosts, subzero temperatures and falling snow

Hmm, it IS irritating to keep hearing the media refer to it as 'the most powerful storm to hit the UK in years'. More accurate could be to describe it as potentially the 'most disruptive' for years, seeing as southern and central England are so densely populated and there are so many commuter routes, roads and other infrastructure exposed to potential damage.I'm sure others have said the same, but the impact of weaker storms can be so much greater where they occur infrequently. I'll never forget visiting relatives in Surrey and London in October 1987 and being stunned at the number of trees down. I'd never seen anything like it, and to be honest I've not seen anything like it since. Utter carnage.

Whenever winter chooses to arrive......I'm now officially ready!Scottish Winter, do your worst!!

Managed to stay below 10C here for the first time since 23rd May........just, at 9.5C

I've had one Christmas in the southern hemisphere, in Perth. We went for a Christmas lunch in a golf course where a very trendy meal was served. Three starters of oysters, sorbet and quail before a bizarre collection of objects were served as the main; potato shavings in the shape of a teepee, half a carrot (cut lengthways) and very little meat, all positioned using a protractor on an absurdly oversized plate.Father Christmas made an appearance in full-on furry garb that would put northern hemisphere FCs to shame, before we were ejected outside into 42C (in the shade) and immediately sought refuge in whatever building we could find that had air conditioning. Returning to my pal's house, we sat in the living room sticking to leather chairs as an aircon unit vainly tried to shoo the stifling heat out of the house. My pal's parents had arrived from England by then and brought with them a taste of home, a Cadbury selection box from my mum. A tradition every year since I was wee. One prod of the finger of fudge revealed the entire contents had liquified in the heat. It was god-awful. Disturbing and traumatic in equal measure. Wrong on so many levels. I've travelled extensively and that was easily the most homesick moment in all my life. I just longed for a pile of pigs in blankets, dry turkey and a mountain of roast potatoes, washed down with cheap bucks fizz and all served with a dollop of dreich old drizzle or a touch of frost. A gale, a blizzard, fog. Any of those would do so long as it was below 42F yet alone 42C. Suffice to say I won't be leaving Scotland for Christmas ever again :winky:

Could be a fair few leaves on the ground come Monday. The ones on the trees in West Lothian looked very seasonal today though

Wind, rain, dark, fog.....and a log fire. Feels like winter already Holding at 7.2C.

Found this beautiful sight up by Binny Craig today. It's coming!!!

Been looking forward to this day. THE FIRE IS LIT!! 14C and foggy, and what with the lack of unbroken sunshine of late the house has steadily been cooling down. Such a contrast to last summer when the heating was only off for two or three days.

Amazing storms over West Lothian yesterday. For only the second time in my life I experienced 'ground zero' for a lightning strike. BANG!!! Utterly utterly awesome in the truest sense of the word. Practically underneath it so that flash & bang occurred at the same time. Astonishing noise Everyone instinctively ducked in unison.....for what good it would do us

<groans> I was in West Lothian between 9 and 5 and there were only faint rumblings from the Edinburgh direction. Back in Fife from 6 onwards, just when it was kicking off in West Lothian. Meanwhile in Fife......naff all. This part of the east is rubbish for thunderstorms but as someone pointed out to me a few minutes ago, I can't complain 'cause we got all the snow up here while Edinburgh got nothing. He had a point!

Beautiful, sweet relief this evening. 12.5C outside....and that's where I'm staying for a wee while as I'm finally able to breathe! This calm, oppressive weather is kicking-up my asthma and hayfever something rotten

Horribly hot biking & hiking in Glenalmond today....but I treated my feet to a cool dip and instantly felt better

Topped out at 27.5C here on the hill. Impressive, given we've struggled to even get over 20C in the past four years or so.

25.1C was the high up on the hill today. I've been taking recordings since August 2010 and that's the highest in all that time.

Dare I mention the S word? In other news today’s 23.3C pips yesterday’s 22.1C to make it the warmest day of 2013 here in upland Fife. Actually, having checked my weather wotsit it was the warmest day since……June 2011!!! Even then it was only a paltry 24.5C.

High of 22.1C here yesterday, beating this year's previous high of 21.5C on 20th May.

I wondered that too. We've got more out front than usual plus I've read reports from Stirling and elsewhere about their abundance this year.In the mean time, the dryness is notable here. The rain today was a non-event, and I can't see tomorrow's rain having much impact on the Lomond reservoirs. For the first time in lord knows how long the island in Ballo reservoir can be reached from the shore via an isthmus. What a contrast to last year.

Hi All, just popped in to see how folk are doing in the summer months. Sooooo much quieter in here than in winter, that's obvious, but there's still great insight to be had from the comments that are here so thanks to everyone who keeps it going. I for one appreciate the updates from around the country Yesterday was a real treat weather wise. It was pretty foul all day with low cloud and drizzle and then, around 9pm it all cleared in an instant. I rushed up East Lomond to savour Magic Hour and couldn't pull myself away from the soft colours and rolling hill fog. Got home after 11 and it was still light. Yep, summer has its moments!

2C here. Interesting to read comments about other people's bird feeders. My two here are filled with a feeder mix first thing in the morning but they're empty by mid afternoon at the moment. Goldfinches mainly.

Wish you were here? A postcard from Kinross this morning. Summer's lovely isn't it? <counts the months til it gets colder and the bleedin' things die>

21.5C up here today! Warmest since 9th August last year when the temperature reached 21.9C. And staggeringly it’s the second warmest day since....erm.....24th May last year when it reached 23.1C! Minimum was 12.2C yesterday. Double digits! That’s the first double-digit minimum I’ve recorded here since…..can you believe it, 7th September!!

Ooo, it's chucking it down all of a sudden. Wildlife scurrying for cover. Birds zooming into the barn and two fluffy wee bunnies just shot under the car

Eurgh. EURGH!!! FILTH!!! The monsoon has well and truly arrived. I tell you, I'm soooooo glad I headed out for a bike ride over the Lomonds yesterday evening after work. It was such a beautiful evening but seemed even more so 'cause I knew Saturday was going to be a write-off. As always in Scotland, you really need to take advantage of ANY nice weather.....whether you want to or not