Northernlights

I echo Hawesys plea for less rain after a wet afternoon yesterday we have a brighter morning with a very slight ground frost at 2c today May I take this opportunity to wish everyone on the Scottish thread A Happy Prosperous New Year with a nice dry January.

Cool day with maximum temperature of 4c. Wintry showers round Firth all day with a fine wintry sunset. Ground absolutely saturated Some photos

As above a miserable day . Did a few outside jobs yesterday to make feeding easier today. Young Mr Northernlights has been playing this all Christmas hoping I will succumb to the lyrics.

Trains bring cancelled across a Scotland tomorrow must be some storm coming.

Wintry sunset with front approaching from SW Currently 1c with frost setting in.

Fine sunny day at last with a ground frost at 1c. Down shifting electric fence so took a few photos of snowy hills round Firth.

Let dog out to clear starry skies 1c and a ground frost. Grass sparkling with frozen flakes. Very seasonal end to Christmas Day

Light wet snow starting to settle at 2c

In my 60 odd years snow before New Year was uncommon which made 2010 very special much more likely to have snow in January, February and especially in March as sea temperatures had fallen to their lowest point so less modification. Also Arctic ice reached its maximum in late winter and Arctic temperatures their lowest so north winds colder then .Nearly always slushy snow with warm ground in November /December(2010 excepted as extremely cold air crossed North Sea to freeze ground before snow arrived) but lower humidity air in late winter made for drier snow with low dewpoints and lots of grauple. So a lot of winter still to come

Nacreous clouds visible here too. Photo not so great. Very windy day with some very sharp showers Currently 7c Will take the opportunity to wish everyone on the Scottish Thread A Very Merry Christmas

Rain of the moderate kind here washing slushy snow away slowly at 3c. Worst underfoot conditions of winter so far with ditches and streams bank topping and lochs of water in the fields. Going to need a couple of dry days to let all this water drain away .

A slushy inch at 2c with wet snow falling.

A bit of a stormy night with gunshot noises as trees snapped on the piece of wood on farm road. Two weeks ago all conifers felled next to power lines leaving middle of wood exposed with poorly rooted trees Can just make out newly wind felled ones behind power line ones.lk

On the last lap of autumn /winter ploughing. Hope we get a few more bare frosts to get a good tilth for spring. Cattle hoovering up their neeps. Currently 7c with some light rain

Yes my local forecast has us down for a nice seasonal day.

Yes just had a text from electricity network warning of possible interruptions to electricity supply on Thursday and Friday due to high winds

Miserable day here after a fine drying weekend. Started off foggy then became misty with outbreaks of heavy drizzle very wetting stuff. Temperature fell from 11c in the morning to a current 8c as sky cleared in the late afternoon.. A fresh westerly breeze most of the day. Notice current front on radar in the NW of Scotland is almost 50% hail presumably a squall line

13c start to day and very windy.Ploughing skinning up (ground drying to dust on top of furrows) Quite a change.

Breezy day up to 12c late afternoon mostly dry and drying. Plough making progress today burying spread dung just need one more day next week to finish winter ploughing.

Thought we were heading for a frost with the clear sky sunset but wind from a southerly direction has been increasing all evening. Much needed to dry surface and refresh the stale air in steading for cattle especially calves. will help straw situation too as have been piling it in trying to keep them dry

Down to 0.5c now and grass sparkling

Showery am no dung spreading to wet, turnip competition measured yield am but ploughing up old grass all day so a bit getting done in this dryer area of Scotland. ground fog just now plus clear sky so maybe a ground frost later. Currently 4c.

Overcast but dry above frost still coming out of the ground. Surface very sticky so no field work for a few days yet Very humid at 8c. First calf treated for pneumonia in spite of having two vaccines at 11.00pm last night again by vet as shot used earlier was a bit weaker so the stronger stuff has to be administered by vet as it is fatal to humans. Up and eating this morning so a good result. This weather is very hard on the lungs.

No fieldwork today as frost still coming out so surface very muddy and sticky. Started off with patchy cloud. 5c but ground cold enough for a patchy ground frost and even thin fresh ice on some puddles. Load of concentrate feed blown in this afternoon. First calf inside with pneumonia so off to vets for a shot for it In spite of being vaccinated this terrible wet humid frosty weather gives the lungs a very hard time.

Off to see an, old agri college pal south of Aberdeen yesterday and as we approached Aberdeen you could see snow showers over the north sea . Some made landfall where we were and it remained cold and frosty. High cloud was approaching from the west bit remained cold all the way home to 10.00pm. I felt the cold was putting up a bit of a fight so would not be surprised to see it back fairly soon ,Still icy today but wet surface breezy and 5c