Northernlights

Humid misty day .Thought neeps were growing well so young Mr. Northernlights went to take Donald and Boris(scarecrows) down this morning and he noticed the diamond back moths were back again and so were there caterpillars eating holes in the leaves.Phoned agronomist and will have to spray them with insecticide plus a foliar feed tomorrow.This is a first for us needing two insecticide sprays in one season.I wonder if this is because of different weather patterns due to climate change.causing them to be able come across from Europe more easily. Currently dull and 21c

Well a hot day at I think about 27c tops. Was securing a batch of hay for a neighbour in stifling conditions. Not much sleep tonight as its still 21.5c Even the shower on the radar about an hour ago never gave us anything.

Very humid tonight and still 19.5c. Just noticed before sunset that the very strong southerly gale this morning with all the thunder and lightning had knocked down the two scarecrows in the neeps (or Boris and Donald as I named them three years ago when I made them). Hope it is not an omen.

Southerly gale and pulses of heavy rain .Some lightning and thunder about half an hour ago. Currently 20.5c. A very stormy morning for midsummer in complete contrast to 12 hours ago.

A really fantastic high summers evening with a fabulous sunset and a squadron of about 18 swifts screaming round the house until just recently. The honeysuckle at the back door is just overpowering giving off masses of scent.Even the neeps wilted during the day but ground still very wet so should be fine for a week of this heat!!!!! The Firth was a millpond as all wind disappeared about 30 minutes ago but its still 22 c. Tried to get a photo but it hardly does it justice due to my lack of camera skills. Young Mr.Northernlights still taking in bales but should be finished in about half an hour. Update at 11.15pm all hay now undercover.

25c,sunny windy. here baled some hay this afternoon thats been lying for while .Most of the green colour has gone but it smells wonderful and the sunshine and wind helped to rescue it,still more to make so hope today is a trend but know tomorrow is a potential washout

20c at 7.00am this morning so the fresh SW wind was lacking the windchill effect . Currently 23c

Breezy dull and odd spits of rain in the air. But the humidity is high so already uncomfortable to work in outside.Currently 22c

Another torrential downpour on just now certainly not forecast today. Just a reminder that rainfall today compared to fifty years ago is more likely to of the tropical variety than it was then.

I rmember in the sixties being told by the duty forecaster at RAF Kinloss that the inner Moray Firth was one of the most difficult areas to give forecasts for in the UK because we had mountains on three sides and the sea to the other. Still seems to be the case as the local forecast on here seems to alter every six hours even just for 24 hours ahead. I only know this as I am constantly seaching for weather windows for haymaking just now. Just had some very heavy showers after a beautiful drying morning.Brighter now and 18c

Yes maximum of 23F in old money with a strong northerly straight off the Firth with heavy drifting snow showers and a day off school. Great!!!!!

Turning into a really difficult haymaking season this year with very few totally dry days. However all the rain and the warmer nights of the last 10 days has led to some tropical growth wth the banks and edges of fields plus crops exceeding the height of fences and dykes. Neeps too are rapidly catching up.Second cut silage looks superb too.Just to keep the grumpy old farmer image up I have to say the cost of harvesting all this grass is exceeding budgets. At least cattle have grass in front of them this year when this time last year the pastures were bare..Currently bright dry and 15.5c

Wet again although local forecast on here was telling me it was going to be a dry day this morning.However quite mild at 17c.

Have had two very warm humid days now with maximums of about 23c.They have both stayed dry in spite of our local forecast saying showers on both days so went to cultivate neeps instead of turning hay.Will get my leg pulled by the neighbours. Strawberries coming to the end helped along by the badger that comes in for the spillage from the bird feeders having dscovered them with all the nets being messed up overnight.They really are becoming a big pest in the countryside.

Sun finally came out about 3.00pm mostly blue skies currently

Yes same here sixth day of cloudy skies. Speaking to a buisness acquantince in the SW of Scotland on Friday who said they are on the dry side with rivers at low levels unlike up here on Friday when they were all in full spate. Can"t even get domestic grasses cut as they have been very wet for 6 days too now. Currently dry ,cloudy and 15c.

This summer up here has been a real challange on the farm Ever since the middle of May there have been very few dry spells and lots of cold nights.Up till yesterday we had four days of wetting drizzle and rain.and today when I thought it might ease on came the drizzle again this morning while just 7 miles away in Forres there was bright sunshine.Cereal crops are all in need of sunshine now for the next month to fill the grain. Turnips are about two weeks behind.Cereals will be at least the third week in August berfore they will be ripe but the grass is still motoring on.The warmer nights this last week have helped the heat sensitive plants like runner beans parsnips and sweet peas catch up in the garden.Currently dry overcast and 16c

More frequent rumbling now.

Thunder starting to rumble away to the south.Radar shows quite a bit of lightning to the south.Humidity is off the scale.Take a couple of steps outside and the sweat is pouring off you.

To me these tropical downpours are a symptom of climate change as I can never rmember so many as a child.Today it comes down so heavily that it overwhelms the gutters and floods the buildings even threatening the hay we have just secured on Monday.We have had three of these events today and yet just a mile away especially nearer the sea it is bone dry.

Yes it was 4.0c at 5.00am on Monday morning here but we baled some lovely hay in the afternoon in blue skies an RH of 45% a maximum of 19c and a fresh NE wind off the Firth. Today is just the opposite at a minimum of 16 c overnight , 80%RH, cloudbursts, maximum of 22c and very dull.

Just had a cloudburst and its still 20c.

First fly problem of the season with this humidity and heat an in calf heifer with mastitis this morning. Was 17c at 6.00am this morning and thundery looking clouds now building over the mountains to the south. We have our two scarecrows (Boris and Donald named three years ago, family think I am very good at predictions) out on the neeps to keep the pigeons off. They seem to makng a good job of scaring them off. On a positive note was putting out fly repellant treated bunch of cattle to other side of farm and came home the long way round the public road and at the top of a hill the sky filled with birds which initially I thought were swallows but turned out to be almost 100% swifts . There were over 70 of them screaming across the sky as I stopped the car to count them. Gave me a bit of a lift to see such numbers after putting tar on cows udders in the heat all morning.Currently 22c

Fabulous day fresh sea breeze from the NE blue skies sunshine and a maximum of 19c. Ideal weather to bale up the first batch of hay. All inside this evening before the forecast rain. Only downside is there are a lot of flies this evening upsetting the cattle with the humidity increasing in front of the rain.

Cold sunny start to the day at 4c must have been a few areas with frost this morning.Heat loving runner beans are looking yellow and sick in the garden, been cool since I transplanted them outside.