South East & East Anglia Regional Discussion 24th March 2013 22:00hrs>

[classylady]

Hmm not sure, I'll have to ask my tame expert. They aren't in the main house (but where they are is alarmed!! ) and it gets down to freezing at night. No way they can go out into the garden though, still too wet and cold. One buried itself last Winter in a border and wasn't found until late Spring when he popped his head up for air!! (survived snow and deep frost)

Mine is in a work shop, in a box with straw and then in another box of straw!!.......it is amazing what they get up to.......!!!

[terryall]

As I understand it a tortoise in hibernation will dig down even deeper if it gets colder so I presume this year they have had plenty of practice. This is one reason they should not be kept in a shallow box or similar in a garage or out house with a concrete floor as they will try to dig deeper but will exhaust themselves in doing so.

Alternatively, they could come down the pub with me!

[Mark Neal.]

Ruddy nora, its chilly out there again. Morning was bearable with the sunshine, now cloudy with no flurries -_- Off out to tesco soon to get the grandparents some easter gifts

[john pike]

[Steve C]

Afternoon all

Just back in the office, after a drive to Milton Keynes and back ( for a tedious stock take )

Quite interesting in that there are still large patches of snow on the northern Chilterns - I'd say the evidence of most snow was near the A10, south of Buntingford; there must have been reasonable drifting there earlier in the week.

[Mark Neal.]

Nothing like frozen eggs....

[Tim Bland]

tell us more, don't just sit there gloating

my friend's tortoise predicted it by his behaviour and not coming out of hibernation

Does your friends tortoise have a winter 13/14 forecast yet?

It's obvious that they come out when it warms up, they don't predict it! Same way the groundhog predicted an early spring in the US and they are in the same position as us

[Mark Neal.]

Does your friends tortoise have a winter 13/14 forecast yet?

It's obvious that they come out when it warms up, they don't predict it! Same way the groundhog predicted an early spring in the US and they are in the same position as us

Or the winning lottery numbers for saturday please! Ta

[john pike]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIrXuFAQJaI&feature=player_embedded

sod that

Edited March 28, 2013 by john pike

[Gary_R_Walker]

I just took a walk down to the most easterly point in the UK, it was so cold down there they should make it illegal. Low tide but still looked pretty spectacular.

[Iceni]

Morning all,

The persistence of this E/NE sourced flow has been remarkable and now another reload is looking likely by Tuesday, next week, as a strong high pressure cell develops in the triangle between Iceland, Norway and Scotland.

Like a lot of members, finding these synoptics really frustrating now and although the uppers are very cold, the difference in temps between these and a very cold N.Sea/Thames Estuary, just not enough to spark anything convection wise, over local sea areas.

Its been said before but had we seen these synoptics mid-Feb, we could well have been looking at a truly remarkable wintry spell and with those uppers probably quite a few degrees colder, some copious amounts of snow too.

Its all academic now of course and perhaps its time for a bit of spring and some higher temps.

Those missing a bit of warm sun on their faces, heres a bit of Springtime (Primavera) Latino style!

Some beautiful images on this video.

Hope you all have a great day.

Regards,

Tom

It's lovely. But for a REAL heatwave only this one will do… OMG I can't wait for summer now. Come on Carlito!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXp413NynFk

[john pike]

http://www.meteociel.fr/cartes_obs/gens_display.php?x=320&y=150&run=12&runpara=0&type=0&ext=1

the only warm at present is right at the end of fi

note the blue control run

that is cold

also heres the current sea temperatures

brrrrrr

[Iceni]

Those defences have been there for years, they actually work quite well, but the battering they have been getting over the last few weeks has taken its toll.

In that case the council should have spent the money shoring them up instead of on useless offshore wind farms… grrr!

PS That's a beautiful photo you took there Gary. Enter it for the NWTV calender competition.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Iceni

[john pike]

updated low on the fax to our west shows a lot further north than earlier

from earlier

worth just keeping an eye on

[Tim Bland]

No way it will make our region I'm afraid. Far SW tip ie lands end and Channel Islands only

[JennyJane1]

flurry here for five seconds

[john pike]

No way it will make our region I'm afraid. Far SW tip ie lands end and Channel Islands only

thinking more south coast

but 100 mile shift north from earlier fax

we will see

[john pike]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[nicadh]

Some tortoise advice..

If they start to stir at all they should be properly woken up. Do not let them go back to hibernating as they will not have sufficient reserves to do well when they wake up for a second time. Starting to stir means they burn off more of their reserves basically.

To wake them up properly they need to be in a properly warm environment - and you can wake them up now if you choose to which is not a bad idea given how long they will have been hibernating for by now, it will not be harmful to disturb the hibernation if you wake them properly. Properly warm means having a decent heat source available like a heat lamp or a super warm room (maybe a bathroom with a radiator on so that it becomes a lot warmer than the average room in the house..think airing cupboard warm.) When you first wake them give them a shallow warm bath, keep the warmth being topped up over 20-30 minutes. They will usually drink from this and this helps get them going again. You may need to repeat this over the next few days 2-3 times a day. Offer food from as soon as they are getting awake so that they can start to stock up. A long winter like this can leave them very weak when they wake up so it is really important that they do get moving and eating within a day or so. If not then please get veterinary advice from a specialist sooner rather than later (not your local vet practice in many cases though they can probably point you in the direction a specialist).

[terryall]

Is any of that off of Holland likely to clip coastal Kent or inland or just miss altogether?

[DEYS(Kent)]

Aye, just had a look as MetO's Hazard Manager, reckons there will be some snow showers in the SE this eve...

http://www.buienradar.nl/

Could it be those??

[terryall]

Well there's nothing else around with moisture so that's something to keep an eye on just to keep us busy and get the straws out again!

[Eskimo]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Blimey about 70% or so of members trending below average.

[terryall]

I have a family funeral on 11th April and its a burial so I was banking on it being somewhat warmer. It will be a bad, and sad, enough day already so I don't need any more cold to ruin it thank you.

[Tim Bland]

Looking good for some snow showers in Essex and Kent later tonight into tommorow. With v low temps and dps any beefier showers could give a dusting