Spring is really here

[altivo]

Tornado watch again. The warning went off at 6:30 pm and lasts until midnight tonight. Last night all we got was a brief heavy shower with some small hail in it, but I heard that farther west they had huge hailstones. The weather service said tennis ball size, but someone in the market today said Iowa had grapefruit size hail. That sounds really awful.

	Scylla blooming Also known as "Star of Bethlehem," these perky little blue flowers are a welcome sign of spring here.
	Yellow daffodils Traditional early spring blossoms, reliable every year.
	White daffodils These were here in profusion when we bought the place.
	Shedding ponies Nearly done, shedding, actually, and a good thing. Archie left, Asher right.
	Lambs Well, one anyway. This is what Bah-bah-Louie looks like as of April 14.
	Fresh lettuce and spinach Yay! Real salads. This is the earliest batch, in a hot frame.
	Water in the creek Normally it fills in March and runs until August some time. Last year was so dry that it had water in it only during May and June.
	Grass for greedy ponies Tess pigs out. She gets limited time at this until she gets used to it, so as to avoid the risk of colic or founder.

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing tornado weather isn't exactly riding weather.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Depends if you're the wicked witch

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I've been working on that for years but I still can't ride a bicycle through the air. ;p

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We'll have to see. I need to clean and oil my saddle and bridle before I can consider it anyway. The storms passed south of us last night, so it was actually clear for the full moon most of the time. Steamy warm, though.

[kildoo-lonewolf.livejournal.com]

Why use a saddle? It is so nice to feel all the horse's back muscles work under us as we ride them bareback.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It is and I love to ride bareback. Unfortunately, Tess hasn't been ridden for a couple of years (she was pregnant and then had a foal by her) so she may be prone to some rambunctious behaviors, and I'm getting a little slow and stiff myself. I'll take the security of the saddle for now.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful area :) Oh I think Asher has a bit to go with the shedding ;)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

He won't shed all that long white mane. ;p The boys stay kinda fuzzy all year round. Tess sheds out until she is like satin usually, very short velvety fur.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I guess you are talking about "real tornadoes". I used to live in East Yorkshire, which is sometimes refered to as the "Lesser Plains".

The geography there is exactly the same as the "Great Plains". Except much much smaller. We used to get what meterologists called "Tornadoes" quite regularly. I am sure you lot would refer to the same phenomena as "strong winds". ;)

Nice photos by the way. I intend to get a few more pictures of my own posted at some stage. I sadly have no where near as much land though.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We use the word "tornado" here in the midwest for what is called a "cyclone" in some other areas, though I believe the latter word has other meanings as well. The tornado is a vortex of winds, rotating tightly at extremely high speed and very destructive. I believe they do occur in Europe but are pretty rare there.

Anyway, this is indeed the season. Cold front thunderstorms build up on hot still afternoons quite frequently, and if the conditions are right, they can spawn the tornadoes.

Yes, now that the sun is around we are beginning to appreciate the landscape and reawaken the gardens.

[vimsig.livejournal.com]

The scyllas are wonderful - not a sign of them yet here, but I feel that we are on a par climate wise.
I showed bonnie_tiler the cold frame *waits patiently for a copycat frame*

Peace

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I love the blue of the scylla and look forward to them every year.

The frame in that picture is about one meter by two and has a sloping top facing south. The cover is a frame with heavy plastic stretched over it because glass would be so heavy and expensive. The plastic has two layers, top and bottom, so it is quite effective at insulating. The wooden sides are lined with insulating foam (the white in the photo). It is an old fashioned "hot" frame. You dig out the earth and bury a deep layer of manure from the horses and sheep and cover it with six or eight cm. of soil in the autumn. The manure creates heat that helps to warm the frame during the cold weather. Some years we have had spinach in January or February.

Climate-wise we are zone 5. Quite a bit farther south than you are, I think, but you get more sunlight hours in summer and are closer to the sea so we may well be similar in conditions. Winter here is usually a dreary time weather wise, but the bitter cold strikes only for a very few days most years.

[favouritewindow.livejournal.com]

Very nice pics :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, the subjects are nice anyway. The camera is literally a toy. One of those little keychain things.