A Bit Black Over Bill's Mother's

A weather-related blog post

You've got to feel sorry for Bill's Mother this summer. For those of you who are bemused by this statement, it is the local slang for describing that darkening sky that precedes a downpour. I have no idea where it comes from and have found a number of conflicting explanations on the Internet. If anyone knows its derivation then please do tell!

So far this summer apart from one really lovely hot day, which, if I'm not mistaken, was a Wednesday some time in June, I've lost count of the number of times I've said,

      "Ey Up! It's a bit black over Bill's Mother's!" followed by a cloud burst of rain.

The scene shown below was the state of the sky from the kitchen window about half an hour ago. This was followed by rain which was followed by sun which will, no doubt, be followed by more exclamations of regret for Bill's Mother.

I wonder what we would talk about, here in the UK, if it wasn't for the weather.

Amazon, The Children's Book of Richard III and the weather

Amazon:

I'm pleased to announce that Amazon is now stocking The Children's Book of Richard III. You can view the page here. 

Even though my first three books were listed on Amazon, this is my first real working relationship with the company and so I have been spending a bit of time mulling over the setting up and wording of my Author Page which you can view here. It is still a work-in-progress. I have been browsing other Author Pages and making improvements to mine as they occur to me. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. 

My next task is to get the book reviewed by a national newspaper. I have a few ideas how I might go about this but, again, any suggestions would be very welcome.

Weather Report:

They have forecast snow and I suspect that people are stockpiling tins of food even as I type! We're not very good in the UK when it comes to snow. Of course, no one likes it when neither feet nor car wheels can 'make purchase' but the excitement that it generates is sometimes verging on the farcical. It is guaranteed to make the news headlines. Reporters are sent to snowy streets to show us what it looks like. We are treated to aerial shots of white fields and action movies of children on makeshift sledges. 

What makes this kind of reporting all the more amusing is that bad weather happens every year. It's winter! So wrap up warm, be careful how you go and don't let the snow hype get you down.

Lots of Weather

Since my last blog post there has been a lot of weather.

[There have also been many family visitors, masses of cooking, loads of entertaining, plenty of playing and much falling into bed exhausted! It's over now and, even though it was exhausting, I miss them, but back to the weather...]

Weather is a strange phenomenon. Imagine trying to explain it to an alien; dark patches in the sky telling us that H2O is about to fall onto us...

View from our garden a few minutes ago [taken in colour not black and white I might add!]

...so much H2O falling that people and houses are swept away, frozen H2O making it impossible for vehicles to drive along roads or for people to walk around.

Then there are thick mists, tiny particles of H2O hang in the air so we can’t see where we’re going. Weird, isn’t it, and as for explaining the wind, you can’t see it or smell it or taste it but it hits you so hard it can knock you off your feet and lift the roof off your house.

The sun might be an easier concept when it comes to explanations for aliens; a ball of fire in the sky drying up the H2O, keeping us warm. This reminds me of one of my favourite Aesop’s Fables, The One About The Wind And The Sun. You probably know it but here’s a précis in case you don’t…

One day Sun and Wind had a row about which one was the stronger. They saw a man walking down the road.

“I shall blow that man's coat off to show you how strong I am,” said Wind but the more he blew, the more the man held the coat tightly around himself. Wind was quite exhausted with the effort. 

“Let me show you how strong I am,” said Sun. “And I won’t even have to tire myself out.” He quietly sent down his warm beams and the man took off his coat. The End.

Do you have a favourite Aesop’s Fable?

Nooo!! Not more Snooow!

It is now officially Spring. Snow feels so wrong and yet they've forecast more snow for Leicester UK.

BUT Did you know that:

• It often snows in March [So why are we all so surprised when it happens?]

• The heaviest recorded snowfall in London was in 1695. It snowed every day for 5 weeks and didn't clear until mid-April. [No repeats this year, please!]

• Eskimos do NOT have 100 different words for snow. [Why would anyone need that many words?]

• Chionophobia is a fear of snow. [Oh no! I think I'm suffering from that!]

Do you draw the curtains and curl up in front of the fire when it snows?

Or are you out in the garden building a monster snowman?