Monday 10th May

[adesmith]

Gosh it is so cold! I decided on Saturday to put out some of my summer plants etc, a week or so later than I did last year. Now they are all back in the shed overnight (pots and hanging baskets) and I have put fleece over my two big troughs. They said on the tv that there is the risk of frost and although it isnt forecast for Newport, I darent risk it. My Cornish Aeonium has been out a couple of days and it now looks a bit sorry for itself! Really hoping that it will brighten up soon and we will have some nice sunny weather.

Bad news about the summer as well with our local weather forecaster suggesting that he thinks it is going to be an unsettled summer :( BUT I am sure we will make the best of it!

[jane jackson]

This weather thing is so strange. We've had some very chilly days after being really warm for so long but now today was lovely. After walking the dogs on Sennen beach at 7.15am (have to be off by 8am now it's May) we've spent the day in the garden. I even sat on a deckchair reading my book for an hour until Bryan said there was a very dark cloud which looked as though it was going to produce rain, so went to get the washing off the line. Problem - the line is very high and is attached to the old cherry tree at one end and on a pulley at the other on a laurel branch, but it wouldn't move at all. Out came the ladder and Bryan went up to find that the rope had frayed and got stuck off the wheel of the pulley. We managed to get the washing off by using the ladder but had to cut the line to free it so having knotted the 2 pieces together we've just put it over the branch without the pulley until we buy a new line!

The garden is looking lovely at the moment as we still have some tulips out and the Clematis Montana on the cherry tree is magnificent, as it the Ceanothis (sp?). Long may they last ~ let's hope we don't have too much wind and rain.

[gloria townsin]

Our Ceanothus....as you say Jane (sp?) is full of buds and should look lovely when it comes out, but it is so chilly........I hope we do have a summer........how awful if we don't.......can't bear the thought. Spoke to my friend in Spain today and she is now into lovely weather which will stay ........ the house across the road from her is looking more appealing every day.

[jane jackson]

You'd miss Cornwall too much Gloria! Then you'd start missing the rain and the cloud formations and the heat would be too much.......................maybe a tiny bolthole over there would suffice ~ mind you, you have that already with being able to visit your friend.

Rather dark skies here this morning with a slight shower already but the sun is trying very hard to get through. Off to Truro shortly for 3rd hydrotherapy session for my hip ~ lovely warm water to get in to. Bit of a nightmare to park last week so hopefully it may be easier today. Half the spaces by the Hydrotherapy Unit were coned off as the Breast Screening Mobile Unit was being towed away that day so needed a lot of room to manouvre. I was very impressed by the fact that there were lots of car park officials with walkie talkies to help people find spaces.

[jane jackson]

We had frost on the windscreen of the car this morning which had to scraped off ~ can't believe it in Cornwall in May!! It was early, just before 7am as we were off to Sennen beach but even so. They're resurfacing the A30 from Drift nearly all the way to Sennen. The men were just arriving when we went through but were starting on our way back. There were 2 men both holding GO boards so we carried on and half way through the closed section we met the quad bike with his convoy behind so they hadn't got their act together with the walkie talkies. We stopped and all the cars coming towards us had to drive on the freshly laid tarmac so hope they didn't get sticky tyres. We then got stopped by the chap at the other end as to why we were coming through so he got very confused when we told him about the 2 GO boards ~ hope they sorted it out. Somewhere to avoid for the next few days I should think.

There is also going to be work done on the Chiverton Cross Roundabout (the Truro/Bodmin/Newquay/PZ one on A30) starting 17th May for 44 weeks. 4 million being spent (Government not Cornwall CC money) to try to make it safer with less holdups but lots of folk complaining. Apparently the work on the actual road will be done at night and only work to the side of the road during the day but sounds as though there could still be delays.

Absolutely glorious day after the cold start.

[adesmith]

We had proper frost this morning as well and a thick mist hanging over the river. It was clearing as I made my way to school. They have promised that in Wales the weather is going to warm up and that there will be no frost tonight so I have taken all of the hanging baskets and pots out of the shed. Hope that they are right!

[gloria townsin]

After all our trials at Bryher Jane I am not surprised at the two GO boards....doubt Kath will be either!! Have to say it made me chuckle........

[Kath Mulligan]

Yes I must admit I grinned at the tale of the two GO boards as well, largely because it reminded me of a holiday with Shearings in Newquay a few years ago when we had a lovely local Cornish coach driver. The County Council workmen were doing a lot of work on the A3058(?), the road out of Newquay that goes down to join the big roundabout on the A30 with the turn offs to Portreath, St Agnes, Truro etc. It was on the long uphill stretch out of the town past some caravan sites at the top and was being lights operated. Unfortunately they kept getting the lights wrong and on three occasions we tried to go through that way, the lights were permanently on red both ways! Because the work covered such a long stretch of road and went around a bend, no-one dared risk going through, so the queues just built up and up! Eventually the workmen rolled up and had to revert to the STOP/GO boards. Our coach driver made some very pithy comments to the men as we passed!!

No windscreen scraping needed up here this morning but Elizabeth did say it was very cold when she came home around midnight (she was out for pleasure this time, not working very late!). Some rain forecast for us tomorrow, which I must say the garden needs, but better for Saturday when we are off to Tissington Well Dressings near Ashbourne, then continuing on to a farm near Lichfield which has bluebell trails through its woods. We had planned to go there a couple of weeks ago but the bluebells are so late this year that the farm owners were advising people to leave it for a while. Heard tonight on the BBC forecast that temperatures could be up around 20/21C in the south by Tuesday. Hope that spreads up here too since we have my brother's wedding next Thursday and I'm wearing a sleeveless dress and short sleeved thin jacket - this week I should have had goose bumps a mile high!!

Kath

[jane jackson]

The forecast does seem to be good as far as warmth goes for the next few days so hopefully you will have a glorious day for your brother's wedding and you can enjoy wearing your finery ~ photos please!

[gloria townsin]

Gosh the wedding seems to have come round quickly........time does fly. Will be wonderful if it's good for you all - nice to dress up - will hope for some pics.