Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door) said he had
heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100 years.

May know what he is on about as he used to work for Notcutts so at least
he should be a little in tune with nature.

He is also laying block paving and stuff so the quality of the winter has
a major effect on his business.

However (as discussed in a previous thread) the accuracy of long range
forecasts is not particularly high in some cases.

My issue is my Olive tree in a pot.

Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.

I have the option to:

bring it into the sun lounge at the first forecast of really nasty weather
bring it in when the nasty weather starts
bring it in now (and subject it to occasional burst of warmth on sunny
days)
leave it outside to tough it out

What does the team think?
Is a really nasty frost or a week of snow and ice likely to see it off?
Would it make a good alternative Christmas tree?

I would rather like a week or two of snow.
Seems like ages since we had a real winter.
Here in Suffolk by the sea it seems to be generally very mild.
Last real snow (lasting more than a couple of days) was at least 10
years ago.

You can now all blame me for wishing for it when we are blizzard bound for
a month.

Cheers

Dave R

In article ,
David WE Roberts writes:
|
| Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door) said he had
| heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100 years.

It was the worst winter THIS CENTURY - i.e. since 2001.

| May know what he is on about as he used to work for Notcutts so at least
| he should be a little in tune with nature.
|
| He is also laying block paving and stuff so the quality of the winter has
| a major effect on his business.

Neither are particularly good qualifications for weather prediction.
Real traditionalists say that the art of prediction has gone down
the tube ever since this country gave up human sacrifice, and who
are we to argue with them?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 16:22:40 +0000, Nick Maclaren wrote:


In article ,
David WE Roberts writes:
|
| Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door) said he had
| heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100 years.

It was the worst winter THIS CENTURY - i.e. since 2001.

| May know what he is on about as he used to work for Notcutts so at least
| he should be a little in tune with nature.
|
| He is also laying block paving and stuff so the quality of the winter has
| a major effect on his business.

Neither are particularly good qualifications for weather prediction.
Real traditionalists say that the art of prediction has gone down
the tube ever since this country gave up human sacrifice, and who
are we to argue with them?

Hmmm....we are still in prime spot for the best worst year/decade etc. for
this century.

What was your source for 'worst this century'?

[Unless you know the bloke doing the drive next door, of course :-) ]

I wasn't suggesting he was a good weather predictor - rather that he had a
keener interest in locating long term reliable forecasts than most.

I can believe we could be in for a strange winter, as we have had a very
odd summer (this part of the country) with more precipitation and less sun.

More to the point, what should I do with my Olive?

Cheers

Dave R

"David WE Roberts" wrote in message
news
Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door) said he had
heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100 years.

My issue is my Olive tree in a pot.

Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.



The guy was probably referring to the announcement by metcheck.com. I read
their follow-up blurb and actually it was only a degree or so colder than
recent years so even if they're right it's nothing to worry about.

I'd bring the olive in now. The heat won't hurt it but the cold probably
wouldn't either. I think it's the wet which does it. I put mine in my
unheated greenhouse over winter here in Cheshire and it's been fine so far
despite dropping to a few degrees below zero a number of times.


--
Martin & Anna Sykes
( Remove x's when replying )
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sykesm

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 15:59:23 +0000, David WE Roberts
wrote:

Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.

I have the option to:

bring it into the sun lounge at the first forecast of really nasty weather
bring it in when the nasty weather starts
bring it in now (and subject it to occasional burst of warmth on sunny
days)

David, how big is your olive tree, and how big its pot.
Mine has been outdoors for the last few winters. It's in a 10 inch pot
and is 20 years old, but I cut it back to about 15 - 18 inches each
winter so it will fit under a covered shelf next to the house and it
is therefore kept dry. I have also tried wrapping the pot in bubble
wrap and the tree in fleece. As I have no greenhouse or sunroom, the
only other option is to bring it in to my living room. I would only do
this if we had severe weather.
I do the same with a pomegranate, and now have a fig to cope with
also!
I'm sure they would be happier with a sunroom or cold greenhouse, but
in my case, needs must!

Pam in Bristol

"Martin Sykes" wrote
"David WE Roberts" wrote
My issue is my Olive tree in a pot.
Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.

The guy was probably referring to the announcement by metcheck.com. I read
their follow-up blurb and actually it was only a degree or so colder than
recent years so even if they're right it's nothing to worry about.
I'd bring the olive in now. The heat won't hurt it but the cold probably
wouldn't either. I think it's the wet which does it. I put mine in my
unheated greenhouse over winter here in Cheshire and it's been fine so far
despite dropping to a few degrees below zero a number of times.
Martin & Anna Sykes

I said exactly the same to my friends when they asked me if their trees (large
ones left over from an exhibition) would survive outside. They don't have room
to bring them in except up three narrow steep flights of stairs.

I told them out the wet probably being the worst enemy. I was round their house
last week and noticed they've covered the top of the pots with plastic to keep
the rain out !

Will this work? They are in the inner city in a courtyard so might be OK ?

Jenny

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 16:55:09 +0000, Pam Moore wrote:

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 15:59:23 +0000, David WE Roberts
wrote:

Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.

I have the option to:

bring it into the sun lounge at the first forecast of really nasty weather
bring it in when the nasty weather starts
bring it in now (and subject it to occasional burst of warmth on sunny
days)

David, how big is your olive tree, and how big its pot.

The tree is about 6' from the tip of the tippiest bit down to the surface
of the pot.

However the trunk is less than 1" in diameter at the thickest part - I
guess it must be 2-3 years old.

The pot is about 16" diameter at the top tapering down to about 10" at the
bottom.


Mine has been outdoors for the last few winters. It's in a 10 inch pot
and is 20 years old, but I cut it back to about 15 - 18 inches each
winter so it will fit under a covered shelf next to the house and it
is therefore kept dry. I have also tried wrapping the pot in bubble
wrap and the tree in fleece. As I have no greenhouse or sunroom, the
only other option is to bring it in to my living room. I would only do
this if we had severe weather.
I do the same with a pomegranate, and now have a fig to cope with
also!

I am not so worried about my Brown Turkey fig, which seems very robust and
lives out over winter.


I'm sure they would be happier with a sunroom or cold greenhouse, but
in my case, needs must!

Pam in Bristol

"Martin Sykes" wrote in message
...
"David WE Roberts" wrote in message
news
Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door) said he had
heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100 years.

My issue is my Olive tree in a pot.

Over a normal winter I would expect to leave it outside, but long term
harsh conditions may not suit it.



The guy was probably referring to the announcement by metcheck.com. I read
their follow-up blurb and actually it was only a degree or so colder than
recent years so even if they're right it's nothing to worry about.

I'd bring the olive in now. The heat won't hurt it but the cold probably
wouldn't either. I think it's the wet which does it. I put mine in my
unheated greenhouse over winter here in Cheshire and it's been fine so far
despite dropping to a few degrees below zero a number of times.

My olive is planted outside in the soil. I will not be doing anything with
it. It is in a fairly sheltered spot. I will let you know if it survives.

The message
from Janet Baraclough.. contains
these words:

It's late getting started, then. We've not had any frost yet and it's
only a week or so to my birthday. November 1947 was arctic.

ITYF that the winter of '1947' began in earnest in February 1948 -
that's how I remember it. Indeed, it snowed on my birthday, 30th April.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Janet Baraclough.. contains
these words:
The message
from Jaques d'Alltrades contains
these words:
The message
from Janet Baraclough.. contains
these words:

It's late getting started, then. We've not had any frost yet and it's
only a week or so to my birthday. November 1947 was arctic.

ITYF that the winter of '1947' began in earnest in February 1948 -

But I was oop north

that's how I remember it. Indeed, it snowed on my birthday, 30th April.

Well then, that exceptionally cold winter was even later getting started
than I can remember from my crib:-) I probably didn't get to grips with
calendars until they propped me up in the highchair.

I unforget looking out of my bedroom window and seeing the almond tree
(you'll be able to gauge the severity of the spring when you remember
that this is the day before May begins...) which was fresh in bloom, now
with all its branches and twigs capped with snow. It was like a Chinese
painting: astoundingly beautiful, even to my (precisely) eight-year-old
eyes.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

David WE Roberts wrote:
:: On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 16:22:40 +0000, Nick Maclaren wrote:
::
:::
::: In article ,
::: David WE Roberts writes:
:::::
::::: Bloke in a pub (well, bloke working on the drive next door)
::::: said he had heard that we were due for the worst winter in 100
::::: years.
:::
::: It was the worst winter THIS CENTURY - i.e. since 2001.
:::
::::: May know what he is on about as he used to work for Notcutts so
::::: at least he should be a little in tune with nature.
:::::
::::: He is also laying block paving and stuff so the quality of the
::::: winter has a major effect on his business.
:::
::: Neither are particularly good qualifications for weather
::: prediction. Real traditionalists say that the art of prediction
::: has gone down the tube ever since this country gave up human
::: sacrifice, and who are we to argue with them?
::
:: Hmmm....we are still in prime spot for the best worst year/decade
:: etc. for this century.
::
:: What was your source for 'worst this century'?
::
:: [Unless you know the bloke doing the drive next door, of course
:: :-) ]
::
:: I wasn't suggesting he was a good weather predictor - rather that
:: he had a keener interest in locating long term reliable forecasts
:: than most.

Hmmm, I've worked outdoors for over twenty years and still can't get an
accurate prediction for a week ahead!
What I can say is that we usually have cold but dry winters and hot but wet
summers...we'll have less rain in the next four months than we've had in the
past four! (BTW, I lay drives too!)
::
:: I can believe we could be in for a strange winter, as we have had
:: a very odd summer (this part of the country) with more
:: precipitation and less sun.

Very true but between you and me, from all the weather pages and channels
available these days, I've yet to see one which is as accurate as ITV's
teletext services - don't bother with the forecast after the news on either
channel and the BBC's weather website is as useful as a brick to a drowning
ferret!

::
:: More to the point, what should I do with my Olive?
::
::
I thought she'd got a part in Eastenders?

The message
from Martin contains these words:

Some anorak has devoted a website to the cold winter of *not* 1947
http://www.winter1947.co.uk/

If the owner of this website is correct, Rusty has false memory
syndrome The owner of this website thinks the cold winter started at
the end of January 1947. If he is wrong he has an enormous number of
"47"s to retype.

I really must get my books out of store - I'm pretty sure I've
remembered correctly, though I freely admit that ICBW.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 23:22:25 GMT, Phil L wrote:

Hmmm, I've worked outdoors for over twenty years and still can't get an
accurate prediction for a week ahead!

I always say "Tomorrow'll be quite like today". An average weather system
lasts around 5 days so I get roughly an 80% success rate.
For a week ahead, I just says "It'll probably be miserable". I'm usually
right there as well. :-(
--
Tim C.

The message
from Martin contains these words:

I really must get my books out of store - I'm pretty sure I've
remembered correctly, though I freely admit that ICBW.

If it's any consolation, I thought you were right and am busy trying
to sort my memories out :-)
I have an excuse I was only 6 in January 1947.

So was I, but in April 1948 I was 8...

I do remember going to
school by tram and bus in Leeds right through that winter. I can't
believe anybody would let a 6 year old do the same by themselves
nowadays.

I walked about two miles to school then - or it's possible I was back at
boarding school. Nah. If I was at boarding school I couldn't have been
at home - unless Easter was late that year. (I went to boarding school
aged four, 'cos my father had been killed during the war and my mother
was training as a physioterrorist. Then I went back to the same school
for a time, but I can't remember exactly when, except that I was six.)

There was also a very hot summer around the same time. Was
it in 1946 or 1947?

I think that was 1946, though that might have been rose-tinted
speedwells in the immediate post-war euphonium.

Over to Franz for a more mature recollection :-)

If we are wrong at what point did we start naming winters after the
year that December occurred in?

I don't think we ever did.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:20:43 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message
from Martin contains these words:

Some anorak has devoted a website to the cold winter of *not*
1947
http://www.winter1947.co.uk/

If the owner of this website is correct, Rusty has false memory
syndrome The owner of this website thinks the cold winter started
at
the end of January 1947. If he is wrong he has an enormous number
of
"47"s to retype.

I really must get my books out of store - I'm pretty sure I've
remembered correctly, though I freely admit that ICBW.

If it's any consolation, I thought you were right and am busy trying
to sort my memories out :-)
I have an excuse I was only 6 in January 1947. I do remember going
to
school by tram and bus in Leeds right through that winter. I can't
believe anybody would let a 6 year old do the same by themselves
nowadays. There was also a very hot summer around the same time. Was
it in 1946 or 1947?

Over to Franz for a more mature recollection :-)

I immigrated to England on 6 April 1947 and experienced only the tail
end of that winter in Manchester.

If we are wrong at what point did we start naming winters after the
year that December occurred in?
--
Martin