Remember the lush and green balcony garden above Finchley Road? Well, this is what it looks like in the winter. Barely a leaf!
The news this morning is all about the weather -- Storm Eunice, which is supposed to strike today. The forecasters say it could be one of the worst storms Britain has seen in years. It comes just a day or two after Storm Dudley, which here manifested mainly as a lot of wind. When I went out in the garden yesterday morning I found a bunch of items belonging to the Russians that apparently blew off their terrace -- their grill cover, some flowerpots, etc. Hopefully they've battened stuff down for Eunice.
I work with a woman named Eunice and we've been teasing her: "Why are you so mad at us? What did we ever do to you?!"
When I opened my computer to blog this morning, it informed me that it was shutting down for updates and didn't give me any options to delay. So I had to sit by while it did its thing. Normally it lets me control when that happens, so I'm not sure why it was so forceful this time, but I was a bit annoyed because I have things to do.
Mainly, I have to get myself to work promptly because I'm speaking to a 5th Grade class at 8:40 a.m. I did two Newbery talks yesterday and I have two more today.
This rather exotic tree is growing down the street from us -- I think it's a mimosa? It's pretty, but it sure seems awfully close to that house.
I'd love to hear your Newbery talk.
ReplyDeleteI haven't recorded it, but I might do so when I give it to the 6th Grade, because that will be an assembly in the school center and we have recording and video equipment there.
DeleteGood luck with your talk...you are just about to begin as I write!! Hope that you survive the wind. I am about to take Lex out for a quick pavement walk in the rain before the main winds arrive...I shall be huddled inside for the rest of the day!
ReplyDeleteHope things were OK up in Harpenden!
DeleteI let the dog out, not realising that some fence at the bottom of the garden was down......luckily I noticed and he had only gone as far as next door....looking a bit bemused! There was another fence down in their garden so he could have gone further! P spent the next hour in the wind fixing it.
DeleteThat does look like a type of mimosa I’ve seen here but had never known about before. And, yes, not much room for the trunk or roots. What a shame. I hope Eunice is more gentle than expected. She looks kind of scary. Maybe you all need to buy gifts for your Eunice. Given the high-wind warnings, I hope the Russians have brought the grill inside.
ReplyDeleteI think it's called a mimosa in Europe but in the states we know it as an acacia.
DeleteOf course! We had them on our street in San Francisco.
DeleteI wonder how Eunice will tease you when, in the future, we experience the lethal and brutal Storm Steve? A storm that will undoubtedly cause devastation and take no prisoners.
ReplyDeleteThere are days when I think a scorched-earth approach to my surroundings would be best!
DeleteMimosa...African? Blogger Diamond Geezer is live blogging about the storm. Nothing to get excited about yet and soon it will be bedtime here so I will miss the action, if there is any. The storms you are warned about are often less than ones that spring up.
ReplyDeleteI think it was mostly damaging along the coasts, although there were some fatalities.
DeleteWhen I opened my laptop this morning I found I had no internet and that carried on ALL day! Until 5pm anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's the worst! I hate it when the Internet goes out.
DeleteYou should tape your Newbery talks! It would be fun to view it.
ReplyDeleteI might tape my final talk, to the 6th grade, when I deliver it in March.
DeleteOh, poor Eunice! :-) It's not really a common name in English, is it? In my part of London, I can hear the wind rattling the bare branches of the trees outside.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely not a common name in the USA, but I think in some anglophone countries elsewhere in the world it may be more common.
DeleteEven plant-less that's a beautiful balcony.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what that flat is like on the inside. It's high up and I bet it has great views.
DeleteEunice is an old fashioned name now maybe it's coming back. I remember a sniffy old bloke on the BBC one of those Third Programme wannabe intellectual types, complaining about pronouncing it youniss, when clearly it was you-nye-see. Greek, you know. I don't think he got far.
ReplyDeleteHa! Someone learned just enough about the classics to be dangerous!
DeleteAfter having taken a picture of your picture with my plant app, I see that your tree there could be a silver wattle. Who knows? Although it is described as a fast-growing evergreen and that seems to fit.
ReplyDeleteAre they going to shut down things in London for Eunice? That looks like it could be a terrible storm. I suppose that this is another example of our new normal. Be careful. Batten down those hatches!
As it turns out, yes, the silver wattle, acacia and mimosa (in Europe) are all the same plant! Acacia dealbata is the scientific name.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_dealbata
Oh, and yes, many things got cancelled because of Eunice -- mainly trains and transport but also some concerts and other events.
DeleteFor some reason, reading about your neighboring Russian's debris in your garden this morning caused Warren Zevon's song, "Lawyers, Guns and Money" to come rushing into my consciousness. I suppose it had to do with the opening two lines;
ReplyDeleteI went home with the waitress, the way I always do
How was I to know, she was with the Russians, too?
Hmmmmm...maybe she's also living upstairs?
DeleteThings in your backyard from the Russians? My first thought was I think Putin had a hand in this. He's trouble these days, really big bad trouble.
ReplyDeleteEunice does sound like quite a storm heading your way. Stay safe there.
Fortunately I don't think Putin is involved with our neighbors! (I don't even know for sure if they're Russian. They could be Ukrainian or Moldovan or something else.)
DeleteOur neighbour had a Mimosa and it grew huge, very pretty though.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
They are pretty trees. I see another one on my way to work that's quite large. I have a feeling they'll have to take this one out eventually -- that is not a good place for it!
DeleteWho sang "Stormy weather"?
ReplyDelete“Stormy Weather” is inextricably linked to Lena Horne, who performed it in the 1943 film of the same name.
DeleteYes! Lena Horne:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPgnj5upihQ
My phone keeps telling me I need to update but it won't ever let me because it says I don't have enough memory which is ridiculous since I don't have a lot of apps on my phone. I don't think that's a mimosa though it could be in the family I guess. The mimosas here have pink powder puff kind of blooms.
ReplyDeleteIt's called a mimosa here, but yes, it's a different species from the mimosas we know in the states. I think we would call this an acacia.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_dealbata
Maybe that tree stays warm from the heat of the house. I hope your talks went well. Those updates do seem to happen at the most inopportune times. Reading about your pending storm made me pop over the webcam to see how it looked. I don't see any rain but it is pretty windy.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that's a good protected spot for it, and it's very sunny, but the tree is eventually going to get too big to be so close to that wall!
DeleteMimosas are pretty big trees here and I don't think I've seen any color other than pink. That's a striking tree, though. I love the yellow.
ReplyDeleteFunny how they name storms now, worldwide. It use to just be hurricanes.
The Met weather office in the UK just began naming them about ten (?) years ago.
DeleteBeen Keeping An Eye On That Storm - Saw The 100mph Winds Along The Coast - Hopefully You Are Still Able To Get Out And About This Weekend - Stay Strong Brother Man
ReplyDeleteCheers
I'm typing this on Saturday morning and it's totally calm out there, so it looks like the weekend should be fine!
DeleteThat's a very pretty tree which (I'm assuming) used to be very small. My computer doesn't like to wake up after it's done updates and I have to force close it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think whoever planted that tree may not realize how big it's going to get!
DeleteI've never seen a yellow mimosa tree - and like Ellen said the pink blooms are fuzzy. But who knows! It is a pretty tree though.
ReplyDeleteHope Eunice isn't too much of a pain!
It's this one:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_dealbata
Known as a mimosa here in the UK but by other names elsewhere.
Nice tree - a nice bright spot of color. It seems to be doing just fine in that location.
ReplyDeleteIt's doing OK but I think it might eventually damage the house, being in such a small planter next to the wall.
DeleteThat tree is lovely -- I hope it survives Eunice's winds. Batten down and stay safe. I hope the storm is kind to you.
ReplyDeleteEunice didn't bother that tree, but she bothered a lot of others!
DeleteI am barely getting a chance to comment because my older computer that I am using right now has been updating and I have moved some of my larger files over to my external hard drive and I actually found my very first and original game that I started years ago and was able to pick up right where I left off! I was so ecstatic to find it because I had a lot of real money with diamonds tied up into it and as my luck would have it... (good luck) I still had diamonds left over.
ReplyDeleteOne of the funny things is that I was like.... I don't remember having all of this or that! But I am having a lot of happy thoughts.
If only I felt like playing. I can't shake this headache for one but I am going to go over and blog before I lay down.
Have a very wonderful day! xx
I remember you mentioning that you'd lost that game, so I'm glad you found it again!
DeleteYou are certainly making the most of your Newbery project! Hope the storm isn't too bad and you stay safe!
ReplyDeleteI'm milking it for all it's worth! LOL
DeleteThat is mimosa, acacia dealbata, tiny yellow massed pom-poms. It's what you see mostly in Europe. Sign of spring when it comes into bloom. I expect it's related to the pink blooming, but the flowers are quite different, much more delicate. They're lovely fresh, but only last briefly cut.
ReplyDeleteYes! That's the one. I think it's known as an acacia in the states and a wattle in Australia.
DeleteI absolutely love that flowered tree. It's beautiful! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDelete