Another cold morning here. It's 25º F (or -4º C) as I type. The sky is clear and sunny this weekend and it looks nice outside, but the air is frigid, even during the daytime. I walked to the post office yesterday and snapped this photo of someone's dryer vent, pumping steam into the street like Puff the Magic Dragon.
The UK recorded its coldest temperatures in 15 years, somewhere up in Scotland. Granted, we're not that cold here in London.
We're pretty much staying indoors. Dave, Olga and I went to the pharmacy yesterday afternoon and we popped into Cafe Nero for a coffee, just to have a change of scenery. Quite a few people were there, seeking some convivial warmth.
There's some kind of road construction going on in the street near our flat. That house has been under renovation for a while and I think they had to dig up the pavement to get to the utilities.
Here's what the garden looks like.
Olga is not amused.
At midday I couldn't resist checking on the avocado. I parted a tiny section of its fabric covering and stuck my iPhone inside, blindly looking around with the video camera to see how it was coping:
It doesn't look too bad, does it? Hard to tell, and sometimes with plants freeze damage isn't immediately obvious. Some of the leaves near the top look darkened and possibly frost-bitten. But I'm encouraged. I could actually feel the temperature change inside the tree shroud, with just that little light bulb cranking out heat.
Meanwhile, on the warmth of our sunny dining room windowsill, our African daisy is blooming away!
We watched "Conclave" last night, which we rented on Amazon Prime. It was good but the twist didn't seem entirely believable to me. (I won't spoil the ending by saying any more!)
You are colder down there than we are which is quite a change. Our ice has thawed and we now just have drizzle.
ReplyDeleteI am willing your Alien Avocado to survive and thrive!
One dryer vent pumps out so much steam. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love the dryer vent shot, although I wouldn’t love the cold. It’s getting down below freezing here this week overnight, but then up to mid-60sF (18ishC) during the day. Looks like the avocado is doing well considering. Was Olga annoyed with you taking pictures or was that just a commentary on the weather?
ReplyDeleteYour avocado is well love- amazing what a little light bulb can do, good little worker!. Olga is hilarious. Tells it like it is. Walking a bit to get a cup of coffee is a good idea, we have been in the house every day all day- cold rain out there in the world. I may force myself outside to grab a cuppa. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWe feel especially fortunate to have loads of cold rain- L A burned to the ground. Unreal devastation. Likely , the places you and
Dave visited , are gone.
I agree about Conclave, I thought it was great but was somewhat bothered by the ending. It could have stopped before the last twist.
ReplyDeleteCheers Peter
Olga looks displeases to be outside and I don't blame her. We are continuing our cold spell here, very cold yet brilliantly blue skies.
ReplyDeleteI like looking at from INSIDE a warm home.
It looks like you're certainly braving the cold with resilience! The photo of the dryer vent is quite amusing—Puff the Magic Dragon indeed! It's always interesting to see how people and plants cope with frigid temperatures. The avocado's progress seems hopeful despite the harsh conditions, and I'm sure it’s nice to see it still hanging in there with your little heat setup. Your garden, though frosty, has that serene winter charm.
ReplyDeleteCafe Nero sounds like a lovely place to escape the chill for a moment. I hope Olga's mood improves with a little warmth. Stay cozy and keep warm!
I just had a flash back to when (in the 50s) my father would run a long extension cord out to the car in the driveway and put a utility light going under the hood on freezing nights. I never knew exactly what part was thus supposed to not freeze, but since I let one van crack it's engine block many many years later in Florida over a time of long freeze and no use, he must have known what was the right thing to do. Hope your little/big avocado also survives to thrive.
ReplyDeleteIt's cold here and we have snow on the ground but that's normal for us in January. I think the doctor wants you to take the antibiotic just to keep ruling things out. Hope you feel better soon, Steve.
ReplyDeleteIt's 25 degrees here at 9:30 a.m. and our roads are still snowy & icy. I plan to head out after lunch to check on my dad. Here's hoping Allen the Avocado is A-Okay! (Why did I name your avocado? I have no idea...)
ReplyDeleteMy yard is covered in frost this morning. It was only supposed to get down to 31 last night but I see now that it got down to 26. Good-bye, plants!
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether to cry or just accept the reality of what is. Here's hoping your avocado will have plenty of life left even if you have to trim it back.
Olga looks like she's howling in protest or disgust. The avocado looks good, some freeze damage at the top.
ReplyDeleteOlga looks as if she is giving voice to my own howls of protest. It IS cold outside! Our temp is roughly the same as yours, but we have a lot more snow on the ground.
ReplyDeleteOlga needs that sweater, which I'm sure she'd like better than the cold! I'm glad the tree is making it so far and hopefullly this doesn't last. Love that photo of the frosty leaves and also your lovely street (though lovelier without construction!)
ReplyDeleteOlga Girl Is In Full Protection Mode There - Hold On There Avocado Tree - Just Hold
ReplyDeleteBe Well ,
Cheers
I agree on the ending of Conclave but I did thoroughly enjoy the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe avocado tree appears to be holding up and the African daisy is just showing off. We had a freeze last night too in some parts of the valley. It was 35 degrees when I checked just a few minutes ago. I even have a blanket on my lap as I type this.
We're supposed to go to 29 tonight, so I guess I will have to cover the three bougainvilleas I like. Two of them are in a bloom cycle, so at least I'll feel like I made the effort. We're supposed to have a warming trend which can not come soon enough.
ReplyDeleteIt was cold here today, too, always somewhere between -1 and +2 Celsius; not THAT cold, but I can tell when cold air is not got for my respiratory system, and today was such a day, which is why I was out for only 1 hour 40 minutes and truly ready to be back in the warmth after that - I didn't feel cold, as I was dressed warmly, but it was the breathing that kept me from walking further and longer.
ReplyDeleteRachel has watched Conclave two or three times, hasn't she? I don't think it is something I am going to watch, but it is interesting to compare notes between the two of you, so to speak.
I believe we're in for a milder day tomorrow but then it's going to get as cold as -8C over the course of the week. I may choose NOT to go to the office on Wednesday but work from home, sitting right next to the heating :-)
I like the temperature you give at the beginning of the post. -25 F would freeze me!
ReplyDeleteWe've been quite cold here , too, and it's supposed to get even colder the week of the 19th. We missed out on the snow this week (parts of AR got 14"), but also (thankfully!) missed out on the ice. It was just another 2+" of rain.
ReplyDeleteLove the protesting Olga!
Both the coat and heat from the light bulb are saving the avocado tree. Your solution against the cold is working well. Ingenuity wins again!
ReplyDeleteMA is cold and snow covered but the sunshine is brilliant. My driveway is clear of snow, and we are all shoveled out. The house from the sunshine is toasty. All is good.
I like your photograph of the frosty leaves. As I was driving back from Hull on the M62 and M18 motorways yesterday afternoon, I spotted many wonderful photo opportunities as the pink sun prepared to set over a misty and frosty landscape. Frustratingly, I could not stop and besides, I did not have my camera with me!
ReplyDeleteMinus 25?? I can't imagine that nor does it seem normal at all. We have barely touched freezing temps here although we are expecting some wintry weather this week. (highs in the low 40s and below freezing for lows) I am undecided about whether I want to watch Conclave. My next films will probably be Memoir of a Snail, The Order (Jude Law) or The Six Triple Eight.
ReplyDeleteThe avocado looks like it will survive with minimal frost damage. I've seen advertisements for Conclave and it looks interesting but I'll wait until it comes to TV.
ReplyDeleteConclave has been on my list. We opted for Dune: Part 2 which was added to Netflix not to long ago.
ReplyDelete