Ice crystals on the Bonnie ...
... and hoar frost on the Yamaha ...
It's getting to just above freezing in the day, allowing the previous night's frost to thaw slightly, and then freezing hard every night. There's ice crystals everywhere. By early morning, it has been down to -6° regularly, which is almost unheard-of for what is supposed to be a Gulf Stream climate. I have a distinct lack of interest in going outside unless wrapped in many layers of insulation and sealed within a windproof shell. With a hat. And gloves. Transport which blocks out the surrounding environment and replaces it with a warm, wind-free one, especially if there is little possibility of falling off it, is preferred.
Even if I had one of these ...
... I would be taking the bread-and-butter Ford. Really.
I wish all that lovely warmth that Gore and Monbiot keep promising would turn up. I'll be running out of firewood soon.
".....By early morning, it has been down to -6° regularly...."
ReplyDeleteImagine how cold it would really have been, if it were not for Global Warming.
PS you no longer need to live halfway up a mountain.......
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8182278/Climate-change-Met-Office-halves-worst-case-sea-level-prediction.html
Thanks for the link. The edifice is falling.
ReplyDeleteI think they have stopped calling it global warming. Probably because there is no global warming. They will have to keep changing the name, preferably something vague and imprecise in order to keep us guessing.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe how much leccy and logs I am using. And still, I dare not go to the bathroom to shave lest my face freezes.
Somewhere I have a lovely picture of my late Grandfather. He is pictured riding something British on a winter's day. He wrote a little book called "How to start motorcycling". My ex-wife still has that book. Another of his can be found here:
http://cgi.ebay.pl/GUIDE-FLYWEIGHT-MOTOR-CYCLES-1964-POST-FREE-UK-/290490175542?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item43a2905036
They used to wear a scarf and a belstaff trialsmaster, a pair of RAF flying boots and bugger the snow.
If you ignore the "Coming Ice Age" warnings of the 1970s, we've had the Hole In The Ozone Layer, then Global Warming, then - er - Climate Change, and recently Climate Disruption and Climate Chaos. The last one is a brilliant bit of chicanery, as any weather event that is not precisely in line with seasonal or geographical norms is evidence for your theory, and it doesn't matter what kind of change it is. The current bitter weather is evidence, as much as if it had been unseasonably mild. Clever move.
ReplyDeleteI've taken to wearing a thermal vest and long-johns in the house, and today I am warm as toast. But the log pile is rapidly diminishing, and I can't even look at the electicity meter. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, and all that.
I like the sound of the book. I have one from the 1950s called "Motorcycles And How To Manage Them", and it's a constant source of amusement and occasional hilarity.
Belstaff have re-issued the Trialmaster, by the way, now with internal armour. I think it's over £500 just for the jacket, so I won't be getting one. But they are a great example (like Barbour jackets) of clothing that looks better the older it is.
Too true, too true. And you must have seen this. Everybody loves how the the Daily Mash rips the shit out of those we love to laugh at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/britain-trapped-under-two-feet-of-global-warming-bullshit-201011253286/
Chuck another penguin on the bonfire, there's a good chap.
ReplyDeleteMy VFR's got an air temperature display: something of a mixed blessing, as it's been consistently showing minus figures. The Versys seems warmer just through not knowing...!
ReplyDeleteLeaving aside the actual cold, it's been quite good riding, at least from the point of view of mellowing out on the bike. Conditions simply aren't up to much except pottering along in a relaxed fashion, avoiding sharp manouevres and refraining from surprising other motorists with normal bike-type antics. It's quite therapeutic to be legitimately slow and steady!
I won't complain when it thaws a little, though, even if it does start the warmists off again.
Now that the solid ice that covered the roads round here has largely vanished, I feel more like a ride out. Perhaps tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteDriving a car with a temp display has been quite entertaining, but it hasn't borne much relationship to the state of the roads. The other morning was heavy rain and +4C, but the ice was the worst I have seen.
I have a temp gauge for the bike. It transfers automatically between the two, and it's 'digital', if you see what I mean.
Same with the bike - the temperature gauge isn't a reliable indicator of road conditions, all it does is make me feel like I should be really cold!
ReplyDeleteFor all its other faults, the south coast really isn't too awful for winter biking. Generally warmer anyway, with high-salinity air and lots of traffic mean that ice doesn't tend to get a lasting foothold and it's usually possible to get around. I wouldn't be heading for the nearby rural B-roads, though.
Pembrokeshire is stuck out into the Gulf Stream, and the climate is usually very mild, very like the South Coast. The last couple of weeks have been surprisingly harsh, and have caught many people out. The salty sea air hasn't really had much effect.
ReplyDeleteNow, it's the usual December 6C or so - cold enough to be a drag, but not cold enough to be fun. Bah, and indeed humbug.