We have the most strange weather again, as our little bit of Austria is sandwiched between two highs, and the air is being pulled up from the Sahara, and it’s full of dust. When I went walking yesterday, I had a headache within minutes, a nasty taste on the tongue and sore nose. Its the first time I’ve reacted. It happened before in 2014 at the same time, and in 2008 in the summer – that time leaving visible dust. So maybe climate change is happening in that new rhythms are coming and we have to adapt. But I really dislike it this time and have all the windows shut, and went for a walk this morning in the cool, damper part of the day as it seems worse in the hotter afternoons. I must stop moaning, this time last year it snowed!
This is how it should be on a day like today!
Rain is forecast in a couple of days, meaning every farmer that can is spreading slurry on the fields, so its not only dusty but stinky in the Lungau!
There is the sound of panic not music in the mountains! This time last year, the lifts had opened early and the season was underway. This year the opening at Obertauern took place with Andrea Gabalier but without the snow. The weather has been too warm for the snow canons to make snow. There is snow forecast at the weekend but the forecasters keep on putting it back and lighter and lighter. On the more southern areas towards Katschberg there is snow as we’ve got the air from the south. But not enough to ski. The local tv showed the early visitors in Obertauern going WALKING! from the open lifts! NiederÖsterreich has had problems with ice storms bringing down trees and cutting electricity. When we look at the weather cameras on the tv in the morning, the Tirol and Voralberg have even less snow than here!
So my snow prediction is not far off, although I didn’t see the lack of made snow! This time last year we had frosts and cold. I don’t really mind. I’m driving to England for Christmas and I’ll definitely have a GREEN Christmas!!
We were travelling around the Lungau on Easter Saturday admiring the different designs of the fires that were being built around the valley. I think this year is the first when it has rained on the day. One was done in a complicated twirl, another looked quite lopsided. Then someone asked me about what I had said in a blog about the children coming around with the rattles being a way of warding off evil spirits. So I checked up and in the book of Lungau Traditions, I stand corrected. The bells in the catholic church during the sad time from Thursday evening to Sunday morning, are turned off. The bells fly to Rome (!), and so the rattles were to tell people the time! So who fed me the false information, or was I privvy to some Lungau secret – is this how customs or folklore start??????
You’d have also thought that we’d learnt about shopping here. On impulse on Saturday we went to buy some outdoor carpet for our porch, at one of the biggest home furnishing shops. We wondered why we were served in such a hurry, only to hear an announcement that the shop was shutting at One o’clock for the holiday – how have we managed not to find this out in over five years -duh!!!!!!!!
PS. I’ve just had the spirit thing confirmed by someone else, so its both!
I’m writing on March 25th, although this blog will go out later. I can’t believe it, and we’ve just had our first thunderstorm of the year. Even knocked the power out briefly! This warm weather makes it so easy to get to think that it’ll be warm and sunny all spring, now its dark and gloomy and raining, but the garden needs it. I’m not going to be caught out this year planting stuff too early! This is our sixth spring here and I’ve never seen the like!
Also amazing, yesterday I just saw a family of Alpine Martins flitting around the eaves of the house, one was sat in a nest right up in the eaves, I hope I didn’t scare them off, it would be great to have some here. But so early, the swifts and swallows don’t usually get here until late May, early June. I’ve given the garden birds all the tail ends of the winter’s fat balls out of the nets on the table, they’re going nuts about them. I’ve also had to stock up of bird food as the shops now are stocking barbecue stuff, and I’ll need reserves for another month or two yet!
Does this all have any link to the ash in the atmosphere or the sun spots? Thing is we’ll never really know, I just think its more of this wacky weather which started last spring!
I did my second office in the new job and am beginning to see a rhythm to the week and how I will fill the hours. There was ample evidence of a dog there – when I asked the boss, she said it’s an afghan puppy, maybe I need to go a bit earlier next time to see it! Still, if I do the offices twice a week,-especially with the dog hair, I will get my hours. I just need one more day filled! And compared to the Burg, I have FOUR hoovers, and ones a Dyson!!!!!!!!
I understand that England is experiencing a very warm winter and things have gone a bit odd here too. Since last week the weather has warmed considerably and we’ve a prediction of +20 for Austria later this week. It just felt all wrong that suddenly there was the sound of water cascading down the drain pipes and warnings everywhere in the town of roof falls of snow. The roads came under water where the drains are blocked by snow or frozen. Apparently this sudden warning isn’t good for your body either.
Then this weekend, things cooled down, to nightly -1 or -2, but still warm by earlier estimates. On Sunday it began to snow and we had about 2 inches by the morning, and temperatures of +5. Of course, Linda couldn’t let it lie and melt, she was there by 7.30, and then complained to me that it was melting as soon as she put it on the heap………..
The snow is now what I call play snow, great big flakes being blown down to us from the mountains, which is cute but not making big heaps on the ground. Maybe it will be an early spring after all, but for the skiers there’s still shedloads of the white stuff on the mountains here.
What I hate the most when it’s thawing, is the amount of ice. Our yard is like a skating rink, and at work the other day I stupidly went on a huge patch and couldn’t do anything but slide backwards till someone caught me! This was at St Martin which I’ve now packed in as she only called me in once this month – it wasn’t worth the petrol money
The main point of this blog, is to say on Friday as the warm front came over us, we had great examples of Altocumulus lenticularis clouds which people often think are spaceships. As I picked up Dave from work, there was the most stunning sunset and I only had the Mobile with me, so I now have permanently moved my new camera to my handbag!
England has snow, and the usual moaning stuff on the media, perhaps they should try the regular -15 we’ve had for the past week! We’ve had a little snow and some due tomorrow, but the resorts have shedloads. Dave and I are planning this years veggies, but think its going to be a really late spring compared to last year – just to get the snow melted. Will be ok of course if it means the snow stops in April, not keeping on into May and June! Everywhere is crisp here, but the old snow is looking ugly at the sides of the roads, we need another load to make it all pretty again. I suddenly realised I like the snow and the winter, the past couple of years I’d begun to see the winter negatively, but maybe coinciding with my increased confidence in Langlaufing, I really don’t mind it at all, in fact I want more snow so we have to dig ourselves out! Cant get enough! Brilliant! Praise God!
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So where's the snow? 