Almost neighbours?

Actually, this is a working farm area, and so we do get aware of some of the 'tricks of the trade' as used by the French peasants.  Incidentally the word 'peasant' here in NOT an insulting term, but one they are very proud of.

But getting back to heating etc., going back a few hundred years or so, most of the houses were thatched, which was incredibly effective insulation. Of course this was the case with most of Europe.  The other day I was reading something that I found interesting - being a lover of words and word origins.

In those days floors were mainly earth, and as such were not even, which left gaps under the doors, which were blocked up - again with straw. However as the houses were usually shared with assorted livestock, this straw got kicked around and lost, so a block of wood was placed across the base of the door to hold the straw in the house.  Now this is the interesting bit - straw is what is left after threshing takes place to remove the grain.  As such it used to be called 'thresh' - hence we now call the entrance to our houses the 'threshold' - in other words crossing the board that held the thresh in place.

Following on from this, and back to the thatch.  under the thatch became the warmest place in the house, and so all the animals would find a place in it for comfort - cats would keep the mice down, and dogs would protect things like the chickens from the cats etc.  However after a time the thatch would get a bit overcrowded and unable to support the weight of the animals and they would fall the few feet into the main room - which gives us the term of 'raining cats and dogs'.

Maybe not global warming - but certainly domestic warming - ah the 'good old days'?

Cheers,

Norm

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Well, I'd like someone to explain to me how global warming makes it get colder! I hear and have read that some scientists are predicting an ice age in Europe due to global warming... figure that one out! Here on the BC south coast, we are seeing something that no one here remembers - lots of heavy, fresh snow on the hills and at a very low elevation. The rule here for years has been that you plant your garden as soon as the snow is gone of Mount Elphinstone. For some thirty years, at least, that has meant that you can plant your garden around the middle of March. This year, we're into May, and there's no sign of the snow disappearing. In fact, their was a heavy snowfall last night. It makes you want to go, "Hmmmmmm...." God bless, Dave

Hi, Dave,

It looks like your own observations are confirming what all the remote weather stations and satellite sensors are reporting - a steady and sustained fall in mean temperatures.

Here, on the Costa del Sol, we are experiencing, probably, the coldest start to May in living memory. My neighbours are going out with coats on because the temperature is failing to reach 75º in the mornings. They are all complaining about it! Last year, at this time, it was shorts and t-shirt weather from breakfast onwards.

The Old Coot.

Hi Arthur, Dave,

Makes you wonder doesn't it?  Lyon is 1.5 hours away from us and on a day when I was sweating my proverbials off hacking away at the jungle, they had a metre drop of Hailstones (no exaggeration).  Further South a metre of snow in Ventoux.

The met. office did describe it as hot air being trapped above (or was it below?) cold air,   plus the cows are being remarkably aromatic at the moment where we are - somewhat off-putting when one is about to dine, when a cow goes by and passes an opinion!  They know - they bl---y know!!

My wife believes it is a punishment for planting out the flowers too soon.

Personally I put it down to Sod's Law and all the hot air from the politicians with the Presidential Elections.

Cheers,

Norm

OK - OK... Maybe, as Norm suggests, it's punishment for trying to get the flowers in... But wait a minute... early April is considered LATE around here. Yesterday morning, my friend's wife, who lives very close to sea level, had to scrape ICE off her car windows!! Folks, we usually go SWIMMING in the OCEAN around here by May 24th! This year the snow is STILL only a few hundred feet above sea level here. Perhaps all the politicians, environmentalists and scientists who keep telling us we're causing global warming and need to stop it at great expense to us and the whole global economy can explain to us satisfactorily why it's so cold all over the world except in the high north and the middle of Antarctica this year. I'm all ears... God bless, Dave