It was windy today – a spring equinoctal gale, which apparently is not a thing but I can tell you it was very windy. Along with my trusted companion (*** cough ***, yer right – tis the season for buggering off after rabbits when she thinks no one is watching), I struggled with my three buckets across the hill to feed the Icelandic horses.
I watched while “Trusted Companion” did her usual clearing up.
I decided to let everyone brave the gale and oncoming rain without rugs as they are all hairy and fat enough. Even Iacs.
However, I did rug up Fivla and Vitamoobag because there is less shelter where they are and they get very miserable in bad weather.
Later on, when I was outside, I couldn’t find them anywhere and was pleased to see them in this paddock as so far they have refused to go near it.
The rain had started and it was unforgiving but the rugs did their job and when I brought the old ladies inside later in the afternoon, I found they were completely bone-dry underneath. I also think that by rugging up Vitamin and Fivla they felt more like eating rather than standing around looking unhappy.
And it is nice and warm inside, apparently.
While I’ve only been to Shetland once for Wool Week, my experience with the fall equinox and my years of following you have absolutely convinced me that the ends of March and September are very uncomfortable times with gales galore! I’m certain it’s a thing.
You are so generous with your care for your animals and sharing your life with us. Perhaps we should nominate you for this BBC Heroes thing??
❤️❤️❤️
It is a thing. Twice a year, it is A Thing.
(hope all well with you and your’s).
This is on the Met Office website:
What is the weather like in autumn?
Autumn is normally associated with dropping temperatures and the nights drawing in as winter approaches. In the UK autumn can often bring unsettled weather and towards the latter part of the season can often bring stormy conditions with strong gales due to Atlantic depressions moving over the UK.
I haven’t found anything about spring but it’s got to work in the same way. There is a reason for it which I remember learning in Geography lessons. The sun being overhead at Cancer (Northern hemisphere), the Equator and Capricorn (the Southern hemisphere) naturally causes air masses to be displaced over the earth’s surface and this is why there are violent winds at the equinoxes. The sun heats the air and it rises and this causes displacement of air and so causes the movement of air – in other words winds.