Weather 2012

Statistical data cumulative for 2012
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April and May were wet and since then it has been very dry and hot. In July and August the average maximum temperatures approached thirty degrees Celsius.
The drought naturally has led to a failure of many crops only kept going with some irrigation from rain water stored in our cistern from the earlier part of the year.
The walnut crop this year will be poor but oddly there is a large crop of figs.
We make fig jam each year which serves as a substitute for Marmalade.  This year I have made 25 pots which should last till the next fig season.
The problem with fig jam is that it does not set without encouragement.  The fault lies with the acidity of the fruit.
This recipe solves the problem

To make 6/7 jars of Fig Marmalade

1.6 kg of ripe figs, cut into small chunks

One Lemon - use the zest and juice and as much pulp as possible.

Three large slices of crystallised ginger cut finely.

One rounded teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

1.6 kg of sugar (with pectin added if possible)

FOUR tablespoons of red wine vinegar.

Bring the figs, lemon, ginger and cinnamon mixture to the boil.  Macerate with a hand-held blender.

Add the sugar and boil quickly for about 6 minutes.  Test for setting. 

Bimonthly weather report January-February 2012

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It has been  a disastrous season - at least if we only remember February.  January was reasonably mild but February was Arctic!  The average night temperature was nearly minus three, but there were ten consecutive nights below minus eight.  We suffered as did numerous friends and neighbours from burst pipes.  One gushed like a fountain and our guest flat had three centimetres of water throughout the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.  The consequence of that inundation is not entirely resolved in March.
The amount of rainfall has been appallingly low. We had only 7 millimetres in February.   Last year we had 44 and the year before 38. 
The snowdrops were delayed.  The first one was seen on the 23rd January  but it and its buddies soon hit the frost and the real flowering appeared on the 28/29 February.
Nearly all winter vegetables in the garden were killed.  Brussels sprouts  pulled through.  The roses which  were planted last autumn have been seriously damaged and possibly some have died.  This is a terrible shame  because they were a special planting to commemorate my wife's birthday.
No celandines appeared before March and of course the early flowering plum tree is still shut up tight even as I write this on the 10th March.
No migrating cranes (birds) have been seen during these two months.

Bimonthly Weather Report November December 2011

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December was by far the wettest month of the year, with 91 mms.
The comparative figures  for the other months from January onwards are.
23,38,45,04,19,37,22,38,33,58,29 and then 91. == 437 mms (17.2 inches)
In 2010 the rainfall was 648 mms (157 mms in June!) == 25.5 inches
In 2009 the rainfall was 671 mms = 26.4 inches

December was also quite mild 
The average temperatures for December (degrees C) over the past three years being.
2009   3.65 min/ 7.42 max
2010   1.61 min/ 6.52 max
2011   6.65 min/ 9.97max

Night frosts were 2009 - 8  2010 -14  2011 -2

Flowers open over Christmas included Mexican orange blossom in plenty, winter jasmine.  Rose bushes are growing their buds. 
The damned moles are having a whale of a time, as I write this on January 3rd 2012

Bimonthly Weather Report March April 2011

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March began cold.  The beautiful early flowering St. John's Plum tree did not flower until March 8th.  This wild tree whose fruit in midsummer makes the most excellent jam is often in flower in February (19th February in 2008).

Other flowers were also late - daffodils 14th March, celandines 18 March.  These dates represent a fairly full flowering.  

Our last ground frost was March 20th.

The cuckoo was heard on March 16th.

But then at the very end of March the temperatures rose significantly.

Summer temperatures came in the first week of April. 

the first Orchis morio was seen on April 3rd.

The 6th April we saw the butterflies -Scarce Swallowtail and Orange tip.

The hoopoe was heard on April 1st.  The nightingale on April 25th. It was a few days earlier heard at Lavercantière about 10 km away.

But April saw the beginning of a drought.  Only 4 mm. of rain fell in the month.

It was the driest and warmest April in the last few years.  

April 2010 rainfall was 13 max temp. 19.6 ; in 2009 -168 mm. and 16.2 degrees.

Our rainwater reservoir is in full use for watering the flower crop and our vegetables.

Bimonthly Weather Report September October 2010

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Though the temperature in October was on average 3 degrees below that of last year, there were no ground frosts.  Last year there were several. However we live on a hill and those days where the overnight air temperature was below 2 degrees (3 times) would have seen frost in the valleys. Nevertheless we had last year a minus figure once.  This year none were below 2. 
Our first wood fire was lit on October 6th - it seems to get earlier each year!
Although rainfall was above last year, the ground still seems dryish.  The mushrooms and toadstool appearances were very poor.  A friend nevertheless showed me a good stand of Caesar's Mushroom - Amanita cesarea.  This is an excellent edible mushroom.  It is closely related to the poisonous death cap and fly agaric, but recognisable by its yellow stems contrasting with its alarming orange-red cap. It was growing with heaths on acid soil under pubescent oaks.
Cranes flew south on October 11th and November 2nd (next report).  It was odd that these flights were so far apart!

Bi-monthly Weather report, Gourdon, Departement du Lot, France, January 2009

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Both months were fairly mild. As usual December was colder with 5 cms of snow on Dec. 26th.
As is so often the case in early spring the days were bright with early ground frosts and the occasional day with quite warm afternoons.
First flowerings.
Snowdrop Jan 16th.
Daffodil Feb. 25th.
Celandine Feb. 26th.