Today it (the high) was 71.

:jig:

Today's high 23C. The low? 3. Now I know why adults wear zip off pants in Michigan. (They shouldn't, but they do)

We went camping on Saturday, and even with me advising everyone to pack enough warm clothes because it was going to be 50F in the evening and when we wake up Sunday morning, I was the only one who had a nice heavy weight fleece. They were all uncomfortable when the sun went down. Fortunately, I had thrown in a few fleece blankets for extra warmth in the tents, so everyone wrapped up in those. Hard to believe it was 90F just a couple days ago.

Excellent little camping trip though. Good sleeping weather.

The first winter storm of the season is just off the Oregon coast now, and in 24 hours
will be hooking around to hit the shore 5-6 inches of rain predicted overnight !
It looks as tho it will come ashore right at my G-son's place in Tillamook (lower right).

Attachment 45503

This will be another test of the multi-year program of the
Army Corp of Engineers, the State, the County, and the City.
The area has been completely re-surveyed via satellite and traditional means.
Roads have been re-routed and drainages have been cleared and "improved".
Laws and regulations have been strengthened to convince landowners
to do their part in keeping the channels flowing freely.

Wow ! What a storm.
The winds and rain came through in 2 "blows", but it is subsiding now.

Even our local rivers are showing the effects (70 miles from the coast).
Here is the Sandy River that drains the west side of Mt Hood
into the Columbia River just on the eastern edge of PDX.

Attachment 45513


The old record (at this guage) was 10.5 ft back in 1921.
Last night it peaked at 10.86 ft

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A big storm on the last weekend of the month
helped make for the wettest September on record in many parts of Oregon.

The National Weather Service reports the 6.21 inches recorded through Sunday
in downtown Portland was the most since record-keeping began in 1872.

The Oregon coast received (Astoria) 10.51 inches

Fortunately, this rainfall came at the end of summer with little snow in the mountains.
But still... the run-off is now hitting the coastal and Willamette Valley rivers.

Attachment 45523

Look out Kansas... it's heading east !

Sunny in the sixties, perfect Fall weather for leaf-turning and all manner of outdoor nonsense.

Battoning down the hatches for the storm tomorrow (Sunday) night.
Nowhere near as ferocious as storms in other parts of the Cellar, but predictions suggest damage, localised flooding etc.

I'll be okay tomorrow morning (esp after an extra hour in bed, clocks go back, yay!) but Monday morning I'll be leaving the house while it is still stormy, at 06.00.

And to think Mum wanted me to give Abigail my waterproof jacket to protect the twins if it was rainy?! Errr, no - she is going to Great Yarmouth on holiday in October. She has 2 18 month olds, not me. And her partner, parents and brother will be there. I willl be walking to and from work, you know, in my customer facing job. I have suitable clothes. For me.

It's not a competition for affection. But I think I'm the more deserving anyway. So I win. I keep my cagoul and showed Mum how to get some off Amazon, she was made up.

PDX does not have fireflies... maybe they are present in other areas of Oregon.
But here, something interesting happens in autumn when the maple leaves have fallen.

The lady glowworms start crawling about under the leaves looking for friendship.
During the day, they are very hard to see, they snuggle under small rocks.
But at night, if you let your eye become accustomed to the dark, you can find them.

Oh, they do give a delicate light.

Attachment 45824

But in daylight, not so handsome...

Attachment 45825 - Attachment 45826

Of course, all the kids know this one...

Are you Brits staying battened down? I hear it's high winds over there.

We got nothing. Ppft. Boring old Vale.

It's pretty blustery up here in the village. But nothing like what's happened in some of the South.

But yeah. High winds and sideways rain.

Spookie, spook day. Also very damp.

Thackray:

The rain is on the mountainside,
The beast is in the silent meadow,
The north countryside is patiently waiting again.
Blackbird is dumb in the juniper,
Lapwing shivers in the dripping thicket,
Down in the stone-faced town, one door opens.

For though the weather blow wild
I see the shepherd step up to his moorside;
And in despite of the cold
The poor farmer going to his meadow below,
Going to his meadow below.

When the birch tree is agonised
And when the little river is tormented,
The land on its knees, the house on its hunkers,
There is a figure moving by the wall,
Leaning for breath upon a stony shoulder,
His eyes to the skies seldom lifted.

For though the weather blow wild
I see the shepherd step up to his moorside;
And in despite of the cold
The poor farmer going to his meadow below,
Going to his meadow below.

North-Country countryside,
The grim indifference of your nature,
Most other men would turn, stumbling homeward.
But this one is a different kind:
He knows the pinches of an older hunger;
A greater storm than yours in his heart rages.

For though the weather blow wild
I see the shepherd whistling on his moorside;
And in despite of the cold
The poor farmer singing in his meadow below,
Singing in his meadow below.

At first I thought this was a poem of William M. Thackeray ... but I should've known you would never misspell a name, f3.

As much as I've seen, so often I realize I've seen nothing.