Sunday, February 12, 2012

From our French Correspondent (#4 son)

The Loire is freezing & you can see ice
"cubes" floating along the surface. It makes a weird noise, like thin
metal sheets 'groaning' under pressure.
Apparently the last time this happened was 1985.
We had -12°C recorded last night on our outside thermometer, which is
under the front door window sill, so out in the garden/field it could
have been a good  3 / 5 degrees colder.
Still haven't beaten our record of -15°C back in December 2009, but this
time
it has been going on for over a week - hence the ice on the river!
See you soon
.

16 comments:

Granny Annie said...

He is very talented with descriptive phrases.

Pat said...

Granny Annie: thank you:)

keiths ramblings said...

I'm, looking out of my window at a frozen lake right now - never known it so cold! But it looks pretty!

Unknown said...

Damn global warming!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

The weather is so bizarre in so very many places...But France seems to be getting a record share---In the South Of France, too....Tor said it is the COLDEST he ever remembers is being, ever ever!
LOVE the picture, Pat....!

Marjolein said...

Still freezing here as well. We had snow again this afternoon. Yesterday was bright and sunny and as the river Rotte was completely frozen you could skate for miles. I think my husband made a 25km trek. (I don't skate myself)

Mage said...

Way too warm here. They tell us it's going to rain and all we get are damp streets.

angryparsnip said...

We have had little rain or snow in the mountains... maybe Tuesday, I hope !

cheers, parsnip

Ponita in Real Life said...

In spring when the river here starts thawing, the huge sheets of ice groan and crack loudly (sometimes like cannon shot). On Lake Winnipeg, the winds can drive huge piles of (very destructive) ice floes up onto the shore. Homes and cottages can be totalled by them. Nothing stops the ice when it is moving.

That little bit of ice on that river makes me think of April or May here...

Anonymous said...

When I was a kid, we lived less than .5 miles from the Mississippi River as the crow flies and used to hike through the woods to get to it, in order to plunk at debris with our .22 rifles. I remember in winter the sound of icebergs banging against each other.

Strangely peaceful, actually.

I can relate to your son's experience.

Stay warm, dear.

Cheers.

mapstew said...

It was a beautiful spring day here, perfect for a walk in the forest. So we did. The ice looks cool though. (See what I did there? ....I'll get me coat!) :¬)

xxx

Pat said...

Keith: don't be tempted top walk on it.

John: you'd prefer solid ice?

Naomi: where will it all end I wonder?

Marjolein: it must look spectacular.

Parsnip; I'd expect it in the mountains.

Ponita: France could never compete with Canada - on so many levels.

Randall: I'd love to have seen that. I never did any cold weather travelling apart from a skiing holiday in Scotland

Map: I saw the photos. You look like a young lad.

Eryl said...

How pretty it looks. Seems odd that it's colder in France than it is here.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

I've been reading about the big Euro/UK deep freeze this season. Typically, it's me who is under a frozen lock-down. It's refreshing to have a mild season (relatively speaking). We deserve it after two cataclysmic winters.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Now you know why I choose to live in this corner of St. America, despite the other problems! I hate cold, I'd cry and cry. I did cry once, in a cold, cold place.

I'm eating pasta and veggie / soya mince, it's delicious. The sun is shining and it's warm

tee hee

Your son writes well.

Pat said...

eryl: the weather is full of surprises these days.

UB: yea I felt for you shovelling all that snow.

GG: when I was in India and saw all the poverty it was some comfort to think at least there wasn't freezing cold.
The cold can get into your bones and is quite depressing. Even if there is no warmth in the sun it lifts one's spirits.