Regular visitors to the croft garden know that I have a obsessive fascination with the weather. Every morning the shipping forecast is the first thing to permeate my consciousness – except the notion of early morning tea! The predictions for shipping areas Malin, Hebrides and Bailey and the outlook for inshore waters from Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath determines what I wear and my plans for the day.
I have become accustomed to the fact that here the weather can change in an instant and even on the sunniest of days keep a weather eye for an approaching squall on the horizon. I’m still a novice at predicting the speed at which a the wind can rise and too often get drenched or battered by hail when running for shelter.
More insidious are the haars or sea frets which steal across the horizon like a silent predator and wrap a summer afternoon in a light blanket of wet white cloud. As the temperature drops rapidly and the air becomes saturated, it is time to pull on a fleece, pack away the gardening tools and head for home. Once again afternoon tea in the garden is cancelled!
I think watching weather or weather watching is an occupation! I’ve never heard of “haars or sea frets” before… I’ll hav eto go an look those up
This summer I’ve spent too much time watching the weather – mainly the rain on the windows! Haars and sea frets are obviously very northern dialect words – just another way to describe mist rolling in from the sea.
Hi Christine – I’ve heard those poetic weather forecasts on Radio4 and wondered what they meant. I didn’t realise that they would actually be useful to someone who wasn’t steering a ship.
The shipping forecasts are often the most reliable of weather forecasts for those of is who live on the coast, especially off-shore islands. We rarely get a mention on the ordinary BBC weather forecasts unless it is a severe weather warning.