Weather early 2009

[TC]

+5c here in Ayr.  Feels like summer

[maggiepie]

-12C here at the moment with a freezing rain warning  for the county.

[Maggi Young]

-12C here at the moment with a freezing rain warning  for the county.

Helen, for the sake of dim Folks like me, could you tell us what the time was WITH YOU, when you made this post? I have frightful trouble working out time zones!!

[maggiepie]

Maggi, it is still -12C here and the current time is 11.22 am, I see the current time in Aberdeen is 3.22pm, so you are 4 hours ahead of me.

[Cephalotus]

In last days in Żary we had -20 *C at night and about -16/14 *C at a day. Today is much warmer, only -7.  I wish these temperatures will last very long here. Before these frost I have lost quite many plants on my rock garden. They simply rotten. Now the frost is for me like a relief.

[Maggi Young]

Helen, you are not as far behind me as I thought you might be!  Shows how poor my geography is 



It has been a bright day day... got up to a nearly 4 degrees C.... now around 1 C and feeling damp as well as cold.

[johnw]

-3c here at 12:45 pm Atlantic Time (1/2 an hour later in Newfoundland). To come this afternoon - 5-10 cm of snow, freezing rain and then heavy rain.

johnw

[gote]

There are many definitions and this is one of the cases when languages do not overlap properly.
The Swedish word is 'Häxa' and this is a more narrow word than 'Witch'
A 'Häxa' is an evil, usually old, woman who may try to eat Hans and Greta when they have been properly fattened. She will also cast evil spells and have a servant in the shape of a hare who milks other peoples' cows. She has got her magical powers by a pact with the Devil and she meets him on a yearly basis as explained in earlier posts.
In those times the Devil existed and you were required to belive in him.
For more info see 'Malleus Maleficarium'.
She will have marks on her skin in a hidden place where the Devil has tapped a little blood.
A search for such marks was one of the procedures in 'Häxprocesser' (witch trials) - a very interesting search if she is young and beautiful.
Another test is to throw her into water. If she floats she is a häxa and will be burnt at the stake and if she does not float she drowns.
After enough questioning with what is now called "extended interrogation techniques" some of the women actually confessed having *** with the Devil.
A very few might even have tried to contact him.
All this is totally and truly horrible but the mindset that created these superstitions and following persecutions are unfortunately still with us.

Of course someone who practices certain nature religions have nothing in common with medieval satanists - female or male
The problem is that we tend to use the same word.
Someone who is a native English speaker  (OK OK Scottish) might be helpful and explain what words we should use.
Göte
 

[LarsB]

I'm are only some 50 kilometers from Helsingborg, but max low this winter has been -10 between Sunday and Monday. It's not that bad. Like every year I have some new experiments in the garden, this year some Serapies lingua. We'll see if they are hardy in a couple of months.

Kind regards

Lars

[Paddy Tobin]

I went to clean a patio area yesterday afternoon using a pressure cleaner; stopped to collect son from school and eat dinner; returned to the patio to find the water hoses had all frozen. Pity the blasted things hadn't frozen earlier and I wouldn't have had to freeze the hands off myself doing the job at all.

We are experiencing a most unusual cold spell here in Ireland, haven't had such cold weather in years nor such a prolonged period of cold. It is beautiful weather for walking as the fields are all dry and the ground hard underfoot. When/if the fog lifts and the clouds disperse it is also a time of the most marvellously clear and bright light.

-7 C as I went off to work this morning. The heating wasn't on when I arrived as an electrician had done some work over the holiday period and had changed settings on the system so it was a cold start.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

Winds are coming from the south by the weekend

[Gunilla]

I'm are only some 50 kilometers from Helsingborg, but max low this winter has been -10

Hi Lars,
It went down to -16C here but only for a short time. We have -8C at this moment. I live 25 km east of Helsingborg and it always gets a bit colder here away from the sea.  You grow Serapias lingua outside    Good luck Lars, they are lovely orchids.

[Maggi Young]

Like every year I have some new experiments in the garden, this year some Serapias lingua.

Well, Lars, you have just suggested your Forum title to me  : Lars..... The Fearless One  !! 

[TC]

The generally accepted modern meaning of a witch, is a women who has dealings with evil spirits, who practices the black art of sorcery and who acknowledges Satan as her master.  This definition probably came into being in the 17th century when the Churches had one of their periodical purges against anyone who thought or acted differently from the prescribed religious teachings.  Women were the easy target as "Eve" had committed the original sin and were obviously more likely to fall for Satan's wiles.!!!

[ranunculus]

... women were obviously more likely to fall for Satan's wiles.!!!

Didn't realise he had more than one!   Oh, my spelling!!!   

Posted by Anonymous from Wolverhampton.