General Discussion Thread

[Yastreb]

The weather in Victoria will be milder overall, save for storms tomorrow afternoon. It'll be comfortable-ish on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but hitting the mid-30s C on the days after.

Be safe, Róisín. I speak for everyone, I'm sure of that.

[Róisín]

Thank you all, and wishes for safe and happy celebrations to everyone. At least Melbourne sounds better than the mountains to you northeast, Yastreb! By the way, the Writers Group and the Stone Shed crew both send you their love and wishes for happy festivities, as do Star, Liz and I. Sounds as though this year the Snowies may get a White Christmas rather than bushfires - I remember being up there on a road trip with Teal in about 1990, when she took photos of us throwing snowballs on Lake Mountain at just this time of year. In ‘93, when the boys and I were battling through a sleet storm on Cathedral Mountain at least it was winter!

And Job, I’m sure that Aussies would be highly suited to colonise exoplanets if anybody was! And the thing with harvest machinery is that you only need some low-hanging bit of steel to strike a spark off a rock, or an idiot driver to flick a cigarette butt out of a window, or a spark from the exhaust and you have a fire. Not to mention spontaneous combustion in stacks of damp hay or woodchips…..I have actually watched both of those happen. It’s a weird world!

[JoB]

And the thing with harvest machinery is that you only need some low-hanging bit of steel to strike a spark off a rock, or an idiot driver to flick a cigarette butt out of a window, or a spark from the exhaust and you have a fire.

... yeah, OK. I remember dad's employer producing a very special single vehicle with key parts (mainly, the on-board toolset) being made of CuBe and the exhaust gases being routed through a water tank to counter all those technical risks, but it sure did cost an arm and a leg to have it made ...

Spoiler: 1 • show

It was a fire truck for an LNG liquefaction plant, stationed right in the middle of it ...

Spoiler: 2 • show

... and ended up catching fire by itself because of a 12 VDC rated component being used in the 24 VDC electrical system ...

Spoiler: 3 • show

... but the flame happened to melt a pressurized air hose above which *pfffft* extinguished the fire right then and there. Nobody found out until the next time the firefighters wanted to drive it ...

[dmeck7755]

I hope everyone's Solstice is peaceful, safe and Happy.

I also hope Everything stays good for Róisín and Yastreb.  Plus any one else who lives in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hopefully you have a glorious summer day

[midwestmutt]

The forecast here in the midwest USA is snow up to 7 inches over the next 24 hours followed by blowing snow for 48 hours. Winter. Yippee.

[thorny]

Forecast here in northeast USA/Finger Lakes New York is snow and freezing rain arriving some time tomorrow, to be followed by lots of rain and wind, to be followed by more wind, rapidly dropping temperatures, and a couple of inches or so of snow most likely on top of a layer of ice.

I have brought firewood into the house (house woodpiles hold several days' worth) and gotten my errands out of the way; finishing off with my first shingrix shot. If all I'm up to tomorrow is sitting in front of the wood stove, it seems likely to be a good time for it.

[dmeck7755]

Forecast here in northeast USA/Finger Lakes New York is snow and freezing rain arriving some time tomorrow, to be followed by lots of rain and wind, to be followed by more wind, rapidly dropping temperatures, and a couple of inches or so of snow most likely on top of a layer of ice.

I have brought firewood into the house (house woodpiles hold several days' worth) and gotten my errands out of the way; finishing off with my first shingrix shot. If all I'm up to tomorrow is sitting in front of the wood stove, it seems likely to be a good time for it.

Sitting by a fire while snow is blowing out side sounds lovely.  A kitty or two on your lap, a good book and some tea!!

We are getting rain...lots of rain with coastal flooding...

sigh

[thegreyarea]

Here it is! Solstice day! A day that countless generations filled with meaning. The end of a cycle, followed by a new beginning, an endless succession as our pale blue dot keeps rolling on its path.
 
In life there's always so much to do and to learn, even when things are hard. Particularly when things are hard. So, wherever you are, North or South, in the longest night or basking under the sun, I hope this moment can be a step forward in your personal journey.
May you, and we all, get support and understanding when needed, and find strength to support and understand when our turn comes.

And now that we're reaching the end of the year when the comic that inspired this Forum reached its final point, allow me to also wish that we keep making this place as the fascinating meeting point that it is, a large, friendly hall where good-willed people freely exchange ideas, art and so much more, with respect for each other's points of view, so we can do, and learn, many more things together in the Future.

And that's it. As you can see I'm a bit on the sentimental side tonight...

Happy solstice, and many hugs to each of you! 

[thorny]

Sitting by a fire while snow is blowing out side sounds lovely.  A kitty or two on your lap, a good book and some tea!!

I'm intending all three of those; plus a dog at my feet. Though if the dog insists on bouncing at the cats, they may need to take turns.

[Keep Looking]

The weather where I am in Western Australia is getting warmer and drier as it does leading up to Christmas. On Monday I think we had the first day where it got up to 35 degrees celsius. Yesterday a friend whose aunt has a 'tinnie' (a very basic small metal boat with an outboard motor) took a friend and I out boating on the river, which was really nice. We saw the birds in the esturary swarming and wheeling over the places where the baitfish were, and the water was full of jellyfish. We haven't been having the same crazy weather as the eastern states, except for a lightning storm a couple weeks ago, but Róisín and Yastreb I hope you are both able to stay safe through this season! As well as you folks in the northern hemisphere with your colder weather.

May you, and we all, get support and understanding when needed, and find strength to support and understand when our turn comes.

Seconding this. I haven't always been the best this year at seeking out support when I need it, so into the next year I want to try to remember to look after myself as well as looking after others.

And yeah, I hope that we can keep this forum going into the next year and beyond! I for one will certainly be doing what I can towards that cuase, even though I haven't had the time to participate in everything this year (life is as life does). This place is special, the people are special, and it's become a really valuable constant for me over the years.

[Róisín]

Joyful Solstice to all! Liz and I did the Christmas Farmers Market this evening - great fun! Only a small profit, but I traded some of my herbs and flowers for meat and cakes. Happiness and safety and good times with friends and family to all! And a great Christmas and New Year to those who keep that festivity. I encountered at the market a friend I hadn’t seen for years, and next week we hope to have our monthly Music Night and some friends and relatives visiting. Yay!

[midwestmutt]

We got about 4 inches of powdery snow yesterday as temperatures plummeted to -15F/-26C. It remained at -15F when I rose at 7:00 this morning but is expected to warm up to -1F/-18C but the wind will be blowing all day with gusts up to 35mph. No one in my neighborhood has gone out to shovel snow yet. It's just too nasty with the wind whipping up the fallen snow.

[dmeck7755]

We got about 4 inches of powdery snow yesterday as temperatures plummeted to -15F/-26C. It remained at -15F when I rose at 7:00 this morning but is expected to warm up to -1F/-18C but the wind will be blowing all day with gusts up to 35mph. No one in my neighborhood has gone out to shovel snow yet. It's just too nasty with the wind whipping up the fallen snow.

Well we got a bunch of rain, and when i went outside it was spring-like.  It is still quite warm.  (56F/13C) The sun even peeked out for a few minutes..

Tonight we are supposed to get the really cold air, (15F/-9C) but it wont be as cold as you.  Though we do have the same wind

Stay safe and warm..

[thorny]

Shift came around 10:30 AM here; light rain with little wind shifted abruptly to light snow with a lot of wind.. By that point we had most of an inch in a rain gauge -- if that had all come as snow we'd have had probably about a foot, but as it is they're only expecting an inch or two of snow here. There's a high wind advisory for gusts up to 48MPH, and temperatures expected to drop to about 2º F tonight; which is cold for here, but not extraordinary -- most winters we still get a few nights below 0 F, though fewer of them than we used to.

The abrupt drop isn't great for the grapes and orchards, though.

[Jitter]

We have so far had weeks of proper snow cover even here in the south of Finland, but now just a couple of days have been above freezing with rain! It’s starting to look like touch and go with having a white Christmas. Although apparently just now (soon to be 8 PM on the 23rd) it’s dropped back to below 0C and there’s sleet rather than water coming down (as reported by my dear hubby, who went out with the dogs while I stayed in. Wrapping all the presents, but still.). So right now it’s looking like it’ll work out.

It’s been frightfully slippery for a few days too, and the trauma room in the hospital is crowded. I’ve managed to stay upright this winter, which is good!

Tomorrow the 24th is the main day of Christmas here, and it’s looking good, we have all the shopping done, the presents are now wrapped (except that the hubby’s wrapping something - maybe I’ve been good?), the tree is in although not yet decorated. Not bad at all! Happy Holidays!