The
meteo has been predicting snow for some while, with an amber alert for today - so much so that
Meteociel's server was struggling to cope with the load. At about 2pm today it started to snow - very fine, wet snow (snizzle?), just a few flakes at a time at first. Although the temperature was a degree or two above freezing, the snow quickly began to settle, and by 5:30pm there was a light covering.
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| Grandmont behind a curtain of falling snow |
Now (9:30pm) we have about 2cm, although the weather station registers zero precipitation. Either we've had less than 0.3mm of liquid, or the snow is just too fine for the rain gauge to register.
We also have a
red-legged partridge (alectoris rufa) perdrix rouge sitting on the front doorstep. It didn't fly away when Tim opened the door to offer it a handful of bird food. It just ambled a couple of metres away from the door and returned to pick up the grain. This rather odd photo was taken with flash switched off, so as not to disturb the bird's digestion. The background is our crushed limestone path, with blobs of snow.
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| Can I come in for a warm? |
5 comments:
I am tempted to say..."you call that snow ??!!". But I won't !!
We seem to have escaped so far, none since December, but the forecast is looking dodgy for the weekend. It will be a miracle if we get away with it for much longer. I hope yours doesn't last too long or cause too much disruption.
Jean, with our cellar full of preserves, potatoes and pumpkins... fresh veg that we picked just before the snow came... meat from Lydie & Laurent in the freezer... weer and bine in the cave [hic - well some of it]... we should be alright for a day or two.
Oh, and a 2CV cuts its way through snow, and probably a 4L does as well... the engine over the drive wheels and narrow tyres helps a lot
So, we shouldn't be too cut off... this road is a bus route too; it got gritted just before the snow arrived.
It is ice I fear, more than snow!!
Loved the cute partridge story.
I was in the orchard attempting to burn processional caterpillar nests when the snow arrived. Fortunately I think the caterpillars died of smoke inhalation first.
What a silly partridge! Sitting like that on any French doorstep would have meant instant removal to the pot for dinner!
... Or was it a very clever one - did it 'know' you weren't French and thus likely to get fed?! :-)
Niall & Antoinette... we call all partridges Alan after a certain UK TV "personality"... which I think answers your point!
Don't forget, we've had one around before... it could be the same one.
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