Weather report continuing: Friday was a bit more cloudy, but still very hot. In the afternoon I heard one (1) clash of distant thunder and we got a few drops of rain (just 5 minutes or so). Nothing more came of that, though. The temperature did not drop, and yesterday (Saturday) we were again up to at least 28°C in the afternoon. I tried a walk before lunch but just felt exhausted, so cut it short. And didn't get anything "done" at home either...
Today, at last, we had a change to somewhat cooler temperatures and have even been blessed with a bit of gentle rain, though. No thunder, no strong winds, and just a light drizzle on and off - but it was the first rain at all since 23 May (according to our local newspaper); and that's a long time without rain in this city, with a well-known reputation for being the rainiest in Sweden.
So felt like quite a novelty today to put on a rain jacket and grab an umbrella for a walk into town. Although a distance I'm normally well used to walking, during the worst of the heatwave it has seemed too long... But I was relieved to find that at 18°C it felt okay again!
Since the National Day celebrations on 6th June, they've changed the plants in the flowerbeds in the park from "spring" to "summer".
From a distance I thought this bush had yellow flowers, but when I got close, I saw that it was the leaves that had turned yellow. As another bush of the same kind nearby (but not in the picture) was still green, I suppose the drought is to blame...
I also went into the city centre itself to have a look at the building that was severely damaged by a fire just over a week ago. There was still a smell of smoke lingering in that neighbourhood ; and even though it was Sunday, there were guys at work putting up scaffolding for inspections and repairs.
Plants and animals must be so very relieved to have had a gentle shower! You did well in cutting your walk short when it felt too hot. I am a firm believer in listening to our bodies - to a certain extent, they know quite well what's good for us and what isn't.
ReplyDeleteSame here with some trees/bushes turning yellow months before it's time.
Meike, yes, I do try to listen to mine, too ;-) In very hot weather both my body and my brain seems to go on strike...
DeleteIt sure looks like those yellow leaves are supposed to be that way, but I guess not. Perhaps the red flowers are Dahlias?
ReplyDeleteGinny, yes, I agree the red flowers are probably Dahlias.
DeleteI wondered if the yellow shrub is an acer - the leaves look very similar.
ReplyDeleteWhen we have a cloudy sky, we hope it will mean rain, but usually it's just dull. It seems strange to see no sunshine in your photos.
Carol I looked up acer but ended up none the wiser. The only kind of maples I know are big trees, this was a low shrub.
ReplyDeleteI guess I do take more photos on sunny days as those photos usually come out better... They're no good for illustrating a post about rain, though! ;-)
we had sprinkles of rain for 5 minutes each day for 3 days. better than nothing, but when it left it was even hotter than before. I got a few pics of drops on purple flowers. other than the yellow leaves, the rest of your town looks like the plants are holding up
ReplyDeleteSandra, overcast today but no rain so far, and it will be turning hotter again, forecasts say. The park and cemetery are being watered so are still green. Trees with deep roots and along the river are fine too. Lawns not watered are mostly yellow and brown though, especially where not shaded by trees.
DeleteDoes it get very humid there? I know in the last place we lived the humidity was up to 90% sometimes in Summer, makes it hard to get anything done.
ReplyDeleteAmy, the humidity varies. This summer so far has been more dry I think, as there has been almost no thunder and rain.
DeleteYou are very fortunate still to have the flowers and gardens in public areas attended to. So many places seem to have run out of money for that these days. The rain brings an air of freshness after it which is always welcome too.
ReplyDeleteGraham, over the years I've lived in this city (more than half my life now), they have done a lot to make it "greener" and the areas along the river more accessible and attractive. (Used to be mostly a lot of factories along the river...) They're still working on a long term project of creating a green park/walk of around 5 km all through the city and basically following the river.
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