Terry Scholey Weather Service

31st Aug 2012 by Dogbury

TERRY SCHOLEY WEATHER SERVICE

1 Nursery Close
Radcliffe on Trent
Notts NG12 2JD
Telephone 0115 933 5567
Mobile 0797 018 4241
E Mail terry.scholey@virginmedia.com

September 2012 – final update.

General Comments:

A drier and warmer than average September seems likely particularly over central, eastern and southern areas, with just brief cooler intervals occasionally ‘feeding down’ from the north. It could also be a sunnier than normal month, especially over England and Wales. Current weather patterns are suggesting that on the whole the first and the third weeks should provide the driest conditions, with changeable weather most likely towards mid-month and at the end.

There is still some doubt as to the pressure pattern around mid-September, as several key years in the past came up with different results. One particular September of interest was that of 1879, that like this year followed one of the wettest summers on record. It is also a particularly good lunar match and to some extent is close to the current phase of the solar cycle.

Confidence is medium to high, with the timing of weather events likely to be within a couple of days. The next update will be the mid-September to mid-October prediction.

September 1st to 6th:  Predominantly dry, particularly in central and southern areas, with some warm sunshine although cloud amounts will vary. Breezier and more unsettled over Scotland particularly the north and west and at times over Northern Ireland, with occasional rain or showers. Temperatures will be close to normal in the north say 15 to 17C by day, but above average in the south and east with some very warm afternoons when 23 to 25C could be reached. The nights generally will be mild, with minimum values mostly between 7 and 13C.

September 7th to 9th:  A few showers perhaps over north and east Scotland at first, otherwise staying mainly dry with perhaps some quite sunny days. Scotland and Northern Ireland should also be noticeably brighter, but it could be somewhat cooler and fresher with chillier nights. Top temperatures in the north should be 13 to 16C and in the south 18 to 20C, with minimum values say 5 to 10C giving a risk of ground frost mostly in the north.

September 10th to 15th:  Some intervals of warm sunshine but probably increasingly hazy, with more in the way of cloud and early mist or fog patches. Also an increased risk of showers particularly towards mid-month, when some locally could be heavy perhaps giving thunder. Feeling warmer or milder, with top temperatures 16 to 18C in the north and 19 to 24C in the south. The nights should also be milder, with minimum temperatures mostly in the range 8 to 13C.

September 16th to 20th:  Showers should clear leaving most parts with a finer, mainly dry interval giving sunny spells. There will be patchy cloud, but pleasantly warm afternoon’s where you have sunny spells. Top temperatures should be 16 to 21C but with chillier that could see minimum values between say 6 and 11C.

September 21st to 25th:  Gradually becoming unsettled and breezier, particularly in the north and west. The east and south however could see tastes of ‘Indian Summer’ after some misty mornings, before here too it probably become unsettled with some locally heavy showers later. Maximum temperatures should be 15 to 18C in the north and west, but perhaps as high 23 to 25C towards the south east for a time. Milder nights should see minimum temperatures mostly between 9 and 14C.

September 26th to 30th:  Could see a sudden change too much cooler weather from the north-west, after probably a few showers in the north and east at first. It should be mainly dry again however for a while with sunny spells, before wet and windy weather perhaps ‘sweeps’ in from the west at month end. Daytime temperatures may struggle to reach 12 to 14C in the north and 15 to 17C in the south. Colder nights for a while could result mostly ground frost, with minimum values between say 0 and 6C.

31st August 2012

Posted in Weather | Tagged , |

Terry Scholey’s Weather 27th Aug. to 2nd Sept.

26th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

TERRY SCHOLEY WEATHER SERVICE

1 Nursery Close
Radcliffe on Trent
Notts NG12 2JD
Telephone 0115 933 5567
Mobile 0797 018 4241
E Mail terry.scholey@virginmedia.com

THIS WEEKS WEATHER Monday 27th August to Sunday 2nd September 2012

Dear I say the famous adage once again that a change of month brings a change of weather. For farmers in particular cutting the harvest, there are strong signs of finer, drier weather into September. Beforehand though, it remains unsettled with further occasional rain or showers in most parts. Here’s your forecast:

Monday: Eastern areas stay driest the longest, but any sunshine will be limited as rain, preceded by sporadic bursts move in from the west. Sunny intervals and scattered showers follow into Ireland that spreads to most parts overnight. It will be windy or at least breezy and slightly blustery ahead of the rain.

Tuesday: A day of sunny intervals and scattered showers, most frequent in the north and west. Some will be heavy giving perhaps local thunder and hail; with fewer showers in the east and south, where you should have the best of the sunshine on offer. More cloud and rain moves into Ireland and the south-west overnight.

Wednesday: After perhaps a bright start in the east, another spell of cloud and rain affects most parts. This could be heavy in places followed by sunny or clear intervals and showers moving in from the south-west later and overnight. Some parts of Scotland and Ireland though may remain rather cloudy with further rain at times.

Thursday: Becoming cooler, with sunny intervals but generally large amounts of cloud giving blustery showers. These will be most frequent over Scotland and probably in the east for a while, before becoming lighter and fewer later in the day. Overnight it should become finer and drier from the west.

Friday: August could end on a finer note particularly over England and Wales with some sunshine making it warmer again. Scotland should also be finer, but the north and west of both Scotland and Ireland may turn cloudy and breezier with some rain later or overnight.

The weekend: Should be fine and warm over England and Wales, with sunny spells. Scotland and Ireland particularly the north and west may be breezier and more cloudy, with some occasional rain or drizzle but it will be very mild.

Remember this is only a guide. Please ring me if you need a more detailed update.

Terry Scholey 26th August 2012

Posted in Weather |

Open Letter – New Secretary

25th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

OPEN LETTER TO ALL OUR GARDEN HOLDERS FROM JACKIE MEDCALF, SECRETARY.

I know that there has been quite a lot of speculation and rumor about me taking over as your secretary albeit maybe only on a temporary basis until the next AGM. So I thought I would introduce myself.  I have been told that, and understand why, that some people have concerns over my capabilities to take on this role for a number of reasons, including that I haven’t been here on the allotments long enough, wont understand what needs to be done, I don’t know anything about gardening and the fact that I am a woman! To be honest I was surprised to be asked to take over this role, it was not something I had asked for or expected and due to the circumstances it was quite a sudden.  Certainly I would have considered it in a couple of years when Sos may have originally been planning to retire from the post. However it a role that needs to be filled by someone. So who am I?

Well, briefly, I was born in St Ann’s, grew up in Dunkirk, left school at 16, worked for the Education department as an office junior. Joined the Police in the old days of the Police Women’s department, dealing with woman and children and crimes against them e.g. domestic violence and sexual abuse. Then when the equality act came in joined the mainstream service working all hours alongside the blokes. I was the first female officer on the vice squad, a fact I am rather proud of, although there are probably no transferable skills from that job to this post!  I left the Police a year into my marriage and worked at Jessop’s, hated it, got pregnant and over a couple of years had two daughters. I found a job as a part time sales rep flogging batteries to corner shops and had a stint behind the till at Makro. I then saw an advert for Community Service Supervisors with the Probation department supervising and working with adults who had been given a CS order, in those days a direct alternative to going to prison. I loved it.   For a few years I drove a large box van and did furniture removals and ran gardening groups not only supervising the offenders but working alongside them, which basically meant I did large scale clearances, including overgrown allotments, gardens and doing more styled gardening including gardens at The Nottingham Hospice. I was also involved in a cycle repair workshop, I knew nothing about bikes but the lads did!

I applied for a manager’s post when the man who had done it for years retired, which involved assessing painting and decorating work, which the groups would subsequently do. That caused a little bit of a stir at the time amongst some of the men who said I didn’t know enough about decorating and I was a woman!!   However I got it and taught myself to assess and estimate correctly and planned the work in every type of building from churches to small flats.

At this point I did the NEBOSCH Health and safety certificate to distinction level.  A few years later we all had to reapply for our jobs when huge changes came in which also meant a new management post. People from all over the country were applying for it, I could not bear to let it go to a stranger and applied and got the job. So, I became the Senior Officer in charge of Community Service, a few more changes followed and I took on the supervision and management of just under 50 staff, all the work we did in the community in the City and County and about 4000 offenders. At one point in the city we were sending out nearly 100 work groups a week, that was many man-hours of work which I had to ensure was available. I dealt on a regular basis with Politicians, local ones and various Home Secretaries’, Magistrates and Judges. I have had a lot to do with local councils and worked alongside or for many allotment sites and community groups. Bizarrely I also hold a Guinness World Record but I am not telling you what for except it was for charity!!

So basically that’s my background. I left probation last year after 25 years.  Since then most of my free time has been spent with Steve, bring our derelict allotment to some sort of standard or sneaking breaks away in our caravan. I may not be the best gardener in the world, (I failed to get me pumpkin as big as a space hopper!) We have had some successes and some failures but that’s how we learn to be better. I think I have enough life experience and knowledge and managerial experiences to do this role.  But I can’t do anything about being a woman!  I promise I will try to work hard for you and I will try to do you a god job.  I believe in good communication, openness, fairness and hard work.  I respect age and infirmity but am not very good with idleness. I would ask that you all try to give me your support. Hopefully more of you will be willing to join the committee next year and take a more active role in our allotments.

On a more serious note, we are about to have this years Council inspection so my first act as your secretary is to gently remind everyone that as part of your tenancy agreement you are individually responsible for your boundary hedges and adjacent pathways and walkways.  I would like to say at this point that it does not matter who your secretary is or whether you approve of me or not, this is your responsibility as tenants. I understand that the weather has not helped us this year but please do your best if you have not already done so, to spruce them up in time for the inspection. Our rent rebate grant from the council and our independence could be affected by poor inspections.

If anyone is struggling with their allotment because of health or similar reasons I would rather know now please. It may be that I can help find some solutions instead of letting a problem drift into crisis at the tenancy renewal next year. Also if you are planning to give up your allotment next year it would be helpful to know as soon as possible please. Please feel free to seek me out, ask questions etc. I am not at the garden everyday but when there, I am in the very left hand corner, number 66. Usually from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.  It’s ok to contact me by phone or text, or email at any time. I will come see you if you wish.

Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope to get to know you all better as time progresses. My contact details are. jackiemedcalf@hotmail.com. Or mobile 07931 950950

Lastly please remember that the association now has its own web site which you can see at: http://oldparkfarm.org  All of the information that you need to know about will be published there too, such as minutes and the likes of this letter.  You don’t even need to check it regularly to see the new information.  If you subscribe by your email address to the site (there is no charge for subscribing) you will be notified by email of everything that goes onto it automatically.

Posted in News | 3 Comments »

Terry Scholey Weather Service

24th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

Hi all.  I have been given permission by local weather forecaster Terry Scholey, to publish his weather forecasts.  He is based in Radcliffe On Trent and his forecasts are very accurate.  I publish his latest here for your information, and thank him again for his permission to use them:

TERRY SCHOLEY WEATHER SERVICE

Mid-August to mid-September 2012.

General Comments:

Pulses of warm, sub-tropical air continue to come up from the south bringing mixed, humid weather. Progressively however, there should be a trend for winds to turn into a north-easterly quarter, although how this manifests itself remains a little uncertain at present. As a result, confidence is somewhat lower.

The August prediction remains good, despite strange displacements and a weakening of a sometimes non-existent ‘Jet Stream’ in the vicinity of our shores. Similar circumstances in the past follow the solar cycle quite well, with comparable years showing anticyclones over Greenland into early autumn. This is uncommon as the mean pressure at this time of year over the huge island, is usually at its lowest.

More detailed summaries: Events should normally be within a day or so.

August 16th to 19th: Unsettled and windy at first in the north and west, with occasional rain or showers. Very warm or hot and humid in the east and south, where finer spells could lift temperatures to 28 to 30C. It will not be entirely settled though, with the risk of locally sharp showers and perhaps thunderstorms. There will be humid ‘sticky’ nights when temperatures will not fall below 13 to 19C.

August 20th to 22nd: A finer spell particularly in central and eastern areas, where further very warm afternoons are expected. It may feel slightly fresher though at least for a time, with top temperatures 23 to 26C in the east and south and 18 to 22C in the north and west. The nights will remain very mild, with minimum temperatures mostly in the range 13 to 17C.

August 23rd to 26th: Warm and humid in the east and south at first, but more generally unsettled and somewhat cooler later. There will be occasional rain or showers giving heavier bursts, with a risk of thunder mostly at first. Maximum temperatures could be 17 to 26C falling to 15 to 20C, but the nights should remain very mild with minimum values say 11 to 16C.

August 27th to September 1st: Perhaps briefly finer, otherwise a west/east split. Mostly unsettled over Ireland and in the west with occasional rain but quite warm then cooler by month end. In central and eastern areas it should become humid again, with occasional spells of very warm sunshine. It will not be entirely settled though with the risk of showers some heavy giving thunder particularly towards month end. By the turn of the month, it should have become somewhat cooler and fresher everywhere. Top temperatures say 16 to 19C in the north and west and 20 to 26C in the east and south, falling to 19 to 23C later. Further very mild humid at first nights are likely, with minimum values in the range 10 to 16C.

September 2nd to 5th: A finer mainly dry interval seems likely, with central, southern and some eastern areas perhaps becoming very warm again. Eastern coastal counties however may be misty at times later and somewhat cooler, with early morning fog patches elsewhere giving a touch of autumn. Top temperatures could be 17 to 24C, with more mild nights giving minimum values between say 9 and 15C.

September 6th to 10th: A real mixed bag of warm probably hazy sunny intervals and rather dull, misty weather. It should also be unsettled with sporadic bursts of rain, locally heavy giving thunder. It may still be humid in southern and some central parts for a while, but it should eventually turn somewhat cooler and fresher in most areas. Maximum temperatures should be 15 to 17C in the north and about 19 to 22C in the south. The nights should continue to be mild, with minimum values say 9 to 14C.

September 11th to 15th: Perhaps briefly finer but fresher, then the brightest weather should be over Scotland and in the west where it could become mainly dry. The east and south may be unsettled more cloudy and breezier with showers. Here bursts of heavy even torrential rain are possible later perhaps with local flooding in gusty winds, although this seems more likely over France and central Europe. It should be somewhat cooler, with top temperatures say 13 to 18C and minimum values 7 to 13C.

Posted in Services |

Meeting Minutes Sunday 19th August 2012

20th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association.

Minutes of Committee meeting held on Sunday 19th August 2012

Present:  Chairman: Steve Yorke,  Treasurer: Kay Graham,  Sos Inger (outgoing secretary),  Steve Medcalf,  Ronnie Gayle, Dan Toher,  Jackie Medcalf. (incoming secretary)

Minutes of last meeting held on 5th February 2012 were accepted as correct.

Treasurer’s Report: Kay reported that the final years water bill had not yet arrived nor the council bill for the rent. Both expected in September.

Main Agenda Item.

Position of Secretary.

The Chairman reported that there was some disquiet from a few garden holders that Jackie had been asked to take over the role of secretary without an election taking place. There was concern that some gardeners may refuse to follow any instructions given by her as a result of this. Jackie stated she was unwilling to take on this role without a clear mandate from the committee. A council inspection was imminent and there would no doubt be issues that needed attending to. A discussion then took place as to the constitutionally correct procedure to follow and were we, as the management committee, actually obliged to call an EGM.

The committee was of a view that this committee had a right to elect officers from amongst it’s members and that it had the constitutional right to do so. This procedure had been followed in the past e.g. position of Treasurer. The committee could second people on to the committee and into positions of officers if they wished to do so.

At this point Sos Inger was asked to formally resign as Secretary by the Chairman and he quoted from the resignation letter that had been previously circulated to the committee. Sos had also informed the Allotment Forum and City Council of his resignation and they accepted that Jackie would take over the position.

Dan Toher proposed this change and this was seconded by Ronnie Gayle and agreed unanimously by the committee. Jackie agreed to be seconded into the role of Secretary until the AGM in March next year, when voting would take place. At that time, any other garden holder will have the absolute right to stand for this or any other post as per the constitution.

It was decided that the minutes of this meeting should be circulated and if anyone still has objections to the new Secretary they will be advised to take the matter up with the city council.

Other Agenda Items.

  • Kay pointed out that the date for the AGM falls at Easter next year so it will be held on March 24th 2013.
  • The Chairman reported that some of the items listed as our assets are broken or now so old they are not fit for purpose. Could these now be written off? Steve M proposed this action, which was seconded by Dan.
  • A complaint was received from an allotment holder re the cancellation of the social day. Although regrettable this was unavoidable at this time.
  • Nottingham City council inspection. Date not yet given to the secretary. Jackie felt she would prefer to do this herself, as it was an opportunity to ask questions and start a working relationship with the allotment officer. A full report would be circulated after the visit.
  • Compost. Would we continue to sell this next year? It was acknowledged that this creates a lot of work but it was agreed to continue as it is a good resource for our gardeners specially those without transport.
  • Pot holes. Agreed to pay contactor to use JCB, as it would take manpower to complete the task without it. Proposed by Sos seconded by Ronnie. Sos offered to arrange.
  • Pile of soil/rubbish that had appeared in the central car park appears to have been fly tipped. Shows how important it is to keep the gates locked and deliveries monitored by the garden holder responsible.
  • Sos reported back from the last Allotment Forum meeting, where it had agreed that there should be a ban on all carpets used as weeds suppressant on allotments. Concern was about environmental damage from chemicals and nylon. This practice must therefore stop. Garden holders will need to get rid of any carpet used on their land. The committee agreed to provide a skip for clearance of this and other items.

Date in October to be fixed and circulated.

There was no other business and the meeting closed at 11.10 am.

Posted in Minutes | Tagged |

Burning Days

20th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

There seems to be a slight confusion amongst the odd member, over the days we are allowed to burn garden rubbish on the allotment site and what the rules are for it so I thought I would take the opportunity to list all the dates for the next year and remind members what can and cannot be burned.

We are allowed to burn garden waste on the second Sunday of every month apart from November when we can burn on any day during Bonfire Night week, i.e the week in which the 5th November falls.  The following dates therefore are allowed for the rest of this year and all of next year:

  • Sunday 9th September 2012
  • Sunday 14th October 2012
  • Monday 5th November to Sunday 11th September 2012
  • Sunday 9th December 2012
  • Sunday 13th January 2013
  • Sunday 10th February 2013
  • Sunday 10th March 2013
  • Sunday 14th April 2013
  • Sunday 12th May 2013
  • Sunday 9th June 2013
  • Sunday 14th July 2012
  • Sunday 11th August 201
  • Sunday 8th September 2013
  • Sunday 13th October 2013
  • Monday 4th November to Sunday 10th November 2013
  • Sunday 8th December 2013

If for some reason your are unable to burn on one of these dates because of personal reasons or because of the weather you must wait until the next burning day before burning again.  In my experience however wet days don’t really affect it, I burned one of the biggest fires I had right in the middle of this years wet season on a rainy Sunday without any problems.

Also to remind members what it says in the constitution about what can be burned I copy that passage below for you all to remind you of it:

Under no consideration will burning of plastics, rubber or any other material not associated with garden refuse be allowed.  The council have a key to the gates, and can enter at any time.  Gardeners should be aware that they could face prosecution and risk having their tenancy terminated should they disregard this warning.  Pollution will not be tolerated under and circumstances.

Posted in Events | Leave a Comment »

Sos INGER Resigns As Secretary

4th Aug 2012 by Dogbury

Yet another sad announcement.  Sos INGER, the secretary of the OPFGHA has decided to resign as association secretary with immediate effect for personal reasons.  The whole committee on their own behalf and on behalf of all garden holders both past and present would like to thank him for his immense contribution over the years he has been secretary and for bringing the Association to its current healthy position.  I am sure he will be happy to hear from you personally should you wish to seek him out and speak to him.

Again with immediate effect the position of secretary will be taken up by Jackie Medcalf, who is currently a member of the committee.  She can generally be seen in Garden 66 which is situated in the extreme south west corner of the allotment area.  Additionally she can be contacted on her mobile phone 07931 950950 or contacted on her email address: jackiemedcalf@hotmail.com

Posted in Home |

Annual Show – Cancelled

2nd Aug 2012 by Dogbury

It is with great regret that we are announcing the cancellation of this years annual show.  The weather, as we all know, has been so bad this year that it is felt that very few of us will have anything worthy of showing.  For those few who may have things to show there will probably be no competition worth putting up against them making the show altogether pointless.  We realise that this will be a disappointment to one or two of you for which we apologise.  We hope for better weather next year and the revival of the show.

Posted in Home |

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