Wind: Discovering Air in Motion is a beautiful book to explore the role of one of our favourite weather talking points. Wind carries pollen, shapes sand dunes and pushes ships across the ocean..
If your hair has ever blown back on a breezy day, you’ve noticed the wind at work. But what causes the wind? Are there different types? And how do we measure and name them? How does wind shape our ecosystems, planets and animals. And up beyond the clouds, does the wind affect other planets too?
Considering people in England are always talking about the weather, it’s surprising how little is known about it by the average person. This book explains it all, a wonderful read for children and adults alike. Created with help from a meteorologist, this beautiful book of history and earth science features playful prose and colourful illustrations about this powerful (but sometimes overlooked) natural element.
Wind is basically moving air. Although we can’t see it, we can feel and hear it, and see it when it blows leaves off the ground in the forest. It’s a good source of green energy, but great care must be taken. The wrong types of turbines can kill birds and bats (disturbing echo-location) and big wind farms often result in carving up natural land, and require lorries thundering through to maintain them. It’s far better to simply use less energy when you can, live simply and support small-scale community solar panels etc, which can power whole towns and villages.
Wind is caused simply by the difference in atmospheric pressure (the rising and sinking of air). So high pressure wind is caused by air is sinking, and vice versa. Nearly all the windiest parts of the UK are in Scotland, with England’s windiest places being in on the Isle of Wight and the southwest. Dartmoor in Devon has high land above sea level, and that’s why it’s calmer in valleys elsewhere, which don’t have as much wind.
Scotland’s Orkney Isles are renowned for being super-windy, with an almost permanent breeze. It’s so windy that some food is affected, as it is blown with salt from the sea. The windiest place on earth is the Bay of Antarctica.
About the Author
Olga Fadeeva is a children’s author and illustrator based in St Petersburg, Russia. Her illustrations have been shortlisted for exhibitions from Italy to China. This English-language translation book has been already published in Italian, German, Turkish and Chinese.
All You Want to Know About Rain
In England, it rains all the time! However, we don’t get nearly as much as some places on earth. In Maghalaya in India, they get around 10 times more rain than us, near the bay of Bengal. What Does Rain Smell Like? is by two highly qualified meteorologists and answers 100 questions including why rain doesn’t fall all at once, why the sky is blue, what weather is like on other planets, and how rainbows are formed.
Here we don’t get torrential rain like that, but we do get floods. This is increasingly thought to be due to governments and businesses chopping down trees, and not investing properly in modern inventions. Beavers are also good at building dams (that’s what they do).
Another way to prevent floods, is for people to stop grouse shoots. This is because the land is flattened to attract these wild birds that eat the heather, so that people can shoot them for fun and profit. Another way to avoid floods is to not buy peat. Again, taking it away from nature flattens the land (the rough peat helps to absorb water).
Where do you think the wettest part of England is? If you thought the Lake District, you would be right. The driest areas are London and Clacton-On-Sea (in Essex).
Rain: Four Walks in English Weather is a meditation on the local landscape in wet weather, by nature writer Melissa Harrison. Whenever rain falls, our countryside changes. Fields, farms, hills and hedgerows appear altered, the wildlife behaves differently and the terrain itself over time is transformed. Melissa follows the course of four rain seasons in four seasons: across Wicken Fen, Shropshire, the Darent Valley and Dartmoor.
Light Rain, Sometimes Fall has 72 short chapters looking at the ancient microseasons of just a few days each – gardens, streets, park and wild cemetary. From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to the greater cold (daikan) in late January, these seasons inspired by Japanese lotus blossom also look for bramble, woodlouse and urban fox, hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine.
Use Rain & Wind to Find Your Way
Use nature’s signs to find your way, with the help of natural navigator Tristan Gooley. He can get you anywhere, by looking at which ways the trees are blowing, looking up to the sky, tracking wildlife prints, or looking at a puddle! He is the author of several books, here are just a few (you can also take his course online).
- The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs shows how to read the clues in the natural world. The roots of a tree indicate the sun’s direction and a passing butterfly can hint at the weather. A sand dune reveals prevailing wind, and the scent of cinnamon suggests altitude. Tristan shares over 850 tips for forecasting and learning more about the natural world, to help you walk in the country or city, along a coast or by night. The ultimate resource on what the land, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals and clouds can reveal – if you only know how to look. on, stars, plants, animals, and clouds can reveal-if you only know how to look!
- How to Read Water is also by Tristan. He can show you over 700 clues, signs and patterns to spot dangerous water in the pitch black (with the help of a clock face), forecast the weather from waves, decipher wave patterns on beaches and find your way with puddles.
- The Natural Navigator is the 10th anniversary edition of this popular book. Tristan blends natural science, myth, folklore and a history of travel to show how to find your way using nature, from the feel of a rock to the look of the moon. Find north by looking at a puddle and use natural signs to navigate the open ocean or in the heart of the city. Packed with beautiful illustrations for an instrument-free journey of fascinating stories.
Would you like to know where to find sustainable raincoats? It rains a lot, so nearly everyone has a raincoat. But did you know that most conventional raincoats of quality are covered with toxic sprays? When time comes to replace, here are more sustainable options.
Thought Organic Cotton Callie Mac is made from a heavyweight but super-soft organic cotton twill, with full lining to protect against spring showers. Falling just below the knee, this timeless mac has flattering pleat detail at the back, and slightly blouson sleeves. It has been designed to be over-sized but with a classic double-breasted silhouette and a removeable tie belt, for an adjustable fit. It has deep side pockets, handy for keeping your phone or keys in, when out for a walk. Packed in a biodegradable polybag.
Organic cotton is far better for the planet and wildlife, and is also nicer for farmers, as they can pick the cotton, without need to wear protective clothing in very hot weather. Around a quarter of the world’s agricultural chemicals are used to make cotton, so try to find organic or recycled cotton garments, rather than new. Unlike synthetic fibres, cotton is safe to launder without breaking off microplastics into the ocean, and safely biodegrades.
Many eco raincoats are made from recycled plastic bottles. Is this safe, considering plastic has hormone disruptors? Obviously you don’t want to use for clothing next to a child’s skin (and definitely not for baby clothing). But raincoats are not touching our skin, and they do keep out the rain. Organic cotton raincoats are great.
Are Recycled Plastic Raincoats Safe?
Many eco raincoats used up recycled plastic bottles, as this material is waterproof. Is it safe? Dr Martin Mulvihill (a chemist) says that it takes 38 days of a water bottle being heated to reach unsafe levels for water you ingest (not fabric on your skin). So he says unless you are working out in 150 degrees, wearing recycled plastic clothing is not likely to be a problem. Be concerned about the finish (used to stop wrinkling). However always wash recycled plastic clothing (and synthetic materials) in a microfiber catch bag, to stop microplastics breaking off in the machine.
- Nomads
- Clothing offers organic cotton raincoats, made with 90% biodegradable materials and a water-resistant organic cotton canvas outer and soft viscose lining. The simple flattering silhouette has practical pockets, a removable hood and drawcord-adjustable waist.
- Thought offers quality organic raincoats, with no toxic coatings.
- Seasalt (Cornwall) offers fully waterproof raincoats, made from an eco-friendly alternative to oilskin. Tested in Cornish windy rain, you will however have to ‘read the ingredients’ of each, as a few have leather trim, and there is no filter.
- Frugi (Cornwall) has its own line of bright fun rainwear, made from recycled plastic bottles, along with matching waterproof trousers and rubber wellies, In various designs from sunflower to unicorn puddles to Loch Blue Nessie! These coats are designed to protect against the elements with a chin chard, storm placket and elasticated cuffs, and have reflective print details (and a dipped hem to keep bottoms warm and dry). There’s even a label to write your little one’s name on.
- Billycoats & Raincoats make children’s raincoats from old tents! Discarded tens at festivals are a real problem in England. With designs inspired by the Brecon Beacons, these are lightweight and bright with chunky YKK zippers (plastic) and deep pockets for snacks and finds. For ages 2 to 9, with free repairs in the first year.
Choose a Recycled Umbrella
This recycled plastic ‘London’ umbrella is made from plastic bottles, with a sturdy bamboo handle. The fun design in bright colours, quickly folds away into its own protect bag, with wrist strap. This design helps to remove plastic from our waste system, and a portion of proceeds helps Marine Conservation Society, a charity that protects our oceans.laughter in the rain
Billycoats & Raincoats is a clothing brand that makes colourful raincoats for children, made from upcycled tents, one of the most common waste items across the UK, often left in fields by festival goers. The 10 coats are all locally made and suitable for 2 to 7 year old children, in simple or bold designs. Save a tent from landfill, and keep your precious bundle dry at the same time!
Chat & Chips in the Rain by Jennifer Verny-Franks
All You Want to Know about Snow
We have quite a bit of snow in England (it’s the warm Gulf Stream that stops us having guaranteed winter snow, like Scandinavia). And although it snows more in January and February in England, we do have more than 50% chance of it snowing on Christmas Day.
- Snow is not white. It’s translucent, and takes an hour to fall from the clouds where it absorbs reflections (it can be black if polluted or even pink from algae). Freshly fallen snow absorbs sound waves, which is why it’s quiet.
- Some people go a bit crazy from snow (thought to be a vitamin D deficiency). They get ‘Arctic hysteria’ where they talk meaningless rubbish, then have no recollection of what they said previously (mmm, sounds like a few of our MPs!)
- Intuits (people from Greenland) have 50 words for snow. and Scots have even more, including skelf (large snowflake) and unbreak (beginning of a thaw). North Wales holds the record for the most snow in the UK – in the 40s, the drift was as deep as a very tall man! The snowiest places in England are Co Durham and the North Pennines.
- Tristan Gooley is England’s expert on navigation, and has lots of info at his website, if you’re an intrepid traveller. He can teach you how to navigate using snow strips.
Keeping safe in snow & ice
This is important, especially for older people. England has quite harsh weather in autumn and winter, and we do have a lot of sleet and snow. And our pavements are not always the best-maintained. So what can you do to keep safe in the snow and ice, without resorting to harsh pavement chemicals and rock salt, which is toxic to pets and wildlife?
- Don’t use rock salt outside, as when pets go indoors, the salt heats up to give paw burns. Use a shovel to clear snow, and hose paws before pets go indoors, to remove any rock salt. EcoGrit (cereal waste) is an alternative, they also suggest straw or sand. Paved areas are generally safer for pets, as stones and gravel can get stuck in paws (keeping nails trimmed helps). And if these items are covered in snow or ice, they could be accidentally swallowed. See more tips to make your garden safe for pets.
- In Scandinavia, people use heated driveways to avoid them icing up in the first place. They are expensive to install, but for large and public buildings, they prevent the need to use salt or any product, which also falls down storm drains and into our rivers and seas. They are also more or less maintenance free, once installed.
- Wear layers, rather than one large jumper. This way you can add and remove layers, if you get too cold or hot. Old dogs may benefit from a well-fitted dog coat, although some dislike wearing them. You’ll know.
- Ensure your car is safe, before embarking on a journey. Obvious checks include tyres and breaks. Autoglass suggests that parking your car to face east the night before, helps to prevent frosty windows the next day (because the early sun rises in the east). Another tip of theirs is to rub half an onion on the windscreen, the oils prevent it getting icy, so you don’t have to scrape or use toxic sprays the next day. Or simply use the wipers to cover the screen with an old car or bath mat, if you don’t have a garage.
Preventing Falls in Snow & Ice
Thousands of people are admitted to hospital each year, after falling on snow or ice. If you know someone who is vulnerable or elderly, offer to shop for them for daily essentials. If you are clearing snow and ice from someone’s door, move it when the snow is fresh. If you add water, it could re-freeze and turn into black ice, which is more dangerous.
If you are out in the snow and ice, learn how to walk like a penguin. This can help to prevent falls (the third leading cause of accidental death). You’ll look silly, but be safer.
- Put your arms out to each side (like on a tightrope). Don’t put hands in pockets.
- Now point your feet out like a penguin (or ballet dancer), bend your knees and walk in small shuffle steps, to balance your gravity.
- If you start to fall back, tuck in your chin (so your head doesn’t hit the ground). Just like when a drunk person falls, if your muscles are relaxed, you will be less likely injured. Wearing a thick coat also helps to cushion the fall. If someone you know has balance problems (like Parkinson’s), it may be worth investing in some hip protectors for when they are out in cold weather, as they could prevent broken bones, if they do fall.
- Yaktrax® Ice Grips attach to the bottom of your feet, a lightweight alternative to snow chains. They grip the floor, but they are only to use on packed snow and ice. Don’t use for black or slushy ice, driving or cycling, or indoors (you’ll damage the floor). They have coils that compress into the snow, so are not good for sanded areas or on slippery mud, gravel or concrete. The sizing is a bit different, so check before purchase.
- It’s too cold to snow. Myth. Cold air holds less moisture, but it can hold some. If you’ve visited Scandinavia, you know that it is not too cold to snow!
Creatures that Love the Snow
There are many animals that love the snow. A lot of wildlife positively thrive in it. Because it traps air, snow actually is a good insulator, so many animal (like polar bears) like to use packed snow as dens, to protect their young.
- Snow Leopard is a book about one of the world’s most beautiful creatures who lives in the Himalayas, in its harsh environment and how it looks after its young. Their paws act like snowshoes.
- Arctic foxes can’t wait for snowflakes to fall.
- Penguins have quite a hard life. They don’t have fur on their feet, to help regulate temperature. But after breeding, they spend most time huddled together to keep warm.
- Macaque monkeys (those red-faced monkeys in hot Japanese springs) love to make snowballs and steal them from each other, in play.
- It’s now believed that the Yeti in the Himalayas is simply different people seeing 3 various bears.
- Polar bears keep their cubs safe in underground dens, and go without food themselves for several months sometimes. Global warming is causing ice to melt.
Beautiful Books about Snow
Samson in the Snow is a lovely children’s book by an award-winning writer and artist from the US (he lives and works in a barn, writing and illustrating books with his wife). Samson is a mammoth who is lonely and wants a friend. He is large and friendly, and encounters a little red bird who is looking for yellow flowers for her mouse friend. As she flies off with the flowers, Samson wonders what it must be like, to have a friend. He wonders this for so long that he falls asleep. And wakes up to a world covered in snow. In the midst of a blizzard, Samson finds and shelters the little red bird and flower-loving mouse, in a tender tale of kindness and unexpected friendship.
Snow Birds is an educational book for children, with elegant verse and striking illustrations. This book salutes the brave and resourceful birds who adapt to survive the coldest months. You’ve heard of birds who migrate to warmer climates in the wintertime, but what about those who persevere through snowy weather and freezing temperatures? ‘Snowflakes twirling, snow-flocks swirling, streaks of white twirl through the night…’
The Little Book of Snow is a celebration of nature’s favourite spectacle. Our memories and imagination are buried in snow. It’s the weather of play, joyful abandon and mischievous games – of snowball fights, skiing holidays and rattling down a hillside at full speed. It’s the weather of childhood – the world transformed into a temporary playground. Even as adults, the urge to throw a snowball is too hard to resist, those impish, childish instincts overtaking our adult workaday selves.
- Is it true that two snowflakes are never alike?
- How many Christmases have actually been white?
- Do the Inuit have dozens of words for snow?
- Can it ever be too cold to snow?
Packed with fascinating insights, outdoor fun, cultural lore and traditional wisdom. This book delves into the history, science, literary and cultural heritage that surrounds snow, frost and ice. It’s the perfect book for anyone who loves that feeling when you open the curtains in the morning, and the world has turned to white.
How to Read Signs from the Weather
The Secret World of Weather is a landmark book that goes beyond the forecast, to change our very idea of what weather is. The weather does not just blanket an area: it changes as you walk through the woods, or turn down a street. You’ll discover distinct micro-climates on opposite sides of a tree – and even beneath a blade of grass. By reading the weather, we begin to understand how it shapes our cities, woods and hills. You’ll never see your surroundings the same way:
- Listen as crickets chirp faster, as the temperature rises
- Spot how snowflakes shrink with colder air
- … or grow just before they stop falling
- Learn why pine cones close up, in high humidity
To learn how the weather works is actually pretty good to know, for many reasons. Obviously you can know whether to pack a jumper or coat. But learning about our clouds and skies, and how snow and rain and thunder works, makes for an awe and amazement at the natural world. Anyone who has sat under the stars on a dark night and looked up, tends to think more on what our planet is all about, rather than people obsessed with celebrities and TV.
The weather can be very changeable, depending on where you are. England in theory should be as cold as Scandinavia in winter. But the warm Gulf Stream means a lot of very cold weather is missed.
Why TV weather presenters take so long to read the weather is quite the mystery, although most are high qualified. The Met Office is the world expert and can clear up a few mysteries that you may wonder about:
- Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning. This (from the Gospel of Matthew) is true, as red skies appear when high pressure appears from the west, so it’s fine the next day. Red sky next morning means high pressure moved east, so good weather has gone.
- Rain before 7, fine by 11. It may appear that way, but it’s not true. It’s just as our weather changes so much, it’s become an old wives tale.
- When it’s about to rain, cows lie down. There is no proof that cows are sensitive to the moisture in the air. The Met Office says it could just be that the cows are having a rest!
- Pine cones open, when good weather is upon us. This is true. Pine cones open in dry weather due to humidity, then close when it rains.
About the Author
Tristan Gooley is a writer, navigator and explorer. He has pioneered a renaissance in the rare art of natural navigation, and led expeditions in five continents. He has walked and studied the methods of tribal peoples in remote regions of the planet, and is the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed single-handed across the Atlantic.
No doubt GPS systems are useful for navigating some places and up mountains, but sometimes it’s good to get back to nature! Tristan Gooley is your expert in charge here. He’s one of the world’s top experts in using nature to find your way (like England’s version of Crocodile Dundee!) His site The Natural Navigator is superb, and you can even sign up for quizzes to learn how to find your way using a puddle, tree or the clouds! He is also the author of several books including The Natural Navigator on how to find yourself out of a hole by using the simple question ‘Which way am I looking?’ With Tristan’s help, you can find your way – from the feel of a rock to the look of the moon! Also read about making maps more interesting.
Tristan has visited five continents, climbed mountains the world over, sailed small boats across the ocean, and walked with and studied with the methods of the Tuareg, Bedouin and Dayak, in earth’s remote places. He is also a Fellow the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographic Society.
I’d like to show you how to make a compass, by looking at the size of tree leaves. Sun leaves are more common on the southern side and on the outermost twigs in the northern hemisphere. Shade leaves are more common on the northern side and inner branches. The two leaves were taken in late July from the same black popular tree, only a few metres apart. They are found near water, so when I found this one in Sweden, I knew I would find a stream nearby. Tristan’s Wisdom!
What is a Compass?
Lily Charmed Recycled Silver Compass Earrings
A compass is simply a tool to find your way, that was invented to make use of the fact that Earth is like a giant magnet, and the needle always points north to find directions. Using lines of magnetic force, the metal always arrange themselves along these lines. The magnetic poles are not the same as the North and South poles, as the compass always points to the magnetic North Pole, so has to adjust to find ‘true north’ (unless it’s a gyrocompass which big ships use to find their way).
Compasses were first invented to navigate at sea, but today they are extensively used by practitioners of feng shui. This is a very complicated ‘earth science’ (that does not require poor goldfish to be stuck in bowls). Like most things, this ancient practice has been hijacked to sell pretty expensive trinkets. Expert Kartar Diamond is not a fan of practitioners that don’t use compasses, and says that to paint your door red or install a water fountain when you don’t know what you’re doing, could make things worse. She says telling people to ‘balance their homes’ by adding a little of each element is like ‘taking everything in the medicine cabinet, when you don’t know what’s wrong with you’. The growth of ‘fake feng shui’ has caused many fish to be exploded out of their homes with dynamite, to be imported into homes where self-absorbed people employ expensive feng shui practitioners, with no proper training. If you need running water, use a fountain.
The unseen magnetic field can be calculated with timing of construction, and what is captured inside (once the ceiling and roof are complete) has enormous influence on occupants. Ancient masters who understood this could have received a Nobel prize for such a discovery, I find it amazing that a group of geniuses figured this out so long ago. The ancient compass can tell if something is buried underground, if there are underground metals, bones, water, underground steams or even presence of a ghost! Kartar Diamond
