Bob Hobden wrote:

High winds and sudden heavy downpours today, just back from shopping in
Windsor, R.Thames looks dangerously high across Runnymede meadow.

We got much the same here for most of the day after a fine sunny
start, but I prefer it warmer, wet and windy to dry and cold - it
keeps my stuff in the garden much happier. I've just worked out the
averages here for the 3 months of 'winter' (Dec. Jan & Feb) and it
comes as no surprise that temperatures were higher. However, the
amount by which they increased compared to last year was a bit of an
eye-opener:

Average max Dec - Feb 2006/07 : 11.3C
Average min Dec - Feb 2006/07 : 7.6C

Nights when temps fell below 0C : 0
Days when temps failed to exceed 5C : 0

Average max Dec - Feb 2005/06 : 8.7C (about 1C.lower than the average
in previous 5 years)
Average min Dec - Feb 2005/06 : 4.9C (about 0.7C lower than the
average in previous 5 years)

Nights when temps fell below 0C : 5
Days when temps failed to exceed 5C : 8

This winter has allowed near continuous growth on many plants that
normally shut down as temperatures fall and has even enabled limequats
(lime x kumquat) to continue ripening. A few surprises for me were
Bauhinia yunnanense - still in almost full leaf, Ipomoea indica -
holding about 20% of its foliage and already starting to shoot,
Begonia luxurians - not only continued growth, but carried on
flowering throughout, even if the rain did spoil them. The latter is
now well over 7 feet tall and will have to be pruned back by half
within the next few weeks. Roll on summer!