I'd love to see the Aurora Australis! The Northern version is so mysterious and beautiful, and seeing that against the backdrop of unfamiliar southern constellations would be icing on the cake, so to speak.

It snowed overnight, just enough to cover the deck and cars (officially 0.3 inches/7mm), so it didn't last long. It's been cloudy the past week but may clear Saturday night. I've kind of lost track where the Moon is.

Posted by: @stargazer

It's been cloudy the past week but may clear Saturday night. I've kind of lost track where the Moon is.

I know the feeling   and if it were not for my popping outside last evening at twilight, I would not have seen the sliver of the Moon setting in the West.

This morning's walk was the first in a few days, as it has been quite rainy here, but today is clear so it was a treat to see the twilight sky in the a.m. again. However, I note that the dawn is changing (too fast for me), so even when I leave the house at 5:45, as I did this morning, the sky, while still quite dark in the west, is not completely so anymore.The temp was around freezing, so wonderful for a good brisk hour's walk.  

Posted by: @stargazer

It's been cloudy the past week but may clear Saturday night. I've kind of lost track where the Moon is.

I know the feeling   and if it were not for my popping outside last evening at twilight, I would not have seen the sliver of the Moon setting in the West.

This morning's walk was the first in a few days, as it has been quite rainy here, but today is clear so it was a treat to see the twilight sky in the a.m. again. However, I note that the dawn is changing (too fast for me), so even when I leave the house at 5:45, as I did this morning, the sky, while still quite dark in the west, is not completely so anymore.The temp was around freezing, so wonderful for a good brisk hour's walk.  

Posted by: @stargazer

I'd love to see the Aurora Australis! The Northern version is so mysterious and beautiful, and seeing that against the backdrop of unfamiliar southern constellations would be icing on the cake, so to speak.

If you go back to my last post, & click on the word "today", or Aurora Australis, you will find yourself linked to a Channel 7 news program telling of that 10 hour flight, with several pictures they captured of the event. The links still worked  when I tried them right now, & the article online is called Aurora Australis 'hunted down' by Qantas flight. I'm not really good with photography etc here, but one or two of the pictures might interest you. 

Qantas has a reputation for having an almost unparalleled safety record, & when we went to Antarctica to see the midnight sun, I was glad there wasn't any bad weather & nothing went wrong. It was an inaugural flight, & really something to see, especially for passengers who can't travel elsewhere in the world, outside Australian territory. But I'm not sure it didn't involve some risk, just the same. I have heard that the Aurora Australis could be seen as far north as Wollongong, on our south coast, in New South Wales. 

Meanwhile the weather is fine for now. We have had a cold spell but it is warming up somewhat. I wouldn't get too complacent though at what it might be like in a fortnight's time. 

There is a strange, bright yellow thing in the sky today...after 10 days of clouds (a long time for us), the sun is back. Last night I actually saw the Moon and Mars.

Temps remain slightly cooler than average (around 54F/12C) and there is a chance of slushy snow piling up by Monday morning, but seeing the sun again seems to raise everyone's spirits.

We had a lovely rain today, which was very nice!

But I happened to see that next week we are having a massive cold front come through in 4-5 days, with freezing temperatures and up to an inch of ice and snow. The only thing I'm concerned about is my cherry tree because it has blossoms on it. Everything else is very cold tolerant or can be easily covered. 

Posted by: @fantasia

But I happened to see that next week we are having a massive cold front come through

Ditto here! The forecasters are warning of a potential "significant winter snow event" later Tuesday through Wednesday. This is not unheard of for April, but not really common either. It's kind of fun anticipating how this will play out.

In the meantime, we have very comfy air here with a good amount of lovely clouds and daytime temps sitting just below mid-teens Celsius (mid-50s F) until Tuesday when we drop down again to near freezing, then rebound some on Friday after whatever snow falls mid-week.

Our weekend was very pleasant, and local NarniaWebbers gathered yesterday in a socially-distant outdoor event that included croquet, grilling, and an evening campfire, topped off with some stargazing. It was great fun.

Rain has moved in as a cold front approaches, and some slushy snow may fall by morning. The first half of the week will be much cooler than average.

That gathering sounds really lovely, stargazer!  

We have an early spring 'winter' storm blowing through our region starting later this afternoon, all night, and into tomorrow morning. 10-15 cms of snow (4-6") could fall, and stay through tomorrow until Thursday, when the temp is rising a bit to 8C / 46.4F. Friday is warming up to 15C / 59F so the white stuff should all be melted by the end of that day. Then rain on Saturday. Temperatures at night will be around freezing, perfect for walking! We shall see if this storm delivers all it is promising!

And true enough, the snow began yesterday in the afternoon, quite lightly for a few hours, then heavier overnight. I did not want to go to sleep as I didn't want to miss any of the beauty. Snow falling, to me, is magical. Anyway, I had to sleep at some point then awoke around my usual time (5:30) this morning to a winter wonderland! I have lots of photos, which are really lovely, but still don't do the wintry scenes justice. All is laden with the pure white snow. Picturesque in every direction. My walk this morning was a tad slippery, but well worth it for the beautiful views and the freshness of that wintry air.

Seriously, the maple trees all around, which all had tiny groupings of leaves on them, look like they have burst into huge blossoms, as the clumps of leaves are now mounds of fresh snow!  

Temps are to be just above freezing today and tomorrow, so this snow might not even disappear right away. By Friday, though, as mentioned above, it will be gone by the end of that day.

I well recall a fairly major snow on my birthday (May 9) a few years ago. One of the best gifts I could have received! We were all out there twirling in it. And this is exactly why we shouldn't plant annuals or seeds in our area until near the end of May!  

Well, our snow has all disappeared now. Especially as it is 24C / 75F today; humidex 29C / 84F! This is definitely a late June/July day, rather than end of April   Anyhow, thunderstorms are coming later this afternoon, ushering in a more seasonal front with more rain and 14C / 57F tomorrow. Only 8C / 46F on Friday, then moderating slightly again. The daffodils and hyacinths are all blooming; the tulips are beginning to open up. Even my ground phlox is beginning to turn shades of bright purples and blues. And many perennials are pushing their heads above the rich soil. We roto-tilled our two veggie gardens and a new floral garden the other evening. I love the look of that newly-turned earth in preparation for planting in another few weeks.  

Saturday will be a venture into summer here, with highs possibly reaching 83F/28C. This month has been all over the map temperature-wise, though cooler than average, with 18 of 28 days with rain so far. Everything is bursting out with life here...along with the sneeze-inducing tree pollen.

We've had only half an inch (12mm) of snow here this month, below average.

It is great to know that spring has sprung up North, the snow has gone & summer is a'coming.

@ Stargazer: I've kind of lost track where the Moon is.

We've just had the full moon a few days ago. Supposedly a "supermoon" allegedly it was a pink moon, though it looked reassuringly yellow to me. Whilst low in near the Eastern horizon, it did look a bit larger than normal, due to it being a perigee moon or something. We were told in the Daily fishwrap, there would be another one next month about 26th May, just as large and a blood moon.     

I've just learned that observation of the moon is upside down, Down Under, which is something I'd really need to think about. When it is a crescent moon, the top of the curve is left & is the South Pole, whilst the North Pole is bottom right. I've been told of a mysterious Man in the Moon, though the discolouration which  causes that effect on the surface of the moon, looks more like a rabbit in the moon here.     

We've been having a dry spell with quite cold nights. The oranges are ripening nicely in the Autumn sun. Lovely weather to keep the laundry up to date before the cold starts getting colder. Anzac Day has passed, but we are expecting some rain tomorrow, May 1st. It will be hubby's & my 50th Wedding anniversary & our family plan some sort of celebration. But it is seeecrrrettt.  Or partly so.  

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Supposedly a "supermoon" allegedly it was a pink moon, though it looked reassuringly yellow to me.

Apparently the term "pink moon" comes from pink wildflowers — ground phlox — that grow in the US and Canada at this time of year. I think the idea of naming the full moons comes from Native Americans, or so I've heard somewhere. I don't know if it's based on genuine indigenous folklore or not, though.

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

I've just learned that observation of the moon is upside down, Down Under, which is something I'd really need to think about.

Oh no, the moon is upside down when you're in the northern hemisphere. As an Aussie living in Britain, I can vouch for that — it's the right way up in Australia and it just looks a bit odd from here.  

And CONGRATULATIONS on your 50th wedding anniversary!!! What an achievement for you both! Hope you and your family have a wonderful day tomorrow.   

Big congrats @waggawerewolf27 !! I hope you both have/ or have had the most awesome celebration <3 <3   

I just wanted to post here for the first time today, to say that the weather outside is really weird where we live. It's gloomy, and about 75 degrees out, but the wind is incredibly strong and bending the trees. The 'fox and the crow are getting married' bc of the sunlight peeking through every other minute, in between some violent gusts of wind. Maybe it's Aslan's attempt at blowing me home? lol