Today is going to feel very summer-like (it already does, at local noon), at least by local standards. Highs will be around 85F/29C, and rather humid.

Congrats, wagga, on your anniversary!

I'm quite enjoying the discussion about the moon. Another reason I want to stargaze Down Under (other than the stars I've never seen) is the change in behavior of the things I am familiar with: the moon appearing upside down, the sun in the north, and so on.

The night sky rotating clockwise around the pole would also be new (as it rotates counterclockwise here). (Trivia note: it's why analog clocks go the direction they do: Northern Hemisphere shadows move clockwise around their source - notably, the gnomon (the shadow-casting part) on sundials).

Welcome to the weather thread, High King Peter! Glad to have you here. I'd not heard the expression "the fox and crow are getting married" before, and had to google it.

@Courtenay, the moon names are listed in old publications such as The Old Farmer's Almanac but I'm not sure about any indigenous connection. Until a few years ago I'd only heard of the famous ones (the Harvest and Hunter's Moons in autumn), but lately the others are getting more attention.

I grew up seeing the man in the moon, but can also pick out the rabbit. I've read that comes originally from China and spread to other countries in the area.

The May full moon will undergo a total eclipse, best viewed from the Pacific Basin. I'll mention more about it in the Stargazing thread as we get closer.

I really like that ground phlox, @Courtenay, thanks for this explanation of the Full Pink Moon (although it looked very orange to me ). We have some pink and purple phlox down the long garden by our driveway. It is only just beginning to bloom, but is changing every day. I want to add more this year, as it is so colourful in the spring.

*chuckles at the upside down Moon conversation*

@stargazer wrote: I'm quite enjoying the discussion about the moon. Another reason I want to stargaze Down Under (other than the stars I've never seen) is the change in behavior of the things I am familiar with: the moon appearing upside down, the sun in the north, and so on.

Ditto!!

Hey, @highkingpete, welcome to the wonderful Weather thread! Did your power go out at all with that strong wind?

stargazer wrote: I'd not heard the expression "the fox and crow are getting married" before, and had to google it.

Another ditto!  

I grew up seeing the man in the moon, but can also pick out the rabbit. I've read that comes originally from China and spread to other countries in the area.

And a third ditto, haha!

@waggawerewolf27 wrote: May 1st. It will be hubby's & my 50th Wedding anniversary & our family plan some sort of celebration

@waggawerewolf27, how was this very special celebration on the weekend? Again, congratulations to you and your hubby! How wonderful!

This week is a bit rainy for us, with daytime temps anywhere from 11C / 51.8F to 18C / 64.4F. Everything is lush green and the perennials are coming up beautifully. The daffodils and tulips are very much in bloom still, along with some hyacinths. Very pretty. At night, all of the week is in single digits Celsius with most nights dropping to 1C / 33.8F, lovely and fresh!

Posted by: @stargazer

Another reason I want to stargaze Down Under (other than the stars I've never seen) is the change in behavior of the things I am familiar with: the moon appearing upside down

You mean right side up... all right, I'll leave off now, I promise.  

Posted by: @stargazer

the sun in the north, and so on.

Oh, don't tell me about that. When I first moved to the UK, I spent a fair bit of time in London, and I used to find that almost every time I came up from the Underground to a different part of the city, I'd get confused as to which side of the road I was on and which way I was facing. Even though I'd bought a huge folding map of central London (this was before I had a smartphone), and I'm generally very good at reading maps, I still kept finding myself heading the wrong way for wherever I wanted to go. I've always had a good sense of direction, so this was baffling... there was something here that just didn't feel right.

Then I remember one particular day I was intending to walk north up Charing Cross Road towards Chinatown, and soon found that going by the street names I was passing and the fact that I could see Nelson's Column up ahead, I was actually walking south towards Trafalgar Square. Wrong direction, yet again — and yet every instinct in me was screaming that I was facing north.

Finally it dawned on me (pardon the pun)... I had honestly never realised how much I unconsciously navigate by the position of the sun. I made a few conscious mental adjustments from there on in and now have no problem with the sun being on the southern side of the sky — and I've never got lost in London since.  (And when I go back to Australia, I quickly adjust back to having the sun in the north, don't worry.)

Posted by: @stargazer

I'd not heard the expression "the fox and crow are getting married" before, and had to google it.

Me neither! I'm now amazed at just how many terms there are for a sun-shower in folklore around the world, none of which I'd ever heard of! Here's the list of them from Wikipedia, for anyone else who's interested.

@Courtenay, I can totally relate to your unconscious navigation experiences. I'm sure I'd be just as confused Down Under because I also frequently evaluate directions and the like by the sun or moon or stars, without even realizing I'm doing it.

Thanks for that sunshower list. I find it odd that so many expressions have to do with marriage or weddings.

Our weather continues to be up and down, typical of spring. It was 87F/31C Saturday, and they're talking about possible snowflakes in the next day or so.

The flowering crabapple trees are bursting into bloom, but unfortunately that's the other kind of pollen I've become allergic to.

Posted by: @stargazer

@Courtenay, I can totally relate to your unconscious navigation experiences. I'm sure I'd be just as confused Down Under because I also frequently evaluate directions and the like by the sun or moon or stars, without even realizing I'm doing it.

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that!!

Posted by: @stargazer

Thanks for that sunshower list. I find it odd that so many expressions have to do with marriage or weddings.

Yes — that or the devil beating his wife or something similar! I suppose the "wedding" ones come from the fact that it's unusual to see sunshine and rain paired together, so a lot of the metaphors have unusual characters getting married. Doesn't explain some of the other odd expressions, though...

Posted by: @jo

@waggawerewolf27 wrote: May 1st. It will be hubby's & my 50th Wedding anniversary & our family plan some sort of celebration

@waggawerewolf27, how was this very special celebration on the weekend? Again, congratulations to you and your hubby! How wonderful!

Thank you for asking, & also thanks to you, Stargazer, Fantasia, Courtenay and High King Pete the Magnificent,  for your good wishes. After 50 years of being married it does really feel something like an achievement for both of us, especially when there are so many ups & downs in life to figure out. But then, as a now deceased Australian Prime Minister once said many years ago, "Life is not meant to be easy". 

To tell the truth it was quite an upside down sort of day.  Organised mainly by Rachel, our eldest daughter, alas she could not actually be there with us, after she had an accident in the carpark of the restaurant where she had booked us for that day, down by our Nepean River. She ran into a bollard, when startled by a fire engine siren nearby, & thus broke her leg. A delivery man saw her distress, took the cake from her car, parked nearby, into the restaurant, rang an ambulance, & so she has been in hospital ever since until today. She said others also went to her assistance. It would have been nice to get the name of the delivery man to thank him for his decency. Ironically, I met her father, in a similar, but somewhat less traumatic & damaging fall, when I tripped over an out of line chair in a dance hall, right at his feet, back in 1969.   No I didn't have a rose between my teeth.  

We still enjoyed ourselves, nevertheless, & at least the rain held off, though the drizzly, showery rain that started yesterday (Tuesday) didn't impede us getting her home again after her leg was attended to, finally. I suppose it will pour tomorrow, but she doesn't have to go anywhere for a while. However, the warm weather has stopped & autumn has now begun in earnest, I think.  

@waggawerewolf27 Glad to hear your day went well, despite Rachel's accident — hope she's on the mend now. That's lovely that the delivery man and others were able to help her right when she needed it.

As for the weather, here after possibly the driest April on record, we're starting to have rain on and off. Quite a storm a couple of nights ago, but it's staying mainly dry during the day. Tomorrow's forecast was originally for "light rain showers" all day, but that's been scaled back to a bit of rain in the afternoon only. Which is good, as it's a day off for me and I've been planning to go out and visit some gardens and villages in eastern Kent. Not that light rain would put me off, but in England a forecast of "light showers" can end up meaning anything from no rain at all to floods of Biblical proportions, so it's good to know there probably won't be too much of it...  

Ahhh, @waggawerewolf27, so sorry to hear of Rachel's accident. How kind of that delivery driver to be so supportive and helpful. And here she planned your anniversary party, and ended up unexpectedly in the hospital.   I hope she continues to recover well now at home. Did you end up obtaining the cake okay?

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Ironically, I met her father, in a similar, but somewhat less traumatic & damaging fall, when I tripped over an out of line chair in a dance hall, right at his feet, back in 1969.   No I didn't have a rose between my teeth.  

Oh my, I totally at this memorable event! Your description is priceless.  

Sure glad to hear, @Courtenay, that you are finally see rain fall. We have had a few quite rainy days, which continues to green everything up beautifully. The farmers are getting ready for planting; the birds are up very early each morning, singing their hearts out; the squirrels are their usual busy-beaver selves; and I saw a fox on my walk the other morning, trotting cheerily (or so it appeared) across the road to the field on the other side. Farmers have uncovered their peacock cages, so those birds are more vocal now than in the winter: beautiful birds, but their call is unpleasantly harsh.  

Frost is expected here over the next few nights, so it puzzles me why one of our neighbours has already planted their veggie seeds. I hope they're not damaged in the upcoming freezes, but we really shouldn't be planting anything until two weeks from now, at the earliest.  

The weather here was a bit ridiculous today. I was driving home from the dentist and it was absolutely pouring, pelting down with rain. I almost hydroplaned coming off a stop sign. I made it home safely and about half an hour later, there's bright blue skies, grey clouds, and just the slightest sprinkle. Ah, the joys of May!

I enjoyed your story as well, wagga.

It is gloriously green here as well, thanks to our recent mixture of rain and sun. Frost advisories are up again tonight.

Morning birds are a fixture here now, greeting me as I step outside to see the Moon near Jupiter the past few days. Nice that you saw a fox, Jo! I've only seen one once in the wild, at a state park many years ago.

Since we were discussing full moon names here, I'll post a link that popped up in my email recently: Moon names and their meanings. It discusses North American full moon names for each month and their meanings.

 @johobbit: Did you end up obtaining the cake okay?

Yes, thank you, jo & Courtenay. The cake was gorgeous, & we should be finishing the last of it tonight, when all the family are assembled again. Rachel is home again from hospital & learning how to look after herself with a cast on one leg, which can be a trial for her. 

I'm glad to see you are getting some rain, Courtenay, but what is the idea of England being short of rain? Aren't they apt to complain if it is longer than a week without even a slight drizzle? 

Down here the drizzle peaked yesterday with heavy showers, but this morning it was raining even with the sun up & a half cleared sky. At least we aren't in drought just now. So that is good. 

Posted by: @stargazer

Nice that you saw a fox, Jo!

Foxes are so cool, yes! I see one about once/year. And mostly very early in the morning.

Posted by: @stargazer

I step outside to see the Moon near Jupiter the past few days.

Beautiful, yes!

Thank you muchly for that Moon names/meanings link. I have been looking for something like that for awhile now, and am saving the link, to be sure. Very interesting!

Good to hear, @waggawerewolf27!

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Aren't they apt to complain if it is longer than a week without even a slight drizzle? 

I chuckle because a couple of my long-time friends are from that area of the world and they would laugh too. Good ol' England!  Glad you aren't in drought, wagga, that is a relief.

Over the past week, every night has dropped below zero. On my early mornings walks, frost is prevalent, particularly on roofs and on fields in wide open areas. Very crisp and invigorating! We have, however, had to bring in various plants (in pots) so as to protect them from freezing. Less than two weeks and we can safely start to plant in the ground!

Tonight (and possibly tomorrow night) may be our last freezes until September, as the temperature starts to rise. Still single digits Celsius for the rest of this week, and then low double-digits following. The daytime temp is to jump up today to 16C / nearly 61F, after being unseasonably cool—even cold—over the past week. The farmers are itching to plant, so hopefully very soon they can get out and do so. The next week, after today, is hovering each day right around 20C / 68F.

I will be starting to purchase more perennials, annuals, and veggie seeds next week, so ... exciting! (However, I will miss these lovely, fresh Autumn-like temperatures, but only a few months until they are here again!)

After mild weather through most of Autumn here in NZ, we finally had a cold southerly in my area, which brought a drop in temperature and lots of rain. 

And the following day I had my new heat pump installed. It replaces a very old one that didn't work well on the coldest days.

This morning there was frost on the lawn, and in spite of double glazing it was only 9 degrees in the lounge. Heater had it up to 18 within 20 minutes. 

I was chuckling with @Jo today because it's way warmer where she is than where I am in Kansas. That's really unusual!

We have had cool, rainy weather parked on us for a week and a half making it extremely pleasant outside! Thankfully where I am we have not had to deal with flooding, though other places here and other states have. Honestly, I love it. I am the biggest fan of spring showers and thunderstorms. 

Posted by: @fantasia

I was chuckling with @Jo today because it's way warmer where she is than where I am in Kansas.

Indeed, that is really something!

This week is like July days for us: hot, humid, very dry. Most unusual for May here. We may be breaking a temperature record here on this day, reaching 30C / 84F with humidex at 33C / 91.4F. That may not be terribly warm for some southern places ... but it sure is for us. And this is when I start counting the days until those cooler August nights, which herald Autumn!

We badly need rain. The farmers are crying for precipitation. And wasn't it just over a week ago that we were having frost every single night?! A chance of rain/thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow morning, then significantly cooling temperatures starting on Sunday, hurrah, with at least some rain in the forecast for next week.  

Posted by: @fantasia

I am the biggest fan of spring showers and thunderstorms. 

Totally! High-five.