chaplin

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

I wish it would rain (if only to sustain my faith in the BBC)

I don't wish to be a weather bore but today the BBC site promised rain. Black cloud graphic with two drops coming out of it. Call me credulous but I take that as "will piss down for at least an hour or so". I've been in North London all day and as far as I can see there hasn't been a drop. Anyone else in the London area seen rain today? I'm interested to know because I fear the BBC is losing all credibility in this regard. Must root out the Basildon Bond and write to "Feedback".

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:48 pm

    I work in central London. Didn't see a single drop. Not even a black cloud.

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  2. Anonymous8:14 pm

    South London/ Kent borders - Saharan wilderness - Bit of a pet peeve of mine. I'm convinced that since the Michael Fish incident a few years back they always err on the side of the weather being worse than it actually is.

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  3. Anonymous8:18 pm

    Not a drop for me either, and as I'm a postman bloody good job as well!

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  4. Anonymous8:53 pm

    The BBC site is useless! Their predictions are always wrong. I live "up north" and on Friday the BBC told me that the weekend was about to be cloudy. We had two days of glorious sunshine. I remember telling somebody on Saturday evening, on the strength of the BBC website, that Sunday was going to be dull. He was gutted as he was going to Old Trafford for the cricket. I hope he didn't listen to a word I said and took along his sun cream...

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  5. Not a drop between Crouch End and Reading all day. As a motorcyclist I tend to keep on eye on Ceefax p.402 and notice its inconsistencies. I'm with Dick Grant on this one - the BBC has become scared of underestimating the possibility of inclemency so will always forecast the weather will be slightly worse than they actually expect.

    And how did Michael Bolton escape The Worst Singers of All Time list?

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  6. I'm in Scotland so it doesn't really count, but I had been suspect of the weather forecast from the BBC (we've had "rain tomorrow" forecast for about the last week). It did rain most impressively just after I walked the dog this afternoon (about 4-4.30pm). I can only assume it's still on the way south. You can all look forward to that warm-ground-steaming-a-little smell.

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  7. Had to go interview an actress in Marylebone. Dressed for bad weather only to find it baking hot. Okay, so it's only a prediction but it must be nice to get paid for to stand in a studio and lie.

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  8. Anonymous9:56 am

    I look at the BBC weather page's forecast every day, in the vain attempt that it will stop publishing pure fiction.

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  9. Anonymous10:07 am

    Agreed on all above.
    This does present a quandary in respect of any shorts-wearing decisions.

    Today heard John Kettley (is the weather man) tell us that it is definitely going to rain across London by the afternoon today (Wed). R4 7am weather also backed this up in general.

    Presently here in W. London it's hot and sunny.

    Shall we meet back here at about 5pm?

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  10. Yesterday it showed sunshine for today. Just put on short sleeved shirt and suede shoes (trousers also), looked again and it's showing rain! I think they're reading this.

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  11. Anonymous10:15 am

    Quite right - positively arid here in Essex too. And if, as tabloid stories would have us believe, the met office is generous enough to pay £90k a year to probationary staff who are clearly more interested in creating memorable television personae we at least have the right to expect accurate predictions for the money. (OK, I know she was a 'global brand consultant', whatever one of those is, but you get my point - if the staff are that well paid they should be able to do their job.)

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  12. I always find that suede shoes = rain. Let's see if that one holds out for today, especially as I'm wearing 'em too.

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  13. Oh see I thought you going for suede trousers which was very fashion "forward". You could go for the wooly hat , thick scarf and very thick duffel coat combination that a women on the packed tube was wearing this morning.

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  14. Anonymous12:57 pm

    you're on the internet talking about the weather?!!!!
    This is our brave new future and you're talking about the weather. Holy mother of god.

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  15. If there's one thing we can guarantee about our brave new future, it's this. Weather is likely to figure in it in quite a big way.

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  16. RE: Mr Drayton proof that the inhabitants of these isles have always used new technology to talk about the weather:
    the Vindolanda wax Tablets from hadrian's wall
    http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/
    It's all cracking stuff about rain blocked roads, how much grain to order. My latin's not great but there may even be a bit about taking a cardy on guard duty in case it gets chilly.
    Oh and it's just turned black over our Bill's mother's

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  17. Anonymous5:56 pm

    ...latest internet weather news...

    17.40: Teddington.
    Still warm, overcast, slight breeze. No rain. Suede safety rating A1.

    Kettley, rather disappointingly, not necessarily to be taken at face value. Seems like a nice chap as well.

    However, as soon as I get home and sit in the garden with a glass of wine, things will likely change.

    Cross-thread comment. My house is also littered with empty cereal bowls. They are usually to be found beside a computer keyboard. We just bought some more bowls. Seemed the easiest solution.

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  18. Do yours actually clear the contents of said bowls or do they leave a milky residue in the bottom which some Adult has to dispose of?

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  19. Anonymous7:39 pm

    Weather update - SW London - still bone dry!

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  20. Anonymous8:38 pm

    By the time we've found them, (a hunt instigated by a realisation that we have no clean glasses left), I'm embarrassed to say that any residue has lost its milkiness some time before. A scraper is needed, but usually they're just empty. It is a treat to see your carefully nurtured offspring necking back the remaining contents of a cereal bowl without shame. God knows if they do it when they stay over somewhere.

    Our cereal bill is rising rapidly. Those granules with dried strawberry bits in are favourite.

    Show them a nice tasty real English strawberry though, and they'll invent any number of excuses to pass it by.

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  21. Re: weather. Tonight it rained after eight o'clock. During the day it didn't. I regard the night as being a different thing altogether. I don't care if it rains blood at night because I'm generally indoors. Couldn't the BBC solve the whole problem by having one forecast for the daylight hours and another for the night?

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