The weather forecast is saying it’s clear blue sky and no rain today.

The clouds and the showers would beg to differ.

Another inaccurate weather forecast. It’s clearly the forecasters fault that it’s raining …. It always is. I remember going to a Test Match (Cricket) between England and India. It had been a good weather forecast. But it was chucking it down and play was suspended. With perfect timing the main TV weatherman came onto the pitch to do a weather forecast. I’ve never heard anyone get so many boo’s. It was his fault that it was raining.

To be honest we get many incorrect predictions. Leaders saying a pandemic will just go away. Those pension salespeople saying that you will be able to retire at 50. Being told that Betamax and V2000 would be the best video recording formats. No one would be daft enough to vote for Trump or Boris. My Dad saying Status Quo wouldn’t last as they can’t sing or play. Brexit was easy and could be sorted in days. The Sinclair C5 was the vehicle of the future…..

Basically life is to unpredictable. You just never know what will happen. What’s round the corner.

I know this all too well. One day your talking about the next family trip to Switzerland. Discussing trying for a second child or adopting. Then 3 weeks later I’m leaving the crematorium with my partners ashes. A broken single parent. That wasn’t in the forecast or the plans.

We often learn this lesson far too late. I did. Don’t assume there will be a tomorrow. Remember to hug those you love today. Start ticking off those bucket list items, right now. If something special to you is broken, then try and fix it today. Today, speak to those you care for. Make sure you live today.

Lecture over…. And yes it’s still raining here. I blame it on the weather forecaster.

96 thoughts on “The forecast”

  2. Brilliant advice! My daughters and I always say “I love you” whenever we part, even for a walk to the corner market. Every text has at least a heart emoji. We discuss death, and how to plan for it. We live each day, cherishing each breath.

    And they’re NOT “forecasters” they’re Weather Guessers😉😂😂💌💌

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  3. I don’t have a bucket list. Well, not really. I still would like to see England. Even though I have seen quite a bit of it through your blog, and even though the weather in Yorkshire is not Florida. Really, you would think I’d want to go somewhere warm and sunny. Come to think of it I might be broken, but you do have some really fantastic skies. It’s gotta be the wind. A wind swept sky has swept me away. Me and my sanity with it. Well, if the road never leads me to England I have enjoyed the moody Yorkshire views through your blog. ☺

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  4. Often the “weather forecasters” here have a different forecast every hour or less. I have said many times that I think they do that so that at least one of them will turn out right. My theory? Look out the window and see for yourself what it’s like, because trying to predict weather or most anything else is usually a waste of time.

    Good advice not to put off fixing relationships because even the number of our days or even hours and minutes is unpredictable. Things happen so fast, things that can never be reversed, so we should try to keep everything up to date to the best of our ability. We, or the other person, just might not be here later.

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  5. I have too many things in my bucket list and this pandemic made me rethink more important things in life like rekindling relationships and staying in touch with friends and loved ones more. Trying to make each day count.

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  6. Three weeks seems to be the magic number. Same number of weeks my husband had after his diagnosis. I agree with Susie. I had been trying to get my husband to retire for years. We finally did and he died within a year. Waited too long. When you can, retire. Don’t hold on for the extra money.

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  8. Good tips – really good
    Even tho on the flip side – many times weather forecasters are spot on –
    And was watching a history show when Miami was hit with a hurricane and nobody saw it coming – and so there are times our weather technology is super helpful and we can have warnings for some bad weather -;)
    And in a way – you are giving us a warning here
    – that loved ones can be gone in a moment
    –
    That this life is but a vapor! ((And shorter for some –
    So not fair))
    And I read the comment above about how folks always say “I love you”
    And we do that too-
    —
    In the Mid 1990s – A lady at our church lost two children – they were playing hide and seek and died in a basement freezer (got locked in it /
    It was one that looked like a radio and they used it to store cloths – ugh)) anyhow the babysitter couldn’t find them – and later it was too late.
    So a couple weeks later I asked the bereaved mom how I could help – she asked if I would take her (drive her) to the grief group counseling sessions -for parents who lost children –
    And that was a powerful thing for me.
    Well
    Yes I was able to help her and offer some support – but it changed me forever !
    I had a newborn that year and sitting in that group with her twice – really made me realize how precious life can be and how we never know what a day may bring forth – and to love now because now might be all we have –
    And sorry again for the loss of your spouse 💕

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      1. Yes – and I know it made me a better parent and a better person overall to have that experience !
        I had a few others too.
        Check this out (and i have blog posts about it too) but I went to a Fourth of July fireworks show alone in 1995. Took my roommates dogs and it was first time I did not go to Florida for the summer (in college finishing up. At the event, I met Two teens a dad (who stuttered a bit) –
        Dogs 🐕 🐶 led to our meeting
        And I invited them to lunch at my place the next day and they came. I served lunch meat sandwiches and drinks and we had fun. I have the 15 yr old girl –
        ((We clicked )) a pair of hiking boots and a Cranberries cd.
        Her little brother got something too.
        And seriously – this outreach was more for me.
        It was maybe my way of feeling human love without having any family around.
        Well that young lady died that fall – in a drunk forcing accident – and I ha e kept in touch with her mom on and off for years now.
        And guess what (chilling and cool) I also video taped her that day she was over and so I had preserved a touch of her essence! This was long before everyone had computers with video and pictures piling up!
        It was such a god appointment and ties into your whole post!
        We never know what a day may bring forth!
        Be in the now
        Appreciate the now
        Love ❤️ and be loved!
        And also – said it before but will mention it again- sorry for your loss of your spouse ❤️🙏

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  11. Our weather people suck too! It kills me sooo much every single time you describe the rain coming down as “chucking” – I don’t know why I find that so funny?? But it is?? I have never heard anyone describe rain like that before 😄

    Yup very important to always say your things. Tmrw is not promised – ever. Cherish everything you have while you have it!!

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      1. Yup I agree!

        My east coast has different words or wording of a few things, that west coast doesn’t – so I get it lol

        But chucking rain is sooo funny … I never really stop to think you would have an accent… but those little things make me think of that lol … oh yeah there is probably an accent there lol

        Makes me curious lol

        When I worked at golf course I had this little old lady… I might have a picture? I will have to look… she was English lol Oh my god! I loved her sooooo much!!! Not only was the accent the best ever!!! I could listen to her talk all day long lol… but also this woman was hilarious- oh this woman had me rolling ❤️ every single week – she was in her 80’s but spoke like she was in her 20’s lol

        She was very vibrant ❤️ really funny and loved her words!! Everyone just wanted to hear her talk lol

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      2. They had two sisters on TV who were in their 90s. Maybe twins. The reporter asked what their secret to long life and one of the sisters calmer pointed at the other and said some like ‘with her it’s loads of sex’. Funniest thing ever.

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      3. Hahaha 😄 yup that sounds like something my little old lady would have said…

        Ya know I really love that part about getting old… that is a perk… just just say whatever ❤️ … you are allowed to when you are old… and I feel like I have been aged by life so I am officially old enough to enjoy this perk lol

        Is my own set of guideline rules lol 😄✌️

        But yes I loved her for how vibrant and hilarious she was!! Omg she was the best!!

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  12. Well, as usual Yorkshire is hogging all the rain that we deprived Londoners need like a vaccine. What do you call someone from Yorkshire btw? Yorkie? Yorker? Innately superior?
    And i will socially distance hug my kids today and bring the missus tea. At least i can be sure if i do that the indoors weather will be balmy

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  18. Yes, yes, and yes. I do find that I now live my life with a sense of urgency and say yes to just about anything and everything. “Fear Of Missing Out” on steroids. Experiences, not things, take top priority. Even when I am tired and not feeling up to it, I generally say yes to joining others for dinner, a walk, tennis, sitting on the porch, pause whatever I’m doing to watch the sunset, sit down in the middle of a dog walk to study a flower, whatever it may be. I just can’t stand the thought of “I wish I had done this…” or “I wish I had done that…” or even “I didn’t notice…”. I don’t know if this is right or wrong. I don’t know if it can lead to an unsustainable pace of life. The counselors might call this hypervigilance, the result of trauma. I know there must be balance. Somewhere. I’m still working on finding it 🙂

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      3. Bournemouth was packed apparently. I used to avoid the town, let alone the beach, when I lived in Poole. It sapped my energy. At least here we don’t have to worry about parking if we want to go up, and if we time it right, we shouldn’t meet up with anyone.
        Seems there is an influx of weever fish under the sand, so we envisage a lot of people going OOOWWWWW (should’ve stayed at home)

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      5. They’ve admitted it won’t work. Dr Hilary was confronted with it on TV and was shocked. The next thing will be everyone having to wear ankle jewellery. Second word is Off to that!

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  21. Good advice from you again my lovely friend. I’m so sorry you had all those exciting plans and it was suddenly taken away from you. I hope you get to make plans again one day.

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  22. It is said that the only constant in life is change. We have to roll with the punches, even when the punches seem to be a knock out blow. somehow we manage to get back up, to try, try again; to live through the godawful pain of it all.

    Life is better when we live it day by day cherishing all those we love with everything we have in us.

    You deliver, as usual, very good advice.

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  23. So true. It’s so easy to take today for granted or always focus on something better happening in the future. Nothing lasts forever. Not even the rain.

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  26. Can agree we cannot predict what’s around the corner…. sadly. We can only keep moving forward. One day at a time .😔 oh by the way I’m back. Took a bit of a break. Will be posting tonight.

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