Strange April Weather

I think I have mentioned before that the South-East of Ireland lives with the lovely adjective "sunny".
In general that is a correct description, as the weather is usually better here than in other parts of the Emerald Isle and people flock to our sandy beaches earlier in the year than they do in the West, for example.

But recently everything seems to be in turmoil, most likely as a result of the big climate change. It is a lot colder than it usually is at this time of the year, and now we also experience snow.
Yes, you read correctly - snow! I had not seen any of that white substance here in town for at least ten years and never ever before on the far side of January.

Yesterday we had - within the span of an hour - first beautiful spring sunshine, then a little whirling snow and sleet storm for about 40 minutes, and before the hour was over, we were back with spring sunshine. This is weird.
And this morning when I got up, my street and everything on and in it was covered with about two centimetres of freshly fallen snow. It looked rather nice, although quite odd in a way. But it did of course not last long. By 10 a.m. it had all melted away, even though it remains quite cold.

We humans can adjust to that, even though it does puzzle us. But I notice that animals have a lot more problems with sudden weather changes. They are much more set into the rhythm of Nature and unfamiliar with the management advice of "being flexible".

So in these days of strange April weather, please spare a thought for your animals who will feel even more bewildered than you. This goes for domestic pets as well as for the working and farm animals.
Make sure you show them some more of your friendship and kindness, and when it is a cold day, maybe give them a little extra ration. They will appreciate that, and it will keep them in good shape.

The Emerald Islander