HISTORY
NATURE
A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER By Barbara Elsmore Tap, tap, tap – we would hear Dad tapping the barometer in the hall and if this was followed by a sucking of the teeth, a shaking of the head and the pronouncement ‘glass is going back’, we knew our planned visit to the seaside was doomed. Same with ‘too bright, too early’ another of his favourites which usually meant the early morning clear blue skies and bright sunshine would soon give way to rolling clouds and rain. On the other hand, if we woke up to an early downpour, ‘rain before seven, fine by eleven’ proved altogether a better prospect for a seaside visit, despite the early signs to the contrary. Dad would tell us about what very high cloud, mackerel skies and mares’ tails meant, how to spot rain in the distance, and when the far-off horizon was much too clear to mean the
fine weather was going to stick around. These are just some of the things he would have picked up as a boy growing up in a farming community where the ability to work out the prospects for the following day might be crucial. Many years later, when by this time I was married and we had our first home, Dad produced a beautiful barometer that he had kept in the loft. It had belonged to his father and must have been the source of the start of his own boyhood education in the ways of the weather. The barometer still takes pride of place in our hall in a perfect position to be 'tapped'. It is known as a banjo-shaped barometer and has a patent number and the name 'H B & H Petter, Yeovil'.
I wanted to know more about the makers, so I contacted Bob Osborn who runs Yeovil's Virtual Museum (www. yeovilhistory.info) and he helped me date my barometer: 'In 1901, Percy and Ernest Petter reorganised their many companies in Yeovil – their brothers Harry and Hugh, trading under the name of H B & H Petter, managed the original business including the Foundry and Engineering Works in Clarence Street and particularly the ironmongery and hot water heating side of the company in the Borough. But, as Percy recalled later “It was, for some reason, not very prosperous, and Hugh left to commence business and carry on missionary work in Buenos Aires, and later Harry left with his family to take up farming in Australia.” Your barometer would not have been made by
Petters, but simply bought in, rebranded and retailed under the business name of H B & H Petter, probably from their shop in the Borough. Its date would therefore be between 1901 and, say, 1910.' I am very grateful to Bob for this information as I now believe that the barometer was a wedding present to my grandparents on their marriage in April 1908.
The Nature Spot The short-eared owl typically arrives in Somerset and Dorset during the months of October and November, however this year they were showing up as early as mid-September. Local wildlife photographer Colin Lawrence managed to capture some images of this outstanding bird.
and about in the daytime, where it can be seen hunting for its favourite diet of voles. Look out for them as they spectacularly swoop and dive over their favoured habitat which is lowland, rough grassland and heath.
There is little to compare to the astonishing and piercing stare of a short-eared owl. Bright yellow eyes set in black, and a bird that is not afraid to stare back at you whilst sitting in the open during the day. In the UK short-eared owls breed primarily in Northern England and Scotland, but we are blessed by visits of this magnificent bird during the winter months, some coming from as far afield as Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia. Unusual for an owl - the ‘Shortie’ as it nicknamed often prefers to be out 45
