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Wind Vanes
My friend Judy has been trying to source a wind vane for a video she's shooting- and finding it difficult to lay hands on one. I guess people mostly commission them for particular buildings. They're not the sort of thing you buy off the peg.
My parents had one made for this place that represents a horseman jumping a gate. It eventually fell off the roof and is now in pieces. I haven't moved to have it put back. We're no longer a horse-owning or even particularly horsey family; that era is over.
I like vanes but I've never figured out how they work. When the arrow points north (say) does that mean the wind is blowing towards or from that direction? I've also never really figured out why anyone- outside of certain specialised occupations- sailors and cricketers for instance- would need to have that information.
Right now the wind is blowing from the north. I don't need a vane to tell me this; the drop in the temperature is enough.
I remember sitting in a classroom as a little kid- bent over an exercise book doing sums or drawing contour lines- and every so often glancing up to see the vane spinning on a nearby summer house. Ah, to be out in that wind...
My parents had one made for this place that represents a horseman jumping a gate. It eventually fell off the roof and is now in pieces. I haven't moved to have it put back. We're no longer a horse-owning or even particularly horsey family; that era is over.
I like vanes but I've never figured out how they work. When the arrow points north (say) does that mean the wind is blowing towards or from that direction? I've also never really figured out why anyone- outside of certain specialised occupations- sailors and cricketers for instance- would need to have that information.
Right now the wind is blowing from the north. I don't need a vane to tell me this; the drop in the temperature is enough.
I remember sitting in a classroom as a little kid- bent over an exercise book doing sums or drawing contour lines- and every so often glancing up to see the vane spinning on a nearby summer house. Ah, to be out in that wind...
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The wind always moves the North peak of the needle and where it's pointing at that is the direction it blows towards to.
For a vane, to determine where it's coming from, you then need to think the opposite of that direction.
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On a merely practical level, I simply use online forecasts/weather info - it's worth keeping an eye on the wind, of course, lest one be lulled into thinking a sunny Autumn day might not require a coat, until you realise there's going to be a stiff breeze, right into the eyes as I look out primary bunspot. But WeatherPro on an iPad doesn't have quite the same visual cachet as a vane. =:)
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In Nova Scotia, wind from the north, off the Gulf of St. Lawrence, usually means rain or snow, and colder temperatures.
Wind from the east, off the North Atlantic, usually means rain or snow accompanied by high winds.
Wind from the south, off the Gulf Stream, usually means heavy rain or snow accompanied by warmer temperatures.
Wind from the west, off the mainland, usually means sun and warmer temperatures.
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Half a tree fell on it at one point, bending it. So it doesn't quite spin like it used to. But when the wind is really high, we still get to watch it go! That happened a few days ago, actually. I still love the thing, even if it doesn't work that well.
If we ever move, we're digging the damn thing up and finding a way to transport it! I won't leave it behind.