How To Make The Most of The Seasons

How To Make The Most of The Seasons

“Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all you’ve got to do is call…” but do you know when each season begins and ends? In the good old days it may have been easier to tell when each season started and ended, whereas today the seasons are more blurred.

You may be surprise to know that there are 3 methods to highlighting when seasons begin and end:

  • Meteorological – this is the method used by the Met Office due to its simplicity and consistency. Via this method the seasons fall in 3 month periods, and the periods are to coincide with the Gregorian calendar.
  • Astronomical – seasons are defined via this method depending on where the sun is shining on the earth’s surface. The astronomical method sees summer and winter begin on solstices, which fall roughly 3 weeks after the meteorological seasons, solstices are also based on the instant when the sun reaches its most northerly and southerly points.Spring and autumn begin on equinoxes, which is the instant the sun passes either north or south over the equator.
  • Phenological – this is the most natural and fluid definition of seasons, as it is the process of noting the signs of change in plant and animal behaviour, as such winter will begin when native deciduous trees are bare.

Despite the 3 methods above being ways to mark when seasons begin and end, the one which is commonly used is the meteorological method, which we outline in a bit more detail below.

Winter:

When: December to February

Average Number of Daylight Hours: 8-9

Average Rainfall: 78mm

Average Temperatures: 6-7.5⁰C

During winter in the UK, which typically runs between December and February – although November can also experience wintery weather – temperatures often fall past freezing point, particularly in rural areas.

As a result of the wintery conditions, it’s not uncommon to experience frost on the ground during the morning drive to work, as well as on the way home, and ice on windscreens. To help protect your car, and reduce the time it takes you to scrape ice off in the mornings, we recommend you stock up on de-icer ahead of the winter months, whilst it is also a good idea to have the Rolson 3 in 1 Heavy Duty Cold Weather Tool to hand in your car.

To help you stay warm and cosy in your home during winter, it’s important to make sure you have the right heating equipment and that your heating is set to the correct temperature.

But, did you know that many of us have our heating up too high? You can find out what temperature is recommended for your home to be during winter, by reading our post “How Warm Should Your Home Be In Winter?” whilst in “The Right Heater Will Help Keep You Warm This Winter” we explain which portable heaters you should consider purchasing.

Spring:

When: March to May

Average Number of Daylight Hours: 11-15

Average Rainfall: 60

Average Temperatures: 9-15.5⁰C

Spring, a time when trees begin to blossom, early flowers bloom and nature bursts into life. Spring is often one of the preferred seasons of the year, as temperatures slowly increase, frosts become less common and gardens begin to grow into a wall of colour.

As spring burst into life, it’s time to blow off the cobwebs in your home – and the best way to achieve this is to carry out a spring clean. Unsure where to start? Read our “Top Tips to Achieve a Great Spring Clean” post, and provide your home with a deep clean.

Spring Gardening

Summer:

When: June to August

Average Number of Daylight Hours: 16

Average Rainfall: 61mm

Average Temperatures: 18-21⁰C

We all remember our childhood summers, when the sun shone bright from dawn til dusk, it was always hot and the rain never fell. Blissful wasn’t it. Yet, in reality summer seems to be a few bursts of hot weather, followed by rain.

A few things which are for sure during summer, is that it’s the perfect time to get out and enjoy the garden, although there are a number of gardening jobs you’ll need to carry out during the summer too – as outlined in “17 Gardening Tasks You Need To Do In Summer”.

Summer is also the perfect time to have a family BBQ, and to enjoy this help keep pests at bay by following our tips in “Your Simple Guide to a Pest Free Summer”.

Autumn:

When: September to November

Average Number of Daylight Hours: 10-14

Average Rainfall: 81mm

Average Temperatures: 9.5-17.5⁰C

Traditionally autumn marks the change in seasons between summer and winter, it’s a time when leaves change colour and fall to the floor – making it imperative that you have a garden vacuum to help keep your garden neat and tidy.

Autumn is also a time where the weather can be considerably varied, for example during September and even early October the weather can be almost summer like, yet come November temperatures can plummet making it feel more like winter.

Whatever the weather in autumn, make sure you’re ready for – and making the most – out of the season, by giving your home a deep clean by following our “10 Autumn Cleaning Tips For Your Home” and brightening it up by fitting LED bulbs – we explain the benefits of such bulbs in our “Guide For Switching to LED Bulbs” article.

10 Tips for Autumn Cleaning

Understanding the differences between the seasons and when they fall, can help you make sure your home and garden are always prepared – and to help, within the BuySpares blog you will find a wide range of advice, tips and tricks to getting the most out of all seasons and keeping your home ticking over nicely.

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One Comment

  1. Seven Day Shopping

    February 10, 2016 | 06:30 - Reply

    One thing I really struggled this winter is fighting with mold wall and roof; black spot were everywhere, and felt so dirty.

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