November cat, with flowers

Nicola Griffith

Nov 2

I often think of Seattle as being very like Leeds, climate-wise. Both have mild maritime climates—due to the Kuroshio Current here and the Gulf Stream there. Both have a line of peaks to their west—though the Olympics are much higher than the Pennines—which shelter the cities from the worst wind and much of the rain. They feel the same. So every year as the days get shorter I'm amazed by how long the flowers on our deck stay in bloom.

Here's what our kitchen deck looked like yesterday morning:

Image descriptions. 1. Two pink and purple fuchsia blossoms handing before a wall of green. 2. Red and white 'Flaming Lips' salvia in a basket 3. Blue and terracotta pots with orange begonia, flame-orange fuchsia, purple petunia, and different—pink and purple—fuchsia 4. Big bright blue pot holding jasmine, yellow begonia, and a variegated vine

This just doesn't happen in Leeds. And what makes the difference is latitude: Leeds is a hair off 54° N—about the same latitude as parts of the Aleutians or Denmark and Poland—whereas Seattle, at 47.6° N, is much farther south. This makes a huge difference in terms of light.

Right now Leeds is getting about 25 minutes less daylight a day than we are. By the solstice, that difference will be over an hour—which is a huge percentage. Here in Seattle Anna's hummingbirds are year-round residents; they wouldn't survive in Leeds.

So I'm going to enjoy these flowers while I can—and try to remember to take pictures of the still-astonishingly luxuriant Salvia in the front garden.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of George guarding the remaining snapdragons.