I expect most of Britain had gales last night, and we were no exception. They didn't seem to me to be any worse than we have had here over the winter, but perhaps I was asleep through the worst bits! Anyway, I still got a bit of a shock when I went out in the yard this morning and found that my Wyevale polytunnel had taken off in the night and was nowhere to be seen. It is in a fairly sheltered spot in the yard, protected from the worst of the weather by the house, stables and outbuildings, but last night the wind must have been from a particular angle of N-W that ripped it from its moorings. I knew roughly the direction it had taken and wasn't at all surprised to find it about a 1/4 of a mile away, on its back in one of Next Door's fields . . . OH and I managed to carry it back, separated from its cover which had been ripped off one end but still attached at the other, if in a tangle, and with one corner ripped asunder. I shall re-erect it when the winds have gone, affect repairs, and use it for my tomatoes and cucumbers this summer.
I know, it looks a proper mess there. The poly tunnel was hiding all last year's dead weeds and brambles. The area inside the breeze blocks is my veg. plot. 3/4 of it is covered by the black polythene, but that last corner will have to be dug over as soon as it dries up a bit. What a mess.
Meanwhile, there were all my seeds which needed cover, and straight away, so I had to go into town and buy a small upright seed stack type plastic greenhouse, and I put it right against the house, to keep it warm and anchored, in between the Damson tree and the Clematis Montana Rubens. The damp on the wall behind is the remaining area drying out after having a clay-filled stack/support which was built originally (before our time) to take the oil tank when they thought of having central heating put in.
Finally, my Marsh Marigolds/Kingcups are out in flower around the wildlife pond, but I checked along the lane last week and the first leaves are only just starting to come through the ground in the damp woodland where they grow.
Not the best photo as taken about 7 p.m. so the light wasn't at its best.
Goodness me. A quarter of a mile is long way for something to blow. Touch wood, no damage here although the mats by the toilet doors and bins on the campsite have been off and away a few times
ReplyDeletePoor u. We had really bad wind last night, I could not sleep. And today I found a piece of wood on the grass. Could not fiqure out where it had come from but now I know! It has come from the top of the house under the guttering and had snapped completely off. I hope we do not get rain coming through the attic now. Hope you get your polytunnel fixed.
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
It was a wild night but for a change no damage here :-)
ReplyDeleteI had to look up what Mollyblogs were.
ReplyDeleteDaughters name is Molly so I can tell her they are Marsh Marigolds.
Sorry to here about such a strong wind and such damage.
cheers, parsnip
The wind howls round the windows in this part of Essex, but no damage apart from the bird table blowing over, much to the surprise of the doves. Keeping seeds warm in early spring is such a game, it is like nursing children....
ReplyDeleteSmallholder - well, looking at it, I think the wind got under the front of it, it reared up and then got ripped out of the ground, sailed over the big cowsheds yonder and into the bottom of the big field beyond them, well above tree-height, so it had a real Adventure! On the news they were mentioning gusts of up to 100 mph on the coast, and we're not that far from the sea here (less than 20 miles).
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta - hello and welcome. Where you are you would have had it along with us, that's for sure. Sorry your bargeboard has broken off - another job to fix. Love your yellow chair by the way.
Dawn - that darn thing has been well-tethered all winter but the ground up that end of the yard is soft and just didn't hold it I guess. Still, it was a stop-gap because no point in putting in a proper one when we are intending to move.
Parsnip - It's the Yorkshire name for them especially, so Weaver will be along later and be pleased to see the photo I'm sure. She loves them. Fancy you having a daughter called Molly. A pretty name.
Yes weaver is here Parsnip as you predicted. Ecstasy at seeing those first Marsh Marigolds - we call them Waterblobs - but as they say 'a rose by any other name' - wonderful. My all time favourite of Spring and ours on the beck are not even in bud yet.
ReplyDeleteSprry about the poly tunnel though. Yes it was equally windy here - the one good thing about a hearing aid is that I can take it out at bed time and don't hear a thing.
Marsh marigold will be coming through in Sconce Park pastures soon, I hope. The season wears on, new things to see....native bluebell next!
ReplyDeleteHello again Simon. We are having a peculiar spring, and the wild daffs, celendines, primroses and wood anemones suddenly coming through and flowering together. I love Bluebell time . . .
ReplyDeletePat - thought you'd like them. Ah, waterblobs with you. I knew there was a blob in it somewhere!
Pretty bad here too, but our home is much more sheltered than the old one so we hardly noticed when we were inside. I hope you can get your garden back into shape, very lucky you were able to find your poly tunnel.
ReplyDeleteThat bit of garden looks that bad most springs, I have to confess. There is a wild bit to the right which is left to be wild (and it looks just pleasantly overgrown in summer). But in winter . . .
ReplyDeleteThe green bank and building are across the trackway and part of next door's farm buildings.