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Storm Darragh is making its presence felt here, so I am having a bra-free stay-at-home day and about to go up and work on Gabby's quilt (final bit) in case we lose power. Worse storm of the year, that's for certain, and half of Wales on shut-down - both the bridges over the River Severn are closed, and there is no train link beyond Cardiff due to trees on the line (flooding too I should imagine, especially on the Heart of Wales line that goes past us). Worryingly all my offspring are in the Red Alert area. Gabby is going out for a meal with friends (in a taxi she tells me), Tam and Rosie staying put (but Jon has to go to work in Aber) and Danny is in Swansea - but won't be driving back until the wind has dropped this afternoon. The cats have decided that Staying In is a good idea today and who can blame them?
My computer mouse has just died but fortunately I had a spare, and have just ordered another as I can't get on with the touchpad at the bottom of the keyboard, and certainly can't play online games with it.
Feeling sorry for the folk who HAVE to be out in this -delivery vans, lorries, people getting to essential jobs. Hope they all keep safe. Needless to say there will be flooding too (currently 119 flood alerts across the UK, not just in Wales, where we have 31 in place) and 90 mph gales up in N. Wales. All sorts of Christmas fairs and activities cancelled and I cannot tell you how relieved I felt when I heard that today's antiques fair was cancelled, though our friend running it will be very much out of pocket.
Right, up to my sewing machine. I have done a nice border at the top to make the quilt deeper, and now wish I had used this border for the entire quilt! I will answer the personals later.
In the teeth of it now and they HAD said it would be easing up around 11 but I notice it's been extended well into the late afternoon now. The direction is changing too and it's to the worst direction for me so a long way to go yet before we're out of the woods. Off to find something to do to distract myself. Stay safe, and hope the family do too!
ReplyDeleteI went out for a walk mid-afternoon and it was still quite blustery then. I was reminded of Keith telling me of his winter in the Falklands (climbing up very tall pylons in the teefs of a gale) and how the wind never stopped blowing there.
DeleteHope that your home didn't suffer any damage.
Definitely a day to stay home. What is happening with the weather? I can't remember so many storms in the UK. I always feel sorry and very grateful for the people going out in the foul weather to work on the power lines.
ReplyDeleteThere do seem to have been a lot of bad storms this year, and a little bundle of them lately. I have scarcely left the house - only to put recycyling out etc. Spent half the afternoon trying desperately to get back into my blog! FINALLY tonight I managed it.
ReplyDeleteStay safe. You are certainly having lots of bad storms this year.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
They are quite close together too. This was definitely the worst for quite a while though.
DeleteThis sounds like a quite a severe storm. Staying safe inside makes the most sense!
ReplyDeleteYet there were people going to the shops, for heavens' sake. Perhaps they thought, oh shopping will be easy as not many people out. No - for good reason!
DeleteStay safe and warm BB. I have seen on the news how bad it has been in Wales and so sorry to hear of Tam losing power. Even here it has been the worst storm I think this year.
ReplyDeleteI've been ok here - we have a hill and lots of trees above us which gives shelter from the worst of it. Definitely the worst storm this year and probably several years come to that. Glad you were ok there.
DeleteYes, those of us fortunate enough to be able to stay home safe and sound should count our blessings. Here atop the hill yesterday was scary at times and we have some wind damage but nothing major. Our wheelie bins were safely stowed in the garage on Friday which was the most beautiful day here (red admiral butterflies in the scented Viburnum) and after a good walk from home I set to and hand-weeded under my beech hedges where I have planted snowdrops. Hundreds of feet of beech hedge, snowdrops planted in ones, twos and threes since 2018 and now there are thousands as I continue dividing and replanting. I took my mind off the wild weather yesterday with knitting (arm hole steeks finished) and as a break from that beginning to cross stitch on 32 count linen “All is calm” a free pattern to download from While Iris Naps. We’ve had several 18 hour or longer power cuts here but I’m too mean to waste anything from the freezer - especially if homemade and homegrown. Home cooked venison casserole will survive a freezer defrost and re-freeze as long as it’s reheated properly when you come to eat it and food such as tubs of homemade soup or homemade cake and milk and bread and raw diced rhubarb and even raw whole chillies have all been completely fine. Obviously boughten freezer food may be different. Stay safe BB, especially if considering driving through floods, it’s not worth risking your car. Lots of events cancelled here this weekend including Petworth town’s Christmas Cracker and Petworth house, gardens and park closed all weekend so we aren’t going anywhere apart from maybe a walk around the meadow and into the big field to survey the flooded water meadows. If we’re lucky we might see the barn owl. I am just grateful we have kept our power so far and have plenty of distractions. My dad worked for Southern Electricity Board all his life and ended his 45 year career as the Chief Engineer but when I was little I remember very well all the stand by nights when he was on call to restore power. Excited for you about your holiday - your girls are so good and clearly know you deserve an adventure - Scotland can wait, but the Middle East may not. One of our book group goes frequently on holiday to locations that the rest of us wouldn’t touch with a barge pole but has always returned safe and sound - just make sure you have good insurance. Hope Gabby’s quilt is going well, soon be time to start the quilting, definitely my favourite bit.
ReplyDeleteSarah x
Gosh, that's a lot of hedge to keep on top of! I bet it looks fabulous when the Snowdrops are out, and not long to wait now. Not long till the shortest day either, thank heavens. I looked up All is Calm - that looks a lovely pattern.
DeleteI won't (daren't) risk driving through floods. I can only go to Aber if all the roads are clear.
I think there were an awful lot of Christmas events cancelled yesterday, and no surprise. I really feel for the poor souls who have to go out and restore power, clear roads and railways from fallen trees and landslips etc. Not the weather to be out and about in.
I would still like to go back to Scotland - want to go to Edinburgh Museum for all the Pictish things on display, the castle and to explore the history of it.
Tam's got Jon's mother on hand to cook stuff up for her. She's told me to stay put for the moment as the roads locally are still bad with trees down and only partly cleared. She's just phoned to say that their power came back on at 7 p.m. tonight so they have the heating on and are able to see what they are doing and have hot drinks/meals again. They had a full roast dinner at on's mum's, so at least had a good hot meal today.
Did you see the Barn Owl?
Thank goodness we decided to go and do the things we needed to at our Welsh flat last week and not this. Llandudno was quite badly hit with one of the fixed kiosks being completely blown over and roof damage to some of the others. We were only there last Saturday walking Mavis.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and all the family manage to stay safe, food can be replaced people can't. xx
It certainly took a battering didn't it? One of those ice cream kiosks was found in pieces along the beach. You were certainly back at home at the right time.
DeleteSo true - food CAN be replaced, people can't.