SILLY STORMY SATURDAY IN SWINDON!

Hello Lovely Blippers,

I am back indoors now, but what a morning we have had here in Swindon.  I overheard the HCBs chatting and heard Mr. HCB say he had been worried all night about the storm and had been up several times looking out at their fences.  This morning when they got up, they were dismayed to see that the fence at the other end to the one repaired recently was flapping in the wind.

When Mrs. HCB came downstairs, Mr. HCB was already getting ready to go out into the garden to try and sort the fence out, so Mrs. HCB went out with him - I jumped into Mrs. HCB’s pocket and once we were out there I managed to get onto the owl bird feeder, as you can see in the main photograph.  Mr. HCB had gone round to the other side of the fence to try and screw a post into the one that had been damaged while Mrs. HCB was trying to hold up the fence, but every so often there was a very strong gust of wind and the fence swayed until it almost went over!

You can see how strong the wind was because it blew me over so I was hanging upside down - it was quite scary!  I think even dear Admirer would have been a bit scared for me.  Whilst we were all out there, the wind was howling and the rain was lashing down and I could hear that the conversation between the HCBs was quite heated at times - but they always work well together, so I’m sure all will be well.

Fortunately, their lovely neighbours came to the rescue - Lynn said that although Mike had gone out to buy a newspaper, she would ask him to come round as soon as he got back - and within a few minutes, he was coming through the gate that connects their two gardens.

Meanwhile, Mrs. HCB had got the loppers out and was chopping down their Paul Scarlet climbing rose bush, which was attached to the fence, but which was quite dangerous, because when the fence swayed, it was too near to her face.  I have to say she is a bit manic with a pair of loppers in her hands - and it’s true to say that the rose bush has had the pruning of its life!!  As they always say, though, it has two chances - it either lives or it dies!  We did notice that there was a little rose still blooming and this is now on Mrs. HCB’s kitchen windowsill.

After the fence had been secured from outside, Mr. HCB and Mike came back into the garden and put another post up to hold it steady from the inside and they hope that this will mean it will stand up in the wind.

I was a bit concerned about Hoggy and his family, especially as the blue bench in the garden had also been blown over in the wind, so I went to have a look, but couldn’t find them - so I assume they are safely sleeping somewhere.

The rest of the Silly Saturday Gang were pleased to see me safely back indoors and wanted to know all about my adventure - not one I want to repeat - and Mrs. HCB kindly made me some hot chocolate and even managed to find some marshmallows to go on the top, so we all sat and drank that and chatted together.  How very kind of her!  But then, you know that we always remind you to BE KIND, and today is no exception.  There will be a lot of people who are suffering after Storm Darragh, and they may need some help, so perhaps YOU could be the one to help them.

Please stay safe, warm and dry and only go out if it’s absolutely necessary - I have just heard Mrs HCB cancelling their Afternoon Tea, which they should have been going out for today, but she has managed to rearrange it for the 20th December, which is good.

Love to you all from
Reeth - and all the other Silly Saturday Gang xxx