Christmas Poinsettia

We’ve had a stormy weekend… howling gales overnight and torrential rain. Our part of the country escaped the worst, but Whitfield tends to be particularly windy, even at the best of times. Fortunately, we didn’t have any pressing need to go out today… but Liv wasn’t so lucky and had to make her way back to Nottingham in the afternoon. My blip today: a close-up shot of the lovely red poinsettias brightening up the kitchen table for Christmas.

I dug up a bit more information about the storm and asked Chat GPT to summarise it for the blog…

Storm Darragh swept the UK over the weekend, bringing winds up to 90mph and causing significant disruption. Power outages affected thousands of households, uprooted trees, and travel plans were widely disrupted. Numerous events, including Christmas markets and sports fixtures, were cancelled, and all Royal Parks were temporarily closed. The storm's impacts were felt nationwide, with the Met Office issuing a rare red weather alert for parts of Wales and southwest England, impacting approximately three million residents. While the red alert has been lifted today, yellow and amber warnings remain as strong gusts continue, reaching up to 80mph in some areas—a yellow wind warning covers all of England and Wales for the whole day, prompting authorities to advise the public to remain indoors for safety.  Storm Darragh has tragically claimed two lives and caused widespread travel disruption, with delays and cancellations affecting rail, air, and road networks. Dangerous driving conditions persist, and the risk of further short-term power losses remains. In addition to the human impacts, marine life has also been affected, with reports of a dolphin stranded on a beach in north Wales. As the storm continues to affect the country, authorities are closely monitoring the situation and urging caution.