Wild is the wind...

When I woke this morning Storm Éowyn was building strength.

JR, the guy who maintains our smart home technology was due out today to have a look at some issues and I was convinced he would cancel but nope, he turned up, in his large van!  Madness driving in these winds.  He was here for a couple of ours then left to drive home (north of Perth). If I was him I would have been looking for a local hotel! 

Not long after he left the door bell rang and it was our neighbour L's son to check we were ok and did we know that one of the massive conifers from his mum's back garden had blown over onto the dividing wall and hedge between us on our neighbours behind.  We hadn't realised.  D and he went to investigate.  He assured us it would all be removed and damage sorted.  

I blipped these trees not long after we moved here.  They were beautiful but as time went on I did worry about how tall they were and what damage they would do if they fell. My neighbour L must have worried too as over the last year she's gradually had them removed and the one that fell was the only one left.  I feel for her as this last one was supposed to be removed before Christmas, but for whatever reason that was put back to February.  oh well, it's down now.

Later in the afternoon I was in the hall and noticed the view from the front door looked a bit different.  I opened the door and gasped because an enormous conifer in our other neighbour's garden was no longer there!  D went to investigate and it had blown down right across her driveway!  Access to her house from the front is completely blocked.  

When D got back he phoned her but her house phone and mobile went to answerphone.  Jacket back on, D went round the corner to her daughter's house and was relieved to find her there.  She was grateful for D's visit.  

We also had two other casualties in the back garden.  One of the black lamp posts put in by the previous owners had been blown over taking the patio slab with it.  And our large (and fairly new) garden table that weighs a ton, had blown onto its side and the glass top smashed to smithereens.  Can't let Lola into the back garden till we get the chance to clean all that up! 

On the bright side, we got off lightly!  Seeing the news this evening and all the reports of people losing roofs, cars, their lives...we've got nothing to complain about.  And we still have power.  Over a million people in the central belt have no electricity.

Only other thing worthy of note from today is the Traitor's final.  Really enjoyed it despite not being as fired up by the rest of this series as the previous two.  Might even watch the American version :-)

To everyone in path of Storm Éowyn, I hope you have remained safe, well and cosy.