I'm sure you've all heard about our big windstorm, Eunice, which struck yesterday and generated the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in England (122 mph at The Needles, on the Isle of Wight). We were at school when Eunice swept through and although I watched from the library windows, I didn't go outside. At about 11 a.m. I saw a big piece of plywood or roofing go flying off a high-rise building near the school, and heard it crash to the ground. Pretty wild!
It was windy all afternoon but the damage at our flat was very limited -- pretty much just the pot to our banana tree (top), which got knocked over by the gusts. But I did see some other mild damage on my walk home:
One of the heavy outdoor ping-pong tables at a school adjoining ours got overturned.
There was a lot of rubbish on the streets and sidewalks, and along Finchley Road the street sweepers were trying to get it all under control.
One of our neighbors lost a fence.
When I got back to the flat, I saw that Dave had moved the tree fern into our bedroom:
When he got home from work he'd found it lying on its side on the patio, but it didn't seem harmed. By bedtime most of the wind had passed so we put it back outside again before we went to sleep.
Also, many of our daffodils were completely flattened, so I picked them and put them in the kitchen.
And that's about it for our personal storm damage. Obviously that's nothing compared to the toppled trees and shredded roofs elsewhere in the UK.
Adding to the day's excitement, we took Olga to the vet yesterday evening. Remember how we noticed swelling on her nose last December? The vet checked it out then and we agreed to keep an eye on it. It seemed to go down but the other day I noticed it's back and a bit larger, so the vet prescribed some antibiotics and we're going to send her for some imaging tests. Strangely I'm not too freaked out about it -- Olga is getting old and things are going to happen. She doesn't seem at all uncomfortable or even aware of it, and she's eating normally, so for now I don't think it's a crisis. We just need to know what we're dealing with.
There was certainly some spectacular storm footage. I was secretly rather pleased to see some of the O2 roof come off. I don't like the building at all. Pity it didn't all blow away. So many stupid people out when the storm was at its worst and had to be helped.
ReplyDeleteThe fern in the bedroom looks like a foot tickler if your feet get hot and you stick them out. Just as well it went back to where it belongs. Your bedroom looks very nice.
Hope for Olga.
The O2 roof is basically fabric, so although the damage looked severe I think it will be easily repaired.
DeleteI love the inside shots of the apartment. And I'm very glad your damage was minimal. I was thinking of you yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky compared to some!
DeleteWell done Dave for fern tlc!
ReplyDeletePity about the banana pot, but at least it's just the pot.
They changed how they classified storms about twenty years ago, to consider not simply wind speed but potential damage..so what would be a yellow warning for us with 60 to 70 mph gusts, would be red for London or other cities...quite a sensible change
Oh, that makes sense. Wind gusts in the city could do more damage.
DeleteThe fern is glorious and fits so perfectly in your bedroom (without an inch to spare). Such a shame to move it back outside... But what a beautiful room! Glad the storm has passed you by. Frightening.
ReplyDeleteWe kept it inside for part of the winter last year, but we decided that wasn't necessary and in fact it's been outside all season with no ill effects. (Until Friday, that is.)
DeleteWe sat in the kitchen window having a coffee and watched out little bijou shed lift off its feet and plop back down again. Apart from losing one of my fuschia's that has been happily flowering all through so far no other damage.
ReplyDeleteBriony
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I'm glad you escaped unharmed! Since you're farther south you probably had more wind than we did.
DeleteYour daffs are early! Everyone keeps saying spring is early but not in or garden. It's late here!
ReplyDeleteA book fell off my bookshelf during the storm, probably because I live near Mumbles which recorded the second highest wind speeds.
That is an impressive fern.
George, our retriever is 14 and a quarter and he has loads of fatty lumps over his belly. So far all benign. Hope Olga's lump is just old age.
Yeah, old dogs tend to get quite lumpy. I've honestly stopped paying attention to most of Olga's lumps and bumps, but this one seems a bit more worrying. Our daffodils usually start showing up right around the beginning of February.
DeleteIt's funny - I kept watching BBC News items on the progress of Storm Eunice and saw no reports about the upturned ping pong table - nor your banana tree's broken pot.
ReplyDeleteLazy journalists!
DeleteThose were hurricane strength winds in some parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteLet me clarify: Those would count as hurricane strength winds in some parts of the world. But you know that.
DeleteYes! We weren't hurricane strength here in London but still windy enough to do damage.
DeleteI loathe high winds because you cannot see them, only their destruction.
ReplyDeleteI got Little Shop of Horror vibes seeing that tree fern overtake the bedroom!
When it comes to our pets we are always err on the side of caution. They give us so much, it's the least we can do.
FEED ME SEYMOUR!
DeleteVery high winds and trash pickup days always equals a mess. Fortunately our day and high winds haven’t coincided for a handful of years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, definitely a bad combo!
DeleteGlad all is well with you. You were the first thing I thought of when I heard about the big winds on the news this morning.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Thanks for thinking of us!
DeleteWow that was some hard wind. It was like our Hurricanes, and thankfully the damage at your place was minimal. The daffodils are just lovely in the vase. I love all of your vases.
ReplyDeleteHave a awesome day... Oh I hope that everything turns out alright with Olga. xx
I'll keep you posted on Olga!
DeleteYou must be breathing a small sigh of relief that things were not worse. That tree fern is so stunning. I do love it.
ReplyDeleteYes. Good to keep an eye on Olga. Bless her heart, she IS getting older and as with all of us, things are going to crop up.
I didn't expect much damage, to be honest, and I'm even surprised the banana blew over. We do have a tree in the back garden that leans and every time there's a high wind I suspect it might come down on the house. But if so, we'll just move! The beauty of renting.
DeleteI'm glad your personal damage was minimal! We didn't have a named storm, but we had some pretty high winds the other night. There are a couple of GINORMOUS wooden arches that our city erected that came crashing down - pretty scary (and a headache for the city - I work in HR there & we steered clear of the City Manager's office).
ReplyDeleteHope Olga doesn't have anything serious wrong with her!
Bummer about the wooden arches. Sounds like they need strengthening!
DeleteThis storm seems to have impacted a great deal of Europe. I have seen blogs from Denmark, Holland and Germany where they all talk about it. As we keep messing with the climate I suspect that storms of this nature are going to be more frequent.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think you're right. This is "the new normal."
DeleteI did read about the storm and saw some photos of damage especially to the arena. I also watched a video of planes trying to land at Heathrow. I'm glad I wasn't on one of them. It looked like a wild ride. Good to know you didn't have any significant damage.
ReplyDeleteI hope Olga has nothing serious wrong. Fingers crossed.
I couldn't watch those Heathrow videos. Way too scary!
DeleteHurricane force winds! My daffodils are only poking out of the ground about an inch. Dogs develop all kinds of weird bumps and fatty deposits and things as they age.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Olga has lots of subcutaneous lumps and bumps, but none of them look particularly threatening. This one is different because it's harder. It might even be in the bone of her snout -- that's why we need imaging, to see what's going on.
DeleteThat was quite a windstorm there. I did see headlines about it, but hadn't seen any photos until now. I don't think I've ever been in winds as high as that. it must have been wild and interesting. Glad that there wasn't too much damage there. Whew! (I just remembered the windstorm I was in in Boulder, Co 1982. Oh yes, it really roars!)
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well with Olga's tests. She has a big world-wide fan club hoping for good news.
My pictures are nothing compared to the damage elsewhere. Some huge trees came down on houses and cars in other parts of England. I'll keep you posted on Olga!
DeleteThe tree fern is a monster - how on earth did Dave manage to move it by himself? Is your banana of the strictly ornamental ilk or is it edible? Hope all is calm now.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually not that heavy! The pot itself is quite small. The ferns don't have big root systems.
DeleteMy first thought was the same as Wilma's. How on earth did Dave manage to get that fern into the house. It looked huge on your front porch, but it looks monstrously large in the bedroom. Probably good that you were able to get it back outside. It looks as if it is quietly planning to take over.
ReplyDeleteRight behind the fern is a door leading onto the patio -- so he just brought it through the doorway and into the bedroom. It's really not as hard as it looks.
DeleteWindstorms like Eunice are not only damaging but scary.
ReplyDeleteThey are! I don't have a lot of experience with very high winds but they can be alarming.
DeleteGlad your damage was minimal. Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen!
DeleteThat fence down make me cringe; I seem to lose part of my 26 year old fence every time there's a major windstorm. I'm glad that you didn't suffer much damage. On another note, your bedroom is beautiful. Do you ever use that fireplace?
ReplyDeleteThat fence needed some work anyway, to be honest! The fireplace in our bedroom doesn't work, unfortunately.
DeleteI'm glad the damage was minor and hope that you get good news about Olga's nose. I did not know you have a fireplace in your bedroom. Does it work?
ReplyDeleteIt worked once upon a time but now it's just decorative. The chimney is blocked off.
Delete122 MPH at The Needles! Yikes! Glad your damage was minor. Regarding that plant Dave saved, good that you could get it back outside, it was taking over your bedroom. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, when I saw it, I told Dave, "We need to get that out of here before bedtime!"
DeleteLove the paint colors in the bedroom. I am particularly attuned to colors these days. I'm impressed that Dave could get that massive plant in to the house.
ReplyDeleteIt's got very large fronds but the plant itself really isn't that big or heavy.
DeleteLove your bedroom
ReplyDeleteAnd marks for the best blog title
Ha! Thanks!
DeleteGood that you weathered the storm so well. I do hope Olga is ok. I remember when she joined your family.
ReplyDeleteOnly nine years ago, but it seems like a lifetime!
DeleteRecognize the pillow on the bed- looks great with the tree fern right there. I love that plant! Eunice certainly had a tantrum, but I guess we should be adjusting to extremes in weather. Lower to the ground living might be the wisest choice. In fact UNDER ground might be the wisest option.
ReplyDeleteYes! That's the pillow! I don't think I'm ready to move underground but it's nice to be on the ground floor (and yet on a hill, in case of flooding).
DeleteThat's quite a windstorm! I'm glad you didn't have any real damage. I like your bedroom... does that window look out over your back garden?
ReplyDeleteI'll be thinking about Olga...
Yes, the windows (with a door in the middle) overlook the patio and garden.
DeleteHi Steve, Olga and Dave. you might have to take them to the vet more than once. Babs had fever 0f 102 and she wouldn't eat. I was determined to save my baby. I forced fed her because she wouldn't eat on her own. It was expensive but I love my fur babies and I kept taking her until she was better. She is back to being old Babs again.(lol) I bought her some fresh food that smell like sausage and in a roll like breaksfast sausage. I thought I was going to lose her.
ReplyDeleteYour named storms should have been over with. Hurricane season ended in November for us. London have some stronly built buildings because that type of wind probably would have carried our homes away over here. Hurricane season is very scary for us. You never get used to it
Poor Babs! Must have been some kind of infection, if she had a fever? Our storms can occur at any time of year, I think, though they do tend to be more severe in winter. (Life on an island!)
DeleteGlad you were able to move the tree fern back outside. Waking up in the night and seeing that monster lurking over your bed might have sent YOU to a vet.
ReplyDeleteHa! I'm not sure I could withstand those fronds tickling my feet all night!
DeleteI'm glad Olga is fine for now, hope the tests show something easily fixed.
ReplyDeleteI love the celery/onion/apple pots on your sill! I've never seen any like that.
I'm glad I don't live in a hurricane area. We do get very gusty winds, some gale force that takes down trees and roofs, but not actual hurricanes. One wind last year (I think) picked up someone's trampoline and dropped it in someone else's swimming pool.
Trampolines are always flying around in a high wind! Those pots on the windowsill were made by a British pottery back in the '60s and '70s, I think -- you can find them for sale online for not too much money.
DeleteThat's a beautiful fern. And the daffodils brighten up the room. It's good that the storm did not cause a lot of damage. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteThat had to be harrowing, hearing that wind and seeing things fly around. I'm glad you were able to rescue the fern and daffodils and hopefully can repot the banana tree soon. That sounds like quite the storm!
ReplyDelete