Avant le deluge

[bunn]

We are forecast a hurricane. I think it's fair to say that, although we don't actually *want* a hurricane, after the level of buildup this one has had, everyone is going to feel mildly let down if there isn't some level of drama. This morning on the hill, the standard greeting among dog-walkers was to ask if everything was 'battened down'. I have not battened down my greenhouse. I'm not sure a greenhouse *can* be battened, though if it goes whirling off over the village shedding glass in all directions, I shall feel terribly guilty.

This morning there was a wild wind whisking over the hill, sending even wobbly old Az galloping unsteadily but enthusiastically between the wildly waving tawny tussocks under a pale blue sky. In between flying clouds, the sun was warm. But now it is calm and still and pouring with rain. I met only one walker on the evening walk, the landlord of the village pub, who turns out to be a hurricane denier. He believes it's all a storm in a teacup.

Footie cat has come in, rather wet and complaining loudly about the weather. He has spent most of the summer enjoying the wide open spaces, and as usual is furious and protesting at the arrival of the rain...

In other news, I signed up for smallfandombang in the hope that this will provide motivation to finally get that dratted story about Marcus, Esca and Cottia in Dumnonia finished. The good thing is that the word limit is only 10,000 words and I have 6,500 already. But the fly in the ointment is that leaves a lot of plot unexplained, plus I think the archaeology has gone and changed again (tears hair) so I need to revise my ideas on Isca and the settlements west of, again.

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

My favourite animals-and-bad-weather memory concerns Marmite, whom I found hiding between two large plantpots one dark and wet afternoon. "Ma-mew! Ma-mew!" he called, as was his habit at the time. (It's now "Nyeh! Nyeh!") There was a lull in the rain, so when I crouched down he came over. Before he made any head-rubs he looked up at the sky and explained "Gwuh!" a sound I've not heard a cat make before or since.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I've felt somewhat inadequate all day, because I don't know how to batten anything down, and I've got no hatches, anyway. I could, if pressed, find something that could pass for a baton, and put it down, but I haven't done so.

I went for a walk along the seafront this afternoon and a very strong wind roared up from behind me and helped me on my way. I feel that I was walking at at least 6 mph (looking like the Michelin man while doing so), while the poor people who had chosen unwisely in the direction of their walk were came wading through the wind towards me at a slow, pained-looking crawl.

But the ferries are still running, and the weather station in the Solent reports a mere 26 knots at the moment. They promised us an apocalypse! I demand an apocalypse!

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

...and now my house will probably blow away in the night, and me within in, and it will Serve Me Right. I was brought up with the maxim "don't tempt fate", after all - along with "he who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" and "it saves washing up".

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

15 knots now. 15 knots! Where is the storm that was promised?

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Good luck on smallfandombang! It's always seemed rather a pity to me that large fandoms get all the comm action, although of course it makes sense.

And I hope the hurricane offers exactly the right level of drama.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

We have the loft hatch, but we'd probably need to batten it up rather than down.

The washing machine has what you could charitably call a hatch. Though it's more like a porthole, I suppose.

[timetiger.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the dratted hurricane, and also -- in another kind of way -- with the story.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

When I got up, the skies were a beautiful blue, fringed with clouds the colour of peaches. It is at least raining now, but there's a rainbow!

The news is full of Devastation Across the Southwest, but clearly this is some other Southwest than the one I live in, which is pleasing.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Cats seem understandably confused about why we can't just turn the rain off. Perl used to check both the front door and the back door, to make sure that it was raining outside both!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I put the bin in the garage? But I didn't batten it.

Although I have just seen on Radio Scilly that someone was out last night camping on St Mary's which makes our failure to batten seem quite provident.

[thecatsamuel.livejournal.com]

There are some twigs off the trees here but nothing more exciting. I feel a bit sorry for the met office as they are damned either way - and the media hysterics is not really their fault.