Valkyrie

Yeuch - this is awful. Thankfully there was a brief respite when the ducks and chickens got a clean out. The road outside keeps getting blocked by leaves from goodness knows where and covering the drain. OH has been out there every day to clear it (not bad enough to reach the house) and it's like one huge whirlpool! Went to the village do this evening, came back and the road is flooded yet again. Job for tomorrow morning, but it is torrential, the wind isn't as bad as it has been. I have been assured that this is not normal down here! I know - this yukky stuff is all over the place! Oh Beanie that sounds awful!

Oh that is good! Stressful in a good way!

Well I guess we have less egg production. Of the 4 young banties only one is laying every other 2 days. The big girls, well Inga the Evil stopped laying months ago, Dusty started a long moult which has suddenly increased to bare bot and neck so not laid for a while. Then there's Frida who still lays every other day in spite of being semi-nekkid! She had the odd little bit moulting and, like Dusty, shook herself and WOOOOOFFFFF all the feathers came out! Other than that the wild birds are in fine fettle!

So weird wasn't it. I now understand what people mean when they say tornadoes sound like a locomotive - nature is amazing and powerful, cruel and wonderful all wrapped into one!

Agree DM, sadly.

Just catching up. Nope - felt nothing - didn't even know until my mum emailed me. Probably was in bed. The severed phone line, thanks to the hedge trimming tractor had only been fixed a couple of days before, so I've got used to early nights. Plus any windy buffeting nights wouldn't have noticed it either I did read that there was mention of it being 7 miles south of Taunton. Not far from here is a quarry - we hear the "fire in the hold (or hole depending on whatever you prefer)" siren and if the wind is in the right direction, the boom. But never felt the ground shake. But Bridgewater is north of Taunton so it wouldn't have been the quarry - then again you never know what effect the explosives are doing. I was heavily pregnant when there was an earthquake that was around Wraysbury - never felt that either and we were living near there at the time! I did feel the refinery explosion from Hemel Hempstead when we lived near Basingstoke though - and could see the smoke from our bedroom window! We also saw a lovely rainbow in the sky later that day from the oil in the clouds! But earthquakes - nada zippo - apart from the Science museum exhibit!

Handy map to refer to: https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8cb1883eda5547c6b91b5d5e6aeba90d I spent Monday trying to lash down the tarps on the run. Nightmare weather here. Bungees rip off, cable ties rip off, plastic is ripping off and so are the tarps shredding. It's quite depressing to keep trying to keep it leak free. I think if we had corrugated sheeting that would be in Dorset by now.

Love the windows, love the mantel decs and love the trees! I never have a set time for the tree, but usually take it down on the 6th and if I can't do that, I just take off the decorations. This year, when unpacking the box which was in the garage, we discovered empty beech nut shells. Seems Chip 'n Dale had been using it as a cafe. No other sign of them, so they must have vacated or been eaten by the cat next door. It might be fake but it's still the best fake I've seen! If it falls apart then it'll be back to proper trees - I miss that pine smell. Sooooo the tree is up, the lights are on but that's as far as I have got. We bought a wreath that had orange slices and so it wouldn't dry out, we put it in the workshop. Seems Pixie and Dixie have now set up home somewhere in there and ate the orange from the middle of the slices and left the rings!

Noelle! Angel. Fairy - on top of the tree or fairy lights. Star. Snowy, mince pie, eggnog - Nog! Candy cane. Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe, Frigga, Demeter. Give up now!

Yesterday was vile. Was out waiting for the chickens to go to bed and sitting in the run, but the little ones seemed to be so scared. I did hear something like a jet plane roaring across the hill - thought why would they send out planes in this - when the gust slammed into the run! No wonder the littlelies were scared - so was I! That happened a few times - the roar of it was amazing and then a few seconds before we were buffeted! Then out to do the ducks in a lull. Got drenched by horizontal icy rain. The only bit of me exposed got prickled by the icy lumps, although I don't think it was hail. My trousers acted like a wick and drew up the water above my knees - and I had a long wax coat on. Luckily it died down overnight, but it is still bitterly cold wind and there were a lot of showers with anvil clouds about today.

🤪

hamster with a crown! I think it's an angel with wings but still prefer the old emojis. although this was on the new ones, so that's all innocent 😇 and you found a flappy angel!👼 I am not touchy feeling by the way!

Mine has too! Hmmmph! Look what was on the side!!! Thank you dear Secret Santa xxx Now do I take it out of the box? I haven't put our tree up yet!

That was a while back - I think it was supposed to be this Tuesday - which has come and gone and it was really nice!

Small world eh! We lived in Trumps Green - just a 5 minute walk over to the golf club and dashed across the path in the middle of the fairway many a time! Married at Christ Church in Virginia Water and our wedding reception was at Royal Holloway College! We both met at Barclays in Egham. Blooming office junior - such a pain in the bottom! Still is a pain!