Gathering Storm.

Looking at the weather map amd listening to the lovely Carol Kirkwood (every 'thinking man's 'pin up' if they're approaching 60) on BBC 'Breakfast', we are in for another STORM - very ferocious it seems for us Northerners on the East side of the country.   Its name begins with a B I think but I can't remember what - but plenty of alternatives beginning with B if it turns out to be as bad as predicted.  An aside here:  I have just looked Carol up on Google - she is over 60. With that lovely Scots accent, the gorgeously curvy figure and that charming smile, no wonder she is such a hit.

So back to the storm.   Gone are the days when my dear old father-in-law would judge the weather by looking out to Zebra (a hillock with three old trees on the top) and saying 'it's black ower be Zebra'.  But the outcome is the same.

It is a few years - maybe three or four - since we had a horrendous thunderstorm here - a storm which indiscriminately swept through one or two houses on the estate.   We are on a slope downhill so that water,  gathering speed as it flows off the fields through our gardens as we live at the top , crosses the road and then goes in the front door and out the back door of just a few houses as it goes.

Higher up - in Arkengarthdale  - the same storm destroyed a few old cottages and created havoc in The Red Lion which was closed for repairs for several months I believe..   A bridge at Grinton was completely washed away making the jouney into the dale 'a long way round'.  Let's hope it isn't as bad this time.

The lane where my son and his wife live is an unadopted way with a downward slope both of the lane and the beck which flows alongside.  In that storm a quarter of the houses (8 on one side - very      inviting for the flood water and only two or three on the top side where the land slopes steeply uphill so they are safe),  My son's house stands well back so hopefully he is safer, although his garden is built up and a small housing estate sits above it.   They will be watching the weather over the next few days. 

It is already bad in Scotland with huge waves battering the East coast.   They have been told to batten down the hatches - and it should arrive down here overnight tonight.   Luckily I take out my hearing aids overnight so any howling wind goes by without waking me (I hope).

I am on a bit more even keel today after a couple of very disturbed hectic days and writing here always calms me like old friends dropping in for a chat would.   At half past one this morning I was looking at the lovely crafts displayed on the  etsy shop at' ook' on my side bar.  That had a hugely calming effect on me.   An hour of just quietly looking through beautiful examples of pottery, lovely greetings cards and the like (some people are so very talented aren't they) and I was ready to return to bed, put the blanket setting on 1 (all night) and I overslept!

 See you tomorrow unless the weather is so bad the swimsuits are the order of the day - at which point 'No' almost 91 and swimsuits should never be seen in the same sentence,( especially if the figure concerned also has arthritic knees )!