Monday, 7 June 2021

QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY - FULL OF PISS AND WIND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT.

Northland has been experiencing a vicious storm over the last couple of days.

Last night we had 125km winds that shook the house and sent anything not bolted down scattering. No deck chairs were damaged though, you will be relieved to know.

Twice during the night I had to go outside. The first time was to secure the basement doors which had been ripped open by wind gusts.

These very doors - wide open!


I had to don my trusty yellow slicker with the hood.


The Old Girl scoffed when I bought this a while ago from the Kathmandu store.
"We live in Northland, not North England" she said. Well, the last laugh is with me as this kept me dry as I battled the wind and rain last night.

Later I had to go outside again as there was a very loud and repetitive thumping and banging sound. It was pitch black so I needed a powerful torch and went all around the house. A few years back a similar storm tore the roof off a neighbour's house so I made a careful check of ours. I couldn't see any problem but realised that the sound was from the bay. The sails from one of the yacht's moored there had been torn loose and were flapping. The owners were out repairing it this morning.

I'm going to install new and hardier bolts on the basement doors today if and when the wind and rain subsides. We're off to Auckland tomorrow for a week and I don't want this to happen again while I'm away.


4 comments:

Richard (of RBB) said...

Thank Robert's god the outside furniture didn't blow over!

THE CURMUDGEON said...

It's early days yet. The storm still hasn't abated.
I had to chase a bucket down the road today (that's a sentence that you won't hear often - kind of like "we are going to have a violin and bagpipes duet")

The bloody wind sucked out a large bucket I use for fireplace ash, out of the woodshed. I heard it being dragged down the driveway and saw it travelling across the road to the water. I donned my yellow rain slicker (available from all good Katmandu sores) and set off in pursuit. The wind was buffeting me and the rain was bucketing (pun intended) down. I retrieved the bucket and once again was thankful for the yellow raincoat.

While doing this however I was nervously looking about me for potentially dangerous flying objects (not, in this case, Robert's Holy Ghost) as there are fairly large branches from our, our neighbour's and roadside trees lying about along with bits of sheet iron from sheds and houses. It reminds me of 'Wahine Day' in Wellington in 1968.

The furniture is still in place.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Just pleased that the outside furniture is okay. ♥️

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Yes, one must decide on one's priorities.

I might have some old bagpipes lying around that I can lend you if that helps?*




* 'Richard's Bagpipe Bag" has a ring to it (or, more appropriately, a drone).