Tuesday 29th March 2016

Monday

Bank Holiday Monday

Storm Katie day

I mention the last one because, well, Katie did indeed arrive and made quite an impression on everyone.

Storms are not only the concern of autumn, but can happen at any time, but a storm of this ferocity in the early spring is very unusual. The only good thing really was that most trees do not have their leaves yet, and so created less of a wind break to the storm-force winds. I had made a bit of a joke about the storm on Sunday, having had a garden chair blown over, but all in all it was a nice sunny day with just the one heavy downpour, the storm winds seemed a million miles away.

But overnight they came, and by morning light were at their height. They woke me up just before seven, so came down to feed the cats and make coffee. I suggested going out to take some shots of the storm. Jools said it was too dangerous out there. I agreed.

A few minutes later I said to Jools, I am going to Deal to snap the paves and the pier. She replied that good as she was coming with me. So, we got ready, grabbed various cameras and lenses and set off. Deal road was quiet, but as we went through the wood between here and Ringwould, pieces of dead wood were raining down onto the road, one catching the front of the car as we went along, causing a loud clang. I pulled over in the village to inspect the damage, there was none, but shows how risky this trip was. In Walmer, a large rotten oak tree had been blown into the road, snapped it's trunk in two by the power of the wind and two policemen were directing traffic around it's shattered limbs.

We parked near the pier, and although the wind howled, there was little of any real rough seas to see. But I took shots just to make sure, and anyway, the light was fabulous with the sun trying to break through in the gaps in the clouds.

We get back in the car and decide to drive to Dover to St Martin's where we could look down onto Shakespeare Beach and the waves, we hoped that would be crashing against it. So, back down the Deal road, over the roundabout at the Duke of Yorks, down past the castle, down Castle Street then up Military Hill the other side to the site of the old battery.

Down below, huge waves were crashing onto the beach and against the wall of Admiralty Pier, the wind whipping the spray into huge clouds that then obscured the old station and the neighbouring Prince of Wales Pier, whilst we were being buffeted as I tried to take shots. The light changed second by second, si I ran off hundreds of shots over half an hour, getting back in the car when I could no longer feel my hands because of the cold.

By half eight you could see the winds dropping, and above the skies began to clear, so we went back home for breakfast and something warm to drink.

We put the radio on and reverted to our respective hobbies, whilst outside the wind blew clouds across the sun, casting shadows and shapes on the land. We had the last of the saffron buns for lunch, then more hobbies.

Did I want to go and visit the old folks I was asked. No, I honestly replied. It is frustrating that we only live a few miles from Jools' Dad he has visited here maybe half a dozen times, and that we have to go and present ourselves there. But in the end I do go, mainly to see how Jen was, and of course, she had gone out to visit Nan, so we ended up talking to Dad about stuff.

We make our excuses and leave after about half an hour, driving home along the deserted roads back to St Maggies. The cats were waiting, hungry. As ever.

I had made pasta salad in the morning, so just the aubergines to prepare and cook before we sat down to a fine dinner, one of our favourites as you know.

The sun set at quarter past seven or so, and was still light at eight, or nearly so anyway. And somehow, another weekend, this time a four day weekend had slipped through our fingers.