Sunday 20 July 2014

 Friday was hot and humid, so hot I thought I would melt.
 The garden was full of insects, dozens of soldier beetles.
 Hundreds of hoverflies and I do mean hundreds.   So many they even came into the house.
By the time evening came, I noticed a silence in the garden.     Birds had left, in fact, the garden seemed empty and the sky was turning yellow, black and pink.    I knew a storm was coming and it was going to be a bad one.   
 The wind started to pick up, I saw watering cans lifted, small pots knocked over, and then suddenly it stopped.    A flash of lightening set the sky aglow and for ten hours it raged.   Thunder lightening and rain.   I did not sleep a wink.................... 
I walked the garden next day...........leaves littered every corner of the garden......small branches lay everywhere, and the taller plants were brought down.    

I can hear thunder as I type, another storm but nothing like the last one I am sure.
It was spectacular and my father would have loved it.    He was a merchant seaman and experienced many severe storms.   As a child I would hold his hand and watch the storms from the house.   I have no fear of them......thanks Dad. xxxxx   

16 comments:

  1. I heard that in the south ast you had the worst of the heat and storms. We are not suffering so badly here in the SW although the rain yesterday was deafening on our conservatory roof. Everything in the garden was thirsty and now it's all looking good though. Sorry that your storms are damaging the plants and hope all the insects found sanctuary somewhere for the duration.

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    1. Hi Jane,

      It has been so hot. Temperature reached 33C in my part of the world and the humidity was high. It seemed almost like a tropical storm....I personally have never witnessed anything like it. Have been trying to sort the garden but the weather is holding me back....it will get done at some point :)

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  2. I love thunderstorms as well. What a treat to sit on the porch and watch the sky light up and the trees sway in the wind.

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    1. It is a treat and quite a rare experience for me. In the 13 years living here I can count the storms on one hand, but nothing like this one.

      Yes sitting on a porch and watching a storm would without doubt be amazing, especially in the mountains :)

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  3. Lovely flower pictures from your garden. We too had some terrible hot days. Today it is somewhat cooler after some thunder and rain. Actually it is raining again and I hear the thunder far away.

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    1. Thank you Janneke,

      It is still very warm here and stormy.....temperatures are set to rise as the week progresses. Phew!!!!!

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  4. You describe the storm beautifully and your garden pictures reflect the calm before the storm. I got out of bed to watch the lightning and stuck as much of me as I could out of the window to feel the torrential rain on my skin. It was wonderful after such a humid day - I only wish I was brave enough to go out in it in the buff that would have been the ultimate experience. Alas I am a coward.

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    1. Hi Elaine,

      I watched the storm from the conservatory....it was an amazing experience, it seemed to be above the house, it was all so loud. I wish it had cleared the air, sadly it did not, yesterday we cooked, and today has been oppressive.

      Wow, we think alike.....I am a coward to but one day, who knows, I might just pluck up the courage. Only problem is it might frighten the sheep in the fields around here :)

      Have a good week..........

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  5. Hi Cheryl,

    We had our Thunderstorm yesterday late afternoon/evening. Most of Saturday was just constant heavy rain, then it cleared up and when the sun came out it was burning hot. It then darkened again at around 5 and streetlights even came on!
    It's lovely again today, and thankfully little damage here - excluding mollusc damage.

    I love thunder and lightning, fireworks etc. There's nothing better than a summer storm, running outside in the rain.

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    1. Indeed Liz, I did that today. I was working in the garden trying to clear up. Heard rumbles of thunder and the heavens opened. I got wet very quickly so decided to carry on gardening.....hilarious, I looked a bit of a mess but it was such fun :)

      Lots of damage......lots of broken stems etc and so much debris........natures pruning they call it............

      Have a good week.

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  6. We had the storm in Cornwall too. I love to see the lightening and hear the thunder but I have to confess that storms do frighten me. It was quite surreal being in a wooden lodge with the thunder storm raging, that was a new experience for me.

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    1. Sounds like a wonderful experience Jo. wooden lodge sounds perfect.
      My Mother is frightened of storms....I think it stems from the bombs during world war 2.
      Hope you enjoyed your time in Cornwall.

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  7. I am glad you got some much needed rain. The garden will be able to tolerate the heat if it continues. I hope you get a good night of sleep tonight. Such beautiful flowers. The colors of summer.

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    1. I slept well thank you Lisa .....I was so tired I would have slept anywhere.:)

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  8. Such lovely images, Cheryl; quite the contrast with the images that came to my mind as you talked about the storm. I'm not as calm during storms as I once was--too heavy a rain makes me worry about the basement being flooded, and the strong winds make me worry about tornadoes. Too much tornado damage close by in recent years has made me a worrywart, I'm afraid. Your father left you another wonderful legacy, to remain calm through the storms.

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    1. I can understand you worrying Rose. In your part of the world, the storms are really fierce. Lightening was the issue here. Our bedrooms was lit up for most of the night, it was just so bright. I have never experienced anything like it. I saw my brother today and he said the same, he did not get a wink of sleep.
      The images were before the storm Rose.....calm before the storm :)

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