Wind

My goodness but it was windy yesterday evening and last night

As the X17 bus made its way along the Dronfield bypass towards Chesterfield yesterday evening, it was buffeted and blown about.  It was a bit like being on a small plane in a huge storm - a lot, in fact, like the time The Builder and I flew into Jersey in a gale and as we landed in St Helier the plane was caught by several gusts of wind and was blown about all over the place.  The pilot of that plane and the driver of the bus yesterday both did a sterling job of keeping everything upright and together.  But I bet the bus driver was delighted to get off the bypass - it is quite high in places and rather exposed!

Then I got home and went to light the fire.  As I was laying the kindling out, a huge gust of wind came blowing down the chimney and blew ash all over the carpet.  Then, after I had lit the fire, the wind blew back down the chimney and the wood burner filled with smoke - which began to seep out into the lounge room.  This was a bit worrying!  We closed all the air vents down on the fireplace and opened the window.  After the smoke had cleared from the wood burner, we tried again. This time the fire caught, but it wasn't terribly happy.  Took ages for it to look cheerful and chirpy.

Then it was bedtime.  I pottered upstairs with the cat.  Pulled the curtains across - and the wind gusted and tried to suck the (brand new!!) curtains out the slightly opened window.  I pulled the window shut (but didn't close the clasp). Throughout the night we were woken by the wind gusting and the window being sucked slightly open and the curtains being sucked out and blown around.  (I really should have closed the window properly in the first place!).

All in all, it was a very disturbed night.  And I had some very peculiar dreams to accompany the sound of the wind.   It came as something of a relief when it was finally time to get up.

It's a much calmer, nicer day in Sheffield today.  The sun is shining and it's fairly still.  But The Builder tells me that it is still very gusty in Tupton.  He nearly got blown over when he was feeding the chooks and ducks this morning.  Marlo, very sensible, is sleeping at the foot of our bed, out of the way of gusty wind - for we have now properly shut the front bedroom window!  (Our usual bedroom is still being decorated and is out of use for now)