Wind and Rain

 My goodness but it's been windy and wet recently.  My rain gauge measured nearly 40 ml in 48 hours, which doesn't sound much but is quite a jump from the 4 or 5 we usually get on noticeably wet days.

The wind blew and blew and blew and the trees danced and danced and danced. On Wednesday and Thursday my phone sounded the emergency alarm again and again and again, warning of trees being down in the local area, varied every now and then with warnings of river floods.

It was dark on Wednesday and Friday when I went to and from work. I didn't go out on Thursday. So it was only yesterday when I was out in daylight that I saw the chaos the wind and trees had caused. There is a large tree resting on a shed in Warrenheip. There are trees snoozing by the side of the road along Yankee Flat Road. There were chopped up bits of tree by the side of the Zoo Drive market. There is tree rubble all over the place.  Fortunately, no tree rubble at our place!

Lots of people lost power. Ours only went off for a few minutes.  Long enough to mean I had to reset clocks and things but not long enough to cause real inconvenience. Parts of the state have proper flooding to contend with; fortunately no significant flooding in the Ballarat area. But it was all very dramatic while it lasted. Now we just have grey, damp, gloomy weather - which I quite enjoyed while we were pottering around in the market yesterday morning. I don't mind gentle winter weather.  During winter :D

We went to the market earlier than we usually do and had no trouble parking. We must go early in future! There were enough people to make it feel busy but not so many that it felt crowded. The market stall holders from Melbourne were largely not there, but everyone else was - including Tim's Toasties.  Lindsey and I often share a cheese toastie. Yesterday we shared a Philly steak toastie. It was very delicious. I could easily have eaten Lindsey's half as well as my own, except she might well have objected.  Loudly!

And now Jim and I are in Mount Martha. Melbourne is still under more covid restrictions than Regional Victoria and no visitors are allowed in people's homes (we can have 2 per day). However, care giving remains an allowed reason for doing things and we are caring for Stella. Doesn't do to leave her on her own all day on Sunday. We had crumbed chicken pieces with roast potatoes and peas and beans for dinner last night. She and Jim have had their usual kippers for Sunday breakfast and we are planning seafood pies for lunch. I'll also sort out food for this coming week for her and organise a few things before heading back home this afternoon. The traffic yesterday was quite light for a Saturday afternoon, and especially for the Saturday of a long weekend.  I am hoping for equally light traffic on the way back.

It's Tabitha's birthday today. We spoke to her yesterday evening. They are slowly emerging from covid restrictions and have just come back from a week camping in Cornwall. They can go out today for birthday celebrations - so they will :D And we get the long weekend in celebration of her birth.