Preparedness for when

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Methinks something wicked this way comes, the clouds are whipping across the sky as though they have a very powerful electric fan behind them, they're getting blacker and bigger by the second and coming in from the direction of the river.

If this was Hollywood, the Gates of Mordor would have opened and the evil armies would be spilling across the land. As it is its just nature - far more deadly and completely without malicious intent (or compassion for that matter). Time to huddle around the hearth and keep it as much at bay as possible.

elona wrote: »

I went out around five to post a few items and had a tailwind blowing me down the road!

Neighbour has a tall rather poorly looking tree that is blowing around wildly so praying everything is all right till I move later this month.

I hope there are no further misadventures slowing the move down.

greenbee wrote: »

I'm supposed to be going out about now... not really sure that I want to given how windy it is!

Discretion really is the better part of valour, the the forecast has the winds dropping here to to the low 50s it sounds worse now than its done all day and there's more debris flying. And being dark there's even less warning that something may be about to collide with you.
Stay safe everyone.

moneyistooshorttomention

Windy as heck again here in West Wales too (windy and West Wales in same sentence - nevair ..:rotfl:).

With the copious amounts of wind and rain over the last couple of months I know I'm feeling more than a little stir-crazy (ie about only going out when I've got summat planned to go to - rather than just plain going "out type out" just for a walk or something).

I bet a lot of us are feeling more or less stir-crazy by now. It was broken for a week by just normal "bad weather" on a trip back to home area to see how my mother was getting on (she was feeling noticeably better in the event by the time I left:)) - but stir-craziness is back again in earnest now...

[Deleted User]

elona wrote: »

I went out around five to post a few items and had a tailwind blowing me down the road!

Same here. Dry, but howling wind.

[Deleted User]

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Windy as heck again here in West Wales too

Don't eat so many Baked Beans.

GreyQueen

The gates of Mordor, I like that imagery. I've actually been to Mordor IRL - well, Tongariro National Park, which subbed for Mordor with some heavy CGI-ing. Mark you, wouldn't want to be up there at night, it's like something from another planet, as icy winds slice across bleak mountains and lakes the colour of toilet cleaner where nothing lives but the stench of sulphur..............

When I lived in a Scottish city, it wasn't at all uncommon to find slates on the streets after a rough night. They'd come slicing down off 4 story tenements. I always imagined getting hit by one of them would have been like taking the top off a soft-boiled egg with a knife - not good, not good.

Nope, this is definately a suitable night for huddling around the internet hearth and listening to the banshee wails of the storm outside.

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

The gates of Mordor, I like that imagery. I've actually been to Mordor IRL - well, Tongariro National Park, which subbed for Mordor with some heavy CGI-ing. Mark you, wouldn't want to be up there at night, it's like something from another planet, as icy winds slice across bleak mountains and lakes the colour of toilet cleaner where nothing lives but the stench of sulphur..............

Imagery poker, I fold
Thats sounds both beautiful and horrific, and far worse than the CGI'd stuff the Peter Jackson treated us to.

When I lived in a Scottish city, it wasn't at all uncommon to find slates on the streets after a rough night. They'd come slicing down off 4 story tenements. I always imagined getting hit by one of them would have been like taking the top off a soft-boiled egg with a knife - not good, not good.

A few years back Herself had a hire car as a result of someone crashing into Hers. She's stopped at a friends because the weather was similar to this evenings and driving home wasn't a sensible or safe option. She woke the next morning, beautiful clear skies and no wind, and three slate roof tiles embedded edge on in the hire car roof and bonnet. If they'll piece metal in the right conditions I don't want to see the damage they'll do to a humans (or critters, despite their protests the cats are staying in tonight)

Nope, this is definately a suitable night for huddling around the internet hearth and listening to the banshee wails of the storm outside.

Very much so.

ivyleaf

elona wrote: »

I went out around five to post a few items and had a tailwind blowing me down the road!

Neighbour has a tall rather poorly looking tree that is blowing around wildly so praying everything is all right till I move later this month.

We had a sycamore at the bottom of the garden that I was quite fond of as a lot of birds would nest in it, as well as its giving us privacy from the houses that back onto ours. We called the tree surgeon in to have it cut back a bit, but it turned out to be rotting at its base so we had to have it cut down. I'm sure the people who live "over the back" are very glad we did! I'm sure it would have come crashing down in the weather we've had lately.

ETA Greenbee, I hope you've stayed home!

The bank balance is still recovering several months on

GreyQueen

Check it out, nuatha;

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/tongariro-alpine-crossing/

I've hiked the Tongariro Crossing. Justly named the best one-day hike on the planet. Flipping awesome.

Mind you, once you come off that boardwalk, you're slogging up a mountain and it was ten steps, pause and gasp, then another ten steps. Worth it for the view, though. If anyone ever gets a chance to do this thing, just go for it, I'm so glad I did - and the following day the weather closed in and it was closed to hikers for days. Even in summer, it's a dangerous place to be, they count you up and down and missing people are dragged off by Mountain Rescue copters all the time (and invoiced for it, apparently).

In the winter it's an alpine traverse. In summer, civilian hikers can do it but you're knees will be wobbling for days afterwards.:rotfl:

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

Check it out, nuatha;

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/tongariro-alpine-crossing/

I've hiked the Tongariro Crossing. Justly named the best one-day hike on the planet. Flipping awesome.

You are the only person who has inspired two additions to my bucket list. thank you.

...
Even in summer, it's a dangerous place to be, they count you up and down and missing people are dragged off by Mountain Rescue copters all the time (and invoiced for it, apparently).

As you should be IMO. I haven't spent any real time in the mountains for a few years (M.E. is a !!!!!! for maintaining high energy activities as you know) but I still don't pass a Fells or Mountain Rescue collection box without contributing. (Its even longer since I sailed and the same applies to RNLI) I've long thought a simple insurance scheme that funded the equipment and expenses was a good idea - its the norm in the vast majority of the world.
In Britain being a member of Mountain Rescue is likely to cost each member several thousand a year out of their own pocket. Despite doing lots of fundraising and most outdoor equipment companies being fairly generous.

In the winter it's an alpine traverse. In summer, civilian hikers can do it but you're knees will be wobbling for days afterwards.:rotfl:

OK, get fit and go in summer.
I'm too old to get fit enough to do Alpine again.

greenbee

The RNLI have plenty of money Nuatha - maybe they can share it with mountain rescue (they were told by the charity commission at one point that they had to spend more of it rather than sitting on it...).

I did go out - if the trees had been bending too much I'd have turned around and come home, but it was actually OK. I'm hoping I don't lose any slates - there's one on the house that has slipped and needs fixing, and a couple on the garage, but they've been like that for a while. I lost one last year in a gust, but the rest of them should be pretty well secured.

Like Ivyleaf, I'm very relieved I had my trees down (they were rotten as well, all 5 of them) as at 60ft + they would have caused a lot of damage. I'm still burning them, which helps offset the cost - and probably will be for another couple of years!