Yesterday, the named storm Darragh hit the west of the country and a very rare red warning ('Danger to Life') was issued. All of the football and rugby matches in South Wales were called off and the principal bridges between England and Wales were closed. Evidently the airports were closed and many suburban trains were cancelled but some of the mainline services were maintained. The weather forecasters are pointing out two principal dangers as the storm sweeps across the UK mainland. The most immediate effect are the very high wind speeds which brings down branches and trees, not to mention power lines and afterwards, of course, comes the rain on areas which are already quite sodden after the past few storms. It looks as though new storm alert procedures are in place as messages are now being sent direct to mobile phones warning of the dangers of unnecessary travel. Wales is evidently worst effected but so are sporting fixtures such as the Liverpool-Everton derby (the last one due to be played at Goodison park before Everton move to a new stadium) This morning, Meg and I were got off to a very early start as the care workers were scheduled to call around at 7.25 and even arrived and got to work 10 minutes early which is a trifle disconcerting and a massive change to what happened the day before when Meg had to stay in bed until 9.45. After we had breakfasted, it was a touch-and-go call whether we ventured down into Bromsgrove or not as the wind was still quite strong but it did not seem to be bearing so much rain. So we got ourselves kitted forth which is in Meg's case is a scarf, outside coat, two quite large blankets and some gloves and takes some putting on. We got as far as the main Kidderminster Road but then the wind was so strong and icy and I lost my hat on a couple of occasions so we both judged it better to go no further but to return. This was very much a case of 'discretion being the better part of valour' but I was somewhat fearful that we might get ourselves thoroughly wet and then had the return journey home. So we turned around and immediately came home and I think this was probably a wise decision. We regaled ourselves with some chicken soup and settled down to watch some Saturday morning TV. The programme I enjoyed most was a James Martin cookery and magazine programme and I wished I had seen the while of it rather than entering it half way through. One of his presentations was to make a quick and tasty Christmas dinner and, in particular, I thought that his recipe for glazed parsnips enhanced by some sherry in the cooking sounded like something that I would definitely like to experiment with. He also had a recipe for boef a la bourguignon in which he kept the cooking steak in fairly large chunks which, he argued, made it retain its moisture and remain quite succulent so this, too, is a tip I must remember the next time I cook this meal.
This afternoon we have been snug in our lounge whilst the storm has continued to rage outside. I rather thought that the storm would pass over the Midlands at midday and, after that, we would have a period of relative calm but the reverse seems to have happened and, if anything, the weather has gone even wilder and windier. The two young carers who called around at teatime showed me a photo they had taken on their phones of a tree completely blocking a road that were taking on their way to a call during the day. After consulting the TV schedules, Meg and I enjoyed watching 'The Importance of being Earnest' which was very well played in a classic British film. Immediately following this on BBC2 was a film of Shakespeare's Henry V which had an excellent cast. We watched most of the film before the carers came along to interrupt proceedings but the only trouble is that watching fighting on (presumably) cold and muddy battlegrounds when it is cold and windy outside does not induce much of a feeling of warmth and comfort.
The little party which we are going to organise for the carers staff is already generating some enthusiasm if not downright excitement. Compared with other clients, Meg and I are in the position where we have plenty of space and room in which to hold some festivities and we know at least one of the managers is certainly going to come. Two of the very helpful and likeable younger carers have even volunteered to come a little early to help me put out the food and generally get things organised for the party and this was incredibly good of them. I have accepted their offer saying that if they came on time at 1.00pm they can help in any last minute preparations. I have to think quite carefully about what soft drinks to provide as too much alcohol is not a good thing unless the carers are passengers and are therefore freer to indulge. On a slightly more sombre note, my feeling is that we ought to do this whilst we can because goodness knows what other facilities will be like in a year's time.
In the early evening, there is going to be the official opening of the restored Notre Dame in Paris. Given the emotional pull that this has upon the heart strings of the French, I am sure they not resent a single centime of the millions of euros which they must have spent on it. There is a lot of speculation about the diplomatic 'deals' that might be done whilst various world leaders are assembling because there is quite a lot of leeway for unofficial talks on occasions such as this. I expect that later in the day there may be some stunning visuals once the restored parts of the interior are shown in all of their glory. The opening few minutes of the ceremony have shown the tolling of the one great bell that survived the fire followed by a procession of the clergy to the doors of the cathedral. At this point, the archbishop of Paris hammers symbolically on the doors of the cathedral which are then opened to grant him admittance to the tunes and words of an appropriate Psalm. What I have seen of the service is quite emotionally compelling and I know that architectural experts from the whole of Europe lent whatever assistance they could to get this iconic cathedral opened again within five years. As a final Gallic touch, an outside view of the front of the cathedral had a lasered projection of 'Merci' written above the portico.
© Mike Hart [2024]