Storm Éowyn is a new one innit? Named after a Lord of the Rings character apaz. Old English origin. I looked it up so that you didn’t have to. “Horse lover“ or simlar. Who knew? Probs you did. Better start battening down the hatches. Éowyn hits town at the weekend. End of weather forecast.
Storms never used to have names. They used to be called a storm. Not sure what naming them does for us. It’s the Met Office trying to jazz up what may be an otherwise humdrum existence. Making rainfall measurement more glamorous. They now advertise their job vacancies as “exotic storm naming engineers” Think you have what it takes? Knowledge of Tolkien and advantage. We are an equal opportunities employer.
I do have a raincoat. Not looking for a job though. Call me an amateur rain tester. Not yet certified. I did once invent a rainfall measurement technique based on standing in the pub doorway and holding your specs outside at arms length. It could only have been invented in a pub. We were probably trying to decide how heavy rain needs to be before we could officially declare ourselves stranded and settled in for a long session. A point where even walking from the pub door to the waiting taxi could be considered too high risk.
Those were the days. Not sure any of us could manage a long session like that anymore. Well maybs…
Up relatively early for me gran o’la. I do some exercises nowadays before getting up. Physio stuff in advance of the hip op. Gotta be done. Some of it hurts. When your hip is buggered… The exercises come with sound effects because I have to time and some of them and I do that by counting out loud. Ya gorra laugh. Just two and a half weeks to go now. Not that the exercises will stop then. Not until I’m bounding up Steep Hill or Y Wyddfa. Look em up. You know it makes sense.
Through the kitchen window I see some blue sky through breaks in the cloud. Nature lulling us into a false sense of security. No wind yet. The temperature is on the rise. Tomorrow is the day for the wind. I’m sure it will almost feel as if we are in da Carib ’ean during hurricane season mon. You can understand why folk depart these shores for warmer climes in January and February.
What’s life come to when all you can talk about is the weather.
…
At ten thirtynine it began to reign on Ragby Rode. THG took her car to the gymnasium which makes a lorra sense. I am in a brightly lit shed, observing. I’m also dipping in to my latest read which is handily positioned on the desk.
It must be said I am really looking forward to this hip op. I am sat on my backside all day. Not by choice. It’s because walking is v difficult. The worst bit is my “good” hip which really is no longer good and just as bad as the other. It has more strength and slightly more mobility but is sore as hell. Two weeks on Tuesday is the day.