There was a storm last night that had been hyped for days beforehand. There were constant reminders about taking care and not going out unless you had to. They weren't sure where the path of the storm was headed, only that the South Coast of England would bear the brunt of it. We were luckier than some, just a couple of fences blown over and a little bit of rain getting in.
I've got to say that I'm really not keen on weather like that, it just makes me tense and then means I really can't sleep well. So last night when the wind and the rain battered the front of our house, I was awake constantly asking myself whether the dripping sound was inside or outside and wondering if I would ever get to sleep. Of course the more questions you ask and the more you are concentrating on the noise, the less you sleep.
This morning we walked into work as usual, looking at the mess left behind - a tree in the road, the shutters from a nearby house flung in two directions and lots of twigs and leaves everywhere.
We also noticed these fabulous fungi. If anyone can identify them for us, that would be great. I shouldn't need to say, but obviously we aren't going to eat them. Partly because its potentially dangerous and partly because they were in someones front garden!
The weather this morning was still blustery, but it was bright and sunny and quite calm after all the drama of the early hours of the morning. The deep darkness with its westerly winds, torrential rain and fretful sleep has gone away. For now.
And at lunchtime in the park, if it wasn't for the branches scattered around, you would never have known how loud and chaotic and slightly scary it sounded last night. The weather is no longer a gentle late summer, Autumn has arrived with all its squally changeable tendencies - later this week we will arrive at November.
I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott
