Currently it’s Friday lunchtime and the above is exactly what I’m doing. We can get ferocious storms in our area. The forecasts several days ago started suggesting that much of our North island was about to get something of unusual intensity, and that we should prepare.
I’ve prepared.
I’ve moved all my sheep and lambs onto the lawn where they and the hens and geese can shelter in the (almost empty) woodshed or hay barn.
This storm is said to be coming from the north and if that’s so we should be fine. It’s the direction least likely to do major damage, and if, as they say, it will later swing south, that too is a safer direction for us. Not sure when we’re getting it, forecasts have ranged from early hours Saturday morning, through to late morning, and then too, while we usually have ferocious storms when others aren’t gettng them, now and then one that’s forecast like this for much of the North island, isn’t so bad here. I hope that’s so this time.
And no, I’m not exactly a pessimist. But last time we had a storm as bad as this one is forecast to be, my large covered sheepyards were torn to bits, said bits being well spread about my place in the form of sheets of the corrugated iron roof which whirled about like lethal frisbees.
If we just get fairly high winds I’ll be happy, if we get the real McCoy that’s promised, all the creatures should be okay, Thunder and I should be too, and I’ll be back…
2.30pm actually I’m back a long way before the storm. Everyone else seems to have that on their minds as well. Thunder (my Ocicat) has been going out, coming back in and bellowing to be fed. I get the impression he’s worried in case the storm’s arrival means “no food” and he’s stoking up in advance.
I’d just fed him, settled back to blog again, when I glanced up to see a truck driving through the front gate. Since the sheep are on the lawn I went flying out to make sure that was where they stayed – and to see who was arriving. Some of my prepaid firewood is now stacked under the side trees. The chap who provides it was worried in case the coming storm left the land where the wood is, too wet for him to haul it out and I might need it if things got really cold after the storm. So it’s arrived early.
Not that any of this is a storm guarantee. That cat will demand food at any time of the day on any excuse at all. And the firewood chap is just being cautious and conscientious. After which I took another brief break to feed the hens and geese, and bring in the mail. Local paper’s latest forecast seems to suggest that the storm may not be as bad in this area as has been suggested. I hope they’re right.
Batten Down the Hatches.
1 March 2012
Currently it’s Friday lunchtime and the above is exactly what I’m doing. We can get ferocious storms in our area. The forecasts several days ago started suggesting that much of our North island was about to get something of unusual intensity, and that we should prepare.
I’ve prepared.
I’ve moved all my sheep and lambs onto the lawn where they and the hens and geese can shelter in the (almost empty) woodshed or hay barn.
This storm is said to be coming from the north and if that’s so we should be fine. It’s the direction least likely to do major damage, and if, as they say, it will later swing south, that too is a safer direction for us. Not sure when we’re getting it, forecasts have ranged from early hours Saturday morning, through to late morning, and then too, while we usually have ferocious storms when others aren’t gettng them, now and then one that’s forecast like this for much of the North island, isn’t so bad here. I hope that’s so this time.
And no, I’m not exactly a pessimist. But last time we had a storm as bad as this one is forecast to be, my large covered sheepyards were torn to bits, said bits being well spread about my place in the form of sheets of the corrugated iron roof which whirled about like lethal frisbees.
If we just get fairly high winds I’ll be happy, if we get the real McCoy that’s promised, all the creatures should be okay, Thunder and I should be too, and I’ll be back…
2.30pm actually I’m back a long way before the storm. Everyone else seems to have that on their minds as well. Thunder (my Ocicat) has been going out, coming back in and bellowing to be fed. I get the impression he’s worried in case the storm’s arrival means “no food” and he’s stoking up in advance.
I’d just fed him, settled back to blog again, when I glanced up to see a truck driving through the front gate. Since the sheep are on the lawn I went flying out to make sure that was where they stayed – and to see who was arriving. Some of my prepaid firewood is now stacked under the side trees. The chap who provides it was worried in case the coming storm left the land where the wood is, too wet for him to haul it out and I might need it if things got really cold after the storm. So it’s arrived early.
Not that any of this is a storm guarantee. That cat will demand food at any time of the day on any excuse at all. And the firewood chap is just being cautious and conscientious. After which I took another brief break to feed the hens and geese, and bring in the mail. Local paper’s latest forecast seems to suggest that the storm may not be as bad in this area as has been suggested. I hope they’re right.