I’ve been feeling quite blase about weather warnings, even slightly smug although not wishing nasty weather on anyone we are so used to having dire wind and rain here it is commonplace so to have it be headline news when it hits other places feels a bit indulgent. And I know it isn’t and the more populated a place is the more of an issue weather is etc but bear with me – I got my comeuppance when Vikki asked me ‘are you worried about your house in Sussex?’ which I’d totally forgotten we own and is insured but bloody hell what an arse that would be to sort out if something happens to it in the winds.
I woke early this morning even without clock changing malarkey but stayed in bed reading. I had an outdoor plan of finishing painting and planting up the lavender but at 10am there was a knock at the door and Vikki was there asking if Ady could come and help over at Gav’s. There was a plan afoot to finish the last two ridge plates on the roof while Big Dave is here. Ady and I both put our oranges (the oilskin waterproofs from winklepicking days of yore) on and headed over. Vikki, Big Dave and Coryla were there and we faffed with arranging the roof ladder in place before deciding that actually it wasn’t really safe. We knew it was a 2 hours job and the winds were already gusting, it was pissing with rain and the job would involve at least one person sitting, unsecured on the roof. We decided that it was not a necessary enough job to risk safety, particularly when the weather warnings (although not for this area) are making headline news. So we stood down.
There was a bring and buy sale arranged for midday at the hall at which we were hoping to pick up some old clothes to make halloween costumes with. It was cosy and warm indoors with regular heavy showers outdoors so the kids took the sensible option of staying in while Ady and I took some milk down to the hall to sort out tea and coffee and headed down. We met Vikki and Big Dave along the way, Casey and Mike joined us and then Manager Mike and his wife Deb, daughter and her boyfriend who are over visiting for the week all arrived too. We didn’t have much brought and nothing bought but we did all drink tea and chat for an hour or so which was very nice. Debs seems lovely, she’s invited me round for tea and biscuits while she is over so I will certainly take her up on that. She is a teacher and needs to finish the term at her job before moving here in January but is here for half term visiting. We actually chatted before when they were over for the interviews as she bought some of Davies’ postcards and he happened to be at the hall so I introduced her to him and she told him how lovely it was to meet the artist and how she was planning to take them back to her class to use as examples of ‘sense of place’. She reminded me of that and when I told Davies he remembered talking to her too.
We came home and as previously arranged with the kids I made popcorn and we watched a film – Nightmare before Christmas. We’ve been stockpiling Christmas films on dvd in preparation for all of December stuck indoors and Ady had ordered that but the kids argued it was more of a Halloween film so we relented. Ady cooked a very delicious slow roasted pork and we had a generally lazy afternoon. I did plant out the lavender in the polytunnel so at least one of my jobs is done.
Dinner was lovely and we watched the second episode of Farm Fixer which we’ve quite enjoyed, we rang my parents for a catch up chat – I got a guilt trip about it being Robin’s first birthday in two weeks and me not even having met him yet. I reminded my Mum that a trip to Sussex for even just me would mean several hundred pounds in car hire / train / plane charges and at least five nights off island to justify it, probably only two of which would actually be spent down there anyway, the rest would all be travelling. There is no chance of all of us getting off and finding someone to animal sit for that long and actually we could never justify spending that much money on a trip south anyway. It’s very sad and I hate that I have a nephew I have never met but not leaving Rum is a fact of our lives we have to accept. Big Dave has offered us use of his second home in Queensferry if we need a few nights off island to break up the winter which is very lovely and we may well take him up on though.
And now, having used that extra hour up at least three times I am feeling tired.