How's your day?

[nonnaB 4,895]

Just heard Motorways in Italy are flooded and have landslides. Its not stopped since yesterday afternon. Loads of schools closed in the whole of Italy. Cinque Terra and Genoa have floods too so has Venezia, Tuscany and many more. The nightmare has started.

[loppylugs 8,427]

Can't hit like for that.  Sorry to hear it, Nonna.  Hope you can stay dry and safe.  How long is it forecast to last?

[nonnaB 4,895]

1 hour ago, loppylugs said:

Can't hit like for that.  Sorry to hear it, Nonna.  Hope you can stay dry and safe.  How long is it forecast to last?

So do we Loppy, it keeps stopping then comes back with a vengeance. Tomorrow forecast is cloudy, wednesday rain, thursday rin then on and off for the next week. Maybe a bit of sun occasionally. 

[nonnaB 4,895]

Well the fear is increasing. The wind is very strong, its too dark to see if any damage has been done but it sounds scary.

[LizzieM 9,507]

Hope you’ve battened down the hatches Nonna, stay safe duckeh. 

[nonnaB 4,895]

Phew what a night. I was really scared, I got up at 1.30 to see what was rolling around but couldnt see. Anyway this morning theres hardly a breath of wind. Our pool has another pool on top of it. Alex went to C& C early and said there was a tree down but looking around here nothing seems to have happened besides plant pots blown over and leaves everywhere. The cover was blown off the table and chairs. Deborah said that the pool cover looked like a balloon. I was afraid it was going to be swept up and away. Wind forecast again today so we'll wait and see what it brings today.

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

Very scary for you, nonna, and thankfully you are safe. It's awful when there is bad weather in the night, especially high winds because you just can't see what's going on. Lets hope it calms down and you can get some sleep.

[jonab 1,644]

Seems like you've had it really bad, nonna.

It's been fairly stormy here but nothing like your situation.

One thing on the positive side, I suppose, is that I am told that there is a lot of 'good' snow fallen in the ski resorts ready for a successful (and profitable) winter.

[nonnaB 4,895]

As long as they keep the snow on the slopes. It'll make the locals happy. Talking to a neighbour this morning whilst sweeping up the rubbish the wind brought in she said her son had done the rounds this morning to check on any damage. They have a lot of land 

 so were worried but the only thing was that a small tree had been blown down. My son said there were lots of flower pots blown off balconies. We are really lucky we seem to have a bit of protection as we have a hill in the front and a hill at the rear of the house. But near the pool and on our neighbours side there is a huge pine tree. They have already lopped the top off as it was starting to look a bit iffy. Good job they did as if it does fall it will do a lot of damage on our side.

In Liguria there were winds up to 170 kmhr. So far at 8am this morning 8 people dead. Its still red alert but in some areas its now orange alert.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Yesterday driving up our quiet rural road from the main highway, what should take off in front of us but a Bald Eagle, second time we have seen one in that area, magnificent birds!! Hopefully within a few years they will get to be common around this area.

[loppylugs 8,427]

That wind speed would be considered hurricane speed here, Nonna.  Glad you've come through it without too much damage.  We've dodged a hurricane or two recently,  Nothing that bad though.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

A few photos on the BBC website of the conditions Nonna and others have been experiencing.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46029302

 

And we moan just because it's a bit colder.

[jonab 1,644]

I consider myself very lucky to have missed the worst of that. I live not all that far away yet the weather, although very bad, has been nowhere near as bad as being experienced in Italy.

 

There is more to come, apparently!

[MargieH 7,599]

Cliff, is that an Easter Island statue?

[loppylugs 8,427]

No it's probably how he feels most of the time supervising us lot.  

[nonnaB 4,895]

Clifton thanks for those pictures. We've been watching news 24 all day. My husband has cousins in Liguria , in Loano and Santo Spirito. In Loano , like Rapello the sea promenade now is non existant. Cousin only lives a few minutes walk from sea. Its really our local day out trip to the seaside so know the area. Its only an hour away from us.The opening photo gives the impression that its Venice but its actually Rapello and the one of the tree fallen on the car could easily be Loano. Today to add insult to injury its been sunny and very warm just a little light wind. I managed to get a pair of jeans and a jacket dry by 3 pm. Tomorrow until Nov 7 its...you've guessed it rain.

I feel so sad that this has happened again in such a short time. Genoa was starting to get back on its feet and Cinque Terre is cut off . No traffic is allowed everywhere in the five villages is reached by train and if theres landslides it will be impossible to pass. There are many small villages also cutoff and locals are worried if there are old folk and they take ill what are they going to do. The good thing is a lot of students come to the aid of clearing up . They were being interviewed today and most were saying they had a need to help. Bless em.

[LizzieM 9,507]

Been to Crick in Northants today for my quarterly lunch and catch-up with a friend I’ve known for 40+ years, since we took our baby boys to Toddler Group!  She lives in Woburn so Crick is sort of half way.   There were so many big lorries on the M1, seemed to be busier than normal, but those bloomin’ Smart Motorway works are still slowing the traffic down with the maximum speed limit of 50 mph for miles on end.  Our journeys south have been affected for years now, when they finish one section they start another one.  

The thatched pub we meet in is normally fairly quiet mid-week but today it was heaving and we were fortunate to get a table.  Crick is surrounded by wind turbines now, every time I go there I count another few that have sprouted up.  What a blot on the landscape, do they actually work in provided electricity to the National Grid?  

When I arrived home I saw that our block-paved drive and all around the house had been jet-washed.  It’s looking very smart but the chaps must have got pressurised water into the gubbins that work the electric gates, if we try to operate the gates the power goes off in the house.  I’ve phoned a ‘gate man’ and he can’t come to (hopefully) sort it out til Friday. That means we’re an open invitation for Trick n Treaters tomorrow.  

Might have to turn all the lights off and go down to the pub 

[DJ360 6,721]

I saw the answer you need Lizzie. Think it was a Facebook post.  A picture of a nice pumpkin in a window, complete with candle burning, and carved not into a face, but into a well known 'Anglo Saxon' expression.. ending in 'off!'

 

 

We also have the motorway fun. South of Manchester on the M6 for about 18 miles of continuous cones.  Now they are messing with the main junction on the A50 at Uttoxeter too.. and then there's the M1 between the A50 and the A610..  What fun!!

[DJ360 6,721]

Quiet day here.  Complete rest from fitness training so I drained a bit of water out of the heating to make room for a bottle of corrosion inhibitor.  By the time I'd run up and down dozens of times draining, re-filling, bleeding, re-pressursing etc., I might as well have done a few miles walking...

 

Nonna. I hope things improve for you soon.

 

Col

[nonnaB 4,895]

Thanks DJ its certainly quieter here but theres a million things to sort in Liguria. There are students and other helpers sorting out the rubbish , big sticks, little twigs , plastic, tins etc that have been washed up. It's a never ending job.

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

Frosty again!  Strange how some things take you straight back to childhood.

 

Frosty starts and the smell of cold air transports me back to winter mornings at Bobbers Mill, aged 5 or thereabouts, getting ready to go to Berridge. Once I'd been disentangled from the banister rails and stopped screaming, it was getting dressed and standing in front of the Paul Warmer paraffin heater while putting on my coat, scarf, gloves and hat. A few biscuits wrapped in a paper bag....for break time...and we were off. Walking with mum to the Brushfield Street entrance over the frosty pavements, breath condensing in the air.  There'd be another slight tantrum before I went in! Seems silly now because mum was back to collect me at lunch time. Morning school seemed hours long, punctuated by break time in the infant playground, minus the frost by that time, and milk from a crate that had stood outside in the cold and was so icy it brought pain to both temples as I drank it!

 

All that was well over half a century ago and seems to get sharper everyday whereas what I did last week has faded away. Must be gerrin owd!

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

1 hour ago, Jill Sparrow said:

Morning school seemed hours long, punctuated by break time in the infant playground, minus the frost by that time, and milk from a crate that had stood outside in the cold and was so icy it brought pain to both temples as I drank it!

 

It's because of school milk (always too cold or too hot) that even to this day, I can't bear to drink milk - or even look at it - in its 'raw' form. I can only deal with milk if it's hidden within something.

[philmayfield 6,115]

I always detested school milk. On hot days it was even more disgusting. Like you I can never drink raw milk. It’s the same with eggs. When I was but a weedy child my mother was told, presumably by ‘old wives’, to feed me up on raw eggs beaten in milk. Eggs, boiled, fried, poached or scrambled all turn my stomach.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Eggs for me are ok in most forms as long as they're fairly 'hard'  - i.e. not in any way sloppy and slimey.

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

I love milk but not the skimmed dishwater stuff. Gold top, Jersey cows milk for me! Love eggs too...only free range ones...have one every day.