So, Friday night (26th) we had Storm Arwen came visiting. She was a monster! Her winds were 75mph and never let up the whole night! At one point I was extremely fearful my solar panels sounded like they were trying to pull the roof off! I went to bed and thought to hell with it, if it goes it goes, although I was very relieved when I woke on Saturday morning to find a roof still fully intact!
Now, after 30 years of a love/hate relationship with my Olive Tree, lovingly referred to as Olive of course, (I am very original when it comes to naming my trees!) Olive has decided his future is no longer to reside in my front garden in an upright position. (He must be male, he’s never fruited, not one olive from Olive. I believe he may suffer from performance anxiety!)
Lazy Olive has done a nose dive and is now being very rude and showing off all of his unmentionables while he lays chatting with the frogs in my pond! But, I shall name and shame! Taproot, and surface roots all showing off brazenly waving themselves at any poor unsuspecting passerby. Avert your eyes people, save them the sorry exhibitionism of this lazy fruitless tree!
Seriously, 30 years he’s stood up the top corner of my front garden and I have wondered on and off if I should get rid because of the way he would bend right over in the wind. (Most embarrassing behaviour for a mature tree!)
Friday night’s unbelievable winds decided for me. Olive is no more. It doesn’t end there though, the climbing rose on the trellis seating by the pond has done a very rude little striptease for Olive! She has bared her trellis for him when he came visiting! She is currently pole dancing with the edge of the seating frame. I tell you, you just can’t trust your plants to behave in a proper fashion these days.
On close inspection of the back garden, a whole party in the park went on! The swing was trying to swing its way to freedom over the fence but got caught out at the last minute and the fence has nabbed it and wedged it tight! Once again, we have wood behaving badly, all four legs up in the air! Seriously, it’s shameful. Brazen hussy of the Swing set!
But none so shameful as Lavender Bush. She has uprooted herself after 15 years and gone for a roll across the garden to visit with chairs and table, taking the picket fencing with her. I have yet to venture down to the bottom half of the garden, I can see a fence slat waving at me, I prefer not to know what that lot has been getting up to!
On the whole very little damage has been sustained but it wasn’t for the want of trying by Storm Arwen! No matter, I still have a roof, and solar panels, and Olive has been offered a new home in an orchard not far from here. Apparently 30 year old Olive trees are rescued when they fall down not chopped up with a chainsaw which would have been my next move!
Normal service should resume with Top Hat and Tails once I get this little lot under control once again!
This was Olive and Climbing Rose behaving properly last year!
Gemma - Journey of Self discovery 
Oh what a shit.
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Yeah but at least no one was injured, it’s all surface damage to the outside and ultimately fixable. 😀 xx
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Such a beautiful space! Sorry to hear you had an intense storm come through that caused some chaos…naughty naughty landscaping! Much love, my friend! XOXO
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Next time my yard is in chaos from the hurricanes I’m going to chastise them out loud instead of cursing under my breath, this made me chuckle! Sorry to see such a beautiful garden in such an array but as long as you guys are safe that’s what counts the most.
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Oh Gem, I would love to wander in your garden…and will be far more productive than Olive 😈 You do have a magical garden, so well kept and tended to. That storm did a number on it though…so it looks like you’ll be putting those knees to work after all. Seriously though, glad you are okay and it doesn’t sound like the home was damaged and you are safe so that is great news! 🤗❤️😘
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Thanks everyone, this is only a small portion of my garden space, but it’s the part I look out on from my study so I want it to be as beautiful as possible. I love gardening, it soothes me, but I confess I get all bent out of shape when a plant/tree doesn’t do what it is supposed to do! Everything in my garden is there to produce something, be it a flower or a fruit, or a berry for the wild life, the pond is strictly to attract frogs and toads, and be a watering hole for the birds and the wild life, no fish in it, the frogs and toads keep down the slugs and snails that decimate my plants if they are left to their own devices! I refuse to use chemicals of any kind in my garden. It has to be natural and it has to have a purpose other than to just be pretty. Olive was just being pretty… shame on him.
I might post some photos of the rest of the gardens one day, when I have them all knocked back into shape again after this blasted storm. It really did do a number on them!
And michael, nope the kneeling thing is definitely out of the question currently, only the right knee, the left has thankfully sorted itself out! The right knee had a cortisone injection this evening and is currently refusing to work at all, and is causing me considerable pain! Hence the reason I am commenting at 3.51am! As far as you wandering through my garden, that is a delicious thought and I went somewhere entirely different with it, but of course you knew I would. You are very bad when you are being denied! I do like that a lot, I may keep it going for a little while more yet…💋💋😈
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Such a pretty garden. Storm Arwen caused chaos. I am worried about all the people without any power. I saw footage of nursing care homes with no power. One of the nurses was saying she is worried about older people who live alone. She is worried they may find them days after the storm having succumbed to the cold.
On the news they said some of these areas have also lost their phone lines and internet connection as well as electricity. It seems so bizarre in this day and age. Although something like this happened in Texas last year too.
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You can’t afford to worry about the stuff that is outside of your control. The councils are working day and night to get everyone back to normal as quickly as possible. Since the onset of Covid, people are now more community minded than they ever were before. We humans are creatures of habit and we will step out into the community to make sure those who live alone are doing okay in the aftermath of the storm, because we did during the onset of Covid. We pull together.
The village I live in has always been renowned for being a transient little place, people love the idea of living here but then find it too remote, especially in a snowy winter and so a couple of years in they are usually selling up and moving on. That has all changed since covid. People are now talking to each other, checking on each other, friendships were formed during the lockdown that would never have happened before. I think those mechanisms are now in place in a lot more little villages and towns where elderly people and people who live alone are. Community spirit will prevail I am surer of that now than I have ever been. xxx
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Good morning Gemma. Did you see the top 100 have been published? You and I are in there, and Gentleman Dave too. Lots of other fab bloggers I recognize too:
https://mollysdailykiss.com/2021/12/02/top-100-sex-blogs-2021/
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Wow! I made it onto a list! I’m in shock! That’s fabulous news! Congratulations to you too honey! and thank you for letting me know! 💖💖
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