It’s windy again today – although nowhere near as windy as it was 25 years ago at this time. Then we had hurricane force winds of up to 115 mph. The town of Sevenoaks – so named because of the seven large oak trees became Oneoak. Near here, there was a line of trees all down in a domino effect. Next door’s greenhouse took a wander into our garden. The SeaLink ferry Hengist was thrown ashore. The strongest winds that hit Britain in over 300 years. London was blacked out for the first time since the end of the Second World War. Our chickens had eggs pushed back up their butts. Or that’s how it seemed when they didn’t lay for a few days.
And me? I was living away from home at the time, in Chatham. Not far from where I was staying, a church was torn down by the winds. And I slept through it. All of it. Nothing could wake me. I got up to go to the college I was at doing my welding course and I thought there had been a riot. The destruction every where was immense. Windows were shattered, street lights were down, and electricity was out. I went to catch a bus and was told that there weren’t any running, so I walked the three miles to the college only to find half the roof gone.
Two and a half years later, on January 25th 1990, we had winds again that were in excess of 100 mph and I saw something that my brain turned off until I was ready to accept it – which it did a couple of years ago.
Today’s photo though is the sea attempting to make it’s mark on the area.
A Mixed Bag 