Gales again.

What a horrible day it's turning out to be!   The noisy winds that we heard up high yesterday hit here in the night - woke both of us and the dogs up as it howled and battered around the house.  We're quite sheltered,  but our neighbours house is higher up and very exposed to the weather  and I do wonder how or if they manage to sleep through it. 

This morning first thing started off ok,  blue sky, a few clouds,  gentle breeze,  about 10°.  But by the time the washing was done and ready to peg out the wind was back and I couldn't even get anything to stay safely on the airer which I thought was in a more sheltered position than the main washing line.  In the end I bought the airer into the front garden put it under the covered terrace and shut the door which goes out to the side garden.   That kept the wind down a bit - but it's howling around the house,  down the chimney,  through the gaps in the doors - very old doors - a bit like the house - old but solid. 

Poor Pip, who can be very feisty, is very frightened when it's windy like this.  She's tried curling up down the side of our bed on a rug but that's near the window and she can hear the wind,  then she tried the bathroom and the bathmat but probably got lonely,  then she went in the lounge with Monty who is curled up on the carpet in the sunshine,  but now she's under my feet on the carpet.  Every so often she goes to the door - maybe needs to go out, but one look and she runs back inside.

The power went off for 15 minutes earlier on,  we'd just finished lunch when it went.  Tonight's dinner is organised and we cook on gas,  have 2 wood burner's and spare gas heaters so can manage for quite a while without electricity.  But it was only a brief blip  - and the first one of the winter. 

The forecast has got these 86km/h gusts slowing down during the day so hopefully not too many more  hours of it.  Just some drizzle to look forward to tomorrow....

Roll on summer!