It Never Rains but it Pours...

Weathering Storm Bert

Hello and welcome!

Yesterday was one helluva day. The rain never stopped the entire day, emptying deluges from a blackened sky. My husband and I were driving home on a journey that soon took on an unexpected and sad turn of events.

The weekend had started well. A two-hour drive to visit family, a surprise birthday party, an overnight stay in a boutique hotel, and then back home. What’s not to like? We hadn’t taken the weather forecast, announcing that Storm Bert was headed our way, into account. After all, during the winter months, storm after storm seems to hit, so we set off on Friday full of the joys of Spring.

The surprise birthday party went like a dream and my beautiful daughter was well and truly taken aback. Her pretty face was a picture and the love shown by family and friends who had gathered together to wish her well, shone through. Hats off to her partner for organising it and pulling it off so skilfully, and it all went without a hitch. We left after a couple of hours, leaving the youngsters to enjoy the rest of their day.

After a delicious meal at the boutique hotel, we hit the sack, tired but happy. It’s always satisfying when a plan comes to fruition and the surprise party couldn’t have gone better.

During the night, I heard wind and rain battering the windows, and I fleetingly thought that Bert was making himself well and truly heard. We set off after a hearty breakfast and soon realised that the rain, which was bucketing down from a leaden sky, was relentlessly going to continue throughout the day with no sign of letting up. With our British resolve, we set off home, but soon had to change our route, due to flooding on the road.

Sticking to the major arteries, we carved our way slowly through the English countryside with grit and determination. Along the way, we spotted a petrol (sorry, gas) station, and wisely decided to stock up on water, sandwiches and a hot drink. Purchases paid for, head down, I made my way slowly back to the car, buffeted by the strong wind and soaked by the torrential rain, eventually settling down gratefully into the warmth of the car. I must have looked a fright.

Putting two fingers up at Bert, we set off, safe in the knowledge that at least we had provisions to keep us going if things got tough. And tough they got.