It rained!

And I got drenched in a couple of minutes! The baby chicks were out there and I had to race out and fetch them in under the verandah as they are too young to get that wet, so it was me who took the brunt of the showers whilst I was bringing them in. This dry spring weather is causing some problems for the farmers and crop growers around here, and my garden has been in danger of blowing away as the soil is so dry and fine that it was just like dust! The rain has dampened it down so it should stick around a while longer, I hope.

I am saddened tonight to hear that this storm which has passed over the UK in the last couple of days, with very strong winds, has killed a couple of people. There has been a lot of damage done, and other people have been lucky to escape with minor injuries when trees have fallen onto trains and cars. Travel has been widely disrupted across Scotland and the north of England, with bridges closed due to the high winds, trains not running because of debris on the tracks and roads closed or slow because of accidents.

I spent over an hour on the phone this morning trying to sort out the electricity companies. We were sent a big "final" bill by our utility company because they were closing our account, as they thought that we wanted another company to take over our supply. It was an "erroneous transfer" due to the fact that the national database of electricity supplies has not been updated since these houses were built, still using the plot numbers. So when a neighbour asked for her supply to be moved to another company, instead of taking the supply relating to her house number, they took the supply relating to my old plot number, which happen to be the same! I think we are heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a hassle to get it all sorted out.

Tonight has been a leftover night - the FH and EFG had the sausage plait cold tonight with various side dishes and pickles, and the YFG had a tin of her absolute favourite soup - Baxter's Highland Broth. She loves the stuff, but it has to be a rare treat as it is expensive! I made a quick vegetable risotto for my supper as I can't eat the sausage plait. They all had their meals after band practise tonight; one of the band leaders died and there is a big funeral tomorrow where people are coming from bands all over the area to play at the funeral, so the FH will be going along. The man was in his senior years, but died after a long battle with cancer. He will be much missed in the village.

The holiday issues have been resolved and we can stay until the Saturday so we are all pleased! I will be going to the library later in the week to choose some books to take along, and I will also be looking to dig out my knitting needles to carry on with my squares. I plan to do some studying whilst we are away as well, as there will be less distractions! Just hoping that the weather goes back to the warm and sunny stuff we have been enjoying, but somehow I fear that it might just tip down a month's worth of rain instead, since I have been praying for rain for the garden - you do have to be careful what you ask for!!