Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Bryan]

The principal growing season is coming to a close. I've removed most of the tomato plants from our two greenhouses, while the leaves of the courgettes are showing signs of mildew and won't be long for this world. Today I spent time cleaning pots and trays ready for next season, better to do it now while the weather is still reasonably warm. The climbing beans have provided a bumper crop, but they are slowing now and will shortly be finished. More positively, the squashes are maturing, turning red and the skins hardening, so they should store and provide the basis for winter soups. Our recently planted  spring cabbages are standing up nicely after a few days of rain, so they should be Ok for the winter. Brussels sprouts are not everyone's favourite, but I enjoy their rich flavour around Xmas, something to look forward to as the nights grow longer and the temperature falls. Speaking of which, we've had to turn on our heating in the mornings as overnight temperatures are now below 10 degrees Celsius.

[meanderingemu]

well not today, but maybe tomorrow.  just a note not to worry if i don't post for a few days after tomorrow night, as we are getting full Fiona here in Halifax (the one in Canada).  It's going to be my first Hurricane, so a bit of anxiety.  I'll stay safe, even if temptation to get some shots will likely come- as we will likely lose power, NS grid is bad in the best of circumstance, i wouldn't really be able to upload.  

 

stay safe.  keep Alamy honest.  

 

 

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

Wow! Take that storm very seriously. If it has traveled so far north from the Islands at that intensity, it's one scary storm.  

[meanderingemu]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Wow! Take that storm very seriously. If it has traveled so far north from the Islands at that intensity, it's one scary storm.  

i am.  pretty much cocooned up, and ready for 72 hours stuck inside.  just had to go make last stop getting cash, because if power out prolonged period it means no access to electronic payment for many commerce even if they are able to operate. 

 

now getting organised, pre cooking some stuff, keep everything charged, fill water containers, just wait until landfall tonight.   Change of pressure already noticeable, my sinuses are killing me.  

[Michael Ventura]

1 hour ago, meanderingemu said:

i am.  pretty much cocooned up, and ready for 72 hours stuck inside.  just had to go make last stop getting cash, because if power out prolonged period it means no access to electronic payment for many commerce even if they are able to operate. 

 

now getting organised, pre cooking some stuff, keep everything charged, fill water containers, just wait until landfall tonight.   Change of pressure already noticeable, my sinuses are killing me.  

 

Hope all goes well for you.  We have had a few direct hits, from hurricanes, in my life in the Mid-Atlantic of the U.S. and they are not fun.  Lots of trees down but mostly flooding events.

Smart of you to be prepared for the worst case scenario. 

[meanderingemu]

1 hour ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

Hope all goes well for you.  We have had a few direct hits, from hurricanes, in my life in the Mid-Atlantic of the U.S. and they are not fun.  Lots of trees down but mostly flooding events.

Smart of you to be prepared for the worst case scenario. 

 

flooding will be an issue for many, but i am quite high in Halifax so that should be good.  

 

just went for a walk to the Public Gardens, eerily quiet now.  I guess this is where the expression Calm before the Storm comes from.  Normally we would have had crowd from 2 cruise ships, but they all diverted by now, just a few out of towners getting a Gardens all to themselves.  

[Ed Rooney]

😉 You sound like a very savvy Canada lad. I have close friends living on nearby Mount Dessert Island. I hope they'll be okay. Over here, I worry most about that ex-KGB nutcase and his attempt to bring back the Soviet Union. After three years in Merseyside, I've found the clement to be very kind to humans. 

[meanderingemu]

46 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

😉 You sound like a very savvy Canada lad. I have close friends living on nearby Mount Dessert Island. I hope they'll be okay. Over here, I worry most about that ex-KGB nutcase and his attempt to bring back the Soviet Union. After three years in Merseyside, I've found the clement to be very kind to humans. 

 

I think most of it comes from my meandering days to listen to long time locals.  If they are worried, it must be serious.

 

Hope your friends are ok, they likely only will get rain, centre looks like it's going straight for Cape Breton. 

[Rebecca Ore]

17 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

well not today, but maybe tomorrow.  just a note not to worry if i don't post for a few days after tomorrow night, as we are getting full Fiona here in Halifax (the one in Canada).  It's going to be my first Hurricane, so a bit of anxiety.  I'll stay safe, even if temptation to get some shots will likely come- as we will likely lose power, NS grid is bad in the best of circumstance, i wouldn't really be able to upload.  

 

stay safe.  keep Alamy honest.  

 

I've lived through three or four hurricanes.  Iota and one in Philadelphia were basically just a lot of rain, not much wind, but the Philadelphia storm was followed by warm air that smelled of ocean, like the hurricane had dragged in some of the tropics.  Iota here was also lots and lots of rain, but not enough to flood into my house.  We'd had a brief harsh tropical storm a few weeks earlier that had me bringing out my wet/dry vac to get the standing water out of the house (not seriously deep, though).   Hugo was the only hurricane that fit the stereotypes:  lots of rain, aggressive wind, and a maple tree went over in the back yard.

 

Basically, you might lose electricity if the winds are high.  Stay inside if you get major winds and keep listening to radio weather reports -- going out in the eye calm can be dangerous.  If you're near a creek, river, or the coast, see if you can shelter higher up but not on a hill top (Hugo took out lots of mountain trees going through Virginia and West Virginia).  Most hurricanes lose energy over colder water, with some exceptions.  If you don't get major winds (40 mph and up), it's just a rain storm. 

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

We lost another great British woman yesterday -- the writer Damn Hilary Mantel died.

[meanderingemu]

2 hours ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 

I've lived through three or four hurricanes.  Iota and one in Philadelphia were basically just a lot of rain, not much wind, but the Philadelphia storm was followed by warm air that smelled of ocean, like the hurricane had dragged in some of the tropics.  Iota here was also lots and lots of rain, but not enough to flood into my house.  We'd had a brief harsh tropical storm a few weeks earlier that had me bringing out my wet/dry vac to get the standing water out of the house (not seriously deep, though).   Hugo was the only hurricane that fit the stereotypes:  lots of rain, aggressive wind, and a maple tree went over in the back yard.

 

Basically, you might lose electricity if the winds are high.  Stay inside if you get major winds and keep listening to radio weather reports -- going out in the eye calm can be dangerous.  If you're near a creek, river, or the coast, see if you can shelter higher up but not on a hill top (Hugo took out lots of mountain trees going through Virginia and West Virginia).  Most hurricanes lose energy over colder water, with some exceptions.  If you don't get major winds (40 mph and up), it's just a rain storm. 

 

 

not sure but i think that's more than 40 mph

 

 

 

 

yikes. 

[Ed Rooney]

 

175 km/h is over 100 mph.

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 

I've lived through three or four hurricanes.  Iota and one in Philadelphia were basically just a lot of rain, not much wind, but the Philadelphia storm was followed by warm air that smelled of ocean, like the hurricane had dragged in some of the tropics.  Iota here was also lots and lots of rain, but not enough to flood into my house.  We'd had a brief harsh tropical storm a few weeks earlier that had me bringing out my wet/dry vac to get the standing water out of the house (not seriously deep, though).   Hugo was the only hurricane that fit the stereotypes:  lots of rain, aggressive wind, and a maple tree went over in the back yard.

 

Basically, you might lose electricity if the winds are high.  Stay inside if you get major winds and keep listening to radio weather reports -- going out in the eye calm can be dangerous.  If you're near a creek, river, or the coast, see if you can shelter higher up but not on a hill top (Hugo took out lots of mountain trees going through Virginia and West Virginia).  Most hurricanes lose energy over colder water, with some exceptions.  If you don't get major winds (40 mph and up), it's just a rain storm. 

 

Hurricane force, I believe, is upwards of 60 mph. Here in Oklahoma & Kansas, we get thunderstorms with winds of 40-50mph. Sometimes 60mph. Just not over much time. Minor damage, but if enough rain falls to soften the ground, a tree can topple from the wind.

We had a windy rain a couple of nights ago, and a huge limb fell next door.

Our biggest threats in this area are hail storms and tornadoes. I ran through hail as big as golf balls right before a tornado went through the town, taking the roof off our house when I was a teen. So as much damage done in a few seconds as a hurricane might cause over hours. At least I only turned white for a short time, not extended torture like a hurricane can give.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[John Mitchell]

11 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

 

not sure but i think that's more than 40 mph

 

 

 

 

yikes. 

 

Sounds like you're doing all the right things to prepare. Best of luck weathering Fiona. Looks like Halifax could take a real hit.

 

Keep us posted....

[Rebecca Ore]

20 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

not sure but i think that's more than 40 mph

 

Yeah, but the rain is more likely to be a problem than the winds where I am.  Over 50 mph is serious wind.  100 mph and up is "stay inside for a while."  Hurricanes over the ocean are worse than hurricanes inland.  The trick is being prepared to just stay inside if you have a solid house.  We had three houses lose their roofs and some walls in town a couple of months ago and that wasn't even a named storm.  

 

Having a wet dry vac helps with clean-up. 

 

I think people tend to get a little hysterical if they're in areas not hit often by hurricanes.  This, by the way, was Hurricane Iota in Jinotega.   Not even that much rain.   We had worse last week in terms of rainfall.  My thinking is be careful, don't go out in high winds, be prepared for power outages, and evacuate ocean front houses if so ordered.

 

 

 

[William B]

I live in Sydney on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia.  We took a direct hit from Hurricane Fiona through the early morning hours.  Caused lots of anxiety…more so because it was dark and we were without electricity so all you heard was the immense wind but you could see nothing.  Thankfully we made it through with no damage to the house although a few trees around us didn’t fare as well.  Widespread damage around us.  The winds are finally slowing down and the sky’s starting to brighten.  Thoughts are with all Atlantic Canadians …May you remain safe.

[Rebecca Ore]

4 hours ago, William B said:

I live in Sydney on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia.  We took a direct hit from Hurricane Fiona through the early morning hours.  Caused lots of anxiety…more so because it was dark and we were without electricity so all you heard was the immense wind but you could see nothing.  Thankfully we made it through with no damage to the house although a few trees around us didn’t fare as well.  Widespread damage around us.  The winds are finally slowing down and the sky’s starting to brighten.  Thoughts are with all Atlantic Canadians …May you remain safe.

 

When one hurricane hit Miami, one person posted about using the modeling lights of Godox AD200s for lighting.  He reported several days of use with a charged battery.  Having lights and some way to cook (I've got a gas cook top that uses 20 lb propane/butane mix).   Candles are dangerous unless you're scrupulous with putting out the candle when you go to sleep.   Godox AD 200 pocket flashes are worth having, plus the brackets for them so they can be mounted on light stands.  Back whenever, Charlotte, NC, got hit badly enough by Hugo that the National Guard was mobilized to help.   Stuff happens enough here that most people do have cooking alternatives and back up lights, or even generators.

 

 

[gvallee]

On 24/09/2022 at 01:18, meanderingemu said:

 

I think most of it comes from my meandering days to listen to long time locals.  If they are worried, it must be serious.

 

Hope your friends are ok, they likely only will get rain, centre looks like it's going straight for Cape Breton. 

 

Welfare check when you're able to please.

[meanderingemu]

7 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Welfare check when you're able to please.

Hi came in just for that.  Thanks

 

All good, still no power and unreliable internet acces, but no damages except lots of down trees around my neighbourhood.   

 

We are now getting images from further east in NS and Newfoundland,  and i realise we were lucky to be just at edge of path.  

 

Thanks all for support.   

[meanderingemu]

On 24/09/2022 at 04:03, John Mitchell said:

 

Sounds like you're doing all the right things to prepare. Best of luck weathering Fiona. Looks like Halifax could take a real hit.

 

Keep us posted....

Thanks.  It was a loud night.  Thankfully i live high up off shore.  

It's an experience.  

 

Sunny and beautiful today, all out cleaning up branches.  Some people having issues dealing with uncertainty when we get power back, could be today could be Wednesday, but I'm at peace with this.  

[Cecile Marion]

Glad you made it through ok. The noise of the wind is what usually gets to me. I’ve tried wearing earplugs and also listening to pod casts during the last couple of storms. I’m from Florida where we’re staring in the face of the next storm. I’m currently in Europe, so I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I’m concerned about my friends and my home, of course, but it’s also too early to know exactly where Hurricane Ian will strike. 

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

Thanks.  It was a loud night.  Thankfully i live high up off shore.  

It's an experience.  

 

Sunny and beautiful today, all out cleaning up branches.  Some people having issues dealing with uncertainty when we get power back, could be today could be Wednesday, but I'm at peace with this.  

 

Glad to hear that you weathered the storm well. Things sound really bad in PEI -- last I heard 95% of the island is without power.

[meanderingemu]

6 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

Glad to hear that you weathered the storm well. Things sound really bad in PEI -- last I heard 95% of the island is without power.

 

just seeing to images of all the sand dunes of PEI gone.  so much devastation everywhere.

 

NS still half the homes with no power.  I'm had power come back on 3 times tonight, and fail again with an hour.   this is going to be a long process....  

[meanderingemu]

17 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

Glad you made it through ok. The noise of the wind is what usually gets to me. I’ve tried wearing earplugs and also listening to pod casts during the last couple of storms. I’m from Florida where we’re staring in the face of the next storm. I’m currently in Europe, so I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I’m concerned about my friends and my home, of course, but it’s also too early to know exactly where Hurricane Ian will strike. 

 

the grumbling sound at about 3am was wild, and is probably what i will remember the most.  

 

It was interesting in my first season in Halifax to see the whole build-up of tracking for weeks ahead of all forming cells.  You don't get that in snow storm inland country, were it's more 3-5 days notice. 

[sb photos]

With the £ recently falling against the $ our monthly payments will likely be a little less.