Sunday 11 January 2015

More Stormy Weather

2015 XZ35

Another winter storm came blowing in over Sweden from the west this weekend. We called it Egon. It caused a bit more trouble around here than the last one (Svea). Where I live it started with snow Saturday morning but turned to rain later as the wind increased.

To keep it personal, while Svea only ripped the tarpaulin off the bench on my balcony, Egon tried to take the whole bench. He did not manage it, as I noticed the attempt and took the bench inside for the night… I’ve put it back out now (after the storm passed on) with an extra safety strap attached to the rail… I might have to try and come up with something better, though. Should perhaps give up and just put it in winter storage in the basement. But the thing is, I’m used to hibernating last year’s strawberry plants under there… (And often succeed, if not too cold!)

I also did my best (or so I thought) already back in autumn to "secure" the trellis with my clematis plants against the winter storms (middle picture). It seems I did a fairly good job with the trellis as such… But, failing to rip that off the wall, Egon managed instead to mischeiveiously turn over one of the three pots (the one closest to the door). It's back in place now, but whether the plant survived or got broken I’ll have to wait until spring to find out!

I also realised this morning that clothes pins are not much use in a storm, so have now also added extra staples to keep the fabric together. And a couple of extra extra extra wires on top of the whole construction. (It will be really interesting to see if anything survives to bloom in the spring…)

I should perhaps add that Egon caused more havoc around the neighbourhood (and indeed the whole south of Sweden) than just playing around on my balcony though. Trees falling over roads and railroads, power outages, flooded quays and cellars on the coast (it reached hurricane force in some places), even roofs blown off a few buildings etc. However, precautions were also taken by cancelling trains and ferries, and closing a couple of big bridges etc, and I don’t think there have been a lot of bodily injuries to people. What’s been reported on the news has been mostly about damage to nature and property.

Meanwhile, at least I have some cheerful budding going on indoors:

2015 XZ36

*Amaryllis with three stems (bought before New Year).
*White rose I was given by my New Year Eve guests.
*Purple orchid that has been resting for a while but then decided New Year was a good time to spring some new flowers.

13 comments:

  1. I hope the snow storms won't return or do more damage. Stay safe and cozy in your home!

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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    1. More rain than snow down here in the south, Mersad. Still too much wind and rain to make long walks a tempting idea, though!

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  2. Your storms sound rather horrible. I live in an area that experiences severe tropical storms. I also bring as many plants inside as I can at these times. I weigh everything down that is left outside and tie tables and chairs together with rope. Old plastic bottles filled with water help as a few of them together make a good weight. But the big difference here is that the wild conditions have surges and lulls. I can get outside and rearrange things occasionally.
    I have orchid envy. What a beauty!

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    1. Well at least I no longer have my parents' old house in the countryside to worry about, Louise. (So glad we got it sold before winter!)

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  3. Sounds wild and wooly, stay safe and enjoy your flowers.

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    1. I think this may have been the worst storm in this area since 2005, Janet. (That one was worse.) Winter's not over yet, though!

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  4. The amaryllis is beautiful!! I am so glad you had minimal damage. I did not hear about this storm. But I guess you are very used to things like this. This was a very strong storm!!

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    1. Well I guess it takes a lot more than a few windthrown trees and cancelled trains to make big news all the way across the Atlantic, Ginny...

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  5. We had nothing as dramatic as this here in the south of Germany, it was just very, very windy, and I could hear it blow around the house and rattle the blinds etc. all night. 14 Celsius here on Saturday, and still around 10 yesterday, so not a single snowflake in sight!
    Your extra extra extra wire was probably a good idea, and I am confident there will still be a lot of life in your plants.
    My orchid looks nearly the same as yours right now, with three big buds, but the flowers will be white when they open, not purple. Wonderful amaryllis! It's been a long time since I had one of those on my window sill.

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    1. The amaryllis is very impressive while in bloom, Meike. The orchids have the advantage of lasting longer though. (I don't really have the right kind of indoors space and environment to try and get amaryllises to survive and bloom again. I tried once or twice in the past but never succeeded.)

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  6. sounds awful and so glad it did you no permanent damage. i am not a storm lover for sure. love your bright pops of color inside.. it is a long time to spring i think.

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    1. Yes Sandra, spring seems rather a long time away just now...

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  7. I do hope that your plants have survived.

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