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I'm back after the storm


Kitty

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Hello All

Well, we survived. The electricity was cut off during the night of the storm, the phone line went a few hours later, the water disappeared from the taps 24 hours later.  As we had no gas (the citerne was damaged) and no poele (the chimney pot was displaced), we decided to jump ship and go to stay in my brother's empty house near Rennes/St Malo.

Everything is back on now and my internet line restored about an hour ago.

Thank you to those of you who wrote to or about me whilst I was away.  I was thinking of you.  I tried to go online in the local Mairie near Rennes but the computer would not accept my password.

About the storm itself - it was not one continuous windy time, as I thought it would be.  It was a series of severe gusts of wind, followed moments of calm.  Strange and spooky.  A bit like childbirth, I suppose - pain and noise interspersed with calm (for the boys on here who haven't had a baby).

 

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[quote user="Cathy"]

Hello All

Well, we survived. The electricity was cut off during the night of the storm, the phone line went a few hours later, the water disappeared from the taps 24 hours later.  .... Everything is back on now and my internet line restored about an hour ago. ....  About the storm itself - it was not one continuous windy time, as I thought it would be.  It was a series of severe gusts of wind, followed moments of calm.  Strange and spooky. 

 [/quote]

Cathy,

There were quite a few here who were concerned that we hadn't heard from you, so it's good to know you survived.

We arrived in our house nr Duras just after the storm of '99, so know exactly what you felt like - though we were without power then for just 24 hours.  It was a very strange "hurricane" this year, and down in the Aude we did suffer - in places. Lots of trees down, but otherwise varying amounts of loss.  We are fine, but 50 yds away, our poor church roof is gone, taken by the bell tower in its collapse.  Spectacular, and sad - I miss the view I had of it each morning, but fortunately here, also, no loss of life. It was indeed, very gusty, but at times, I thought, as you did, that it was also very calm.  And it passed over very quickly. 

We did not loose electricity, though most villages around did, perhpas we have fewer trees than most.  I remember, it was the trees that did for the Aquitaine in '99.

Glad to see you back online. 

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Someone on here had to abandon ship from his car and be rescued by the Gendarmes when it got stuck in rapidly rising floodwaters along his namesake river. Word is he' ll never say a bad word again about the Gendarmerie as they were marvellous, more than the car though that is a write off  but that can be replaced.

Apart from long power outtages and many of the tributary rivers bursting their banks on Friday, on Saturday on the higher exposed ground the wind was vicious and caused a lot of damage all across 12 particularly in Rodez, but the notable story was of one old boy who ignored the red alert on Saturday and went out in his car to see the swollen river Serene, he ended up with an very large oak tree across his back seat, bending his car like a banana but he escaped unhurt, any one in the back would not have survived.

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[quote user="just john "] Glad to see you back Cathy, and hope your pots start smokin' soon

smokestacklightning [8-|] [/quote]

I'm a-tappin' my foot and a-grinnin' like a Cheshire, John.

 

Renaud - OK, OK.  But I'm not the only one stretching it a bit with childbirth analogies.  Even JK Rowling got in on the act with her quote :

"Poverty is a lot like childbirth - you know it is going to hurt before it happens, but you'll never know how much until you experience it."

 

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[quote user="Cathy"][quote user="just john "] Glad to see you back Cathy, and hope your pots start smokin' soon

smokestacklightning [8-|] [/quote]

I'm a-tappin' my foot and a-grinnin' like a Cheshire, John.

 

Renaud - OK, OK.  But I'm not the only one stretching it a bit with childbirth analogies.  Even JK Rowling got in on the act with her quote :

"Poverty is a lot like childbirth - you know it is going to hurt before it happens, but you'll never know how much until you experience it." And how bloody brilliant it is to be a multi, multi millionaire now [:D]

 

[/quote]
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[quote user="Renaud"]Cathy (glad you are back) I am fortunate that I have not gone through childbirth or poverty, but I guess the difference between them is that those who have experienced poverty do not easily go back for more.[/quote]

[:D][:D]  

Easily?

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