Last week’s gales caused an awful lot of damage here. We lost two panes of glass from the greenhouse when it was at its worst. The whole house shook and it sounded like armageddon. I don’t remember ever being quite so worried by the wind all the time we’ve been here, though it wasn’t the worst we’ve had. I think it was because the trees are in full leaf. It may not be quite as fierce as a winter gale, but it was certainly noisy. And the trees along the river bank really took a hammering.

It’s much quieter now, and the sun is out – a really good washing day. So that’s what I’m doing.