Posted in This Land I Love

When Theodore (4) came and told me to look at the sky yesterday afternoon, I just thought it would be another ordinary raincloud. Does anyone remember that story from Anne of Avonlea where she sends the children home from school when a black, angry cloud is spotted out the window, and a hail storm arrives to cause chaos... well, this was almost an exact re-run of that story.

When I looked out the window to the south I had to catch my breath! It was so black and menacing we were captivated by it. We watched sparks of lightening flash across the sky - bolt lightening too, which is a rare occurance in New Zealand. We usually only get sheet lightening. If I had been more alert I would have rushed out to cover my baby plants - but with this cough I have been avoiding going outside in cool air. We saw Robin rushing the dogs under cover and he made it inside just as the first spits of rain fell and darkness, like night, came over the house and land.

The story in the Old Testament of Moses and Pharoah and the 10 plagues of Egypt is one of my favourites, and while we all sat on our bed yesterday afternoon watching the enormous hail pound the ground - it was the size of large marbles - I have never seen hail like that before - Robin said he could see why God used hail as one of the plagues.

I normally love storms - they thrill me, but this was scary. It passed right over the top of us with lightening and thunder crashing almost upon each other and the hail storm lasted quite a long time. We warned the children not to go near the windows, so we took refuge in our bedroom which is on the north side, but it was so incredibly loud on the roof. I was so incredibly grateful that we were all home and safe and not out driving somewhere.

And so our summer landscape turned to winter.

This was taken through the window at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Anyone fancy a swim?

As it subsided, we emerged to survey the damage. Our new wooden front door has quite a few large dents in it - but as far as we can tell, that is the only damage the house received. But the garden is another story. Robin wouldn't let me go out until this morning to look at it. He said it would be too depressing.

Shredded beetroot

Shredded artichoke

Shredded Tomatoes

Because we were late getting our vegetable plants in this year, I think most of them should bounce back. Not many were in flower. A few baby beans were forming, and a few flowers no the tomatoes, and the zucchini and pumpkin have been very slow this year to grow, so hopefully we won't have lost too many of the plants. The strawberries incredibly seem to have fared the best. I think the chicken wire over the top must have helped protect them. One good thing came out of this.... we didn't have to water the garden last night.

Shredded Rhubarb

Poor Apples

The hail turned this once bushy Buxus plant into an instant Topiary.