On a day that that 20 people had died as a direct result of severe gales with human tragedies involved as roofs were ripped off schools and factories and trees and debris crushed cars I was driving to Daventry and back via Northampton with my new inflatable RIB on my roof rack! I first had to pay in some high value cheques and transfer some cash and so I could not leave St Neots until 11am.
I rushed past overturned lorries to Daventry and then drove into the Zodiac warehouse to lash the inflatable onto my roof rack with the Range Rover swaying drunkenly in the open! With her horse-riding cancelled due to power lines down in Offord, I collected Debbie from the Prep as she was blown across the playground. My museum meeting was cancelled giving me time to catch up. My Mum’s doctor and hospital visits went well today
Both Di and I were a little slow to get to sleep, and Di left for the spare bedroom in the end. I then slept all right until woken by her radio/alarm that she had left set. Up in time for breakfast with the others and I officiated as the children went to school. Poor Daniel has a cold and, as the gale force winds rose and rain started, Diana gave in and took them to the bus stop. In view of my failure last night with Red Star, I decided to try to get to Daventry today so that they could upgrade my set whilst I waited. To make the trip worthwhile, I also pressed for my new Inflatable Tender to be ready at the Zodiac distribution depot in Northampton and they agreed and so the trip was on. But first, I had to deal with a mail full of high value cheques and had to arrange for cash to be transferred to the Norfolk company for the Webasto parts. In the end, I opted to pay the largest cheque into Norwich/Peterborough 85-day account which currently pays the highest interest of over 11% but this all took time. I also popped into the shops to get some good rope with which to tie this new inflatable to the roof rack as the severe gale warnings sounded ominous.
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I left St Neots by 11.00am in the end and rushed along the A45, overtaking lorries slowed down by the wind. It was obvious that I was not going to have time to visit both companies before lunch and so I concentrated on getting to NavStar in Daventry and got my navigator upgraded as the first priority. Then I called Zodiac and deferred my visit until after I had eaten lunch at the "Happy Eater", located in the very shadow of the huge Daventry transmitting aerials. The waitresses there were very apologetic but also very under-staffed and disorganised and they actually contrived to changed my situation from being early to late! On to Northampton and by now the winds were atrocious. Lorries were toppling over, trees were falling and the trains to and from London had stopped running. I learnt later that 20 people had died as a direct result of today's severe gales. It was in this situation, that I called at Zodiac's to load an inflatable onto my roof rack! They let me drive in to the warehouse to escape the wind and rain and I loaded up with the help of three others and lashed the boat down tight before leaving. We left the boat in its cardboard box on its pallet so as to be better in the weather. Even so, the Range Rover was being tugged round on the journey and I stopped several times to check the ropes.
I was trying to get back in time for Debbie's horse-riding, but this had been cancelled anyway due to the wind bringing down the electricity power line in Offord. I still picked Debbie up at Kimbolton Prep in the worst of the weather. As I left the car broadside on to the wind with the load atop, it was Then, as Debbie tried to walk across the playground, she was blown away and I had to run after her and haul her back to the car against the wind. Such wind! I certainly think that our climate is undergoing changes at the moment. Home for tea, passing overturned lorries in the ditches, and then my evening meeting was cancelled giving me time to catch up on much work. Because the trains were not running, my Museum colleagues were not able to make the meeting tonight and so I used the time well.
The news today was full of the severe gales with pictures of the human tragedies involved as roofs were ripped off schools and factories and trees and debris crushed cars and broke windscreens. Di had actually seen an old lady bowled off her feet in St Neots today. Thatcher could not bring herself to admit that she had been wrong about Football I.D cards in the House of Commons today and left the announcement for her new Sports Minister to make on Monday. The wind was dying down later this evening and we all say thanks for that. I spoke to Mum later on the telephone who was horrified that I had been out driving in the wind. Her doctor and hospital visits went well and we are all reassured.