Stormy Weekend.

The storm is continuing today as well. Although it is partly sunny, the wind is very fervent. I do not like the wind. There is something about it that makes me anxious. A gentle breeze or a majestic wind that fills my lungs with fresh air and caressed my face upon a brisk walk is very welcomed. But a fierce wind, that can be damaging and devastating to trees and to people holds very little of my affection.

I hate seeing the birch trees just outside my windows bending to the bursting point and the sound the heavy gusts create in my chimney fills me with extreme unease. Even more unsettling is seeing the window pane of my windows facing west, against the wind, flex in and out, as if made of cardboard. I guess this fear comes from the fact that here autumn and winter wind storms can be destructive and have caused floods and damages to houses and people before. Our European storms, just like the Atlantic hurricanes are categorized and named. The last major storm, called Anatol occurred about ten years ago, just a few days prior to when I was returning from my nine year long stay in the US. It devastated parts of Scandinavia. The storm that I remember best from my years in my white house on the hill was Gudrun in January 2005. It vividly brought back my two hurricane experiences in the 90's and reminded me of the fact that nature's fury can never be underestimated.

Below my ongoing update of the birch tree, that slowly gains more colour by every passing week.