The severe weather we were expecting arrived last night. According to the newspapers it wasn’t as bad as people feared but it sounded like rain of biblical proportions on the roof.

Still at least our water tank will be full which is always a comforting thought.

The lashing wind and rain has caused havoc with my new trees. I’ve had an almost wholesale collapse of trees already delivered so it was a challenge putting them all upright again this morning. Not sure my garden twine is up to the job of keeping some of the bigger trees secure in high winds. Mental note to get some proper rope to lash them together.

Talking of trees – we had another delivery today but this time smaller species and more native to New Zealand. Given the high winds and rain that seem to be with us at the moment it was tricky finding a spot to store these plants. Although you might think with 6 acres that won’t be a problem but it is when the excavators are due on site soon to finish the top soil spreading and finish the drive.

In the end I thought the safest, if not the most sheltered, would be to lash the plants together to the house in the existing flower borders. Not the most attractive I know but at least it’s a practical short term home. Hope they don’t get too used to their surroundings as they’ll soon have to be shifted elsewhere and survive wind and rain lashing on their own!