Windy

Last night I was told that a big storm was expected and the French weather service had issued a 'vigilance rouge' - their highest level of warning.

This morning I went down early to the market - it was drizzling and a little blowy but nothing to worry about - just a bit miserable. I really don't like wet market days - it takes all the pleasure out of browsing amongst the stalls and adds an extra element of danger because of the five foot tall old women with umbrellas and trolleys barging their way through everyone.

I returned to make breakfast for yesterday's new arrivals and then waited for a gap in the rain showers before heading back to finish my shopping. I hadn't really noticed that the wind had started to pick up but I certainly did when I got back down to the square.

The whole place was in absolute chaos with umbrellas and stalls all over the place. A decision had been made to close the market because it was too dangerous and the stallholders were already in the process of packing up whilst still trying to sell as much as they could. I made a rapid dash around to find the last few items I needed - it was pretty hairy with cardboard boxes and plastic bags flying all the place.

I bumped into Herve and he told me that the tat market on the Boulevard Barbes had been flattened and Pierre told me that he had heard on the radio that this afternoon they are predicting 140km winds and that the storm has already left a trail of devastation through the south west of France with Bordeaux badly hit and half a million people without electricity.

As I type this the lights keep flickering and I half expect them to go off at any moment.

As I returned home I could see that my shutters on the front of the building were beginning to take a bit of a battering so I hurried inside and took the totally unprecented decision to lock down during daylight hours. Alas, I was just too late as the wind ripped one shutter from it's anchor with a deafening crash. Fortunately it didn't leave it's hinges and I was able to pull it back in and close it up.

It's quite wierd and a bit spooky sitting inside with the lights on and the shutters closed, listening to the wind thrashing everything outside.

I suspect the airport will be closed so it's fortunate that I don't have any guests coming in that way today. The plane took two attempts to land yesterday - I don't think they will even try today. I do have some guests arriving by train this evening - but I wouldn't be surprised if they get delayed somewhere - I'll just have to wait and see.

It was always going to be a cooking day and I suspect my guests might be checking out the dvd collection.