Great Balls Of Ice!
Hiya All !
Well, we have managed to disprove the theory that bigger is better . . . bigger hailstones are not too impressive, believe me!
We had a fab day in Kananaskis Country last Sunday . . . toasting marshmallows, paddling in the river, admiring the majestic mountains, drinking cans of lager (that would be Bert, not the kids) . . . all topped off with a loud sing-a-long to 'All You Need Is Love' in the car. Perfect. Then a quick trip to Walmart to buy new balcony furniture, minimal 'flat-pack-assembly-ranting-and-stress' (wonders will never cease), and a celebratory sit down to appreciate said furniture. Closely followed, as you might expect, by black clouds rolling in and a severe weather warning.
'Severe' was pretty on the button, as descriptions of weather go. I have never seen anything like it in all my life. The marble sized hail was on the dramatic side, but then it stepped up a gear and pelted us with golf-ball . . . and the odd tennis-ball . . . sized lumps of ice!!! Some were 4 inches in diameter, according to the paper. We got off lightly with a hole in a piece of our siding . . . my friend lives out on an acreage, and her entire house looks like it has been machine-gunned!!! Adeles friends had just arrived in their new hire car - which couldn't be rescued without risking a fatality - and is now sporting multiple dents in the roof and bonnet. A neighbour had the car windshield smashed, the local car dealership has had pretty much his entire stock trashed, and the golf course is full of pot holes. You see . . . modesty in all things . . . a far better plan!
Of course, this brief-but-dramatic storm was a mere blip in our glorious weather . . . 25 degrees minimum for the next fortnight, with the occasional sneak into the 30's. Lots of sitting in the shade, swimming in the river and cooling off at the sprinkler park has been called for. Are we having plenty of sun in the UK ?????
Bert is back on days so is a much happier bunny, Katie is on Wirral (not getting much wear out of all her new sun-tops), the kids are having a ball, and I got 2 questions right on 'Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader' . . . so all is well with the world!! Of course, we wish you could all be here, soaking up a few rays and chilling on the balcony . . . so do drop us a line and let us know what we are missing back in Blighty.
Lots of love and hugs, Nicki xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Local rag write up: http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=61&x=story&xid=325140
http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=61&x=story&xid=323834
Well, we have managed to disprove the theory that bigger is better . . . bigger hailstones are not too impressive, believe me!
We had a fab day in Kananaskis Country last Sunday . . . toasting marshmallows, paddling in the river, admiring the majestic mountains, drinking cans of lager (that would be Bert, not the kids) . . . all topped off with a loud sing-a-long to 'All You Need Is Love' in the car. Perfect. Then a quick trip to Walmart to buy new balcony furniture, minimal 'flat-pack-assembly-ranting-and-stress' (wonders will never cease), and a celebratory sit down to appreciate said furniture. Closely followed, as you might expect, by black clouds rolling in and a severe weather warning.
'Severe' was pretty on the button, as descriptions of weather go. I have never seen anything like it in all my life. The marble sized hail was on the dramatic side, but then it stepped up a gear and pelted us with golf-ball . . . and the odd tennis-ball . . . sized lumps of ice!!! Some were 4 inches in diameter, according to the paper. We got off lightly with a hole in a piece of our siding . . . my friend lives out on an acreage, and her entire house looks like it has been machine-gunned!!! Adeles friends had just arrived in their new hire car - which couldn't be rescued without risking a fatality - and is now sporting multiple dents in the roof and bonnet. A neighbour had the car windshield smashed, the local car dealership has had pretty much his entire stock trashed, and the golf course is full of pot holes. You see . . . modesty in all things . . . a far better plan!
Of course, this brief-but-dramatic storm was a mere blip in our glorious weather . . . 25 degrees minimum for the next fortnight, with the occasional sneak into the 30's. Lots of sitting in the shade, swimming in the river and cooling off at the sprinkler park has been called for. Are we having plenty of sun in the UK ?????
Bert is back on days so is a much happier bunny, Katie is on Wirral (not getting much wear out of all her new sun-tops), the kids are having a ball, and I got 2 questions right on 'Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader' . . . so all is well with the world!! Of course, we wish you could all be here, soaking up a few rays and chilling on the balcony . . . so do drop us a line and let us know what we are missing back in Blighty.
Lots of love and hugs, Nicki xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Local rag write up: http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=61&x=story&xid=325140
http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=61&x=story&xid=323834
