High winds

Bovinia was hit by a storm called Joachim last night.  (Who chooses storm names???) A number of barns lost some roof tiles, but far worse, our satellite dish - my link to the UK - took a battering and we now have NO BRITISH TV.  Normally I wouldn't think this so disastrous, but this evening it's the final of Strictly Come Dancing and Hedda and I were so looking forward to it.

CG is pretending not to be smug, as the German channels are still working.  He claimed it would be too dangerous to climb up the snow-covered roof to adjust the dish.  If I do that, you might as well order the ambulance now, he said.  We'll see how the weather is tomorrow.  Pah!  Little does he suspect, lying there watching German football (which is much superior to English football, but then again so are most things), that he will be up on that roof tomorrow  come what may.  Or I shall do it myself.  Ah well.  I guess we know who is going to win anyway.

Have you noticed that I rarely talk about nature any more?   I hope I am not starting to take it all for granted.  This morning we awoke to a winter wonderland and it was still snowing.  Although the silly antique clock and people snoring had roused me from my sleep far too early, I felt a thrill of anticipation about my first snowy run.  There's nothing like it.  I set off down the road, treading very gingerly to avoid breaking my leg with the neighbours watching.  Everything was quiet, apart from somebody shouting at their dogs.  Within minutes I was completely alone, whiteness all around me.  It struck me that the crows, never the most dynamic and interesting of birds,  were looking particularly despondent.  Then I saw what I thought to be a husky or wolf sitting in the middle of a field.  It turned out to be a huge dark-red fox, who rushed off into the bushes when he saw me coming.  It was all wonderful.  At lunchtime, I glowingly recounted this scene to my devoted family.  CG thought for a minute.  Did the fox have bald patches and keep scratching itself, he then asked me.  No.  WHY???  Apparently, there is a vicious fox epidemic doing the rounds.  CG had heard this on Radio Oberland, his source of all regional information.  I never get to listen to it, for half way to work it starts going all crackly and I get bursts of opera singing, or people speaking Russian, which is most confusing.  And then it disappears altogether.

I don't like to think about ill foxes but at least it might mean Johann and Sophie need not be so fearful.   Goodness knows they are already scared enough.  I observed them coming home yesterday evening.  Their friends dropped them off at the end of our little road.  I swear that they all quacked goodbye to each other.  Then our two pat-patted along, very slowly, to the gate.  Every time a car went past, or somebody sneezed, or the wind whistled, they stopped and did their panic routine.  I had to ask the lady next door to pause her drilling, or they would have been standing outside all night.  She obligingly did.