Breathing Lightly

It is early evening, there is something missing. No rain lashing at the window panes, no wind rattling the doors, no draughts coming from anywhere. Shush! Hush! I open the window; it is inky black out there. How about a walk? No, far too dark, no street lights on our country road. This is a time to just appreciate the world, breathing lightly for a change. Ahhh.

As we sat in our meditation hall this morning all was peaceful within and all manor of pandemonium was breaking loose outside. The weather was definitely happening in all its full-force glory. Walking back after morning service, bracing into the gale, one of the monks mentioned he had been advised to ‘not battle the wind’ since he would be ‘battling with a good friend’. I’ll remember that one.

We are surrounded by gales this evening No sign of them here, yet!

* * *
And here, especially for the Brits abroad, settle down under the bed clothes and listen to the Gale Warnings!

Sea area gale warnings, issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Last updated on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1732.

All gale warnings currently in force

Viking, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly.

North Utsire, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly.

South Utsire, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Forties, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Cromarty, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Forth, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Tyne, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Dogger, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Fisher, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 soon.

German Bight, issued on Monday 8 January 2007 at 2216
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Humber, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Thames, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Dover, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Wight, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Portland, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Plymouth, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Biscay, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1021
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 soon.

FitzRoy, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Sole, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Lundy, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Fastnet, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Rockall, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Northwesterly gale force 8 imminent, backing southwesterly later.

Malin, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Gale force 8 veering northwesterly imminent, backing southwesterly later.

Hebrides, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 later.

Bailey, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

Fair Isle, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1728
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

Faeroes, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

South-east Iceland, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southerly gale force 8 expected later.

I still can’t recite the sea areas off by heart even though I’ve listened to them hundreds of time in my life. How about you?

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5 thoughts on “Breathing Lightly”

  1. May we spare a thought for those flying through these gales in these next two days…Enita and baby fly to Edinburgh on Thursday morning. She really doesn’t like turbulent flights.

  2. What an effort to comment these days!! Either new Blogger or the cables disruption off Taiwan – who knows, but at 05:30 in the morning my gumption level is not at its best. Repeated attempts with old and new logins, long waits, connecting to www2.google.com…try again…again…then my comment disappears with no trace! Great!

    Sounds quite a storm around the British Isles! I don’t remember sea area Fitzroy from my childhood days. The shipping forecast was one of those daily events in the background that soaked into my newly wiring brain (with the effects my friends know too well!). It must be fun to sit on a committee of the great and good deliberating on a change to the shipping areas – the sort of thing the British do well! Named after Darwin’s Captain Fitzroy I imagine.

    Now to try again…not looking good…and again…I give up, but will cut out the text and try later…

    Added later: I noticed the problem – at my end! I’d echo Tim’s comment. Travel safely, it is no fun on a turbulent flight.

    (I should set my computer zone to Singapore time! It’s 21:04 not 13:04. Maybe a Freudian slip?)

  3. Thanks to Tim and to Walter and hopefully the high winds will have deminished by the time that flight to the UK arrives above these waters.

    I saw snow on the high moors this morning. Which is nothing compared to the blizzard they are having in Edmonton at the moment. The weather people say it is the storm unmatched in the last 20 years! Uh! too bad I am not there to live through it. The say there is zero visibility, imagine that?

  4. There was hail in North Yorkshire today. I think most of us remember North Utsire South Utsire don’t we even if we can’t do the whole list!
    Angie x

  5. At least it missed out “Irish Sea” which has Lancaster at its eastern edge. But today, Thursday, it is making up for the deficit. The Lune estuary is more like the open sea today.
    My PC is still offline so I am using the public library one via my hotmail address.
    Hope all is well with you, Rev. Mugo. Happy New Year!

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