Storm Barra.

Very weird weather conditions this morning as Storm Barra began to blow. The winds were blowing from the land and completely flattening the waves though a closer look showed quite a bit of heaving of the sea's surface. By the afternoon the winds had begun to swing round bringing big waves for the surfers, all three of them. Right now I can hear lashing rain and strong winds blowing.

I needed to go to the Post Office so after breakfast I put on my waterproofs and headed out. And, you've guessed right, the rain held off for most of the time I was out. Walking down the road the wind caught me each time there was a gap in the houses though the hillside behind gave this end of the village a significant amount of shelter. Having bought some milk in the shop I then decided to go for a walk along the beach as I hadn't been on the beach for a while. The going wasn't easy as the tide was in and the recent stormy weather had dragged the shingle into deep ridges but it was good to be out. Along with plenty of tree trunks in the washed up seaweed there was the long dead carcass of a sheep and another of a large seal. 

Most of my afternoon was spent on admin and some sewing. A few repairs and I also altered another yoga top that I bought a while back (black with random white marbling). As usual I'd bought a larger size for the longer length and better skimming over the bulges so the armholes needed taking in.

Then, although the wind had begun to pick up I drove into town. Last night I'd posted a grumble on the local FB page about not being able to apply for a booster jab until 28 weeks after the last one even though it's all over the news that everyone over 40 should get one 12 weeks after their second vaccination. Several people suggested just turning up at the vaccination centre, after 4.00 and asking then which is exactly what I did. The lady at the first desk was quite happy to fit me in as there was almost no queue, the chap behind me was also a walk-in. This time I had the Moderna vaccine with the trendy name of Spikevax so I sat for 10 minutes of the advised 15 in case I had a reaction. By the time I left there were no queues at all but more people were arriving. When the nurse looked on the system I was due to have my booster on the 18th but sooner is better as far as I'm concerned. She also said some people were getting letters on the day of their appointment or even with no appointment date. 

Since I was already in town I went over to Morrisons and got more milk and a few other bits. Huh I needn't have carried the first bottle up and down the beach but at the time I wasn't sure what was happening with the weather.

We're fine up here on the cliff but it looks like the storm surge will be flooding a lot of the village tonight. There's a lot of anger on-line because the council haven't been clearing the drains despite years of complaining and people have been waiting for Natural Resources Wales to clear the ditches along the railway track.