Apocalypse Now

Having a west-facing kitchen with massive windows means you get to see the sun set in spectacular full-frontal format, but it has its down side. Today I've confined myself to the kitchen sofa where I'm nursing a stinking head cold, and the Rayburn is blasting out the sort of comforting heat you need when you're feeling sorry for yourself. Between lethargic bouts of learning Italian verbs and reading the paper online I've watched the day unfurl around me. To the left of me the sun had already crept into the room when I raised the blinds early this morning, and it gradually moved along to the next window, just low enough to reach me as I lolled on my day bed. I became aware of the wind increasing, but suddenly it smashed into the big window at full blast, bringing a blizzard that hit the glass with ferocious force. For a few minutes the whole house rattled, and I feared the window would shatter under the onslaught. At times like that I feel vulnerable and unprotected, dreading the consequences of eight double-glazed panels measuring a total of 12 by 8 feet crashing into the room.

Snow lingers on the upper panes

Messy "sick person" kitchen

Alas, the prevailing wind is south-westerly, and this is the point where it regularly attacks. Snow quickly piled up outside the glass, menacing me with its awful power as the sky blackened. Non-primitive though I am I feared the wrath of the gods and the awful punishment they could exact. And then suddenly it was over, the wind had subsided and the sun was out again. Did I imagine it? Well, no, the snow still lies on the ground outside and sits on the window the sun hasn't yet warmed. But the sky is clear and blue again, the leaves on the evergreens softly murmuring in the light breeze. Weather! So unpredictable.