X what?

Xynthia.

For goodness sake!

Who puts together the list of possible names for storms?
If we're going to have to suffer at the 'hands' of one (do storms have hands?) at least give it a bloody name we can pronounce...I've been calling it X - inthia, hopefully it wont do anymore damage, so far (apart from terrifying the dog - he had his legs crossed most of Sunday afternoon) the trampoline has been blown and flipped over, a large teracotta pot complete with standard rose was smashed and the chimenia was blown over and is now in bits.

The roads are all strewn with bits of tree, the trains network in our part of Germany was closed down (not that that worries me, I'm merely reporting the facts) due to trees on the tracks (a way better excuse than 'leaves on the line') the cathedral square on Köln was shut off (there's a huge amount of scaffolding around the cathedral as it's under almost permanent renovation)...all because of some Xynthia.

I was very glad I'd walked Logan early, when my only thought had been not getting wet. By the time I got home the rain was just starting again and then after lunch the wind started.
The weather forecast on line had said 'windy', I'd never thought to check what the actual wind speed might be, I was just conscious that I didn't want to be out walking the dog in the rain and the wind, one or the other, fine, but the 2 together? No thanks, that's just not fun.

Sunday evening saw another ordeal.
A concert at the Alte Bahnhof (the old railway, where I go for step and pilates, it's kind of like a nice community centre - seems to get used for anything and everything) where Jasmine's school choir were singing 3 of the songs they're performing in a bigger concert in May (our part of Germany is the European capital of culture (or something like that, I might have got my words in the wrong order, but I'm sure you get the drift) this year and so there's loads of 'cultural' stuff going on - like a giant picnic on the A42...yeah, can't wait, the anticipation is killing me)

The Bahnhof was packed, standing room only, but fortunately Jas's choir were on first then we just had to wait till a duet had done their stuff before we could whisk our children away and get them home to bed.

I shall have to make sure we've got proper tickets for the concert in May, the outlaws are coming and they really wont be impressed if they have to stand!