Hurricaines and hullaballoo

Well the first week of a new year, 2012, and it has been a wee bit breezey down here. Waking up on thursday morning after the two worst storms of the winter left me with trepdidation as to what had happened damage wise. There appears to have been no structural damage to the house, although during the storm the strength of the wind was driving rain in around the frame of the large picture window in the kitchen. Two new leaks have sprung up on the kitchen roof...a large flat expanse that does not appear to fit very well!

In the garden the most obvious victim was the pampas grass - Cortaderia selloana.

This is no real cause for concern, however, as the whole plant is in need of it's annual trim. It starts to look tatty this time of the year as it's in one of the more exposed parts of the garden....Have still to find the area of the garden that's not exposed, however.

More devestating, however, is the loss of of my Isoplexis sceptrum (Madeira Foxglove).

Snapped right off its stem. I'm not happy! This plant looks absolutely stunning when it's in flower and should look like the one in the picture next to it come summer. Both the picture and my 'stick' came from Hardy Exotics (http://www.hardyexotics.co.uk/), a couple of miles up the road at Whitecross. It's a gorgeous plant but not hardy enough to be grown outside anywhere but down here. I'd reccomend popping it in a pot and bringing it inside for the winter. It's happy to be grown in part shade so brightens up a dull corner.

I now have to see if I can use the broken off head for cuttings, it's not really the right time of year but I'll give it a go!

This year has really started in an upward direction. On Friday the tumble dryer decided to give up the ghost, not the end of the world as I have a washer/dryer. Damn annoying none the less as it makes all my clothes smell like hot rubber. Then to add insult to injury I woke up Saturday and have lost the crown from my front tooth. I am now unable to smile and talk with a lisp....I hope this is not a sign of things to come!