Stormy Nights

I hardly got a wink of sleep last night as it was blowing a gale and the rain was thudding against the windows. There is a particular level of darkness at 4am during a winter storm that feels so horribly claustrophobic and never-ending, so after sleeping fitfully from midnight to about ten past four, I got up, made tea and sat blearily with pen and paper furthering the home-ed plans for next year, whilst leaping up periodically after a hefty gust and shining the torch on the duck runs and rabbit shed to check they were all intact.

They all survived the night though, and the ducks were thrilled with the mud and standing water:

I had bungee'd up the door of my little plastic greenhouse so it didn't blow away but unfortunately the plants inside were trashed:

Oh dear. Luckily I have some sweet peas and hollyhocks in the cold frame, although that is also in 3 pieces now. I have planted the strawberry in the chicken run  but everything else is beyond saving :-(

The girls and I went up to see Kit and his wife who were planting trees in their field. I gave Kit a swarm of bees back in the summer and he has kindly said we can go and help him with their permaculture project. It was a bit sloppy but the girls got stuck in:

I have a couple of knitting projects on the go at the moment, but they are Christmas presents and a bit bodged, both of them. I spotted a pattern for a jumper I'd like to knit but I'll wait for the new year for that. I'd also like to knit a tea cosy, so I think I need to spend some time choosing a pattern...