The Wind In The Willow

Part of what garden writers refer to as "the borrowed landscape', this willow, which is just outside the boundary of our garden took a nasty battering in yesterday's storms. It looks even worse in the flesh than on the photo and part of the larger damaged branch is dangling ominously near to our shed. It was still dark and lashing it down when I heard a dreadful ominous cracking noise. My first thought was that a tree may have come down across the main road but as I peered out I could see that the traffic was still moving so ruled this out. It was only later in the day when the wind abated that I could get out that this most sad state of affairs met my eyes. A salutary reminder of the power of nature. Now major surgery awaits and as it has proved difficult to establish just who the  the landowner is, I have a feeling that this may be an expensive start to our new year. The lovely Karen from 'An Artist's Garden' tweeted of damage to her polytunnel yesterday and I wonder whether any other UK blogger's gardens were victims of the extreme weather. I do hope that your your good selves, properties and gardens escaped unscathed. This was not our only damage of the day - the force of the wind knocked over himself's parked motorbike which seems a large beast to me. Minor damage done but I was just so mightily relieved that he was not on it as the time.