December 2008
Monthly Archive
Tuesday, 30th December 2008
Judith 30 Dec 2008 | : Trying, but failing, to fly
The forecast for today was as bad as the last three days but there was blue sky when we woke up. Yipee! We did a quick phone around to check that we were not just under a blue hole. Turns out we weren’t. The forecast improved with the 11.30am update and the winds promised to be south, fluix to moderat (translation: anywhere from nil wind to howling, depending on where you are).
We set off to Santa Brigida but noticed the duvet effect on Puig Sacalm immediately. No matter, we carried on. Geoff hadn’t seen Olot since the storm and it was even worse than what I had seen yesterday. There were whole trees broken off half way up the trunk, and we saw two electricity pylons snapped in half. Scary stuff. So glad we were not here.
When we got to Santa Brigida, it was howling and NW. Go figure…?!
Monday, 29th December 2008
Judith 29 Dec 2008 | : Boring stuff
Another wet and dreary day. I went to Olot today to do some shopping and meet my family for coffee. What a difference 100m height difference makes! I couldn’t believe the difference between here and there. Deep snow, roads only partially cleared and lots of fallen trees and branches. No wonder there was chaos on Saturday.
Sunday, 28th December 2008
Judith 28 Dec 2008 | : Boring stuff
Rain, rain, rain here and snow, snow, snow in the mountains. The webcams showed the ski resorts packed, but we can’t go until the 7th of January because our season tickets will only allow us to ski when the Christmas period officially ends here. Turns out the bad weather isn’t just here. We had a call from Jenny and Udo just across the border, whose water supply and electricity were cut off and they were interviewed about their plight on national French TV on their way to get water from the village fountain.
Saturday, 27th December 2008
Judith 28 Dec 2008 | : Miscellaneous activities
We got up at 5am to get the ferry to Malta and head for the airport. It was raining for the first time in the whole week and as we were driving to the airport we were provided with a spectacular lightning display at sea all around us.
When we got back to Girona it was raining… Geoff had left my glider in the van so I could go flying on the way home. No chance. As I drove home I could see flooding, water logged fields and the rivers higher than I have seen them all year.
In the evening I got a call from my parents telling me of the storm which hit our area the night before, with 100kph winds, rain, snow etc. Olot, 6km up the road, but 100m higher, has thick snow and is in chaos. The Rupit road was closed and my parents had to make a huge round trip via Vic to get home (it took them 6 hours, including shopping for the next week in case they can’t get out again). They had to dig out their garage and steps. More bad weather forecast for the next few days. 185cm of snow in Masella though!
Saturday, 20th – Friday 26th December – Malta
Judith 28 Dec 2008 | : Holiday
I went to Malta for Christmas and Hanukkah with the family (15 and a half of us). I don’t really know what I thought Malta would be like, but it wasn’t really like I expected – I thought it would have more of a Greek island feel to it. It’s lovely with beige sandstone buildings and sea wherever you look. We had a drive around Valletta on the first day and it deserves its world heritage site status. Then off to the island of Gozo where we were all staying.
We had hired three farmhouses to accommodate the various family groups and this worked out well. I spent the week sight seeing, walking, exploring temples and towns and we played lots and lots of silly games. On Christmas day we amused (or bemused?) the locals with a treasure hunt around the village of Xaghra. Maltese people are really friendly and when the 4th group of treasure hunters passed there were families waiting to cheer us on.
Great holiday…
Monday, 22nd December 2008
Geoff writes: A repeat of yesterday, except that it was even hotter. 20C plus, in the sun. But still very stable, and nil wind, so just a couple of extended top to bottoms.
Would have been a much better idea to go to the beach.
No posts for a few days, Christmas is getting in the way.
Sunday, 21st December 2008
Geoff writes: very warm, very sunny, very light wind, and, unfortunately, very stable. Just a series of top to bottoms from various people, including me, at Santa Brigida. Nils and Sascha tried to fly the hang gliders at El Mont, where, predictably, it was coming over the back. They leave tomorrow for Algodonales.