First day thread

[bobins]

On the night of 15/16th October 35 years ago was The Great Storm* (or The Bit Blowy to Northerners ). What were you doing and did it affect you ? I was working in greenhouses on the south coast back in the day - you can imagine what it looked like on the morning after I don't think I've got any photos - actually, I probably have, but it'll take me until October next year to find them

I remember the councils had a communal burn site up on The Downs at the back of Brighton to deal with a lot of the trees....... until they realised there was a large gas main running underneath it

*- A note to our younger readers who weren't even born then - it got a bit windy down here.... no it really did ! And because we hadn't had that many gales of that magnitude in the past, not many weak trees and dodgy roofs had been weeded out previously so it was somewhat catastrophic.

[myglaren]

Remember seeing it on the news and the vilification of Michael Fish.
Nothing of note here though. I was probably at work.

[mickthemaverick]

I was sitting in a traffic queue at red lights in Langley Road in Watford when three roof tiles came down from the shop next to me. One caught my back bumper and the other two fell harmlessly behind me. No damage worth reporting though, I was just glad I wasn't a couple of yards further back!!

[bobins]

Michael Fish was actually technically correct in what he said, but as the saying goes - "Never let the facts get in the way of a news story"

[NewcastleFalcon]

Is Wiki having a laugh here...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_sto ... e%20flames.

At Clayton, West Sussex, one of the village's recently restored windmills, Jill, sustained severe damage to its mechanisms and caught fire during the storm. The mill's brakes had been applied prior to the storm, but the high winds were able to rotate the sails and overcome the brakes, creating friction which set the mill's antique timbers on fire. Members of the Jack and Jill Windmills Society were able to put the fire out, carrying water up the hill to douse the flames.

1987 we would have been in the throes of house renovation having moved in in March 1987. We got a new roof on at some phase of the works between August and December and it stayed intact, although without checking back to the Evening Chronicle I can't remember whether the storm reached up here.

I know gibbo isnt too keen on the local wild boar...maybe a few of them escaped round about his neck of the woods

A number of wild boar may have escaped from captivity during the storm, after enclosures were damaged by falling trees. These boar have since bred and established populations in woods across southern England.

Regards Neil

[bobins]

Nope - it actually happened ! Jack and Jill windmills are very real and present and one of them did catch fire during the storm.....

".....At least, that’s what Simon Potter of the Jack and Jill Windmills Society did on October 16 1987 when smoke and sparks “like comets” were seeing pouring out of Jill.
Simon told the Mid Sussex Times that he was called at 5am by Vera and Robert Deering, owners of the Jack windmill, who gave him one terrifying message – Jill windmill is on fire.
With all roads to the mill blocked, Simon and a neighbour scrambled up the side of the Downs, crawling on their hands and knees to prevent being blown over in the howling wind.
When they reached the top, the mill was full of smoke."

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/re ... 987-792825

This actually makes for a good read

https://www.jillwindmill.org.uk/1987.htm

"...... Inside, we tried again to stop the sweeps, then we noticed that there was a glow from the front corner of the mill, and that the body of Jill was on fire. I rushed to a fire extinguisher and pushed the plunger - only a trickle came out!
Water became the next priority, while I continued to try to stop the sweeps Robert and Peter ran back to the house and started to ferry buckets of water up to the mill."

[RichardW]

I was almost 13, and living on the Isle of Wight. We lost 2 big pines at the edge of garden, which pushed the shed out of shape and took some fence with it, sure there were some tiles off the roof, it wasn't the best in the first place! No power for 3 days. I was on a trip the weekend, which went ahead, although we were on a boat, and stayed tied up at the quay!

[bobins]

Was it the anemometer on the Needles lighthouse that recorded the highest wind just before it was blown off the roof !

[NewcastleFalcon]

A few first day shutter clicks in the first day quirky category

First day apple

happy conker

conker coming out of its shell
While the figure in the shadows of the
Sandeman Port man looks on.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Music Maestro please...
1 minute 47 seconds of bang on-topicness from Julie London



Regards Neil

[Rp0thejester]

Bonus points for me, a C8

yes it's mine, but still counts. Very rare to see one. Anyone tried the C5 10? Is it electric?

[NewcastleFalcon]

or indeed the Four Freshmen,

The Four Freshmen were an important influence on Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame, beginning in the mid-50s. He listened to one of their albums, Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones, and it "mesmerized" him. He spoke very highly of it: "'It brings a feeling of love inside me.... That feeling of harmony.'"Aside from listening to their music, the teenage Wilson made a point of seeing the Four Freshmen perform live: "he made solitary pilgrimages to the resort hotels of Catalina Island to see the Four Freshmen.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Few more shutter clicks

Turbulent waters. Spot the dipper!

Calm still waters

72 Thread is closed but it is a first of October original photo so sneaks in here.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

On 1st October 1964 this was top of the UK "Hit Parade"



Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Another chart from 1st October in 1972. This was at number 30. Probably 50 years since I have heard it, but still remember it.



Regards Neil