Christmas came early

Today the island smells of Christmas, with liquid resin dripping from the pines above.

It started around 1 o'clock in the afternoon with heavy, dark clouds and a few gentle spots of rain, maybe a few distant rumbles of thunder. Suddenly, all went black, as if dusk had come upon us and the wind picked up, causing the bay tree to bend almost horizontal.

We locked up shop, taking everything indoors. As we shut the front door shutters, the rain began to fall in sheets and the clean tiles in the garden were covered with debris. We went to lock the window shutters from inside the bedroom and debris was blowing in horizontally through the back bedroom window right into my eyes, making it hard to see. Then the hailstones began to fall, the size of ten pence pieces. I was so glad I'd decided not to go swimming!

It lasted maybe 15 minutes, maybe half an hour, then it was gone, a peaceful and gentle rain falling and the dark skies lifting to a paler shade of grey.

We've just come back from an exploratory walk around the island, now covered in the debris of trees and other plants, to see dozens of enormous pines snapped in half and torn from their roots, some breaking concrete where they landed. In the hospital park, one sequoia snapped at about six foot and fell, narrowly missing a row of windows where it landed. Agave plants have been torn from their roots too, especially those that are 12 foot tall and taller, in flower.

The damage is very specific, worst in the harbour behind the church, but mostly only one or two trees hurt, with all others around intact and happy with the feeding of rain after almost three months of sunshine. We think it may have been another tornado, similar to one we had when I was small, but it's hard to know.

The sun is shining again, six hours later, and everywhere is open for business as usual, just with fresh piles of chopped pine wood to the side and pine needles carpeting the ground.

Enough excitement for the day. It's time to make dinner and return to business as usual here too.