Mim, it really isn't very pleasant outside.

About 6pm last night Ms Perez (headmistress) called to say that school was cancelled Monday morning. What wimps, I thought....it was a bit blowy outside, and there was some thunder and lightening around, but nowhere near the sort of weather I'd seen in Portsmouth. Needless to say Osh thought this was the best news ever. I then spent the rest of the night eating my hat (metaphorically, I hasten to add). Hanna visited her fury upon us at about 11 last night when all the power went out and the house has been lashed with 50 mph winds and immense quantities of rain ever since. The power finally came back on about 8am and I ran downstairs to make a cup of tea double quick - I didn't fancy having to shift the industrial sized bbq under the porch and then stand in a howling gale trying to boil water (I've done my share of camping, thank you). Or wake very tired husband and ask him to do same. The wind rattled and howled around the house all night banging the baffle on the airvent way up in the roof which resulted in neither of us getting much sleep. Osh, on the other hand, didn't come upstairs until about 4.30am - thank heavens for soundly sleeping children!

Hanna has now slowed down to a speed of 2mph...that is the speed she is moving over the ground rather than the wind speeds....which means we are forecast to have another couple of days of this. I've pasted above a satellite image from 8am this morning of the great lump - we are immediately below the white centre. The pressure is also dropping, and because she is now passing slowly over water she is picking up heat which could lead to her gaining strength. So today we are all stuck in doors mopping up water (pouring in through the doors, the window frames and the roof) BUT being grateful that we have power. Otherwise life would be a bit grim. Maybe my desire to be trapped indoors by a hurricane is no longer as great as it was...!