Why do we always talk about the weather?
When you pass your friends and stop for a chat, inevitably you start chatting about the weather.
When you live at an elevation of 1,145 metres above sea level, the topic of the weather can be quite a serious conversation. Three weeks ago, we were advised by both our neighbors that a nasty weather system was on its way with winds in excess of 70 kms an hour and that we'd be best served to postpone our olive harvest and make sure all loose items where secured.
The forecast via multiple channels said yes, it would be windy but little did we expect it would be so windy or specifically how gusty it would be for us. I guess a good indicator of how gusty it was getting was when I visited the chickens to see how they were fairing. They were all pushed up against the downwind end of their coop like school kids trying not to be picked out by their teacher.
We recently upgraded our solar system to be lithium from the old lead acid arrangement and installed 10 brand new shiny panels to help maximize our energy production. When you have winds that can top out at around 120 kms an hour, securing the panels needs to be made bombproof, alas they were not. With each gust of wind, the 24 concrete blocks, holding down the solar arrays, started dancing around the roof top like an uncoordinated Cocky (Australian slang for a farmer) at a B&S Ball.
It wasn't long, after we did our post lunch washing up, that AJ yelled f#%k, one of them has just flown off the roof. Yep it was in the garden, followed closely by the other four, one smashed the outdoor table, one landed near the firewood stack, one landed just outside the kitchen, only missing cutting Perro in half by cms, the other ended atop the pergola still attached to its charging cable like some overstretched manufactured umbilical cord.
Thankfully for our power supply and my sanity the remaining 5 panels were still sitting on the roof. I guess they were in a bit of a wind break as they were only moving slowly, perhaps something like a slow dance to a Barry White classic. Needless to say I was up on the roof trying my best to ensure we were not left living life by candle light or having cold showers when it is zero outside. Its hard to judge what to do in these circumstances when you need something very heavy to weigh down a huge silver glass sail when you know you cannot lift up what you need to the roof space because it is to heavy. After a bit of thinking on the bounce I moved the now useless concrete blocks from one solar array to the other which seemed to do the trick.
More out of encouragement then perhaps fact, our neighbors informed us that the worst of the wind had come and gone, but the damage was done.
Post event, we walked the property and found we had lost about half of our remaining olive crop totaling about 400 kilos (waste not want not, it is now mulching our quince trees). Some of our outdoor furniture ended up in various trees, some is yet to be found.
Mother nature had won again.