Surviving the storms?

Here on the farm we have been trying to continue as normal through the awful weather - building a new polytunnel, looking after the chickens, harvesting for markets and veg boxes etc.

This afternoon's barometer reading, beyond stormy!

Hail stones from Tuesday's storm.

Our main casualty though is the southern end of our new polytunnel, which less than one year old. This flat end faces directly into the prevailing wind, and doesn't seem to be as sheltered from the trees as we had hoped.

Starting to bow inwards after the first set of storms.

Bowed even more after Wednesday night; Arthur wedging rocks against the door.

The strength of wind blasting against the front of the tunnel has bent some internal supporting struts, allowing the front to bow inwards even more, which has lifted the front timber-work up and away from the ground. To try and stop wind getting underneath and lifting the structure we have made a wall of tyres and an old bathtub at the base.

Bent hoop support strut.

A bent strut now tearing holes in the plastic cover.

We have repaired the structure as best we can, tightening the nuts and bolts that have worked loose, re-battening blown-out plastic sheets, taping up holes in the plastic, and re-hanging the loose front door. It's difficult repairing a polytunnel in 45mph gales, but hopefully it's enough to make it through tonight and then we hope that the worst will be over.....

Hugh undertaking running repairs in the rafters this afternoon.