Part of the ceiling of our small carport was blown off by a freak gusting wind recently. No great drama but this minor incident served as a reminder of just how powerful the wind can be, even an insignificant "Bangkok gust". I am truly thankful not to have experienced tornadoes like those in the US which must be terrifying.
During childhood summer vacations in England, I recall it being a "bit blowy" on visits to such places as Beachy Head, The Needles and Land's End and remember my mum losing her holiday hat when it was blown off a Cornish cliff.
In February this year The Needles witnessed the strongest gust ever recorded in England -- 125 mph. However, the Cairngorms in Scotland have experienced 173 mph gusts, no doubt prompting concerned locals to remark "it's blowing a hoolie".
According to an Australian friend, Tasmania can also be a bit breezy and sometimes is "so windy it would blow spots off a Dalmatian."
A few years ago I took the wife to the tranquil Devon seaside resort of Seaton, assuring her the bay had a reputation for being calm, sunny and peaceful. The first morning we awoke to the sound of a howling gale and what locals later claimed was the worst day in years. Through the morning murk you could see the storm whipping across the bay and the waves pounding the seafront while the rain was blowing horizontally.
A typical English holiday scene some might say.
Wet walkies
Despite the appalling conditions on that damp Devon day the locals showed their fortitude by still bravely walking their dogs along the promenade, seemingly unfazed by the sweeping rain and wind. Admittedly some of the drenched doggies did not look entirely happy about this unscheduled bath. No hound was spared and there were assorted soggy-looking spaniels, terriers and poodles with wetter noses than usual.
The next day it was blissfully sunny, the bay as calm as a millpond -- that's English weather for you.
Beware the friendly breeze
In Thailand I experienced an early taste of how powerful the tropical wind can be while visiting a Nakhon Nayok waterfall with a colleague in the early 1970s. It was swelteringly hot and after a tiring trudge up the narrow valley we sat on a rock enjoying a much-needed rest and sandwiches.
The first puff of a cooling breeze was very welcome but a sudden fierce gust blew our sandwiches away and within minutes the gust had transformed into a howling gale bringing large branches crashing down around us. The sky turned black and the heavens opened and it was almost impossible to stand in the wind. It was time to get out of there. We scrambled back down the valley and thankfully found a bamboo noodle shop in which to take refuge.
I always remember the lady shop-owner beaming at our bedraggled frames and with a big grin asking, "Sanuk mai?" (Having fun?).
Down by the riverside
The wind has inspired many literary works but the only one I can actually recall reading with "wind" in the title was The Wind in the Willows by British novelist Kenneth Grahame. The title was chosen by the publisher in preference to the author's laid-back suggestion of "Mr Mole and his Mates". Despite the title, the actual word "willow" does not appear in the book, Grahame using the term "osier", a willow with narrow leaves.
It was one of the few books I read as a kid, and I was absorbed by the adventures of Toad, Rat, Mole and Badger and the idyllic riverbank setting. However, I was probably more attracted by the splendid illustrations rather than the text and particularly liked the sketches of Badger who reminded me of one of my more eccentric uncles.
Mapledurham magic
Some years later I discovered that Toad Hall which Mr Toad proudly acclaimed as "the finest house on the whole river" was reportedly based on Mapledurham House in the Oxfordshire village of the same name on the Thames.
It happened to be just across the Berkshire border only a 20-minute bike ride from my home in Caversham, Reading. So that prompted regular bicycle excursions to Mapledurham where I was particularly fascinated by the still functioning watermill that looked like something from a Constable painting.
The village was so appealing that in 1963 I chose Mapledurham and its surroundings as the subject matter for my Geography A-level field study. I could not imagine a more delightful spot for school work and for a while I became a familiar sight in the village aboard my old bike clutching the precious Ordnance Survey map and munching cucumber sandwiches.
Time for a cuppa
Because of its idyllic setting Mapledurham became the location of several films, including Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders TV episodes. The most famous production was The Eagle Has Landed, about a plot to kidnap Winston Churchill near the end of World War II. It was filmed in 1976 starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall.
My dad cycled over to the village regularly during the filming, half-hoping he might land a role as an extra. Alas, the nearest he got to stardom was one of the film crew giving him a sausage roll and a cup of tea.
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