Stormy days......count your blessings.

Yesterday and today's weather forecast?

80% chance of thunderstorms.

My hubby and I were a little excited.

For a start we both LOVE watching storms....

We have been known to grab our outdoor chairs, coffee, snacks, a blanket when its cold (and of course the camera!)

and watch with awe God's amazing and powerful creation at work.

We also needed rain for our summer crop

- Millet -

which is feeding our 3 cows, 2 calves and we are about to move back our 20 odd sheep to fatten up for market.

The whole garden always perks up after rain

(isn't it amazing that even if you continually water it

it's not the same as fresh rain?)

And as the day grows older it gets SO hot that Damo can no longer stand working out in the shed and retreats inside.

A good 37'c I think...

and humid.

The clouds seemed to build out of nothing

... and then....

IT

hit.

I was too scared to really stick my neck too far out off the verandah, I had JB clinging to my neck as I tried to get some 'blog' worthy shots

(which I don't think I did but I just had to show you what happened).

Half way through the storm,

Damo suddenly realised that the southern door on the shed was wide open

and that was the direction the storm was coming from

- he sprinted from the house to close the door -

and I prayed that he wouldn't get struck by the lightening.

I have NEVER heard thunder like it

- it was so.....

wicked.

I was a little frightened ( which is very unusual during storms).

and then the wind hit

I had retreated inside by this stage

- too scary to even be on the verandah -

Damo was stuck in the shed

JB was begging for 'Shaun the Sheep'.

I made my way from window to window

~ amazed~

 at the power behind the storm,

and then the hail hit.....

PANIC

our car, our caravan, our truck

all outside.

The hail was flying sideways straight down our verandah

- I did try to capture it on camera, it didn't work.... 

The hail was

-  literally -

 bouncing back up 2 foot in the air off the lawn.

I eventually got brave enough to venture a bit further outside

~ with JB occupied with the portable DVD player.

Below tells the sad tale of my sorrows..........

My arch~way that Damo made me for a few birthdays ago.
Roses ripped off it.

Numerous trees had lost branches

and this - our favourite tree in our garden.
It was just started to spread an amazing shade.
We been watching and waiting for this tree for three years.

Snapped off under-ground by the force of the wind

A few bent fences...

Damo using the chainsaw to clean up.
During the second part of the storm
I was holding my breath on the verandah while he thunder roared on.

I was a little up set by the tree!

My newly acquired shed from my father-in-law.
I was going to make a cow bail and chook shed...
:(

As I tallied up everything I was just a "little" annoyed at God..

Why after all this time?

We have worked really hard at developing our garden, our home.

We started with nothing here

 - just an empty block that was a dust bowl 

at the start of a ten year drought.  

And then I

stopped

Who knows the reasons behind why things go wrong?

Our heavenly Father

who loves us SO much.

Who knows?

He may have been preventing a greater loss.

We were planning on building JB a sandpit under that tree,

maybe a one day a branch may have been going to fall?

Who knows?

and so I realise that

all our expensive machinery is undamaged,

we are all safe

we have a roof over our heads

We have a loving heavenly Father who cares for us.

and all that we have lost was a few trees.

May God bless you today!

Corinne. 

I am linking with the lovely ladies for
Farmgirl Friday blog hop!
@
http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/
or click on the title.