In day 54 I mentioned the hurricane of 1987 and motorway lampposts waving in the breeze. That journey remains in the memory as I didn’t have any idea of the extent and strength of the storm. My Morris had no radio and the usual routine was me getting up, ready for work if as much quiet as possible. I joined the traffic south and we crawled along, everyone it seemed taking it easy.
I hadn’t really recognised how the time was passing whilst concentrating on driving. When I arrived at work the ward team had had a call from Megan who I normally messaged to say I was at work ok. And the window at one end of the ward had blown in. The damage was not too bad and it was quickly covered over. The item closest to the window was an old ECG recorder that bore the label donated by Eric Morecambe. I never had the courage to dispose of it.
Of course that day is mainly remembered for the mistake Michael Fish the weather forecaster made. I’d not seen his comment that no hurricane was on the way until later that day. A classic case of a trusted professional making one misjudgment and it is that they are most remembered for. His colourful jumpers coming in second. There were places where damage was significant such as the woods on the skyline of Bath that we knew well. Property and lives were altered too. Michael Fish couldn’t have stopped what was happening, it damaged the reputation of forecasters at least for a while. As we’ve seen in recent days, actions and words cannot be undone and will impact on reputations and how others see us.
[[File:Weather vane, Cathedral Close - geograph.org.uk - 2451783.jpg|Weather_vane,_Cathedral_Close_-_geograph.org.uk_-_245178
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