Suddenly, The Sky Had Two Faces.

A cozy holiday afternoon shattered to bits by an incessant hail storm.

A public holiday yesterday put everyone into an extended holiday frame of mind, complete with big lunches, family get together's and a planned afternoon snooze. Well, that is before we reckoned with Mamma Nature.

Strangely enough, the day started out on the hot side coupled with azure blue skies. After lunch, I was watching something on TV and kept on hearing a dull thud with the occasional pause in the movie, but as I glanced at the sky outside, it was nice and blue.

Bob had an inkling of sorts and suggested that I take in the washing dangling on the line. Walking up to it, I saw the other and very scary side to the sky. A deep, dark and angry shade of green blanketed this side of the sky. Freaky to say the least, but enough to batten down our hatches...get in the washing, close all the windows and give thanks for a sheltered car cover.

Minutes later, the first hail arrived. We only heard its impact on the roof before we saw it. The pelting started in earnest and at one stage we only saw a white garden. The hail stones went through a size change faster than a bride-to-be flipping through a bridal magazine and planning her wedding. It did the liturgy of sizes. Small, medium, almost large, threateningly large, square, medium and small again.

It took about half an hour to destroy at best people's gardens and at worst most farmer's yearly income and more sadly, spirit. Yes, it had a slight feeling of plague, so often heralded from the pulpits in order to reign in our liberties, about it. Gosh, what next? Locusts?

These last few years have tested many a farmer. Hail, frost and more hail have put paid to the year's work. I am hoping that the powers that be and coincidentally those powers the people elected into office, will lend a hand to these unfortunate stalwarts of our society.

Let's face it, how many of us would take on nature year after year in an arm wrestling match which oscillates exclusively back and forth with no reset button?

There are those true through and through farmers who will dust off the devastation and write it down to experience learned.

Farmers are the unsung heroes of our world. Remember, without them we wouldn't have vegetables, meat nor wine...

Biggi