After another named storm we are all trying to get back to some kind of normality.

Éowyn came in very swiftly – and seemed to move on very quickly as well – but in that brief period it has left damage that will take a long time to repair.

We got the dreaded red warning last week, but I actually thought that weather forecasters might be over exaggerating it, and that it might not be as bad as feared. Having said that, we tried to be as prepared as possible – we closed all shed doors and windows and secured anything that looked vulnerable.

The red warning was due to take effect from 7am on Friday, but in actual fact the worst wind was much earlier. We were fortunate that we only lost a few sheets of tin from a few older sheds, but nothing too serious. The real damage was to trees, power lines and phone lines.

We have three lanes to and from the farm and all three were blocked by fallen trees. Some of these were very substantial trees that have stood the test of time and many storms. Across the farm, we have lost around 20 large trees as well as lots of branches.

The two things that stand out about these trees is that most are either dead or dying due to ash dieback or else covered in ivy.

Either way, it is incredibly sad to lose these old trees. There will be weeks of work clearing them up and repairing the damage that they have caused, but it will take a lot longer to grow replacements.

We found a sheep under one of the trees which was still alive but died a few hours later. While that was disappointing, I am relieved that there was only one under the tree.

In many respects, we have been fairly fortunate as the number of trees that have fallen around this area is quite incredible. There are also lots of farmers who have lost roofs off sheds or had tin blown off. This is incredibly sad and difficult for them. Last year, we lost two silo roofs, and I understand how stressful that can be.

Electric

However, the biggest problem that we had, and lot of others had even worse than us, was having no electricity.

We were two days without power and they were two long days. There are other people who are without electricity for longer and I have nothing only sympathy for them.

Thankfully, the calves in the calf house were off milk, with a new batch of calves due in the next week. We have no back-up generator so we would have been in serious bother if the calf house had been filled a few days earlier – 120 hungry calves for two days would have been very difficult to manage.

If we are going to get storms like this every year, then we will have to have a back-up plan for future electricity outages.

Reliance

The loss of electricity left the feeding of cattle more difficult. When you get used to working with lots of lights about the yard it becomes a bit of pain to be operating in the dark. However, it was when we got back into the house in the evening when we realised how much we rely on electricity.

We had no light, no heat, and no hot food. Then there were the modern amenities like television, Wi-Fi, and mobiles. It was definitely a bit of a shock to the system. We sat huddled around a wood-burning stove and watched the wood burn and actually had to talk to each other. Then we decided to pull out the barbecue to make some hot food.

There was a massive sigh of relief when the electricity did eventually come on again. This storm has really brought home how reliant we are on modern technology. One storm and the wheels fall off society completely.