Summer is over, it’s official; the October gales are here. It’s hard to believe that just a few days ago we were out in our shorts, sweltering and slathered in sunscreen, as we painted the house!

Feeling chilly last night, I replaced the summer duvet with a winter one and slept “as snug as a bug in a rug” (and felt like a cocoon). Meanwhile something was brewing outside.

This morning I drew back the curtains and was greeted by a boiling sea with huge waves crashing against the sea wall below. Some of the waves pounded the wall with such a force that they escaped their normal bounds and flew high into the air as if reaching for an ephemeral ecstasy before dropping and being drawn back into the cauldron. Other waves didn’t reach the dizzy heights and, thwarted by the wall, returned back angrily to their brethren behind them and beat them in mid-air. Thankfully, the newly repaired seawall held fast.

Funnily enough, tomorrow night (5th October) we’re going to see “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare at the Pavilions in nearby Teignmouth. The play is on for one night only so secure your tickets soon or you may miss the opportunity. If the gales still rage there will be a tempest outside and a tempest inside at the same time.