Earth, Wind & Fire....

Not a tribute piece about the 70s funksters unfortunately, but rather an update on my rather random ability to attract freak weather/natural disasters. Admittedly that is a rather bold statement, so..... allow me to elucidate with reference to specifics....(by the way you have no idea how long i have been waiting to use that particular line!)

When i was but a wee boy of 18 I worked in France on a campsite for a summer. It was about an hour south of Bordeaux, in a village called Gastes, half a hour inland from the Atlantic coast. Now, the camp site was in the middle of Europe's biggest pine forest, near Europe's biggest Sand Dunes....in most people's minds the words "tinder box" and "fire" will be coming forth. However, being slightly naive i didn't ever consider the possibility that the camp would somehow catch fire in the middle of summer. But, rather predictably, it did. And, as i was an employee blessed with the requisite language skills, it was my job to help evacuate the camp. No problem, except it was my night off (a Sunday i think) and its fair to say that my alcohol intake that night had rendered me a fire hazard too. Anyway, long story short, not something I'm good at i know, i "survived" a forest fire.

Then, less than a year later, while living in Cologne, I was rudely awaken one morning by my wardrobe door slamming shut. Strange enough in itself, i then realised the room was shaking. And i was pretty sure i hadn't had a drink the night before. Anyway, half asleep i thought nothing of it until later that day i heard that an earthquake had hit in Holland about 70miles away, measuring about 4 on the old Richter scale. So, that's "earthquake" added to the list.

All of which, in a rather round about way brings me to the purpose of today's post, namely to tell you that recently Vienna has been hit by what the locals call "unwetter" or basically a rather severe storm, with winds of 120km/h, 2 deaths, floods and, slightly worryingly, a minor lack of a roof on the building next to mine! So, "storm" can also be added to the list.

T