We're in a small terrace of 6 houses half way up a hill on one side of a valley and it seems to engulf us.
Trees bending, slates sound like a xylophone, bins going over*, windows whistling and an occasional thwack like someone has hit the house with a gigantic wet trout. We've conceded that we can't have a greenhouse.
I think my problem is being exacerbated by the fact I have just built a cat enclosure to the rear made largely of glass. I'm now wondering why I would do that to myself.
The cat is happy though, that's the main job isn't it? I feel like he could do a better job of displaying his gratitude.
*The bins are in the front yard behind a stone wall around 18 inches high, I was getting in the car the other morning and a gust lifted a (albeit largely empty) wheely bin over the wall and into the car.
I type this realising that there are people around the world infinitely worse off, I am a privileged snowflake.
'Tunnels', if properly pegged and guyed can be pretty resilient, especially compared with frame tents and caravan awnings. ;-(
Oh indeed. I have often spent time helping others make temporary repairs if they were game enough to carry on.
Only once you have had a peg break or pull out of the ground maybe?
As a sailor and power kite flyer I know what sort of forces even a couple of sq/m can apply and so consider that when pegging a tent down. Keeping guy-line-angles reasonably shallow whilst staying on your pitch and at angles to the tent that might help to stop it twisting. Eg, on your tunnel the front and rear outers might be at 45 Deg to the tent and the ones in between at 90 deg. I think there is quite a bit of engineering / science in all that and can make a big difference.
We got the pitching of the Rigidome down to a fine art when motorcycle camping (the Mrs, our daughter and I). We would turn up at a site and the tent would be in the top of the trailer I towed behind my BMW. That would be stood up in probably 60 seconds and if it was breezy, the 4 main guys put out, followed by the rear bedroom poles and lower pegs. The trailer could then be rolled into the front of the tend and unloaded in the dry, groundsheet fitted to the rear half, inner tent fitted and then daughter thrown in the bedroom area to pump up the airbeds and set out the sleeping bags. I finish off al the outside stuff whilst the Mrs sets up the living / kitchen area and remove the trailer and secure / cover the bikes, before going in the tent and starting dinner. ;-)
When breaking camp one we noticed a guy sitting on a camping stool a few meters away, obviously watching us. I offered him a cuppa (we often got a flask of tea ready for the trip to the next site) but he kindly refused and explained that he hoped we didn't mind but he was intrigued how we were going to get that fairly large tent and all the gear (inc 3 full sized camping chairs) away on two motorbikes and one trailer. ;-)
Most of the kit had been bought with the trailer and bike in mind, so whilst we had the weight capacity, I still went for light / multi purpose kit to keep is as 'trim' as possible.
Slightly more reassuring in a gale is the folding caravan (although it might sound like it shouldn't be) as it's all plywood so you don't get the noise / movement / flapping of canvas. Again, I would fit a fairly substantial ratchet strap over the awning if there was any suspicion of it getting windy but even then you just hoped the wind would be in the kindest direction. ;-)
A real 'high' for me when in the tent or folding caravan is the rain and how good it is for masking my tinnitus (and other noises of the campsite). ;-)
The only practical thing I can suggest is to insure with a good company, not the cheapest premium. Then stop worrying about the roof coming off, as it's just money, and even better it's just other people's money.
It's clearly exposed where you are, and it's absolutely sensible to be cautious. I tend to avoid going under trees when the wind is up, as occasionally big bits fall off. Is that phobia? No, I think it's just wanting to die in my bed, rather than being hit on the head by a big chunk of tree. Other people might think I worry too much.
You need to distinguish between perfectly reasonable caution about being hit by things blowing in the wind, and unreasonable anxiety that makes your life a misery. You sound to me like you're on the reasonable side, still, but maybe you need to keep the anxiety under control.
I think worrying about your cat's house is definitely a first world problem. :)
Daughter got called out to check a limb that had fallen off an old and large oak as it had dropped overnight, crushing the steel fence and gate on the childerens play area. ;-(
The one limb filled two transit tipper trucks.
I'm always concerned when you see the scaffolding, sheeting and corrugated steel roof they often use these days when fitting a dormer / loft extension on peoples houses.
Nice for the workers when it's not particularly windy but raining but when it's blowing a gale ... ;-(
I don?t find they work in that situation. They are designed to keep ear damaging noise out but allow you to hear others talking to you and so they don?t help with lower level noise.
I'm probably daft, but I cross the road to avoid such scaffolding.
I had a colleague who was injured when some builders hoardings fell on her as she was walking along the road. So, it does happen to people you know, or at least that I know!
I'd be happy camping if only the showering and toileting arrangements were more civilised. I'll happily sleep in a tent, and cook on a butane stove, but I need a full size camper van for the toilet and shower.
In 1999, not far from Salzburg, two evenings before the total eclipse of the sun, we were camping and in the midst of barbecuing our evening meal. The end of the valley darkened, it suddenly got cold and gusty. Clouds formed a horseshoe around the end of the valley and lightning swept almost continuously across them. Our food was just ready as the storm reached us and we retreated into the tent.
All four of us had to hold the tent down to stop it being blown away - suffering painful bruising as golfball sized hailstones were hitting our hands through the canvas. Water was being driven straight through, despite the tent having just been re-proofed.
At one point I shouted that if the tent really started to go, we'd all have to let go or be taken with it!
After a few minutes, calm descended and we could look around.
We and everything in our tent were soaked through. A number of tents were flattened and the one next to ours was ripped open. The tree in the next field was down and the roof of the house over the river was ripped part off. Caravans and motorhomes were badly dented and some had broken windows.
The site was without electricity for the next 8 hours - but we could at least gather the hailstones ... we'd been wondering where to buy ice for our coolbox to cool our beers.
We slept in the car and the next morning drove to pick up another friend from the airport - drying what we could in the footwells, with the heater on full and the windows open on both legs of the journey.
The next night, the same clouds and lightning formed as we were barbecuing again, so we stuck everything and ourselves in the car, after tying the tent to the towball and just sat it out!
Is this a pole that goes to the ground as I think I have seen some that open up like an umbrella with a pull-cord in the middle but here is no pole that reaches the ground?
Std practice for most tents if it's windy.
Most 'guyless' tents come with the option for guys for when they are being used in a storm etc (and the instructions recommend you use them).
Even my inflatable 'igloo' that could just be pegged out on the two upwind corners' and inflated became much more pleasant inside without it blowing all over the place. It looked like this:
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