What a funny month December was this year. The temperatures were well above normal with no frosts so that flowers were still blooming and raspberries were still producing a good crop. However, what we did not expect were the many fronts coming in from the west, giving us storms and far too much rain. The worst storm hit at the most inconvenient time, Christmas Eve. We awoke to find no electricity, which meant no light, no heating and a dismal prospect for Christmas. Our electricity was restored after 14 hours but parts of Meopham were not reconnected until three days after Christmas. The storm did a great deal of damage in Kent with many trees down as well as the power cables. Our elderly neighbour lost a huge part of her conifer as well as her fence. There was also flooding in the county, with many people forced to leave their homes over the Christmas period, only to return and find their houses deluged.
