If ever The Composer felt compelled to hibernate, the last 2 months offered all the excuses needed. After the 23rd November BLOG, The Composer sat back and began planning for ‘all things festive’. On 26th November the plan was torn up!! The Composer and Mrs C were in Manchester on the 26th, quietly looking forward to ‘family time’ over that weekend, while Composer guests, and residents of Scremerston, witnessed the horrors of Storm Arwen – as did much of Northumberland.
Returning to Composers at………..well, it was ‘Woodlands’ – and missing all the family time in Manchester – the devastation was evident. The very reason for our ‘woodlands’ name had been ripped out and devastated as almost every tree within our boundary and many more around the area were destroyed. The impact of the storm is still felt and will be for many months to come.
As we pass mid-February we are once again ‘open for business’. The trees are long gone, the ground still shows the scars and the areas around our properties have changed beyond recognition. The process of re-kindling our woodland has started. Over 200m of fencing is now reinstalled, new trees and bushes are planted. The guest bike shed is rebuilt, and the children’s play area is being renewed and we await delivery of a new trampoline – the other took off in the storm and ended up as a mangled mess hundreds of yards from its original location! .
In all the devastation there are two abiding memories. Firstly, our properties, home and business office remained unscathed by the storm. Secondly, Composers has been blessed with the support of friends and neighbours who willingly started logging fallen trees and clearing paths and roadways so that we could access all areas of Composers and the local roads. The spirit of the village and the support for one another has been heart-warming. Local businesses have brought their skills and talents to help build fencing, remove trees, assist with landscaping. Our Gardener has been amazing – he simply knows what to do – and gets on with it!
The Composer and Mrs C are fortunate. Others fared less well and are still impacted by Arwen and succeeding storms. With restrictions on travel lifted and ‘normal’ life resuming, Composers at the NEW Woodlands welcomes everyone. It’s a year of celebration and Composers will make sure it goes with a BANG!