Erratic weather continues

Well, our adventures with the weather continue.  Everyone is talking about how the last couple weeks have been very strange weather.  We had an earthquake on Saturday night (4.9 I believe).  Along with the snow, then came the days of wind.

The last several days have seen up to 120 km sustained winds (75mph) with off and on sideways pours.  The boys had a terrible time sleeping sure that there were airplanes flying all around outside and that we were experiencing an air raid like mentioned in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, followed by a question as to what an air raid actually was and if New Zealand has ever been attacked in a war.  Well my (very shoddy) 1:00 am history lesson on New Zealand's history in wars, and the fact that we live in the middle of nowhere didn't seem to help, so Daddy has been spending lots of time sleeping with the boys.

So what do you do when the wind is so strong that the cows won't walk to the milking shed? And you try to take pictures with your phone, but it is absolutely impossible to stay still still?  And it is so windy you are almost blown off the 4-wheeled bike into the barbed fence, and the neighbor did get blown off his? And there is finally a 12 hour break in the rain?  Why you go to the rainforest of course!

And when the power cuts off for a couple hours at sunset?  You heat up "tea" on the wood stove. :)