Shredded Lettuce, anyone?

On Wednesday evening we had a terrific storm. Thunder and lightning, strong winds, deluges of rain and an amazing barrage of hail. Hail like I have seldom seen before - lashing down in violent flurries, almost like a sand-blaster, and settling in drifts like snow. And in the process shredding my plants! The only ones that escaped significant damage are the ones beneath nets and mesh. The others are all scarred, scuffed and riddled with holes.

Potato plant

One of my precious "Nosferatu" chillies

Hydrangea

Lettuce - full of "bullet-holes"

Unfortunately the plants most severely damaged are the chillies. :(

Chilli

But even slender targets like the pea-pods have not escaped damage.

Pea-pod

Every single leaf in the garden seems to be scuffed and scratched.

Broad Bean leaf

I hope that in most cases the damage will prove to have been superficial, and that the plants will survive, but I'm sure they are currently far from happy. We NEED a week of fine, calm, sunny weather to restore their health and morale!

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On a lighter note... This week Jane won a whole load of Black Puddings, from Chadwicks!