Perfect ten

20th August 1996

"There's just been the most amazing thunderstorm I think I've ever seen - more akin to a wild electrical tropical storm than the usual run of the mill brief burst of lightning that happens round here. It began while I was on the phone to David at 8.40pm with only very faint rumbles of thunder and steadily increasing sheet lightning.

"Then the rain began and all hell broke loose - thunder rolled and charged around the sky for at least the following hour with a perpetually flicking and flashing display of both sheet and forked lightning.

"The power went off twice; the rain became torrential and the power of nature was truly awesome. This was the world out of control, totally wild and primitive, with no man-made interference of possible supervision: amazing. We watched with the lights out from the landing window.

"Now, of course, the air has become wonderfully fresh, pure, light and clear after pressing down relentlessly for days. The storm has died down now, moved on east, but only since about half an hour ago. It was raging Lear-like for over 60 minutes. Once in a lifetime, I reckon."