• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Weather : Thunderstorms

Diane1947

master brummie
My mother had a irrational fear of thunderstorms.
So when it thundered she went into the cloakroom under the stairs , smoked a zillion cigarettes.
Dad had to open the backdoor to allow a thunderbolt it we had one to pass down the chimney, and out through the back door. This was when we had a coal fire, think that practice stopped once we went to gas.
Curtains closed, if you were eating your dinner you had to stop, because the knives, and forks may be struck by lightning.
In the 80’s my dad had passed away, my mom now in her late 70’s a few years still in the same house still terrified of thunder.
We experienced a really bad thunderstorm in the middle of the night.
I cannot remember if my husband was working nights or I told i‘m going to mom‘s to see if she is okay stay in bed I’ll take the dog.

Anyway at 3am with my very big German Shepard riding passenger seat I got to mom‘s
Who was predicable in the cloakroom , smoking a zillion cigarettes.
She said what you doing here . I said to see if your okay.
So I made a cup of tea. Memories are strange even those things what upset your parents gives you some connection to them 30 plus years later
 
My nan was the same, terrified of thunder and lightening. When I was about 12 I found her in the garden smoking and she made me promise not to tell anyone because they had no idea she smoked. Of course years later I found out everyone in the family new she smoked, she'd been nicking granddads fags for decades...it was an open secret :)
 
my mom had lightning hit the side of her house it blew a huge hole in the wall,bricks flying everywere just like a shell hitting it. the loft was on fire, the brigade come and put the fire out, i was visiting at the time, she was terrified from then on when there was a storm she would come and stop with us bless her......She always kept the door open just in case.:worried:
 
I don't think my Gran was afraid of lightning or thunder but she wouldn't use electrical things during a storm. The TV was unplugged and so I assume were other items normally kept plugged in. As she had a gas stove she would boil a kettle on that, make a cuppa and wait for the storm to pass.
 
My daughter and I experienced lightning damage at almost the same time despite being on opposite sides of the Atlantic, I lived close to the edge of an oak forest, had a strike somewhere in there that blew all my electric gadgets, Pam had a very tall tree by her garage reduced to matchsticks and all her in house electrics destroyed.
 
When My Aunt's house was hit the sockets blew off the wall and the TV suffered. My Nan would always open the back door even though the thunderbolt would have to turn to come out of the door into the kitchen and turn again for the door. She wouldn't use an umbrella in case she was hit.
rosie.
 
Oh yes Rosie - forgot about the umbrella bit. Nan was the same. Don't remember her opening the door though.
 
I don't think my Gran was afraid of lightning or thunder but she wouldn't use electrical things during a storm. The TV was unplugged and so I assume were other items normally kept plugged in. As she had a gas stove she would boil a kettle on that, make a cuppa and wait for the storm to pass.
Janice, smart move to 7nplu the TV (and compute) even today unless you have a good surge protector!
 
My dad would unplug the TV ariel in a thunderstorm. He may have been correct saying that with the ariel on the roof, the lightning could run down the ariel cable and blow the TV set to smithereens
a wise man... i too unplug all my electrical plugs. disconnect my ham earials etc, i saw a flash over from one earial plug to a radio once due to static. it smelt like the dodgems:worried: in my house for a while.
 
Back
Top