Twister!
No, not the game that's only fun if you're naked and stoned, but the "I don't think we're in Kansas any more" variety - at least in miniature.

It's the evening of December 23rd, just as we're laying in to the initial rounds of booze and food, and listening to the howling wind from the first of the many recent storms. Mrs Moon Monkey tells me she heard a strange noise from the roof. I decide to not give a shit right now. Then she says she heard it again, so I look out of the window. Arse, there are roof-tiles scattered around the garden. I brave the weather, but it's too dark to see anything so I decide to carry on not giving a shit and pop the JD bottle.

The next day, I have to face the situation, and gingerly go to have a shufty. There's a largish patch of the roof with missing tiles, and curiously some of the remaining ones are pointing up, as if they've been lifted. Even stranger, the neighbour's roof has an identical patch of damage in exactly the same area.

Turns out that the wind was exactly in the right direction to hit the chimney stack and form a mini-tornado vortex, which lifted the tiles straight up.

I managed to get it fixed before major leak damage. Not so lucky the neighbour, who has been away all Christmas, and in fact hasn't returned yet to their extra Chrismas surprise...
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Thu 2 Jan 2014, 11:56, Reply)