Joys of Winter

em - the story I heard was that there was a gust of something like 160mph on the Tay Bridge! Maybe they got that one wrong or I misheard!

em I hope you don't get buffeted by storms like Scotland did yesterday - keep safe x

Living here in the middle of the country we rarely get extremes of weather. I often wish it was more interesting!! Then again, thinking about it, I wouldn't want anyone to suffer because of it, so I suppose we are very lucky

Feeling a bit left out but NOT complaining. Although it was wet and very windy here on the east coast it was nowhere nearly as bad as over on the west. Hope all is well with you today. Can't say we deserve your sympathetic comments right here but who knows what's in store today - blizzards forecast over our way! May be looking for sympathy later.

Hope all has calmed down a bit for g/n's up there in Scotland - take care and stay safe x

Snowing now!

Good morning, Scots Gransnetters - I hope you are all safe and sound and finding today a bit more manageable after that wild night.

Wind is dying down to normal gale now but has been "awfally blowie" to quote one of the comments on here:

entertainment.stv.tv/opinion/286086-scotlands-hurricane-bawbag-raises-twitter-storm-the-top-reactions/

Love the Wee Wifies' Wind Scale!

Hurricane Bawbag. Only in Scotland!

And that burning wind turbine is close to my birthplace - didn't know there was a wind farm there nowadays!

A familiar road, bags, but a scary sight!

The third picture in this BBC series of lorries at Rest And Be Thankful is the main road between where I live and where supernana lives. Right in the mountains. The valleys must have acted like wind tunnels.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16094360

I hope you're all safe and sound up in Scotland - when I heard there were 165 mph gusts of wind in the Cairngorms, and lots of fallen trees, it started to sound a bit scary to be out there. Do let us know how you are all doing, won't you? Take care x

My thoughts are with all of you north of the border, it was pretty wild here today.
Love to hear your descriptions of the wildlife and the water.

That's some day you've just had, bagitha - and like the title of a favourite book my sons loved as kids .......... "It could be worse".

How are the chickens?

Baggy that's lovely. Take care - it's pretty bad here on the East but I know it's much worse on your side!

Gally, love your gracious nod to Neptune!

The wind's still howling here and the rain pounding, and here's our experience:

Last night the loch was black
With long orange streaks —
Reflections of road lights along the shore —
Across the still water.
Today, on occasions, the loch was white
With spray metres high
Whipped off the surface
And carried in the wind.
The hill behind us, with its Old English (German) name
In a place of Brythonic history
(don't you just love the complexity of Britain?),
Gives us shelter of sorts from the prevailing winds
Howling over Atlantic,
So we only lost to the gale
Half a plum tree and half a rowan tree,
An anti-down-draught chimney cowl,
A length of guttering,
And, for a few hours,
Our electricity supply.
So glad we have a solid fuel stove!
We also dug a drain today
To carry excess water round the house
And down the hill
To that blown, white-streaked, sea.

green Oh yes indeed. Neptune's horses are thrashing along the beach. Seaweed will be flung high and wide. Gulls cannot compete with the might of the wind. Keep trying to take photos through the windows but they are sticky with salt spray. Keep warm (hugs)

I can see Neptune in my mind's eye, Gally. I can hear his roar and the thundering of his horse's hooves - all this I can see this on Gigha Sound!!! Am I right Supernana?

Gally a super vision of the power of the sea.

Neptune, his trident held proud and high,
whips up his wild horses, urging them furiously across the vast expanse of wild water,
the spray from their white manes sparkles like tinsel in the weak winter sunlight -
Ferocious wind spurs them on their magical way

Butternut WOW! Never seen waves so high or experienced winds so ferocious. And, apparently, the worst is yet to come. Been to dentist. Drive a tad scary. Fallen branches and a loch that is bursting it's banks. All truly spectacular as there are huge silver-lined clouds, too. No ferries on the sea today. x

Supernana and Bagitha

Hope you're both keeping safe in the stormy winds. xx

I've just been watching the fluffed-up Vsici
At breakfast again
Joined this time by the tiny wren flitting around
Who lives in a nest in-between
The stones of the old barn,
Where the rose hips of a climbing rose
Reach almost to the apex of the arch
And are still plump and orange
And the attic window where I
Look out at this old, damp and now slimey apple tree
Badly needs a clean
As soon I won't be able to see a thing!

bagitha the 'whumph' of snow sliding down the roof is certainly scary. I was in a deep sleep when it happened to us [last year]...awoke with a jump because it sounded like a steam train roaring past the bedroom window. Time to feed the pussy cat and then spend far too long shining a torch into his bedroom - like to be sure that he's snuggly warm

Brrrrr.......I'm sure you're keeping cosy bagitha, and hope the chilly winds abate, pronto!