It was quite frightening last night listening to the beating rain and howling wind and the loud bangs but fortunately we escaped any real damage.   On my walk this afternoon I saw many broken branches and the remains of a rotten tree which had earlier blocked the road.  Fortunately the road is seldom used so it probably inconvenienced very few people unlike those in many places where fallen trees fell on roads, railways and buildings.   There was ice on the puddles with snow on distant hills and despite being warmly dressed and walking briskly I was really cold when I reached home and glad that our flickering lights had not led to power cuts as had happened elsewhere.