Head For Home!

The storm has caused complete shutdown to all means of communication. Our lodge is cooling down rapidly and the administration part of the organisation can no longer function.

We hope that this a short term departure. No matter, we must return to pick up the rest of our belongings.

The Blipfoto shows the main source of hot water and hot drinks in Ballater. The generator which powers the horses also gives enough power to heat hot water.

Hot food is available from the butcher who has provided what is effectively a barbecue outside his shop.

After we had enjoyed hot food we decided to head south. I had received advice from a reliable source about which roads were passable.

The route was fine apart from a stop outside Stonehaven during which Pat and I helped the owner of a fallen tree clear the road.

The damage caused by fallen trees is widespread and it is obvious that electricity supplies are widely disrupted as is the mobile phone system.

We knew that our own power supply had been disrupted. Our alarm system had sent a message before going into battery mode.

The mobile system came into operation near Dundee and Pat’s phone was deluged by a number of texts from Scottish Power advising that power would be restored to our home on Sunday evening (tomorrow).

We arrived home and noticed that our building was several degrees warmer than the lodge we had left. Although both lost power at the same time.

Pat called Pat 2 and we drove to Stirling to spend the night with her and her family in a warm house.

We had a splendid meal with much imbibing in "libations".

Just as we arrived in Stirling the alarm system at home informed me that power had been restored and was now working normally!

We watched Strictly.