Storm Eowyn

Storm Eowyn has barrelled through the west of Scotland and left us ... how? Right now, at 8pm, I'm blipping before I give in to normal evening vibes and watch some telly, and other than relief that it's more or less over I feel like a caged beast, having obeyed Wildwood and others and not set foot over the door. So you'll gather from this that we still have power - it was cut off in many of the areas around us, including the nearest village down the road - and the roof's still there, though I can see at least one slate in the middle of the front garden. Our bird table was wired to the wall, but was pushed sideways by a pile of four garden chairs under a covering - the covering acted as a sail and moved them as one, knocking the bird table over into the Philadelphus. I'll take a look tomorrow. 

We did as we'd been told - so I can tell you that with the loft ladder up and the hatch closed, and all the doors to the rooms shut, the top landing has the most marvellous acoustic and looks strangely spacious. The study had the most peculiar smell when I first went in - it's dissipating now. I think it was perhaps associated with all the electrics in here - it was like something you might smell at the dodgems. The bathroom, which has three outside walls and a roof all of its own, has been freezing all day, It's not insulated at all. 

Further afield, a big chunk of the East Bay prom and the fence has gone - you might managed to make  out one damaged bit in the main photo, where there are some figures standing on the pavement. This was the only photo I was able to take with any clarity, when the wind had dropped and moved round so that I could open the window for a few seconds; the rest of mine are obscured by raindrops and salt. The top left photo photo in the collage was one of my first ones, when the tide was at its highest but the wind had several hours to develop; the one below it was taken by someone else and I took it to show why even I wasn't down there at the height of the storm. The top right was another calmer moment, and the bottom right shows the water away from the coast, after the wind had begun to drop slightly, showing how the strange spume covered everything in white mistiness.

Away from the coast, there are many trees down, including the big early rhododendron in the church grounds which has taken down the power line - we don't know if the church has electricity; the old Rectory doesn't and the power line is lying across the car park. We'll review tomorrow. The main road out of town was blocked by a huge tree and a telegraph pole; the tree surgeons were on it already this afternoon. 

That's it, really - we waited till the wind in the gas flue sounded less terrifying and then decided to eat while we had power, just in case - Himself's curry had been defrosting all morning, and I heated up a couple of naan breads and it was delicious. We had a drink too. Apart from that, I've spoken to several people on the phone, hovered over social media like an obsessed teen, and become stiff. I then treated the stairs like a gym and marched up and down them before doing some two-step aerobics till my heart-rate was over 100 and I felt I was going to drop. 

But I didn't. I hope everyone is safe and has the power to blip ...