I woke up at 1.17am and it was gently raining. Not a breath outside.

This is our first red alert storm since 2012.

I had to drive in the 2012 storm from Falkirk to East Kilbride as, of course, I had to work through that one. This time a lot of businesses have closed along with the schools.

I wake again at 6.10am and it’s pretty windy outside. I look out the front and our main road is empty. Even at 6.10am there would be a fair bit of traffic by now.

Obviously there are cars passing as some people have to travel but the roads are so quiet.

It’s now 11am and we are into the thick of it now. There are trees down all around our villages but so far everyone seems ok.

Craig took the dogs out for a short walk this morning while I hoovered the house… just in case the power goes out. Check out his Scottish Dog Behaviourist post about dogs in this bad weather.

I’ve also got some of Ellison’s recipe lentil soup in the slow cooker. I grated my finger into the soup along with the carrot. 🥕 of course I did.

It’s so lovely to feel so much better than I did last weekend. My head is clear. I’m a little scared of the creaking and groaning in our house but we just have to ride that out. It’s nothing compared to what some countries face.

So since I wrote this I’ve been out in the garden to inspect the pub beer garden fence.

It is crazy out there, I don’t think I’ve been in weather like that. The wind is so powerful.

The pub fence is down in two places and our wee tree has fallen apart. It’s way too windy to get decent photos of anything. Can’t keep the phone steady at all!!

Then…. I realised the Memorial Hall wheelie bins were heading towards our cars so I went out the front to try and catch them. I realise I maybe shouldn’t have gone out as I fought with them for about 5 minutes and I’ve laid them on their side to lower their centre of gravity (where on earth did I get that from?!? I amaze myself…. 😆😆) it seems to have worked.

At 12.30pm our power went out.

We have electric central heating….

Thankfully the soup was just ready.

So we’re sitting with candles and the fire on and so grateful I made the soup. Our whole house runs off electricity!

I’m not gonna lie, this is all a little bit scary and I just want it to be over now. Our house is very old. It doesn’t need to be battered about like this.

It’s 1.46pm and the power’s been out for over and hour now. I am almost certain a plane just flew over us either heading towards Glasgow Aiport or having taken off from it?!? I would not want to be in that!!!

I think it’s easing slightly now. I feel the worst is past. I say that and a huge gust tried to prove me wrong…. Yup that was a big one!

Wow…. I must have started typing that in a lull…. and it got worse again.

This is between us and the pub.

Our wee tree.

We’ve just have one of our lovely neighbours in for coffee, as she wanted flasks of hot water and we have got the camping stove on.

The mai thing is we are safe.

It’s been a very strange day.

I don’t even know if this will post but I’m gonna try.

Stay very safe everyone 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼