Winter arrives and so does 'Hurricane Bawbag'

It seems that the weather will continue to throw all it can at us.  This week has seen snow, ice, winds and more flooding.  It certainly feels as if winter has arrived!





A sense of humour helped in enduring what has been referred to as 'hurricane bawbag' by some.....for us it meant power was cut off and with it the internet and the mobile phone network in the area.  Normally I would say - time to take some 'breathing space outdoors' and although I did venture out for half an hour to be lashed by the wind and rain - I'd think the wiser call was lighting the wood burner, toasting bread on it  and playing cards as daylight disappeared and night descended.


Enjoy more pictures taken locally in the calm before the storm.

Elemental

As the rain continues to pour down and the rivers swell I am glad, for once, to be indoors.  A walk earlier in the day confirmed that indoors is the best option today!  The rivers running through Comrie are all full to bursting with localised flooding, so on higher ground in the hills, the streams will all be in spate.

It reminds me of the first day of the recent mountain marathon that was held around Comrie. Wet - and higher up - very misty. A real challenge of navigation skills.

The start - incase you hadn't guessed - above St. Fillians.

The power of water is phenomenal.  In conditions like today it really is important to know how to read a map and be able to make choices about the route to suit the conditions.  Equally important is knowing that  the map will not show all the water courses, just the main ones so you can expect the unexpected.

The outdoors are a fabulous place to recharge the batteries however it pays to respect the elements too.  The hills and mountains will still be there tomorrow so I will enjoy them on a better day.  Meantime you can see from the pictures a little more of the conditions from the recent Mountain Marathon and be glad you are not out there just now.