Yesterday we were greeted with the delightful weather that you get living in Scotland. Walking outside armed in layers of clothing, hood raised and body braced for the expected chill. It didn't happen, well not immediately. Passing through the sheltered area within the courtyard of my complex, I walked out just as a gust of wind picked up and swirled around me. Walking briskly against the cold to my first exam, the weather wasn't on my mind that much. Later on that day, it was all everyone was to be talking about...
Sitting in the exam hall surrounded by algorithms and artificial intelligence questions I was finding it hard to concentrate as all around us the wind was howling, rusting the metal roof of the sports hall and generally making me dread walking out into it later. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad as it was still teasing us into thinking that the wind would be kind and die off soon. Driving along to work shortly afterwards I found out that this was not the case. The radio was having constant warning, informing everyone to stay off the roads and only go out if essential, informing us of reduced services on public transport and reminding us again and again that between three and six the weather would be at its peak and the Met Office released a Red Alert - something they only do a couple of times a year.
Just as I was thinking that it wasn't so bad I reached a part of the motorway that was exposed to the wind. The force of it pushing me towards the end of the road forced me to drop from the usual 70mph to around 40mph, a speed most of my fellow drivers were hitting. Just as I thought I could handle being forced to such low speeds I realised I had to overtake a lorry that was driving at an even lower speed of 20mph. As I passed the vehicle twice the height of my car he began to sway into my lane pushing me back. Eventually he managed to stay in his lane long enough to allow me to pass without being crushed into the middle barriers of the road.
Finally I arrived at my employer's house i one piece where I then had to help him navigate through the wind keeping us both balanced at the same time. We had a shortened session that day and paused for a quick lunch as the wind picked up again. Sitting in the café, Alan and I watched as the trees swayed forcefully side and side trying to caress the passers-by as they pushed against the wind. Hair frantically waving as if warning us not to venture back outside, it was finally time to return home.
Driving home alone I have never been so nervous. Car pulling out of my control and speed reduced, I had to keep my distance from all the cars as they too were swaying drunkenly across the lanes. Finally I returned home, frozen and seriously windswept. It was then that I finally realised the extent of the damage of what had become known nationally as Hurricane Bawbag . Apparently our dear Scottish wind even got itself highly spoken on Twitter as STV pointed out .
Thankfully the wind has put it's hat up for the time being and has finally stopped howling. Perhaps the sun will even come out and play sometime soon.