Checking in OK

Tolkien’s Èowyn was a badass royal princess who saw herself as a shield-maiden, and who won the victory no man could achieve. Storm Èowyn was just as badass. Somehow there should be a message there.

All I know is that last night I went to The Shurig, our local pub, for the usual Thursday night meetup of The Movers & The Shakers. (Named because most of us are old enough to either have tremors in some limb or walk with aid of a stick.) Felicity, the pub’s landlord, had just set down plates of the Burns Night special (haggis, neeps & tatties of course).

Suddenly, every mobile in the place started playing an incredibly loud siren. Our phone screens all flashed up a Red Alert notice, warning us to get home and stay there. (My favorite part was the last line, ordering us to stay away from coastal areas. On an island.)

But… this was Scotland. There were drinks and haggis on our tables. Nobody got up, of course. Everyone finished their dinner and drinks and eventually staggered home.

Today we only had power now and then, and internet less than that. Our garden furniture and some of the limbs from the palm trees fetched up against the fence at the bottom of our garden. The winds were projected to be 80-100MPH, while the waves pounded up over the beach, the road, and up the hill. Part of the seawall collapsed, the road is blocked by debris and fallen trees in several places, and media is warning everyone to stay inside.

Even the Shurig is closed. But Felicity says they will be serving their Burns special Saturday night. And (this is Scotland) there will be singing.