Inappropriately named storms?

Storm Eva? Storm Frank? Doesn’t quite instil fear, does it? Storm Slasher – now there’s a good rough, aggressive, manly sort of name. Perhaps it is because most of the Franks and Evas I know wouldn’t hurt the proverbial fly. Or am I just peeved that when it came to the letter E a girl’s name had to be chosen, and there was no Storm Eric?

Anyway, despite his mellow name, Storm Frank has caused plenty of problems here on Deeside – this is the bridge over the Dee at Aboyne yesterday, with the river roaring along just beneath the arches and several times its normal width.

And this is our usually dry track through the woods and down to the river, the normal course of which can be seen as the shiny line in the distance, with the water still rising towards our feet.

Having experienced a flood ourselves a few years back with hundreds of gallons of clean chilly water pouring into our unoccupied home for three days from a burst pipe in the attic, I can imagine only too well the horror of chilly dirty sludgy water roaring in through doors and windows. My heart goes out to people coping with this as a parting gift from 2015.

As is the way with nature, today is calm and dry with a hint of watery sunshine. Let us hope that Storm “G” – Gertrude, Gladys, Georgina or whatever – is kinder to us when she inevitably arrives some time in 2016.

Happy New Year.