I thought Gertrude was a cow's name...

​...but today found out it was the name of a a quite different beast: a beautiful beast of a storm.

 I actually started this post mid-afternoon but lost it because of a power cut brought on by the storm. Something failed on our island but the engineers couldn't come to fix it because the Churchill barriers were closed.
It's easy to see why!

And the Coastguard were there to discourage the foolhardy. I didn't see anyone wanting to try though, just a friendly neighbour out with his young daughter to enjoy the spectacle of nature gone wild

The sign says:

The wind was so strong it was difficult to walk and problematic holding the camera still enough for pictures. Opening a car door was a real effort

So no going to Kirkwall today. But of course we have everything we need (or nearly) in our wonderful local shops: B. Doull & Son - General Store and The Trading Post, which is also our Post Office and is, into the bargain, open for long hours, seven days a week.
​
But more about them another day, today was Gertrude's day and this is what she got up to