Now you see it...

Scotland - and some other parts of the UK - have been getting buffeted all day by unusually strong winds  with gusts of 165mph have been reported at the peak of Cairngorm and 84mph reported in the Firth of Forth causing the road bridge to be closed.

The BBC has, as it does on such occasions, invited people to contribute pictures of the havoc caused and some of the results, including a particularly eery picture of an empty Forth Road Bridge, are here. One picture in particular caught my notice however, as it was taken near the widow's ancestral home. I also thought it would be interesting to find the scene on Google's street view and present the two pictures in a before-and-after fashion.

So here is the first picture, taken on what looks like a lovely, pleasant, summery day:

And now, the same scene today:

It's a pretty dramatic reminder of the power of nature. If you're reading this in Scotland, stay safe and stay warm.

Andrew