It's my birthday!

What a day!  Not because the date is my birthday but because of the various amber and red warnings about the weather, due to Storm Imogen.  Am I imagining that storms have been ever more fierce since they were given names? Imogen has caused ferry crossings to be cancelled, trains to be stopped because of fallen trees on the lines due to the high winds, motorists warned to stay away from river crossings, etc., etc. In short, we are being well and truly battered.
In the next village to where I live, water pouring off the soaked Bodmin Moor and fields was pouring down the lane and flooding across the centre of the village; the little shop and some houses had to hurriedly take precautions to hold the water back from their homes.  They also suffered power cuts lasting several hours.
Well, I had to go out; my two young grandchildren had to be at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth for important examinations; this involved driving across the Tamar Bridge, which had red alert warnings to motorists yesterday, so I was rather nervous about how bad it would be, or even if we would be allowed to cross.  On the way, the wind was rocking my car on the more open stretches of road and there was the added hazard of potholes - when they are filled with water, it's a shock when a wheel bangs down into a deep hole.
Ironically, the actual crossing of the bridge was the calmest part of the journey; the 30mph limit ensured that traffic crossed sensibly and safely and the wind was no problem at all.  It was as though the storm was over . . . . .
The return journey was more hairy - the wind was buffeting the high sides of my Berlingo and I was glad to be well on my way home.  Watching the local news at the moment, I consider myself very lucky that I didn't witness the worst that Storm Imogen has been doing. 100mph off-shore winds causing high, foaming waves to crash on the shores and to be blown into coastal villages; lorries crossing Bodmin Moor to be overturned as easily as a child's toy; crashing trees causing havoc on roads and rails.  Phew!
So - my birthday and a few of my presents -

Anyone would think I like red wine, wouldn't they?

Some close-ups to show more detail -

 A personalised T-shirt (thank you Barry xxx) and a VERY personalised birthday card (thanks again (I think) Barry!)  OMG!!!

And a gig to look forward to next month.  (Love 'Black Friday').

I also had more flowers, Facebook greetings from family and friends, a very nice lunch out with friends and money gifts. All in all, an eventful birthday.