View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Sunday 15 March 2009

Map skills

How good is your knowledge of the geography of the Middle East? This region has a large influence on our daily lives (e.g.: oil), yet can you pinpoint each of the states there? Traci posted this interesting link - see how well you do.

Sunday 15 March

Windy day with occasional light rain. The ferry is docked for the Sunday, but big plumes of dirty smoke were coming from its funnels at a time this morning. Rumour has it that the new fuel is giving the engines a spot of bother; it is rather heavier than previously, and comes under the header of cheap and nasty.

The remains of a young man were recovered from a fresh-water loch in South Uist this morning. Police are conducting enquiries, but it is thought likely that the corpse is that of Simon Macmillan, who went missing over Christmas. He was last seen alighting from a minibus a few miles from his home village. Persistent searching by local residents has finally paid off, even though the police had given up the formal search. Simon was missing for 11 weeks. He was a merchant navy seaman, home for unexpected leave. He was returning home from a social event in Daliburgh, in the south of the island of South Uist when he disappeared.
RIP.

I am pleased to note that the English chief medical officer is proposing to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. The Scottish Government has already launched proposals, and not doing a similar thing in England is feared would lead to a huge blackmarket in drink. The minimum price for a can of beer in England would be £1, and for a bottle of wine about £4.