View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Monday 11 July 2011

Monday 11 July

A day of varying fortunes in terms of sunshine. A cloudy start was followed by bright sunshine in the afternoon, although the boundary with the cloud lay only a matter of miles to the west of us. The cruisepassengers from the Marco Polo certainly had a chance to see the town smiling in the sunshine.

I was intending to go to the library this afternoon, but was confronted by a locked door and the notice CLOSED. For the past few months, the library has been closed on a Monday, apparently due to cutbacks in service. I have heard several people grumbling about this when I mentioned it on my Twitterfeed. Wish they had publicised these altered opening times a bit more prominently. The town centre is a mere 10 minute walk from my position, but others will be driving in for up to 40 miles to reach Stornoway.

The phone hacking saga, with News International papers allegedly hacking into people's phones, medical records and what not, continues to mushroom. It is with a degree of grim pleasure that I note the mounting discomfort of the likes of Rupert Murdoch and his ilk. His bid to take over BSkyB, to my mind, is dead in the water and his empire in the UK looks in peril. I hope this is the beginning of the end for garbage journalism in this country.