An overcast, grey and mostly wet day. The drizzle kept visibility down to just about 1 mile, with the lighthouse and the fabrication yard only just about within sight. There was a strong breeze today, but that did serve to keep our temps at an unexpectedly mild 10C / 50F, the highest in the land. This often happens in the winter half-year, when mild air off the Atlantic warms us up.
This evening, momentous news came through from the island of Scalpay, just off the coast of North Harris, 8 miles east of Tarbert. A ballot was held among its residents, 78.2% of whom turned out to vote whether to take their island into community ownership. Scalpay is owned by a man called Fred Taylor, but he has decided to gift the island to its residents. 197 were in favour, only 8 against. A second question was whether to go it alone, or under the umbrella of the North Harris Trust, a body that took control of that area of Harris a few years ago. Votes were 110 in favour, 96 against.Apart from being a new addition to the list of areas now under community ownership, it is also historical because up to now, the people from Scalpay did not really regard themselves as from Harris - separate islands.
Today, as we all know, the USA is voting for its next president. We shall learn within 12 hours of this post going live whether #45 will be Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
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