View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Sunday 25 October 2009

Reading of blogs

Well, the number of posts to be read on Google Reader has once more climbed above the 100 mark, so tomorrow I shall head that way once more. There are a number of journals that I keep a close eye on, including those highlighted on Call for Support. Other people I monitor through Facebook. Getting slightly square-eyed (my bodyclock says it's 11.25pm, although the wall clock calls it 10.25pm). More tomorrow.

Halloween 2009

Found one of Donna's tags for Halloween on my Photobucket account, and decided to put it in the sidebar, until 1 November. Other Halloween images below. The one with the wee black cats is a bit sad: some years ago, an American animal welfare charity banned the sale of black cats around Halloween, as the poor things were known to get subjected to abuse. It's not just animals that are abused: vulnerable people are known to be targeted by people acting outside the good spirit of Hallowee for bullying and harassment.


Sunday 25 October

Did you put your clocks back last night? If you didn't, you either forgot or were in the USA.
The usual post clock-change jetlag pervaded this morning, not helped by the dreich, wet, grey and uninspiring weather conditions. Only now, an hour and a half before sunset, has the rain let up. One of those non-descript Sundays. The ferry left, as per schedule, at 2.30pm.

Over in Orkney, a member of a lifeboat crew had to be airlifted to hospital after he was injured during a call-out. The Kirkwall lifeboat was making his way to the island of Stronsay when it encountered a particularly high wave, and the man was injured in the resulting lurch. The marine casualty, a yacht whose anchors were not holding, was attended to later in the night.

Still on issues lifeboat related (I get a feed from their call-outs), a group of youngsters decided not to call 999 when their boat got into difficulty, as they were afraid of getting into difficulty with the police. Fortunately, people ashore had their wits about them and called the Coastguard. After their rescue, the teenagers were given their dreaded lesson in marine safety. Something also afforded to the drunk skipper of a yacht, which ran straight onto a breakwater in Devon.

Down in the Isle of Skye, volunteers have been draping the parapets of the Skye Bridge (linking Kyle of Lochals on the mainland to Kyleakin in Skye) in knitwear. Stitches on the Bridge spans 400 yards of bridge in very colourful creations. Pictures and further info on their website.