Delay

Our ferry left on its customary Sunday run to Ullapool at 10.20pm tonight. That was a mere eight hours late. Yes, eight hours. This means that it will be in Ullapool just after 1 am, and back in Stornoway at 4.30 am. I don't think I would like to be on either crossing. The ferry had developed two faults, and it took them all that time to fix the problem. Just as well - it is extremely busy at the moment, and the cancellation of the crossing would have led to colossal backlogs that would never have cleared.

Sunday 24 July

The day started with the most upsetting scenes from Oslo, as the Norwegian nation mourned its nearly 100 dead. The focus was on the cathedral in Oslo, and when the mourners filed out, even the most hardened TV reporters were upset by the scenes of weeping and wailing youngsters. The perpetrator was clear of mind, but evil in purpose and intent. I am extremely angry with politicians like Holland's Geert Wilders who, in promoting their hatred of Islam, gave Anders Breivik the notion that he had support in the world at large.

This afternoon, I headed for Sandwick Cemetery, a 20-minute walk away, and started to log all the 80-odd wargraves with my GPS. This will allow anyone who is looking for a specific wargrave to pinpoint its location within 5 metres (or 15 feet). I intend to do the same for the Eye Cemetery, 4 miles away, which has even more wargraves. I also discovered four more graves, dedicated to the memory of those lost in the two world wars.


Lower Sandwick from the cemetery


Hello puss - this one was very skittish