Sunday 13 May

Filthy weather today, with heavy rain and strong winds battering the islands. The ferry did go out at 2.30pm, but I do not envy its passengers their trip today. The wind readings at Stornoway airport were a sustained 30-35 mph, force 7, which is within the operational range of the Isle of Lewis. 

In my previous post, I referred to the death of one of my regional internet contacts. Like many others in these parts, I had missed the presence of this lady on the Twitter over the past year or so, an absence that will now be permanent. In my 8 years of internet interactions, starting with the infamous AOL chatrooms, later blogs and more recently on Facebook and Twitter, I have found it quite surprising that you establish a personal rapport with someone on the other end of a phoneline (i.e. internet connection), and can be genuinely sad or upset when something happens to them.

Today is Sunday, a day I keep as a quiet one. Not out of any religious conviction, but because over my years in Stornoway, I have come to appreciate the day that there are no vehicles flying up and down the road, the town centre is deserted all day and the only bus you see is the one taking the church goers to their place of worship - at 10.30 am and 6pm. Having read about the Cape Breton communions in the 19th century (a five day, open-air event involving hundreds of people at a time), I don't think we're as strict as some would make us out to be. Nonetheless, even in those strict times the minister would have to bellow across the field: "If Hamish Macdonald is done tickling Jean Macpherson, this service of God will proceed", at a young couple who found each other more interesting than the Day of the Question (Latha na Ceist).