Sunday 28 October

A wet start to the day, with a dry intermission during the afternoon, leaving us with more rain by nightfall. And nightfall occurred well before 5pm, the clocks having gone back last night. The ferry departed for its customary Sunday crossing at 9 am, rather than 2.30pm. This change in schedule had not really been advertised, leaving some people to turn up at the usual time - only to find they had missed the boat. Some could catch the plane to Inverness, but that was soon full up. And it was 10 years ago that Sunday flights commenced here.

I have been keeping an eye on hurricane Sandy, which is going to be a nightmare for the mid-Atlantic states in the US. At least two of my blogging friends appear to be in the path of the storm, and very likely several others are as well. I'll monitor this through my tropical cyclones blog, but please consult the NHC and HPC site for three-hourly updates - if not more frequent once Sandy comes ashore. Also a cause for concern is category II typhoon Son-tinh, which is headed for Hanoi in Vietnam.

If you're in the path of Sandy, stay safe and follow all official directives.