And all of a sudden, winter is back. Heavy hail showers pepper Stornoway all day, leaving the place looking decidedly white at times. The strong northwesterly wind makes it feel very cold outside. The sun does compensate, and it is gaining strength every day. It is also rising higher in the sky.
The Dutch prince who was injured in an avalanche yesterday remains in hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, in a stable but as yet life-threatening condition. He is kept in an induced coma. His mother, Queen Beatrix, and his wife, Mabel, have been to see him at his bedside. Doctors say that no prognosis can be made for a number of days, until they lift the coma.
Locally, the ferry Isle of Lewis has finally taken up her duties again, after returning to Stornoway during the night. She sailed for Ullapool at 2.30pm, leaving the Hebridean Isles to complete its last morning run to and from Ullapool.
