Today in 1962, St Michael's Cathedral in Coventry was rededicated by Queen Elizabeth II. The cathedral had been wrecked during a Nazi German bombing raid on 14 November 1940, which caused extensive damage to the city. The ruins of the old cathedral were retained and are standing outside the new edifice, as a reminder of the destructiveness of war.
In Stornoway, it was a sunny day, but with a fair amount of haze about, and haar rolling ashore in Point, 5 miles east of the town. The cruiseliner Marco Polo came in during the early hours, and still lies anchored off Arnish Point. She is due to leave for Ullapool later tonight. Marco Polo is the second cruiseship to visit us this season; the Ocean Nova paid us three visits over the past fortnight or so.
I am making my way through The Healing Threads by Mary Beith, who died on 13th May. I have read half the book, which is a thoroughly researched appraisal of traditional medicine in Scotland. The second half is a rundown of what is termed Materia Medica, various healing practices in other words. I may conduct my own research into the subject.
