An overcast and still not very warm day. The news is dominated by the death of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. I'll leave it to the media to expound on her legacy.
Here in the islands, the news is dominated by the fact that the newspapers will not be in the shops until well into the afternoon. Until this week, the papers came by plane at 7 am, and would hit the shopshelves in Stornoway at 10.30 am, and lunchtime elsewhere in the island. From today, that time is 2pm for the town, and up to 6pm elsewhere. The papers are carried on the lunchtime ferry, and on the ferry from Uig to Lochmaddy for the Uists. Likewise, the papers will not likely be at the shops in time for closing time (6pm) in places like Lochboisdale and Eriskay, 40 miles south of Lochmaddy. This all stems from a Council decision to cut the air service from Barra to Benbecula, and reduce the service from Benbecula to Stornoway. This has prompted to Loganair to cut the service further, and increase the rate for carrying papers on planes.
