Monday 28 April

Morning all from a sunny Stornoway, where the mercury is already at 14C / 57F. There is a fair amount of loose cumulus clouds about, but that (as yet) is not amounting to anything. Over on the mainland, 50 miles east of here, the mercury is expected to top 21C / 70F, giving rise to a few thunderstorms.

No, you can't call a sailor a soldier, and the Stornoway Gazette really should have checked the facts. Having done so, they should have pointed out the error in Mr Salmond's statement. I'll refrain from making further political statement, as such is inappropriate in the context of remembrance.

In the afternoon, I went on a walk of in total nearly 7 miles, into the Arnish Moor. For the first 4 km, I followed the well-trodden route to the Arnish Road, then dived off into the open moorland. I am badly out of shape and out of practice, and the tussock-hopping is proving demanding. However, delights like Loch Mor a'Chrotaich, Loch Beag a'Chrotaich, Loch Airigh an Sgairbh and Loch a'Chrotaich more than make up for that. It was very warm, but after 5 pm, it suddenly got quite cold, and I was glad I was able to put my coat back on.