Thursday 17 July

Although it's currently overcast, the sun is expected to come out later. Glad we're going to be spared the heatwave in southern England - if you're there, please take it easy.
It's gradually brightened up this afternoon, the sun is now out. It was very busy in the town centre, with the Hebridean Celtic Festival kicking off today. I am not attending anything (nothing jumped out of the line-up). I was privileged to attend a local wedding today, as I know the groom and his family quite well. I wish them every happiness, and hope their only problems will be little ones.

Terrible news, a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine, with the loss nearly 300 lives, 200 of these Dutch. It seems that pro-Russian rebels downed the aircraft using a Russian-made missile system.