Thursday 25 September

Our new ferry, the MV Loch Seaforth, will now arrive even later than previously forecast. Her initial date for entry into service was July this year, but it is edging ever closer to 2015 at this rate. Now it is an engine upgrade that's causing the delay.

Today's (Sept 25th) printed edition of the Gazette contains a
horrendous howler on the front piece article about the No vote in the islands. The leader of the Better Together campaign in the Western Isles is referred to as former Labour MSP Alasdair Allan, whereas his surname is of course Morrison; we all know that Alasdair Allan, our current MSP, led the Yes campaign.

Great evening at the Battery Memorial guns at Battery Point this evening. It got very windy, so after singing psalm 23 in Gaelic, holding a two minutes' silence, offering up prayers and the laying of the wreath, the company went to the community centre in Seaforth Road. There, Sandy Matheson (Lord Lieutenant of the Western Isles) and Malcolm Macdonald of the Stornoway Historical Society told stories about the Battery. The evening was concluded with some lovely tunes and songs, and tea and cakes.

Late in the evening, the wind increased further, blowing at 32 mph, force 7. It is set to increase to galeforce in the night. It is quite mild at the moment (midnight), 15C / 59F, not much down from the daytime high of 17C / 63F at lunchtime.