Monday 27 May

The cruiseliner Serenissima paid us a visit today; the liner is shown departing at 9.30pm. She gained a degree of notoriety in Oban a few days ago, by running aground on a sandback after passing on the wrong side of a marker buoy. The vessel managed to refloat on a rising tide.

I went for a walk between 8 and 9pm this evening, one of my customary jaunts to Cuddy Point and Lews Castle. Stornoway town centre is virtually deserted after the shops close, but the buildings of the town were bathed in a mellow, almost summery, glow.

Sunday 26 May

Saturday 25 May

Overcast and increasingly wet today. The day started at 10 o'clock with the passage of the 2013 Stornoway Half Marathon at the 2-mile point, where I was positioned for the purpose of taking pics. There was a largish field of competitors. The winner completed the circuit in 1 hour 14 minutes and 58 seconds.

Friday 24 May

Quite a bright day, with lovely cloudscapes of high-level clouds - a harbinger of doom. Dread tomorrow's weather, which is forecast to be deteriorating to rain. Went into town where resurfacing work creating a mini-traffic jam on South Beach, one of the main thoroughfares. It quickly dissolved though. Our freight ferry was very late coming in: 5.30pm, as opposed to 8 am usually. And at 10pm, the supermoon rose, rather larger than normal due to its closeness to the earth.

Thursday 23 May

Wednesday 22 May

I just want to pen a few words about events in Woolwich, south London, where a man was knocked down by a car. He was then attacked by the people in the vehicle with knives and meatcleavers, leaving him decapitated in the street. The culprits then hung around, waiting for the police, who arrived 20 minutes later, only to be attacked themselves. The attackers were promptly shot and severely injured. The victim, dressed in a Help for Heroes t-shirt, is reported to have been a serving soldier. It seems to have been a terrorist attack of unprecedented brutality, not using firearms or explosives but just knives. The exact circumstances of the attack, including motivation, have yet to be elucidated, but the convening of a government committee is an indication of the severity with which the British government views this incident.

The Islamic community has issued a statement, distancing itself from the attack, saying that there is no justification in Islam for any such barbarity. Apparently, the involvement of British soldiers in the 12-year long conflict in Afghanistan is a grievance, used as pretext for the attack.

I'm deeply shocked.

Tuesday 21 May

Cruiseliner Quest for Adventure



Sign of spring at last

Monday 20 May

Private yacht "Hampshire"


Goldfinch

Picture post - 19 May

Sunday 19 May

The day started out foggy, but the cloud very, very slowly lifted off the Arnish hills and after lunchtime, the sun came out. It wasn't exactly warm, 13C, but out of the wind and in the sun it did feel warm enough. I went for a walk around the harbour, and was quietly astonished at the level of activity around the fishingboats. Nets being dried, moorings being adjusted, repairs carried out etc. An unusual boat, the Juvel II, was also in port; she is registered in St Kitts & Nevis, one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. It being Sunday, the town centre was deserted. Only the odd walker, like myself, was ambling about.

Saturday 18 May

Friday 17 May

Picture post - 16 May

Thursday 16 May

Another bright but cool day in Inverness saw me at the bus station at 7.30, in order not to miss my bus to Ullapool. A dozen folks piled on board the bus, which left on time at 8.10. Crossed the Kessock Bridge, and headed northwest to Ullapool. The gentle sloping fields of the Black Isles gave way to the enclosed valleys west of Contin, until we left the railway at Garve, and ascended onto the moors near Aultguish Inn. The mountain tops were still crowned in snow, like the Cairngorms yesterday. Got into Ullapool at 9.30, an hour before the ferry was due to depart. Had an amble about the village, and bought another book by Tom Devine about Scottish history. Ferry came at 9.45, and departed for Stornoway at 10.25. Had a late breakfast, then sat back to enjoy the scenery of Loch Broom. Once out in the open sea, the vista widened to Rubha Reidh to the south and Suilven to the north. A band of rain in the Minch announced the approach to Stornoway, but it was sunny when we docked there at 1.15pm.