Tuesday 21/06/05

Spent the day processing the pictures which I scanned in in the library. Due to the time constraint of 60 minutes, I only had time to basically scan them in, and had to use mrs B's comp for further sorting out. Weather started out as wet as it did on Monday, but it cleared up for the afternoon. Three Germans staying with us at the moment: mum, dad and daughter.
Petra is about my age, and works as a Procurator Fiscal Deputy in Dundee. Parents are from Nuremberg in Germany. They had been up and down the Westside all day today. Last night, mum had left her handbag with passport and money in a restaurant here, but has now got it back. Mrs B offered them a traditional Lewis welcome after they had been out for dinner, but that went clean over their heads.

Today, 21st June, is the longest day of the year. Here in the Isle of Lewis, we're at latitude 58°N, which puts us within 8° of the Arctic Circle. Up there, the sun shines for 24 hours each day. Down here, it is 18 hours 15 mins, sunrise 04.19, sunset 22.34. This leaves 5 hours 45 minutes without sun, but certainly not without light. I have been mentioning since May that it was still light at 1 a.m., and I have included in previous entries pictures taken after midnight. This entry includes pictures taken last week, which shows how light it still was between midnight and 1.20; the latter time being the 'darkest' point of the day. From now on, the nights will lengthen (as they will all over the northern hemisphere), until we're back on sunrise 09.15 and sunset 15.35 (21st December). I'll miss the long evenings, when it is broad daylight until well past 11 o'clock...