Friday 14/10/05

Bright and extremely clear weather this morning. The mainland mountains at Applecross stood out as clear as anything, and the summit of the Storr near Portree popped out over the hill west of Arnish Light. Visibilityup to 60 miles. It decreases as the morning wears on; the lenticularis clouds break and by 4pm, Applecross has disappeared. Mrs B is clearing out her house, including a batch of computers that belonged to a failed business of one of her sons. Continue improving my webpages. Later in the evening, an Australian lady arrives for the weekend. At mrs B's request, I take her into town to attend the opening ceremony of the Mod in An Lanntair, the new art gallery that was opened only a fortnight ago. It now has a light installation, prepared by local school children. On arrival at the gallery we can just about squeeze in. A pair of wireless headphones is handed to us, to receive a simultaneous translation of the Gaelic into English. As the Mod is a celebration of the Gaelic culture, it's all in Gaelic. Which I do not understand. Two speeches, one from a Calmac official who says that he's from the company that makes you seasick. The other from Inverness MSP John Farquhar Munro, who tells his audience to take the opportunity to help Gaelic forward - or lose it altogether. Some music in between. Take Elaine for a walk around town, but the presence of the local yobs doesn't exactly boost Stornoway's first impression. There were to be fireworks from the Castle Grounds, but no such thing. Apparently, it was from Goat Island, but I saw nor heard anything at all. Return to mrs B's at 10.30 pm for a drink and a chat. Elaine is in the UK on a work exchange visit for disability work in Glasgow. She does have roots in the UK, in Blackburn, Lancashire, to be precise. Dad was German; mum had 11 siblings and emigrated to Australia in the 1960s under a scheme that promised a £10 passage (those that took it up were known as £10 pommies in Aus). On arrival over there, the people were told to cough up the balance of the actual fare. They were split up and housed in poor temporary accommodation. Bed at midnight.