Saturday 08/10/05

Very sunny start to the day but cloud bubbles up to give a few sharp showers as from the midday mark. Forecast is very poor for tomorrow. Last Friday, I reported the lifeboat and helicopter rushing out to salvage a boat. It turns out that the boat was an old banger that was being taken round to Uig, on the West Side. Three miles outside the harbour, the engine blew up and the crew were left stranded. They left at dusk, 7 pm, which is a silly time to make a 50 mile trip round the island. As I'm writing this, 2.15 pm, the helicopter and lifeboat have once again gone out. Go into town for a paper, envelopes and a new notebook. Notice two Royal Navy vessels at the quay outside Amity House. One is HMS Shoreham, the other I cannot discern the name of. It's busy in the supermarket. Later I share a portion of macaroni cheese with mrs B. I take part in a BBC Test the Nation quiz, about the English language, in which I score 51/70, about average. A massive earthquake has shaken northern Pakistan, leaving thousands dead.