Friday 30/12/05

We awake to rain and wind. Two hundred motorists are stuck in snowdrifts on the A1079 York to Hull road, and the fireservice and local farmers are digging them out. Mrs B's son has a girlfriend, who is coming up on the plane from Glasgow, which is 3 hours late due to technical faults. The rain here stops at sunset, and a few clearances move in from the west. Temperature rises to about 8C. Although it's the 30th of December, there will be a New Year's Firework display at 8pm. The town and his wife are about, thronging Newton Street, as well as the South Beach carpark. The display sets off with a loud bang at 8.10, and lasts for about 10 minutes. An old boat is backlit by fire and smoke. Picture taking is difficult, wonder about the outcome. We walk up to An Lanntair for a drink; the pipeband is just finishing in the carpark opposite. It's quite busy in the bar, until the performance starts in the auditorium. We walk back to Newton in the rain, for a very late night ceilidh, which finishes at 2.30. Good practice for tomorrow, which is liable to overrun ever more - it'll be New Year's Eve. Found that someone pinched the feed from the webcam, but as it was to promote Stornoway, I didn't object. Countries that have been to have a look include: Belgium, Holland, UK, USA, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Turkey, Spain, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand...