Tuesday 31/01/06

Awoke in the middle of the night, to see the bright stars of Orion and Canis Major peeping in from the southwest. The morning dawns bright, but the weather is on the change. Occasional tufts of cloud waft across. On the mainland, there was a severe frost. Aviemore reported -12C, Tulloch Bridge -10C. Once the sun is up, at 8.30 a.m., temperatures there rise rapidly. A climber was reported missing on Aonach Mor and the Steall Gorge near Glen Nevis since Saturday. Go into the library in the afternoon to dig out the names of all of those involved in the Iolaire disaster. Spend more than 2 hours trawling through the Roll of Honour, only to find the information neatly compiled at the back of the book. The new moon peeps from behind the clouds just after 5. The tanker comes in at 6pm. It's still cold outside, but 7C is not too bad. A collision is reported between two ships in the English Channel. One vessel, laden with 10,000 tons of phosphoric acid, is holed and later sinks. The 22 crew on board were rescued by the Coastguard. An exclusion zone is established, as the extremely acid water could literally dissolve a metal ship's hull. The local council is deferring debate on the Sunday sailings in the Sound of Harris ferry.