Monday 24/04/06

After a late start, I prepare to head off to the Scottish Parliament's Committee meeting at the Western Isles Council buildings on Sandwick Road. At 1.30, just before I leave, the Isle of Arran and the Isle of Lewis can be seen heading into port, struggling with the very windy conditions. When I arrive at the Council Chamber, my bag is checked by security. I am handed some papers, some of which I already have, and a ticket. The four panels I described yesterday will be quizzed by members of the ERDC. Amongst the members of said committee is local MSP Alistair Morrison. The first panel, crofters et al, focuses on regulation or not. The second panel gets technical on the legal issues surrounding the Pairc Trust. After a teabreak, an open session ensues where 7 members of the public, amongst them 3 local councillors, address the committee. Angus McCormack, Plasterfield councillor, went into chapter and verse. The third panel focused on housing; the fourth on developments, such as the windfarms. The man from Lewis Windpower, which proposes to build 209 windturbines in North Lewis, was quizzed harshly. Windfarms appear to be going out of vogue of late. When the meeting closes, at 5.20, the weather has turned very nasty. It's raining and blowing hard. The Met Office hasn't got a galewarning outstanding, so I email them. No reply. ITV carries a report from the meeting I attended earlier. The gale continues to blow all evening, gusting up to force 10. The ferry is an hour late, arriving at 9pm. The weatherstation at Eoropie reports gusts of 57 knots / force 11, Stornoway goes up to 52 knots, force 10. A boat lies moored over at Arnish, but I cannot make out its name or its business. Possibly delivering steel plates. Visibility is severely restricted, spray flies over the causeway and it's quite nasty outside. As the evening progresses, the wind appears to die down a little.