Sunday 28/05/06

A latish start to the day. Weather is changeable with the odd shower between some bright intervals. I have breakfast for 10, the Aussie guest has his at 11. I watch Landward on BBC1, as it featured a problem with foxes in the islands. Foxes are not native here, and cause devastation amongst both wildlife and farm animals. At 1pm, a large cruiseliner appears from the south. It's the Italian cruiseliner Costa Classica, on her way round the UK, with a complement of Italian passengers on board. They have come on a bad day - it's Sunday. Nothing is open, nothing runs (except for taxi's). Normally, cruiseliners arrive at 7am, and a fleet of coaches will ferry passengers all over the island. Not today. After the liner anchors behind Arnish Point, the tenders ply back and forth to bring passengers to the town - and back to the ship. The Costa Classica can carry up to 1,300. Tender upon tender disgorges passengers onto the ferry linkspan. As I walk through the deserted town centre (normal on a Sunday), the streets echo to the sound of excited Italian voices. They point to the 'cathedral' (just Martin's Memorial Church). The rain starts to fall and it's just such a sad sight. Nothing there for those poor folk. I find a webcam positioned on the bridge of the cruiseliner, and look back at Newton, 2 miles to the nroth. The Costa Classica is visible on my webcam. Heard that yesterday they were giving away compost bins at the Creed Industrial Park. Every household in Lewis is entitled to 3 bins. So, all Lewis pile up and down the A859, miles and miles of tailbacks (on the A859, unbelieveable), fraying tempers and the Highway Code in the compost bin. The give-away was halted, police closed the road and that was that. Mrs B goes up to Engebretsen's at 3.30. This is the only shop open in the whole of Lewis and Harris, and it's absolutely heaving. The last passengers return to the cruiseliner between 5 and 6. She weighs anchor at 6.10, and I watch her move out of sight, also using the ship's own webcams. Next port of call - Invergordon, 30 miles north of Inverness. Interesting to see Stornoway from a cruiseliner - she was anchored west of Holm Point. Oh, did I mention that Big Brother has started in the UK? Won't mention it again. Mrs B serves me a very nice dinner at 7pm, consisting of salmon and sirloin steak. Very yummy.