Monday 15/08/05

Today starts cloudy and rainy. News comes through of a French tourist who has gone missing from the hostel at Gearrannan Youth Hostel. The coastguard is searching the coastline between Dalbeag and Linsiadar after 9 o'clock. Later that day, I learn that the man was found dead at the bottom of 30 m / 100 ft high cliffs near Gearrannan. He must have slipped in wet conditions. Today, the Arnish Yard starts production of the 3 wave power generators for Portugal. Not for the Western Isles - why not? The usual weekend mischief includes a car damaged in Francis Street, a mountain bike stolen from Cearns and a girl assaulted in the town centre. Would never merit a mention on local radio elsewhere in the UK. The weather improves as the morning progresses, with the sun coming out at times. I go to the shops and library at 2 pm. It's only then that I notice the large cruiseliner Bremen tied up alongside the ferry pier. In town, I find the usual cruise passengers wandering about: elderly, clad in red anoraks and looking lost in Cromwell Street. Spend quite some time writing in the library, pop a present in the post, then head back.