Tuesday 28/03/06

Today, the Council staff are all on strike - which is UK-wide industrial action. There are no buses from Point or Tolsta to Stornoway. No refuse collections, offices and libraries closed. The Town Hall and some schools are shut as well. The elections to the Stornoway Trust have to be transferred from the Town Hall to the Estate Office in Percival Square. The 10 trustees represent the residents of the parish of Stornoway. This stretches from Arnish to Tolsta and from Point to the moors. The parishioners of Stornoway were the only ones to accept the gift of the lands of their parish from Lord Leverhulme. He sold the island in the 1920s, and gave the islanders the rights of refusal. Bar Stornoway, all three Lewis island parishes exercises said right. Barvas, Uig and Lochs fell under private ownership, to their disadvantage. The day starts fairly bright, with the odd spot of rain. The MV Isle of Arran will take over from the Muirneag when that boat goes for its refit. The road outside is being tarred this morning. Only to be churned up again by the lorries. Just after 3pm, the Norwegian marine research vessel G.O. Sars turns up for a crew change. This boat monitors the amounts of different species of fish. I take pictures of her as I go to Somerfields. Sunset at 8pm, it's a nice evening.