As I type this, the rain has once more started up. After a relatively benign morning, another weatherfront is moving in from the Atlantic. Looking back, I am reminded of a visit to Berneray in 1996. I was staying with Gloria MacKillop, who was married to Donald Alick, locally known as Splash. Splash was friendly with (then) Prince Charles, and told me in '96 that he loved staying in Berneray. Down there, folk treated him like one theirs, another crofter up for the summer, and not like high-ranking royalty. My memory of 1996 is dominated by It's a Knockout!, a water-based steeple chase. The tenth stage nearly drowned me. Afterwards, all participants could come to a tent for a cup of soup to warm up. Although it was 17C at the time, I was cold. I returned to Mrs MacKillop's, who was mortified to recognise her guest as the person that had been put through It's a Knockout! I am sad to record that Splash passed away in 2009.
The beach pictured below is Berneray's West Beach, but some years ago was passed off as a beach at Phuket in Thailand. Bit nippy for Thailand!
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