It wasn't an illusion, Oh no, No Doubt about It.

When I was about 5, together with my mum and dad, and my sister, we went out for a wee evening cruise upon the Sea Nymph, with The Captain Dorby, his lovely wife, and their three daughters.

It was a beautiful night, still and calm, and very warm, and light until well into the late evening.

We sailed out to the Lady Isle, dangling our hands in the water, and looking for seals, and headed leisurely back. It was always lovely sailing back into the harbour for those were the days when people sat on the Fishing Pontoon at the end of the pier, and we could wave, like royalty as we sailed past.

On returning to the basin, (for this was the days BEFORE marinas), the boat was tied up, and the ensemble made it's way up to the Temple Bar. For in these days too, it wasn't unusual for a whole family to decant into the pub. The "weans" sat in a corner with a coke, and a bag of crisps. We had our obligatory bag of crisps, and then we started getting restless.

We were each given some money - 10 pence maybe, and chased off down to the amusement arcade. We spent all our money in the arcade, and were chased out of their as it closed it's doors. As we stepped outside, the darkness of the warm evening was split apart by a massive flash of lightning, swiftly followed by the most ear-bending road of thunder.

Then the skies opened. The 5 of us sheltered in a doorway as the rain bounced off the pavement, flooding the pavements and roads in front of us. Our parents were only round the corner, and up the road about 200 yards, but we were terrified to move in all the rain.

I was okay - I was the wee-est and as such was stuffed to the back of the five of us, sheltered from the worst of the rain, and kept warm, and there we stood until the Dads came looking for us, and ran us back up the street to the cars where we climbed in and headed for home.

That was a good night.

Tonight in Troon however, there are strange lights in the sky, and anything beyond 400 yards, has been swallowed up. My world as I know it is disappearing.....and I'm not sure where it went.