Clearing up

And yes, once again it is clear that I'm not on Arran yet! This is a companion shot to this one. I'm not sure if the different colour of hi-vis jacket is a seniority thing, or a change in fashion!

The situation on Arran is still more or less the same. All credit to the local council staff, builders, emergency services and the SSE staff, who are doing amazing jobs, and there is now an almost complete road round the island just about passable, but it is still suitable only for tough vehicles and primarily for use by emergency services. I hope to find out from Stagecoach tomorrow when they are hoping to be able to run buses up to the North End, but they've not been answering their phone today. To see the situation there, you can watch this very short clip from SSE explaining what they are doing. It is quite something, I really do recommend watching it. Or there is this BBC report and this one. I don't remember Arran ever being so famous! The way that people are looking after each other is great to see too. Stuart from Catacol Bay has been going round offering folk food from there, and making sure that folk have any bread and milk they need from the supply deliveries.

There is now some power restored in Lochranza (and more in the bigger villages) using a generator which has been set up behind the village hall, I don't know if my sister's house is one of the ones with power, though I suspect not as I know there were at least 10 poles down near her, or whether it has made it down to Catacol to Mum, but will find that out tomorrow morning. Bread and milk was delivered by the police and hot food is now available in almost all villages, with local hotels and restaurants doing it in the palces which don't have SSE snack vans, as well as providing somewhere for folk to go and heat up/have a shower. The Kinloch in Blackwaterfoot has been making good use of the group of students who are stuck there by sending them out to deliver stuff to elderly folk who are more or less trapped in their homes. The 70 kids at the Centre in Lochranza are a bit younger, so I don't think they can be used without claims of child labour! The Troon lifeboat brought fuel for the Centre's generator over yesterday, so at least they're okay there. They were supposed to leave on Friday morning, but got stuck. That is why I am at least somewhat hopeful of a bus to the North End at some point soon.

The Boguille is not yet properly clear, the main problem being abandoned vehicles, mostly cars but also a fish van, and it's not like a lot of roads where you could shove things into the ditch at the side to get past, if you push these off the road they will roll down the hill and into the burn at the bottom! All the schools on the island are closed tomorrow, which I told my sister. Each time I call Mum or Kerri and her family there is an information exchange, with both parties learning something new. I've following all the various sources of news - the Arran Banner, North Ayrshire Council, SSE (who should get special mention for being fantastic at keeping people informed, not just in their wee YouTube clips, but also the regular phone calls to folk to explain what is happening and when they hope to have power restored, my Mum is extremely impressed). But there is always something new from someone who has popped in and the Bush Telegraph is always important!

So once again I sign off hoping to not be in Glasgow tomorrow, so if I don't blip - that is a good sign!