Journal entry – Wednesday 8th January. North Uist :

‘I’m not sure how cold it was last night, but the antifreeze in the car screen wash had frozen solid, which only happens below minus 10. The schizophrenic sky; to my left, clear and faded blue, to my right, fiercely black.

As I drove back to Sollas for more supplies, I passed the white bungalow where yesterday I’d photographed the ‘Welcome Home’ sign, daubed on an old sheet. The sheet and the balloons were gone, but the yard lay bare and the cottage vacant-looking. Who was supposed to be coming home? Where had they been? You’ve got to be gone for quite some time to warrant a welcome home banner. By the time I’d reached the Co-op, I’d conjured an entire backstory involving an ex-soldier, several family members, and the police.’