Monday 9 August

Although the morning started off wet, we did go off on the 10.30 bus to Ness (North Lewis). The rain had ceased just before we set out, and in spite of some drizzle on the Barvas Moor, it continued to brighten up as we headed north. After some overseas visitors took a long time to extract tourist information from the bus driver at Eoropie, we reached Port of Ness by 11.40. After a cuppa with a local resident of my acquaintance, we set out on a moorland walk to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, 3 miles to the west. It was wet underfoot, and you have to be cautious due to the proximity of cliffs. Not terribly high, but 100 feet is high enough. There were lazybeds about, and that's not the sort of beds you lie in at night. They are strips of land with drainage channels in either side, meaning that you are going up and down by one or two feet every few yards. Along the way, we called round at Dun Eisdean, the former home of Clan Morrison, now just an offshore islet. Finally reached the lighthouse at 1.30pm. A fair few tourists about there. Had some lunch at the Eoropie (pronounce Yoropee) Tearoom, then ambled to the nearby beach before the bus was due. This blasted past at 3.20, but returned on schedule at 3.40pm.

In reverse chronological order 

Eoropie Beach


Butt of Lewis lighthouse


Port Sto


At Dun Eisdean


Along the north coast


Port of Ness harbour

Sunday 8 August

Overcast and increasingly breezy as the day wore on. As I'm typing this, the rain has commenced. Nonetheless, I took my dad on a walk to the Arnish Lighthouse, 4 miles away on the other side of the bay. Takes an hour and a half, going through the Castle Grounds and down the Arnish road. We had a look round the lighthouse and the keeper's cottage; its occupant (a private person, not associated with the Northern Lighthouse Board), died recently. The internal shutters were all closed. The grass around the lighthouse was not cut. We had a long, leisurely lunch nearby, then went to the gun emplacements just to the south of the lighthouse. These were erected in the Second World War, but are presently slowly rotting away. A visit to Charlie's Monument closed proceedings. We returned to Stornoway in 90 minutes again. Will put up pics later.

Friday pics

Iolaire memorial


Holm Islands


Cows, Sandwick


Callanish Stones


Callanish


Bragar, Whalebone Arch


Arnol Blackhouse


Derelict house, Arnol

Friday trip

In the morning, my father and I walked to the Iolaire Memorial, about an hour's walk down the coast. After leaving a stone on the cairn, we returned through the nearby village of Sandwick, but heavy traffic on East Street prompted us to divert into Lower Sandwick and the Old Cemetery. Once on the shorepath, we heard a corncrake "crexing" in the tall grass. This one is a bit late; their mating call usually sounds in May or June. After a quick cuppa we went to the bus station. The driver didn't know what we were talking about when asking about a "round trip with two stops", but finally it was translated into a two-stop rover ticket. First call: Callanish. The Harris mountains were wreathed in rainclouds, but strangely enough the rain did not make much northward progress. After lunch at the visitor centre, we had a look at the famous Stones, then walked down the village back street towards the main road near the church. As we headed south along the A858, a coach and a bridal car headed in the opposite direction. Before the next bus arrived, pipes could be heard from the direction of the church, and a large number of vehicles were parked at the church. A slow journey took us to Arnol in 60 minutes, and the sun came out on the way. At Callanish and Carloway, it was raining. Had a look round the Arnol Blackhouse, which I've seen before - my father did not. Upon return to Stornoway, we had a nice supper.

Will post pictures at a later stage.

Friday 6 August

Yes, it's my birthday today. My father turned up unexpectedly last night, and I don't have the time to post regular updates. So, I'll catch up by the middle of next week. Suffice to say, nice day today and I'll try to post things on Facebook by text.

Wednesday 4 August

A big controversy in Scotland today about a cloned cow, no a bull, that had ended up in the foodchain, contrary to regulations. Cloning animals is not an easy science, as the resulting animals often have very severe health problems, if they are viable in the first place. Dolly the sheep eventually succumbed to arthritis. However, eating cloned beef is without risks, or so say the experts. It is a novel food, so no more bull on the menu. Bull. Right.

It is a changeable day in Stornoway, with frequent showers passing through on a brisk wind. No cruiseliners today, but the ferry has just come in on its first of three calls on Wednesday. The other calls are at 6.25pm and 12.45am. It is the season for the island agricultural shows. I am not attending any in person this year, but am posting images from the Point show in 2006 to give y'all an idea.

Sounds familiar?

Another system [...] is the letting of farms to non-resident tenants, from which great evils have arisen, and that consists of good farm-houses now occupied by uncultivated menials, instead of gentlemen and their families, who possessed these farms at one time, and who were not only an acquisition to society, but a great credit to the country at large.

This is a quote from Appendix XXXIII of the Napier Commission Report, and I just wonder if the Reverend Macrae of North Uist had a point. Leaving to one side the use of terms like "uncultivated menials", which is doesn't help the debate. Those in the north of Scotland are aware of the current debate (and I'm now talking 2010) around crofting - a debate that to my mind equates to tying the horse behind the wagon, or locking the door when the horse has bolted. Many a croft lies unused, or feud off to infinity for house building or (more accurately) property speculation.

Tuesday 3 August

Returned to the town centre today for a few purchases, and found that the European market, on until this Saturday, continues to draw the crowds. I had seen what I wanted to see yesterday, and quickly made my way back. It is not a terribly nice day; it was raining in the early hours, with a bright interval following until about 2pm. We are now back to fine drizzle. What has cheered up is the presence of another cruiseliner; the Mona Lisa, a regular visitor to these parts.

The local hospital is presently without a television service for its patients, following the switch-over to digital on July 21st. In spite of the fact that an extensive publicity campaign preceded the switch-over, NHS Western Isles did nothing. Most people have either got a new TV set, a Freeview box, a satellite dish or something like that; the NHS here waited until all the screens went blank before they realised something had to be done. Fifty-five tellies are now awaiting installation.

Monday 2 August

Not a bad day, although we had to do without the sun. A large cruiseship, the Delphin Venture, lay anchored off the Arnish Lighthouse, whilst its passengers were taken ashore for tours of the usual suspects - the Callanish Stones, the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village &c.

Today saw the start of the Continental Market in the centre of Stornoway, with many stalls of food and craft items on display and for sale. It was very busy.

On Saturday, we'll have the annual Stornoway Carnival, in which a procession of floats and people will proceed from the Caberfeidh Hotel down Bayhead Street to South Beach. There, a funfair is currently being constructed, which will give entertainment to young and all.

In the meantime, I called into the An Lanntair arts centre, where world-renowned photographer Murdo Macleod has an exhibition of, amongst others, the rich and famous. From Gordon Brown and Tony Blair to David Cameron, from Amy Winehouse to Giles Brandreth. And no blushes spared.

Sunday 1 August

The first day of the last month of summer. Not that we've seen much of summer up here in the Hebrides, but that's part and parcel of life at 58 degrees north. After a day or two of dry weather, rain is set to return tomorrow afternoon.

Further on the weatherfront, but far away, a tropical cyclone appears to be forming midway across the Atlantic between the Cape Verde islands and the Lesser Antilles. NHC now puts the likelihood that a tropical depression will form at 80%, high. It is anticipated that warnings on what could become tropical storm Colin (if the current trend of development continues) may be initiated later today. Cape Verde hurricanes, which have plenty of time and warm water to develop, can be among the most devastating in the Atlantic basin.

After a spring with temperatures in excess of 50C / 120F, Pakistan is now being devastated by flooding, caused by monsoon rains, which have claimed more than 1,000 lives. July and August is the time for the monsoon to move north from the Indian Ocean to bring rain to the Indian subcontinent every year.

Bloglist

When I looked at my Dashboard panel on Blogger, I found several dozen blogs on the go. Time to list them and categorise.

Personal blogs
Atlantic Lines, this blog - my personal blog, updated every day
The Shell Gallery - updated when I'm in Holland
Atlantic Light - picture a day blog, work in progress
Recipe Book - updated if and when
Jokes off the seawall - updated if and when
Northern Trip - archived blog, predecessor of Atlantic Lines
Northern Trip (the start) - archived blog, early stages of Northern Trip
Lewis Lines - diary excerpts from Northern Trip (2004, 5, 6 and 7)
Minch Views - opinionated excerpts from Northern Trip
Heather Isle Views - pictures of Lewis villages (incomplete)

Events
St Martin's Storm 2005 - report of a force 12 storm on 11 November 2005
Mod 2005 Stornoway - report from the Royal National Mod
Hurricane Ivan at Madagascar - report of the impact of an Indian Ocean cyclone
Tropical Cyclones - hurricane updates, updated when required
Tropical Cyclones 2006/7 - archived

Napier Commission transcripts
Napier Commission in the Isle of Skye - work in progress (at time of posting)
Napier Commission in the Outer Hebrides - completed

World Wars I and II
Lewismen in Canadian service - completed
Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery - completed
Vlieland War Graves - completed
Wargraves in Lewis - completed
World War II Tribute for Lewis - completed
Harris War Memorial - completed
Faces from the Lewis War Memorial - completed
Iolaire Disaster 1919 - completed

J-land
Call for Support
J-land Central
Call for Support - AOL archive (entries until October '08)
Ye Olde English Posy - a few entries from a blog by the late Sylviam4000
J-land Anniversary blog - 5th anniversary of J-land, just before its shutdown

Saturday 31 July

Far from summerlike is an adequate summary of today's weather. Like yesterday, a lot of drizzly rain about, which puts paid to any outside aspirations. So, I busy myself with completing the website on Lewismen in Canadian service during WW1. It has some unexpected spin-offs, as it allows one of my contacts to add further details to their family tree. Another website is commenced, with transcripts of the Napier Commission Report, and this time from the Isle of Skye. Two years ago, I tidied up the transcripts, but did not put them on-line - so that's what I am doing now. The Commission started its work in Skye, later to move on to the Outer Hebrides. I will also prepare an index for the whole report, which is 4,000 pages long. It is not my intention to transcribe all of that.

Friday 30 July

In spite of the unfavourable weatherforecast, we did set out on a bustrip to Leverburgh in Harris, 55 miles to the south. Promptly, upon setting out at 9.15, did the rain start. And it never stopped all day. Nonetheless, we paid our £8.80 for the return ticket, sat on the bus and relaxed. Visibility was poor all the way to Tarbert, 37 miles to the south, but sufficient to get your bearings. Arrived into Tarbert at 10.40, but our usual coffee place was shut for a wedding. So we went nextdoors to the hotel for a cuppa with a scone. We had a browse in the tourist office before jumping on the bus to Leverburgh - the one going along the eastern shores of the island of Harris. It is a 19 mile journey along switchbacks, humps, tight corners, blind bends - in driving rain. When I say 'rain', I should actually call it drizzle. Taking pictures was virtually impossible. Arrived at Leverburgh at 1pm sharp, and according to the schedule. Nipped into the Anchorage restaurant for some fish & chips, whilst watching a helicopter at work from the Pharos, the lighthouse service vessel. The weather briefly improved, allowing us a view of Boreray in the distance, but when the round hump of that island disappeared behind Ensay, the game was up again. The return bus departed at 2.40pm along the westside of Harris, where conditions were slightly better than in the east. I was able to take pictures, but they are still not brilliant. After a brief stop at Tarbert, we were taken back to Stornoway. To my great surprise, the sun came out on the pass below the Clisham (the highest hill in Harris at 799 metres or 2640 feet), but it was soon back to dreich & drizzle. Nonetheless, in spite of the poor weather, a nice day out.

Photos in reverse chronological order


On the bus


Loch Seaforth from the Lewis / Harris border


Loch Seaforth at Ardvourlie


The ferry to Skye at Tarbert.


One of the beaches on the westside of Harris


Sound of Harris ferry at Leverburgh


Helicopter and the Pharos


The Bays of Harris on a very wet day


Tarbert


Driving in the clouds below the Clisham

Thursday 29 July

Today, I was observing how two tugs with a large barge in tow each were maneuvering around Glumag Harbour all day. In the end, the Fairplay 31 left its barge (presumably at Glumag) and docked at no 1 pier in the town centre. The Pegasus docked alongside Glumag, with barge and all, in preparation for the loading of I don't know what. The weather was non-descript, a bit of light rain, temperature about 15C.


Fairplay 31 and barge


At dusk

Pictures post - 28 July

The tug (Pegasus) + barge, approaching Stornoway Harbour



Tug Pegasus


Cruiseliner Marco Polo


Yachts passing the Fabrication Yard

Wednesday 28 July

Summer is supposed to be at its peak, but we in the Hebrides only catch fleeting glimpses of it. All we can espy on an average day is a lot of mist and driving rain. With the odd sunny spell, but then the midgies (no-see-ums) make it less than pleasant. Meanwhile, I've been keeping myself occupied with ships and boats of every description today. The day started with the tug Pegasus heaving into view with a large, bright orange barge behind it. This is presently maneuvered alongside the Arnish quay, presumably for loading with renewable energy paraphernalia. Not long after, the cruiseliner Marco Polo dropped anchor in Sandwick Bay, just round the corner from me. Today is Wednesday, which means we have three sailings instead of two on our ferry, and as per usual this summer, it is running more than an hour late. During the afternoon, the oil products tanker Sarnia Liberty came in to deliver petrol, diesel and kerosine to the island. It is really strange to find that this ship also delivers petrol to Scrabster and Inverness, where fuel prices are several pence lower than here. Finally, there was some sort of yacht rally, with bright white sails moving out of port. To close on a maritime note, sailing girl Laura Dekker, who is a 14-year old from Holland, has been given consent to start a round-the-world solo trip on board her craft Guppy. Last year, Laura was denied permission by her mother and concerned child welfare agencies. Yesterday, she was given the go ahead, and the youngest round-the-world solo sailor could be en-route within a fortnight. A previous attempt, by 16-year old Abby Sunderland from the USA, failed when her yacht was dismasted in the Indian Ocean.

PS: I do have pictures, but not yet uploaded. Will post them tomorrow.

Tuesday 27 July

A pretty horrible day, weatherwise, with spells of drizzle and no sun to speak of. And the temperature was nothing worth writing about either - 14C. To continue the moan, we had  a lengthy powercut this morning. I am a late riser, so I was not inconvenienced by the fact that the Waternish substation in Skye decided to throw a wobbler at 7.30 am. The result was a blanket black-out, from Barra all the way up to the Butt of Lewis. The power company switched on its anxillary generating stations to get people back on supply, but some were without electric for 3 hours. This meant no cooked breakfast for the tourists in the B&Bs, no coffee or tea for the office workers and the Town Hall clock firmly stopped at 5.40. Do I have anything positive to report?

Well, I managed to get through my check on the Lewismen who served in the Canadian forces during WW1 - a list of about 300 (out of 678). More checks to follow. Right, it's 9.20 pm, here's the last couple of hours of the day.

Monday 26 July

After a very wet start, the sun is beginning to come out. I've just been going through the blogs on my Google Reader for the first time in what looks like a month. I'm not promising, but will make an effort to check round a bit more frequently than that.

This weekend, 19 people were crushed to death in the German city of Duisburg. They were headed for a music festival which had attracted a million people. Crowd management had failed, meaning that too many people were trying to push through an entrance tunnel. I remember vividly the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. A crowd of 1 or 2 million had gathered outside Buckingham Palace to hear a concert by various pop bands and singers. I moved to the front of the throng, but the atmosphere there was aggressive, with people insisting on moving to the very front, being excessively nationalistic - and this poor old couple being led away by police. I don't like big crowds.

Sunday 25 July

The day started off wet, but dried off later in the morning. The sun came out during the afternoon, although a few light showers kept popping up. Another one is just moving in as I type. Not much doing today, as it's Sunday. Hardly any traffic on the road, and when I went for an amble round my area of Stornoway, I didn't meet more than half a dozen vehicles in the 40 minutes I was out and about. I'll close with some pics I took on the way.




Seaforth Road


View from the Battery


"I see you"

Clearances: Rodel, Harris

Donald Macdonald, an man of 74, was called to give evidence to the Napier Commission of Inquiry into the conditions of crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands when it came to Tarbert, Harris. He represented the village of Grosebay, corrupted to Grosaway in the Napier Report. In response to question 18122, this story emerges of the clearance of Rodel.

I saw my mother with her youngest child taken out of the house in a blanket and laid down by the side of a dyke, and the place pulled down. My mother was in child-bed at the time. The child was only born the previous night, and my father asked M'Leod, who was proprietor at the time, whether he would not allow them to remain in the house for a few days, but permission was not given, only he came to the dykeside where she lay and asked what this was, and when he was told he asked him to lift her up and remove her to an empty barn, and it was there she was put. 

Bitterness

The Napier Commission is sitting in Tarbert, Harris, in June 1883. Another excerpt from the submission by Ardhasaig crofter John Mcleod. He describes the consequences of the clearances in Harris. 

The end of it was that my family, when they grew up, scattered into all parts of the earth; and some ot them are dead in a foreign land, and others I know not where they are,—and I am alone. Hundreds suffered equally with myself. There are at least twice as many both in North and South Harris without lands as there are that have land. I think it is a sad condition of affairs in this place. There is not a family in the whole of Harris where there are two sons but one of them at least is in the service of the Queen, perhaps two, and neither they nor their fathers can obtain a foot of the soil upon which they could live. It would appear that, when Britain becomes involved in a struggle with another nation in the future, they must send for the deer and sheep of Harris as well as its young men, and then they can see which is the best bargain.

Saturday 24 July

A very wet start to the day, but the rain appears to be moving away into the Minch. I'm processing the Napier Report into the conditions of the crofters of the Highlands and Islands from 1883. The excerpt, presented in the previous post, is an example of the arbitrary nature of the some of the clearances.

The Scottish Government has turned down an invitation from a US Senate Committee to answer questions on the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Megrahi, in August 2009. The United States government was unhappy with that decision, taken on humanitarian grounds. There are suspicions that the release was linked to an oil deal between BP (yes, them) and Libya. However, the Scottish Government is independent of the UK government as regards justice matters. Neither Justice Secretary, Kenny Macaskill, nor First Minister Alex Salmond, are prepared to go to Washington, saying it is an autonomous matter for Scotland, on which they are solely answerable to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

I do understand that the USA has a vested interest in the Lockerbie disaster, bearing in mind that most of the casualties were US citizens. However, 11 of the dead were citizens of the town of Lockerbie, and the crime took place on Scottish soil.


I just want to make one closing remark on the issue of immigration, which I raised this week. I understand that illegal immigrants are treated as if they are legal immigrants. That is patently wrong, and an issue sorely neglected by successive administrations (both Republican and Democrat). I will go so far as to commend the current administration for at least addressing the issue. Please bear in mind that the number of illegal immigrants in the US is 11 million, and just kicking the 6 million Mexicans among them back across the Rio Grande is not practicable. I don't think it is up to me to be in favour or against the currently proposed measures, bearing in mind the strength of feeling on the issue that I have detected in comments on preceding blog posts.

Why did John Mcleod lose his lands?

Wednesday, June 13th, 1883. The Napier Commission is sitting in Tarbert, the main village in Harris and is interrogating 62-year old John Mcleod, a crofter and fisherman from Ardhasaig, a few miles west of Tarbert. Commissioner Sheriff Nicolson asked him how he lost his land thirty years ago.

Thereby hangs a tale. There was a lady in Uist and a gentleman in Skye, and my brother had a vessel, and he came in the vessel with Donald Macdonald from Monkstadt [Isle of Skye], and he went to Balranald [North Uist] in order to remove from thence the young lady, whose parents were not willing that she should marry the young gentleman in the ordinary way. They wished her to marry the man who was at the time factor upon the estate; but this man took her away. The factor, Macdonald, had his revenge upon me and my two brothers for this act, though we were quite innocent of it. One of my brothers was at the time in Borv, and another in Scalpa, and I had a sister in West Tarbert. The four of us had lands at the time, and he deprived us of them all. One of my brothers went to Australia, where he is still. That is how I lost my land—the sole cause. I did not get lands since.

Pictures post - 23 July

The Jack Abry II with the RNLI lifeboat Tom Sanderson in attendance.


The Queen passed through Stornoway today, to join her holiday yacht Hebridean Princess. 


Ferry passengers, awaiting the 12.40 departure to Ullapool, had a grandstand view of the Queen as she embarked the Hebridean Princess


Moon at midnight

A few notes

One of the murderer of Jamie Bulger, the man formerly known as Jon Venables, has been jailed for two years for possessing child ponography on his computer. His release will be determined by the Parole Board, unlike most prisoners who may become eligible for early release after serving half their sentence. Jamie Bulger, aged 2 years and 9 months, was lured out of a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in 1993 by Venables (aged 10) and his pal Robert Thompson. Jamie's battered body was found some time later along a railway line nearby. The child's mother has said that justice has not been done, but the judge commented that he could not impose a longer sentence simply because of what Venables had done before.

Tropical storm Bonnie isn't a very bonny cyclone, as it traverses Florida at present. Maximum sustained winds are about galeforce or just above, and the rain is falling mainly to the west and north of the centre. If the system holds together (and that's not certain), it will pass through the Gulf of Mexico. Maximum winds will be 45 knots (that's top-end force 9 on the Beaufort scale).

Trawler troubles

The trawler Jack Abry II was seen off the Goat Island jetty this afternoon, with the RNLI lifeboat in attendance. I am not sure what happened, but it seems the trawler had some steering or engine trouble. It managed to get underway again, did a full about turn in the harbour waters, and docked safely alongside pier number 3. I'll post some pictures of today's maritime excitements in a bit.

Friday 23 July

Nice sunny morning here in the Western Isles, with a bit of a southerly breeze going. Last night got very still and very cold very quickly. The mercury shivered down to 5C / 41F at midnight. Fortunately, the sun got to work quickly after it rose at 5 am and we're now basking in 17C / 63F.

The big news item in Stornoway this morning is the fact that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is passing through the town on her way to board her holiday yacht, the MV Hebridean Princess. The image below showed the boat almost exactly 4 years ago, on 29 July 2006, when the HP took HM on her 80th anniversary cruise round the islands, to deposit her at Stornoway to be flown away from the airport. Her route now goes in reverse. This year, there's a slightly sour taste to proceedings. Apparently, the Hebridean Princess was chartered for a cruise, which was cancelled - requisitioning I call it. Is that what you call HP sauce? Meanwhile, I wish HM a pleasant holiday.

Hurricane update - 22 July

The National Hurricane Center is advising that a new tropical cyclone has formed in the southern Bahamas, and advisories will be initiated at 11 am EDT (1500 GMT). Tropical storm watches and warnings can be expected for the Bahamas and southern Florida. Please monitor progress through the NHC website.

Immigration - part 2

Many thanks to those who responded to my first post on this subject yesterday. It struck me that opinions diverged sharply. Connie and Frances, as American citizens, disagreed with my take, whereas Carol, Sybil and Yasmin (Europeans) did agree. In the UK, there is a natural barrier against illegal immigration, commonly referred to as the English Channel or the North Sea. Illegal immigration still takes place, but they need to go to a lot of bother to make the crossing. Those in the southeast of England are familiar with the sight of illegals jumping from the backs of trucks on the M2 and M20 motorways. In terms of numbers however, we're talking about a few hundred a day - not the thousands that flood across between Brownsville and San Diego.

I agree that those wishing to enter any country should do so legally. At worst, illegal aliens could be terrorist recruits, seeking to carry out an atrocity. However, the problem that is confronting the US at this time (and has been for the past couple of years) is here to stay. Building a barrier stretching the length of the US / Mexican border is not working. I cannot imagine that any decent person would condone shooting illegal aliens on sight. For the rest of this post, I'll focus on those that are present in the US at the moment.

What to do with the illegal immigrants currently already in the United States? Well, some say that illegals should not receive any state support, food, healthcare, housing etc. Really? Would you be prepared for the sight of the homeless multitudes thronging the sidewalks of your cities, starving, dying, left to rot? I don't think so either. An extreme option, but one worth flagging up.

Sending them back will present huge problems on account of the sheer numbers we're talking about. I remember an idea mooted by President Obama of an amnesty for all illegals, and start from scratch. It's what I call pragmatism, but probably politically not palatable. Those subject to the amnesty will be offered support, but on certain conditions - a programme of integration in American society could be considered. Those who do not adhere to the conditions will be expelled. Anyone found crossing the border illegally after the amnesty is ended will be sent straight back - irrespective of circumstances.

Where I come from, there is a saying: "The best ship's captains stand ashore", meaning that it's very easy to pontificate from the sidelines. I'm in Europe, where the problem of illegal migrants is of a far lesser scale than what the Americans are facing. I hope the American administration is able to formulate a policy that mixes compassion with firmness, satisfactory to old and new residents alike.

Thursday 22 July

A nice sunny day, with a northerly breeze. That keeps the temperature down, but I'm not complaining.

Yesterday, British prime minister David Cameron dropped quite a clanger, when he referred to the United Kingdom as the junior partner in the early years of the Second World War - implying that the US was taking the lead. Far from it. The US did not get actively involved in WW2 until Germany and Japan declared war in December 1941.

A yachtsman and his family were rescued from their yacht near Rubha Reidh [pronounce: Roowa Ray] lighthouse on the Scottish mainland, near Gairloch. When their steering failed, the strong winds were threatening to send the yacht onto the rocks. The yacht let off distress flares and sent out a mayday call to Stornoway Coastguard. Their helicopter flew across the Minch and winched the occupants of the yacht to safety. Stornoway Coastguard praised the yachtsman for his prompt call for help and knowledge of correct procedures in case of an emergency.

The night before, Stornoway Coastguard could practically walk to a casualty yacht, which had grounded itself on rocks at the Sgeir Mhor - which lies behind the Coastguard Station. The RNLI lifeboat went out and helped the yacht back into deep water.

Wednesday 21 July

Not a very nice day today. Although it is dry, there is this grey cloud cover and strong wind and the mercury at a very mediocre 12C / 54F. It should get better on Thursday and Friday.

Last night at midnight, the analogue signals from the television transmitter at Achmore were switched off permanently. They were replaced by digital signals, which can only be viewed using a Freeview decoder. Modern tv's come with an in-built decoder, older sets need a separate box. At midnight, I switched on an old TV without decoder and watched BBC1, until the signal disappeared a few minutes later. Don't worry, I'm not deprived of TV. Not that I watch it that much; the 550 channels on Sky are mainly full of the brown stuff.


Achmore and the transmitters on the top of Eitsal; 27 May 2005.

Immigration

There is a lot of discussion going on these days about immigrants, legal or otherwise. I'd like to say a few words about the amount of hot air going up in the States on this subject. From the pages of the blogs I read, I pick up a deal of resentment about Mexicans sneaking across the border illegally, and subsequently given all the perks that many Americans lack: housing, healthcare, social security and so on. Without speaking a word of English.

Call me a bloody-minded European, but I'm allergic to this manner of talk. First of all, virtually nobody in the United States has any right to moan about immigration. Why? Each and everyone of you is descended of immigrant stock. Whether that's going back to the times of Christopher Columbus or to last week, that is the simple truth of the matter.

The only people in the US who have a genuine right to complain about illegal immigration are the native Americans, often referred to by that misnomer "Indians". They reached the American continent 30,000 years ago, across the Bering Sea landbridge, which linked Asia to America. The native Americans lived in their vast continent without hassle until about 1500 AD, when the Spaniards, Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and many others thought they had a god (sic) given right to invade, occupy, murder, slaughter, pillage and rape for all they could.

However, we should not live in the past, and I genuinely do not bear any ill will to the America of 2010. Even as recently as 1995, we could see what happens if you do hark back to events from centuries ago - the Balkan wars of 1991-1995 were justified by referring to a battle in 1389. I would suggest however that the USA should continue to welcome immigrants as it always has. I appreciate that the world continues to change, as it always has, and that there are groups of people about that you can do without.

If there are folk in the States who feel hard done by, because the illegals get things that they themselves are entitled to, but not getting, well - speak to your Congressman.

Hurricane update - 20 July

A tropical disturbance is moving over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, leaving very large amounts of rainfall behind. The Virgin Islands and surrounding islands report rainfall totals of up to 8 inches (200 mm). The National Hurricane Center in Miami is warning that there is a high (60%) likelihood that this could turn into tropical storm Bonnie by Thursday. The projected path could take the system into Florida in a couple of days' time.

Just to reiterate: no tropical cyclone has formed and it is not certain that one will actually form. 

Please monitor the NHC's output for further updates.

Tuesday 20 July

Quite a nice day, with a lot of brightness and even sunshine about. The mercury once more topped 18C / 64F, which is an acceptable maximum for this part of the world. Here in Stornoway, the Hebridean Celtic Festival organisers are offering money back to those who purchased drinks tokens for the concert on Saturday, but were unable to buy drinks due to the 90 minute waiting time.

Those who have been reading my blog output for a long time may remember that there was a fire at the mail distribution centre on Sandwick Road in November 2007. It gutted the place, and the ruin has been sitting there ever since. The mail is since being distributed from a site on nearby Rigs Road. A final solution could now be on the card, if a local company can organise a swap of sites with the Royal Mail.

The burned-out mail centre immediately after the fire in November 2007

In August last year, the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny Macaskill, released the Lockerbie bomber Megrahi to "go home to die". At the time, Megrahi was thought to have a life expectancy of 3 months. We're now 11 months down the line, and Megrahi is still alive. The American government has never been happy with that decision, and US senators want to discuss the issue with the UK prime minister David Cameron. Kenny Macaskill has said that the issue was one for the British government. I think Mr Macaskill is trying to dodge his responsibility. It was (and I quote him): his decision alone. No pressure from the Foreign Secretary (then David Miliband), who was quite happy to leave it all to the Scottish Government.