Wednesday 11 April

Although weather conditions were slightly less than perfect, I went on a bus trip to Harris to visit the cemetery at Maraig, below the Clisham. When I arrived at the junction on the A859 Stornoway to Tarbert road, the sun was out and the wind not too cold. I descended the 500 feet to sealevel, where Maraig is located. I then walked into the village and located the cemetery, which contains two wargraves. I have now visited all the island's cemeteries; except for the one on Scarp, which requires a private boat charter to reach. Will have to enlist the services of a local boatman to get there.

Upon leaving Maraig, I ascended back up to the main road, then followed the old post road to cut a corner. I was overtaken by a shower, and conditions underfoot were very wet and at times boggy. However, I finally arrived at Scaladale at 4pm. The bus back to Stornoway arrived 20 minutes later, and delivered me into town at 5pm.


This map shows the route I walked today

View Maraig & Scaladale, 11 April 2012 in a larger map

Scaladale River

Loch Seaforth

Post Road

Maraig from the main road
Maraig village


Sheep and the Clisham

Tuesday 10 April

Quite a nice day, with good sunny spells, but with distant showers looming on the southern horizon. One crossed Stornoway around 5pm, but it was only a sprinkling. Tomorrow morning will see some substantial showers crossing our area.

I have today completed the transcription of the Napier Report of 1883. This is a major document in the history of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and paved the way for a complete overhaul of legislation related to landownership, tenancy, usage &c. Although 129 years have passed, the Report remains relevant today. It is a large document, encompassing 46,600 questions, 5 tomes of 800 pages each which have been scanned by Lochaber College Mallaig (now the West Highland campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands) in 2007. I started this in March 2008, but did not properly commence the transcribing until the spring of 2010. I copied the text off PDF-files onto a Word document, cleaned up the mess and copied the results into a Blogger site. There are now 10 blogs, related to different areas of the Highlands and Islands. I have asked Lochaber College Mallaig to rescan one appendix for me. Hope they will oblige.

• Argyll
• Inverness-shire
• Isle of Skye
• Orkney
• Outer Hebrides
• Ross-shire
• Shetland
• Sutherland & Caithness
• Other areas
• Final Report

Titanic 100 - Norge 108

At midday today, a recording of Titanic's ship's whistle was sounded across Southampton docks, at the exact hour 100 years ago that RMS Titanic slipped its moorings and set sail on its doomed voyage. A modern cruisliner, MS Balmoral is in the North Atlantic, braving early spring gales as it retraces the route that Titanic took in 1912. On Saturday evening, it should be at the site where the Titanic went down. As we all know, more than 1500 souls were lost on 15 April 1912.


Does anyone know about the nearly 700 souls that were lost on board the emigrant ship Norge, which foundered at Rockall on 28 June 1904? You may wonder about the connection, but the connection is there, and it's a stark one. When the inquiry was held into the sinking of the Titanic, one of the contributory factors to the number of lives lost was the lack of lifeboats and other life-saving apparatus on board. After the loss of the Norge, it was also found that there was a lack of lifeboats on board. The recommendation that there should be sufficient lifeboats to accommodate all aboard, was never followed up.

And it was this omission that made the sinking of the Titanic such a dreadful loss of life.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, at 12.40 am, I shall remember the loss of 1500 lives on board Titanic. I shall also remember the 700 lost on board the Norge, eight years previous. For their loss was in vain, as Titanic proved.

Monday 9 April

Although we started out bright today, it became wetter and wetter as the afternoon wore on. Mercury is at its customary 10C, so no cause for complaints.

An accident saw a vehicle crash into a loch in Harris this afternoon. The car was carrying seven people, who were all airlifted to the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway; two were seriously injured. The crash closed the main A859 Tarbert to Leverburgh road, prompting a lengthy diversion along Harris's east coast road.

I am near completing the full transcription of the Napier Report, a project that has taken me nearly two years to complete. The final bits, appendix 100 and appendices B and C remain to be done. I would like to recommend appendix 99, as that gives an idea of rural life in these islands in the 19th century.

I just spotted on Jack Jessee's FB page that Ice Road Truckers' season 6 will be its last. Well, that'll be missed, but it's always better to go out on a high. You can only do so much with that format.

Easter Sunday

Although we started off wet and cloudy, the day brightened up after midday and we were left with a pleasant late afternoon and evening. The last light of day is fading on the northwestern horizon as I type this.

I spent the afternoon on more transcriptions; the appendices to the Napier Report (numbering 100) are passing my eye, and I am presently at number 88. That means another 100 pages to go. Sometimes, I just have to cut entire swathes out, which carry information that the passage of time has rendered completely irrelevant to the text.

By the end of the afternoon, the ominous shape of a submarine appeared on the southeastern horizon. I don't know what the craft was doing there; a major military exercise ("Joint Warrior") is set to commence in the Minch next week.



I am closing the post with a picture of an Easter cake that was presented to me today.

Happy Easter

Saturday 7 April

A fairly bright day and not feeling too cold with the mercury at 10C / 50F. The dandelions are out and refuse to succumb to zapping by weedkiller. They're pulling a long nose...

I have completed the transcription of the Dewar Report of 1912, which gives a good social history of conditions of the people of the Highlands and Islands. To be precise, I have only transcribed the 85 pages of evidence related to the Outer Hebrides. The report was intended to investigate the provision of medical services.

In 1912, not all villages were on a road, telephones were rarer than gold and could not be used by doctors for talking to patients; it was against regulations. People sent for the doctor by telegram. And the doctors felt those telegrams to be a nuisance, as the advent of the telegraph office had quadrupled their workload. Tuberculosis (TB or consumption) was rife, affecting nearly half the population. In some places, children were fed tea (and not Earl Grey variety either; it would be some vile concoction made of bark) instead of milk. For an annual fee of 5s (25p), the doctor could be enticed to your home, but he was fed up with frivolous call-outs for trifling inconveniences like tooth-ache. In many places, people shared their living quarters with cattle; one doctor knocked on a door to see a patient, and found it being answered by a calf! Women giving birth were attended by other women of the village, and were lucky to have a nurse in the area.

Evening post

With thanks to Donna for previously providing these graphics

A nice bright day in Stornoway, with good sunny spells. It was a day with an unusual ship in port, I'll post pics on another occasion.

It looks as if Virginia Beach in the States has come off lightly when that F18 fighter-jet crashed onto an apartment block. Although devastation is extensive, nobody was killed (well, as far as we know at 6pm EDT) and only six people hurt. The story of the pilot apologising to people on the ground for crashing onto their apartment made me smile.

If you are using a Mac or Apple computer, please read this. It is extremely important for reasons of your computer's security.

Friday 6 April

Good Friday today, the start of the Easter weekend. From point of view of Biblical history, this is the day that Christ was crucified. In two days time, on Easter Sunday, the tomb where Christ was interred, will be found empty and He will have been resurrected. It is customary in places like Germany and Holland to attend a performance of the St Matthew's Passion by J.S. Bach, of which I embed a performance of the final choral.

The keyphrase runs "In tears we sit down", as the disciples gather round the tomb where Christ's body has been put after his death on the cross.

There will be many tears, silent or not, in Bosnia Hercegovina today. It is the 20th anniversary of the start of the bloody civil war back in 1992, which included the infamous siege of Sarajevo. That city was cut off for 45 months, and more than 11,000 died. Some distance to the east, the worst atrocity of all, at Srebrenica, took place in July 1995. The UN had kept a safe zone there, and at the nearby town of Gorazde, for Bosnian Moslims, only for it to be overrun by Bosnian Serbs under Gen Ratko Mladic. Troops from the Dutch UN battalion, friends of mine included, were forced to cooperate with Gen Mladic in gathering the Moslim population, separating the men and boys and putting them on buses to be taken away. All 8,000 of them were killed.

I'll have another post later today.

Wednesday 4 April

Fairly bright today, and until a minute ago, dry. However, the rain has just moved in as I type this. Northern England was battered by high winds, snow and ice overnight.

Big news today: the pandas in Edinburgh Zoo have not mated. Right. That's news of national importance?

I think it is rather more important that Caledonian MacBrayne's, our ferry company, will fit cardiac defibrillators on all its vessels. The defibrillators can be used when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, a lifethreatening situation which requires immediate intervention. 

I close this post with a close-up of a treetrunk, which is sporting a good covering of moss. How do you mean, damp climate?

Tuesday 3 April

Awoke to heavy snow showers, but after sunrise, the snow did not settle. The showers decreased in frequency after lunchtime, leaving us with a mainly dry and bright afternoon. As I type this, I am reading reports that the weather in Dallas, Texas, is a tad more lively. Tornadoes have torn through the city, tossing trailers through the air like matchboxes. Stay safe if you're in northeastern Texas.

So, should an employer be entitled to see your private Facebook page? A school has fired a teacher, after she refused to open the page to her employers. The page showed a risque image. However, what someone gets up to after hours, not at work, is that of legitimate interest to an employer? It is of course different, if an employee writes derogatory comments about their boss on an open internet page. There have been countless instances of this.

The rivalry between the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow is summed up in the comparison of hospitality. I am told that when you're in Glasgow, you're asked if you would like some tea. In Edinburgh, the Glaswegians claim, they'll say "you'll have had your tea". Being a bit naughty, I have extended this to the over-hyped subject of the pandas in Edinburgh Zoo. On the sidebar of this blog is an image of pandas chewing bamboo, with the caption "You'll have had your bamboo". Today came the joyful news that the female panda has become receptive to the attentions of her male companion, so I can safely adjust this to: "You'll have had your s*x".


Some images of today's snow

Monday 2 April

It has gotten very cold out here, with the mercury down at freezing a minute ago. On the mainland, snow is coming down heavily, I hear. What a contrast to a week ago, when we were 'sweltering' in the high teens, celsius. Well, it's only April, so what do you expect. Fortunately, the cold snap (as per usual) will only last a day or so, but those who will travel over the Clisham will see some snow up there. The webcam on the Reinigeadal junction appears to be out of action, so I can't show you what it's like. The altitude there is 650 feet (190 m) above sealevel.

I have continued the transcription of the Napier Appendices, which contain additional submissions to the 1883 inquiry. These could not be heard at the time, or are in reply to evidence at the inquiry. Appendices 60 to 70 relate heavily to the lands, owned by the Duke of Sutherland, a much maligned figure in Highlands history. I take a slightly more balanced approach, in that his estate officials did much of the evil deeds that the Napier Commission looked into. But, at the end of the day, it all happened under the aegis of the Duke, and he did nothing to stop it.

My second transcript is slightly more recent, the Dewar Commission's Report 1912, and contained a faintly humourous note. A doctor was asked whether people and cattle still shared the same building (which was common place in the Outer Hebrides until about 1950). The doctor replied in the affirmative, saying that he went to see a sick person, only for the door to be answered by a calf.

Sunday 1 April

April Fool's Day, but I decided against putting clingfilm over the toilet bowl. Someone's gotta clear up the mess from practical jokes like that.

The weather here in Stornoway was grey and chilly, and it's only going to get colder. We are on warning for snow tomorrow afternoon, with an increasing bitter easterly wind. Tuesday will see the mercury down to 4C / 39F, although it will warm up again later in the week.

This evening, a passenger was reported missing, presumed fallen overboard from a ferry, running from Guernsey (Channel Islands) to Poole in Dorset. A thorough search of the ferry was made, but the woman concerned was not found. A mayday call was put out, but a search of the waters of the Channel revealed nothing by 9pm, when the lifeboats involved was stood down. It is the ultimate dread for any ferry operator.

Picture post - Tuesday 27 March

A nice sunny day got marred by smoke from muirburn in the Lochs area of Lewis, 5 to 10 miles to the south. It smelled nice of burning peat though.

Saturday 31 March

A bright and fairly sunny day, but feeling cold. And it is set to get even colder into the new week. Snow has returned to the mountains on the mainland. The dandelions and daisies are out, a little earlier than normal. The dandelions have been zapped with weedkiller; but still keep popping up.

I'm pleased to hear that sense is beginning to return with regards to the petrol situation in the UK. There were huge queues at petrol stations, as the government had advised people to fill up their tanks. The tanker drivers had voted for strike action, but no date had been set. The poor woman who suffered severe burns after the petrol she was decanting in her kitchen caught light remains critically ill in hospital in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Whether she had been acting after the ill-conceived advice by a government minister is the subject of debate.

Remember the dozens of young people who were murdered by Norwegian man Anders Breivik last year?
Remember the seven people murdered by Mohamed Merah in Toulouse earlier this month? Well, it all begs the question what we are going to do about discontent in society. Whether it be among Muslims or among other people. When this sort of extreme action occur, it is down to governments to answer awkward questions as to what is wrong in society. Because something is very wrong when the Breiviks and Merahs of this world take action in their murderous fashion. Their ideologies, however suppressed, remain out there, and those who feel their grievances are not heard by the mainstream politics will resort to extremists, who will be only too happy to oblige.

Friday 30 March

Although we started fairly bright, cloud moved in by lunchtime and it stayed mainly overcast through the day. It was not warm (compared to the beginning of the week), with the mercury at 11C / 52F. That's quite decent for the time of year, incidentally. However, we stand to get quite cold over the next few days, with a forecast daytime high of 4C / 39F by the beginning of next week. Yep, winter is set to make a comeback.

I had to smile when I read of the return of George Galloway to national politics. Galloway is a maverick politician credited with a gift for oratory. He won a by-election in Bradford yesterday with a majority of more than 10,000 over Labour, the party which expelled him some years ago. It goes to show the general disillusionment of the electorate with the three main parties in the UK. In a way, we had a lucky escape with the election of George Galloway. We could have been confronted with the abhorrence of a BNP [far right] MP at Westminster. As a declared opponent of Scottish independence, I am sorry that Galloway was not elected for the Scottish parliament last year. He would have run rings around Alex Salmond, the First Minister for Scotland who is taking the country towards a referendum for independence in late 2014.

40% burns

That is what a woman suffered when petrol ignited that she was decanting in her kitchen in York. I am furious with the UK government for its gross irresponsibility in handling the tanker drivers dispute. A ballot has been taken, and the members have voted for strike action. However, the trades union has not announced yet when it will call its members out on strike, and when that happens, it will be with 7 days' notice. Nonetheless, there is panic buying going on. Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, suggested people fill up jerry cans with petrol and diesel, something that is against the law. Prime Minister David Cameron fanned the flames by suggesting people go and fill up their petrol tanks every time they pass a petrol station. The wrong advice at the wrong time, and it has indirectly contributed to the horrendous injuries suffered by this unfortunate woman. Call that a government?

Thursday 29 March

Overcast, grey and chilly today. We've lost the sun for the time being, and the summery conditions of Monday and Tuesday are but a distant dream. Oh well, they'll return, I'm sure.

I am flabbergasted by the stupidity of Johnny Public panic buying fuel, because the Ministers of Her Majesty's Government have told him to be prepared for a strike by tanker lorry drivers - a strike that has not even been called (yet). One minister was even prepared to advise JP to stockpile fuel, not remembering his own laws on the subject. I never cease to be amazed.

I have sent off another five cards on the Postcrossing project, to place mostly in Europe. One arrived from China, which took only 10 days to reach Scotland. I hurried to get the cards away, before the Royal Mail slaps 14 pence on its stamps as of next week.

Wednesday 28 March

An overcast and grey day, with a steady westerly wind. We have lost the warmth, but there can be no complaints at 11C / 52F in late March, which is perfectly normal. The moorland fires, which wreathed Stornoway in smoke yesterday, were blazing in the North Lochs area of the island, some 8 miles to the south. Don't want to think what conditions were like in places like Leurbost and Crossbost.

The captain of the Flinterspirit, which ran aground on North Uist last week, has been fined a total of £3,500 for the grounding. It appears he was asleep in his cabin when his ship hit the rocks.

Today, there was an open day in Stornoway Town Hall, to show the populace the alterations that have been done on the 94-year old building. I did not attend, as I have already been in, last October. It is a massive improvement, as the previously dark and dingy interior is now fairly bright and light. A civic centre, fit for the 21st century.

One of my on-line contacts died today, after a battle against cancer since last October. At least she is now beyond pain and suffering. Over the past six years, there have been many losses in the community that some referred to as J-land. Frances did not write a blog, but was much part of the blogging community as the writers themselves.

Tuesday 27 March

Another bright and sunny day, although not quite as warm as yesterday: 16C / 60F is still very warm for late March. This evening, we are experiencing serious problems with dense smoke as a result of muirburn, the practice of burning stretches of moorland in order for the heather to regenerate. Visibility is down to less than a quarter mile and it smells strongly of smoke. It has been going on since last week, but I am reading reports of a large fire in the South Lochs area of Lewis, 12 miles south of here. Residents of the villages of Leurbost and Crossbost, 6 miles south of Stornoway, are complaining even more than the folk here in SY. It says in the Muirburn Code, that it should not become a nuisance to surrouding communities, well, if this isn't a nuisance, I don't know what is.

The captain of the cargo ship Flinterspirit, which disputed passage with the island of North Uist last week, appeared in court today, charged with offences in relation to the incident. He was also found to be three and a half times over the legal blood alcohol limit whilst in charge of a ship in Stornoway harbour.

Blogger is switching us all over to the new format as of 1 April (no joke), so I have grudgingly changed over now. I know for a fact I shall complain bitterly; I tried it in beta, and had to abandon it due to copy & paste problems. Tomorrow morning, I anticipate that the air will be turning blue around my laptop when I do my next tropical cyclone update.

Out of the blue

On 29 December 2007, I received an email from someone I had never heard of before. She had been reading my blog, Northern Trip at the time, and wanted to become friends by email. So, Frances and I did just that. We swapped emails on a regular basis for the following few months, until I received the devastating news of the death of my mother. This prompted my temporary withdrawal from J-land, blogging and emailing. However, as time went on, matters returned more or less to normal and I also resumed contact with Frances. She often spoke of her granddaughter in the Navy. Latterly, we took up contact by Facebook, until October last year.

Frances had been diagnosed with cancer, and cruelly, her Facebook account was cloned at the same time. Her condition deteriorated rapidly since Halloween, as reported by her granddaughter. This evening, the message was posted that Frances, now in hospice, is not expected to make it through the night - it's 5pm where she is.

If Frances should pass away in the next few hours, or whatever time it will take, I will be deeply saddened for her family. For my part, I will miss our email correspondence, the friendship from afar.

A bright star from the Lone Star State will have set.

Monday 26 March

Another sunny and warm day, with the mercury in Stornoway reaching a summery 17C / 63F. Apparently, this warm air is being blown straight from North Africa. Unfortunately, our spell of early summer looks set to come to an end on Wednesday. Better make the most of it while it lasts.

Which I did today, by going on a road trip to Ness, in the far north of Lewis, during the afternoon. The object was to visit an old cemetery, and have a look round the small harbour of Port of Ness. I shall let the pictures do the talking.





I should add that each rock represents a grave.

Sunday 25 March

A beautiful sunny day, with a nice breeze going. It remains hazy, with the mercury up to 15C / 59F. Fyvie in Aberdeenshire reached 23C / 73F. The clock went forward last night, and we now have sunset at 8pm. The days will open out further, with sunset at 10.35pm by the summer solstice.

Went for a nice walk around the Castle Grounds this afternoon, where I had not been since last September at the very least. I'll leave some pictures for you all to enjoy.

Saturday 24 March

A beautiful if very hazy spring day, with the daisies out and the mercury right up at 14C / 57F. No wind and feeling pleasantly warm in the sun. Today was a big day in Stornoway, with a march and rally snaking through the town at lunchtime. This was in protest at the abolition of RET ferry fares for commercial vehicles (see yesterday's entry), which could see a multiplication of transportation costs and therefore costs of living for everybody. Our parliamentary representatives were conspicuous for their absence; the MSP is a government minister in Edinburgh, which may have compromised his ability to speak up for his constituents. To be honest, if he can't do that, he should quit his position in government. IMHO. I'll close this post with some pics from the event.

Friday 23 March

A beautiful sunny day, with no wind and no clouds. We managed 13C / 55F, which is very good for late March. The settled weather looks set to continue in the days ahead, with southeasterly winds bringing more mild air to the far northwest.

Tomorrow, there will be a march and rally through Stornoway to protest against the end of reduced ferry fares for commercial vehicles as of next month. In October 2008, the Scottish Government introduced reduced ferry fares to boost the local economy. The Road Equivalent Tarriff for commercial vehicles is being discontinued, meaning a steep price rise for their ferry crossings. Everything in these islands has to come in by ferry, and supplies all come in on board commercial trucks. The increased costs are passed on to customers and consumers (not necessarily the same people), and emotions are running high on the subject.

For those in Stornoway, the march starts at 1pm from the car park for the Nicolson Institute on Smith Avenue, with vehicles assembling at 12.15pm for a safety briefing by police. Pedestrians will assemble at the Mitchell Roundabout (by the Spar and the Macaulay Road Co-op) as well as the Porter's Lodge, and will join the march ahead of the vehicular cavalcade. The parade will continue through the town centre, concluding with a rally in Carnegie Square, outside An Lanntair on Kenneth Street.

Thursday 22 March

Nearly two years after I commenced transcribing the 1883 Napier Report into the condition of crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands, I am now on the home straight. The last batch, containing evidence taken at Edinburgh on 24 October 1883, will be waiting for me in the morning. There are 500 questions and answers left, out of 46,600 questions. The Commission went round the Highlands and Islands during a five month period, and took some distressing evidence, showing up breathtakingly arrogant and condescending attitudes - and in one case, reporting an estate factor to the authorities for neglect of his paupers. Concurrently, I am continuing to transcribe the 1912 Dewar Report, which will not take me two years; I have (so far) transcribed 40 out of the 85 pages related to the Outer Hebrides. Also awaiting me is the 1902 report into the condition of crofters and cottars, the successor to Napier's report.

I was relieved to hear that the siege in Toulouse, France, has come to an end. It was disturbing to learn that the individual, who died with guns blazing, appears to have been a well-connected islamic extremist. France is at the point where the UK was in 2005, after the London Underground attacks. I am not very conversant with the political situation in France, but am aware of ethnic tensions between the native French and the immigrant North African communities. The British government has worked hard to reestablish a rapport with its Islamic population; I think there are serious socio-economic problems in France, which need addressing urgently, as these create a fertile breeding ground for extremists of all kind.

There was a report of aurora borealis this evening, but when I went out to Mossend, I found myself in a mistbank - and no aurorae to be seen. Otherwise, it was a brilliantly sunny day and not cold at all, with the mercury at 12C. When I was at Mossend, the temperature was only just above freezing.

The Olympic Torch relay

Ullapool and Stornoway have something in common today. They have ferry boats alongside their quays which are going nowhere.

The Isle of Lewis is stuck in Ullapool following a breakdown after this morning's crossing. So, that's a pretty sight for that village.



In Stornoway, meanwhile, the Muirneag was once more stuck in port following bad weather in the Minch overnight.



The Muirneag is known in these parts as the Olympic Flame, as it 'never goes out'. Bearing that in mind, I wonder how they are going to hawk that boat around the streets of Stornoway on June 11th as part of the torch relay for the London Olympics.

Tuesday 20 March

This ship is the Dutch-registered MV Flinterspirit, which put in an unscheduled appearance at Stornoway today. The vessel had been en-route to Belfast when she decided to dispute passage with the island of North Uist, 70 miles southwest of Stornoway. The island won, and the boat was stuck fast on rocks at 10.45pm last night. Fortunately, the tide was rising and the boat was able to refloat herself in the early hours of today. She was ordered north to Stornoway to check her hull for cracks. As I type this, she is anchored a few miles southeast of the town, within sight of my position.

The stranding has provoked a furious row, as the provision of an emergency tug in the Minch had been terminated as of last Saturday - without so much as a word to the Western Isles Council. The emergency tug Anglian Sovereign, based at Kirkwall in Orkney (200 miles to the eastnortheast), came across, but her services were fortunately not required, as no damage or injuries were reported. The UK government has decided that the maritime industry should provide its own tugs. I suppose that the next proposal is for the burghers of Stornoway to band together to buy and run their own ambulances, and in the meantime, an emergency ambulance would be available from Kirkwall.

Today was a windy day, with the force 7 wind prompting the cancellation of the overnight freight ferry to Ullapool.

Monday 19 March

After yesterday's sunshine, we are now back to dreich. Grey, overcast, at times wet, windy and feeling very cold in said wind. It's March, what do we expect.

I continued the transcription of the Napier Report, with the large chunk of evidence (400 pages) from Lanark and Edinburgh left to do. One of the most cruel things I came across was the episode of the bull. A factor (manager) had purchased a bull for use on his estate on the island of Mull. When the beast arrived, it soon became clear that it was infected with foot and mouth disease. So, rather than slaughtering it, the animal was shunted off to the neighbouring island of Iona, where a lot of livestock unsurprisingly died.

I'm closing this post with an image of a starling on the birdfeeder. It is in spring plumage, ready for the mating season. More blooming starlings...

Sunday 18 March

Happy Mothering Sunday to all in the UK. Mother's Day in the US will be on the second Sunday in May.

It was a bright and sunny day here in Stornoway, but with a regular if infrequent litany of short showers. Not warm by any standard, only 7C / 45F. Spent the afternoon transcribing two sections of the Napier Report, namely Lochaline and Lismore. Apart from Boxing Day evidence from Tarbert (Argyll), I have now finished all the Highlands and Islands evidence. What remains is a large amount of blether from the hearings at Edinburgh and Lanark. Last week, I did the sections related to Islay for a local historian in that island, and can be read here

It is rare for me to comment on football, but two things have happened this weekend that made me break my rule.

I was sad to hear of the footballer who collapsed during a match. Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba, who plays for Bolton Wanderers, apparently suffered a cardiac arrest and required at least 6 minutes of CPR on the pitch before his heart started working again. The match, a cup-tie with Tottenham Hotspur, was abandoned.
And just as I am about to close this post, news comes through that the father of a player of Kilmarnock FC (Liam Kelly), whose team beat Celtic in a cup-final here in Scotland 0-1 this afternoon, has died after suffering a heart attack at the game.

Saturday 17 March

Happy St Patrick's Day to all. It has been a sunny day in the Western Isles, with only one shower to speak off. Across the water, the freight ship Scots Isles is loading up more items for the renewable energy industry that have been produced at the fabrication yard at Arnish. Earlier this week, a plan for wave energy was put on display here in the town, as wave energy is being thought of as the way forward in this part of the world. At least you won't see much of it when it's in operation, in contrast to wind turbines.


Australia has taken a hit from tropical cyclone Lua, which came ashore at the Pardoo Roadhouse northeast of Port Hedland. Winds were at 95 knots at the time of landfall, but as the cyclone moved inland it is quickly weakening. The storm will blow itself out over the Gibson Desert, but not before having dumped vast amounts of rain there.

As their cyclone season moves towards a close, our spring is just around the corner.

Friday 16 March

Image courtesy MSNBC

Today, my focus was firmly directed southeast, towards Belgium. At 11 am local time, the 22 children and 6 adults, killed in Tuesday's bus crash in Switzerland, were remembered in a nationwide one-minute silence.I found it incredibly moving to see the white coffins lined up in an airport hanger at Melsbroek airforce base near Brussels - realising that its occupants had set forth for a skiing holiday less than a fortnight previous. All programs on Belgian radio and television, in all languages, was altered to suit the mood of national mourning. It is rare for Belgians to feel Belgian, rather than Flemish or Walloon. But today was one such day.

Here in Stornoway, we are back to sunshine and showers. We were deprived of the northern lights last night; I went to Mossend to have a look, but was instead treated to a hailshower on the way back. Eoropie Tearoom did get a display.

Thursday 15 March

The weather has not changed very much this week, with mostly grey skies, some drizzle and temperatures just below 10C. Winds are fairly brisk. I am hoping for clear-ish skies tonight, as there is a fair chance of the aurora putting in an appearance at my latitude, 58 north.

On the other side of the world, Australia is bracing itself for tropical cyclone Lua. The storm, which will blow up to a category II (95 knots) hurricane, is expected to impact the Pilbara coast near Port Hedland in Western Australia on Saturday.

The parents of the children, killed in the Swiss bus crash have been shown the personal possessions and a picture of the dead body. If desired, they could also view the corpse itself. I cannot begin to imagine what they must be going through. Six of the dead were Dutch, one was German. Belgium will observe a minute's silence at 11 am local time tomorrow morning.

Coach crash

A tourbus, carrying Belgian school children, has crashed into a tunnel wall at Sierre in the Valais canton of Switzerland. Twenty eight people have died, of whom 22 were children aged around 12. Another 24 are injured. The crash happened at 9.15pm last night, but the recovery of the victims and wreckage has taken all night. The communities of Heverlee and Lommel in northeastern Belgium are in shock, as the fate of some of the children is not yet known. The group had been on a skiing holiday at Val d'Anniviers just outside Sierre, and was on its way home.The coach crashed into a tunnel wall recess, and no other vehicles were involved.

My sympathies go out to the family and friends of those who were lost in this tragic accident.

Tuesday 13 March

One of those grey, non-descript days. Not too cold, bit of a breeze.

The big news locally is the row about luggage going on board our ferry, the MV Isle of Lewis. Until recently, you could leave it in the hands of bus company Citylink, who would take it off you at Stornoway and you'd be reunited with your bags in Inverness. They stopped doing it, so you have to lug your luggage on and off the ship yourself. If you have too many bags to take up in one go, you're stuffed: the company apparently does not allow you back to collect the remainder of your luggage.So I suggested this system of luggage trolleys that are used by a Dutch ferry company. They manage to disembark all their passengers within about 10-15 minutes.



It is fairly quiet on the hurricane front, but I am keeping an eye on a forming tropical cyclone near Darwin, Australia, and a strengthening one off Port Hedland, Western Australia. Neither are expected to pose serious problems, although heavy rainfall could still be an issue.

Euthanasia

As I type this, the BBC news is running its lead news item on the plight of a man, suffering from "locked-in syndrome", who wants his doctor to kill him. The man is mentally alert, but paralysed from the neck down and unable to communicate other than through a computer that reacts to the blinking of his eye, or through a perspex board, mounted with large letters. The courts have now decided that the man can challenge the application of the law on murder in a case like this, as the pre-meditated ending of life is murder.

A discussion has been raging in the UK for some time on assisted suicide, where people are helped to end their own lives. So far, that has also been illegal. The case that today's furore is all about is different, as the sufferer is unable to take any medication independently.

This discussion has also been held in Holland, and over the last decades of the 20th century, euthanasia was permitted. It is still not legal to end someone's life, but the public prosecutor will decide not to prosecute, provided the certain conditions have been met in carrying out the euthanasia: I quote the criteria, in translation.
Please note that the link will show a Google Translation, which I have cleaned up below. 
 
Euthanasia criteria, Netherlands
The GP must be certain that the request for euthanasia from the patient is voluntary and informed.

Explanation: The request for euthanasia should not be made under pressure or under the influence of others, or because of a mental disorder. The patient has complete insight into his illness, the likely course and its treatment options. He has also repeatedly expressed a desire to die.

The GP must be certain that there is hopeless and unbearable suffering of the patient. The patient is informed about his situation and the prognosis, and the patient is convinced that there is no reasonable alternative.

At least one other physician consult, who sees the patient and will report on whether in his opinion due diligence was exercised in performing the euthanasia or medically assisted suicide.

Notes: The doctor should perform the act himself. He must not leave it to others. In the case of assisted suicide, the physician will be present at the patient's side until death has occurred.

Euthanasia doctor may deny the request
A physician has two obligations to his patient. The first is to alleviate or eliminatethe suffering of the patient. The second is to save the life of the patient. The second obligation is diametrically oppoed to a request from a patient to die with help from the doctor. Doctors therefore refuse a request for euthanasia. Also, nurses may refuse to cooperate in the preparation of euthanasia.

A doctor or nurse may never be prosecuted for such a refusal to cooperate. The law ensures that a doctor or nurse is not in conflict with his own conscience. The doctor who himself rejects euthanasia, must refer the patient to a colleague who may be prepared to honour the request for euthanasia.

The procedure
After the death of the patient, the doctor carried out the euthanasia will write a report on the events. The non-natural death should be reported directly to the municipal coroner. The pathologist examines the body of the deceased, examines how and by what means the euthanasia was carried out and explains the findings in a separate report.

Both reports with the required attachments (eg, if present, the written directives of the patient) was sent to the regional assessment in the area where euthanasia has occurred and the local prosecutor receives the findings of the municipal coroner, because he has to give permission for the body to be released for burial.

Regional review committees
There are five regional review committees in the Netherlands: Groningen, Arnhem, Haarlem, Delft and Den Bosch. The regional review committees consist of an odd number of members, including in each case, a lawyer, a doctor and an ethicist, and they view each case whether the due diligence by the doctor who carried out the euthanasie has been observed. If this is the case, no action will be taken against him. If the opinion is that the doctor has acted contrary to the requirements or that there is doubt, then the Public Prosecutor and the regional health care inspector will be informed. When there is a criminal offense, a prosecution may follow. The inspector assesses whether disciplinary action should be taken against the physician.

What is not euthanasia:

Discontinuation or non-imposition of medical treatment at the request of the patient.
The waiver of a futile medical treatment by the doctor (this is part of normal medical practice).
Easing the pain with progressively heavier drugs (like morphine) and the stopping of artificial fluids and nutrition as a side effect that they shorten life (called palliative sedation).
The termination of life of non-viable or severely handicapped newborns and coma patients are not covered euthanasia and not by the regional review committees evaluated, or by the Public Prosecutor.
Dementia is not as unbearable and hopeless suffering, provided the person has made a euthanasia declaration before the disease has struck.

Sunday 11 March

Commemorating the first anniversary of the Japanese tsunami put me in mind of that other tsunami, seven years ago on Boxing Day 2004. It was triggered by an earthquake of similar magnitude, but had a far worse loss of life - about a quarter of a million people died on the fringes of the Indian Ocean. Another day worthy of remembrance. In exactly six months from now, we'll have the eleventh anniversary of 9/11.

Today was grey and drizzly in Stornoway, with the odd blink of sunshine behind the clouds.
I spent a large part of the afternoon transcribing more evidence from the Napier Commission of 1883 and the Dewar Commission of 1912. I have also unearthed the predecessor of Lord Napier's report, namely that by Sir John McNeill of 1851; in my possession is the successor report to Napier, taken in 1902. The transcriptions take the shape of cleaning up OCR renditions of scanned images of the original documents.

All these reports show the conditions of crofters and cottars (landless people) in the Highlands and Islands, which (particularly following the potato famine of 1846) was particularly dire in 1851. However, things were still so bad in the 1880s that it something not far off an uprising in the west of Scotland, leading to the setting up of the Napier Commission. Sir John A. Dewar headed up a commission to look into the provision of medical services across the Highlands and Islands, which (in 1912) was poor in this part of the world.
You'll be hearing more about this from me in the days and weeks to come.

A year ago today

Friday morning, 11 March 2011. Switched on TV to be greeted by scenes of horror from Japan. An earthquake, measuring 9 on the Richter scale, has hit Japan. Half an hour later, a tsunami of up to 40 feet in height has swept onto the country's eastern coastline, causing unbelieveable scenes of devastation. Villages, towns and cities swept away in an instant.

To date, 20,000 people are known to be dead or are still missing.

What followed was even worse. The tsunami knocked out the cooling system of the nuclear plant at Fukushima, leading to a meltdown in three of its reactors. This caused two large explosions, which spread radio-activitiy over a large area. The radio activity will take decades to decay, leaving the area around Fukushima unfit for habitation for generations.

A natural disaster, compounded by a man-made disaster.