Remembrance Sunday

I was watching the ceremony at the Cenotaph in London this morning, mindful of Armistice Day tomorrow. It prompted me to post pictures of the nearly twenty war memorials in the Isle of Lewis. That is a huge number, bearing in mind the population of this island being 30,000 in 1911 (it's 20,000 today). The number of casualties in the First World War was 1,250; one out of every five that joined up. The total for the Second World War stands at about 450. Lest we forget.


Pairc, Kershader


East Loch Roag, Callanish


North Lewis (Ness), Cross


Carloway


North Lewis, Borve


Tolsta Chaolais


Kinloch, Laxay


West Side, Bragar


Great Bernera


North Tolsta


North Lochs, Crossbost


Uig, Timsgarry


Lewis War Memorial, Stornoway


Branahuie & Melbost


Harris, Tarbert


Iolaire, Holm Point


Point, Garrabost


Back

Kristallnacht - 75 years ago today

9 November 1938 - an organised mob of Nazi forces and sympathisers go on the rampage in towns and cities across Germany, smashing and destroying Jewish-owned property and businesses. It was to be a marker, to what was to come during World War II - the extermination of anyone deemed sub-human by the warped mind of Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. Jews topped their league of the unfit, closely followed by gypsies, the mentally ill and many many others. The Reichskristallnacht was a night of infamy, and not just to Germany.

For Hitler was allowed to get away with literally murder for several years beforehand. In 1936, he occupied the Rhineland which had been ceded to France at the end of the First World War. The League of Nations, a toothless talkingshop, cried wolf but had no bite. In March 1938, Nazi forces marched into Austria to join that country to Germany, an event referred to as the Anschluss. Neville Chamberlain flew to Munich to meet with Adolf Hitler on 30 September 1938, returning with the infamous phrase: "Peace for our time". Six weeks later, the Reichskristallnacht took place, a sign of ill omen. Only a few months later, Germany invaded the Sudetenland area of Czecho-Slovakia, and again, nobody moved a finger to stop. In September 1939, Hitler thought he could get away with the invasion of Poland. But instead, it prompted the outbreak of the Second World War.

The lights have gone out in Europe, it was said at the time. The lights in Europe were extinguished in 1914, and had not been relit, not even at the end of the First World War. The Versailles Peace Treaty of June 1919 contained all the ingredients for another war, which duly materialised.

Friday 8 November

I'm typing this just after sunset, with the crescent moon peeping between the showerclouds. It is quite cold outside, and last night, ice on the A857 Stornoway to Barvas road caused a bus to skid off the road. Eleven people, who were being taken to Ness on the last service of the day, had to be taken to hospital in Stornoway to be checked over. Two were slightly injured, one required overnight observation. Once more, the daytime high has reached the dizzying value of 7C / 45F.

I'm disappointed to have to observe that my temporary withdrawal from Facebook has not had the intended effect. There are people around to whom internet social networking is anathema. One of them I regard as a close friend. Yes, I still use the present tense. There are people around who feel that you cannot come to know someone unless you speak to them in the flesh, hear their voice, see their body language etcetera. Of course that's true, up to a point. Over the 9 years that I have been involved in social networking on-line, since the good ole days of AOL, I have met three people in the flesh whom I first became acquainted with on the WWW. Two ladies, one gentleman. My impressions on-line were borne out 90% when meeting the person face to face. So, I can't be said to be a poor judge of character. I have very serious disagreements with some people on the issue, and after a particularly unpleasant episode on Monday, I thought that a week's break from Facebook might serve to alleviate the strain. Unfortunately, that turns out not to be the case. I shall resume my Facebook activities tomorrow, although I'll be far less active than before.

Facebook

I'm appreciative of the support that I have received from several members of the former J-land community over my continued absence from the social network. I don't really want to go into details, as I don't know which eyes will glance over this post. And it's just too silly for words. However, it has caused considerable disruption, and when I return, there will be a considerable reduction in my friends list. Don't worry, J-land will remain unaffected.



Oh remember the plans we had for this?



Not to forget the good ole days of AOHell

Thursday 7 November

The last few days have been overcast and cold, with frequent heavy showers and a brisk southwesterly wind. The mercury has barely seen 7C, and is currently at only 3 degrees above freezing. It's November, and we'll know about it.





The church plays a large part in public life in these islands, but tends to be susceptible to schisms. We have the Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland and the Episcopal Church. Not to mention the Free Presbyterian Church, the Free Church Continuing, the Associated Presbyterian Church, the Baptists, the Church of the Latter Day Saints and a Roman Catholic Church. It is beyond me to explain the reasons for all those schisms, splits etc. However, the latest in the Church of Scotland's congregation has to do with the ordination of homosexual ministers. The 400-strong congregation is expected to vote in a bid to secede from the Kirk for that reason. The Free Church in Stornoway, meanwhile, has voiced its opposition to the use of musical instruments in the worship, which the General Synod of the Free Church had agreed was permissible. I respect everybody's religious beliefs as religion is one of those things we need in order to cope with the big issues in life, such as childbirth and death. In my personal view, it is not ok to ramrod your beliefs down someone else's throat, or to decry someone for professing their religious beliefs in a different way than yourself.

Typhoon Haiyan - 7 November

Supertyphoon Haiyan is now beginning to impact the eastern Philippines. The maximum sustained windspeeds near the centre are 170 knots (195 mph), gusting to 205 knots (235 mph). The Philippines weather agency PAGASA has public storm warning signals out right up to the highest level (#4) across the southern half of the country. A storm surge of 7 metres (24 feet) can be expected in certain areas, and rainfall totals could top 30 to 40 inches. The barometric pressure is estimated to be around 870 mbar, although that cannot be verified. It is one of the strongest typhoons ever seen.

Typhoon Haiyan

Supertyphoon Haiyan is currently moving through the islands of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. The storm carries sustained winds of 135 knots (155 mph) with gusts of 165 knots (190 mph). The typhoon will strengthen even further, gaining a peak intensity of 145 knots (165 mph), with gusts to 175 knots (200 mph). At present, the islands of Kayangel and Koror in the Republic of Palau, east of the Philippines,  are likely to be at greatest risk of feeling the effects of the storm. Later this week, the Visayas islands of the Philippines, particularly the Samar and Leyte provinces, will receive a direct strike from the typhoon, which is equivalent to a category V hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Apart from winds, rainfall will also cause serious problems.

Tuesday 5 November

Guy Fawkes night tonight, and the fireworks are popping intermittently. It's been an unpleasant day, with frequent heavy showers, some with hail and sleet, and low temperatures. We barely managed 8C / 46F at best. The mercury is currently, at 9pm, headed for zero.

Last night, I decided to temporarily deactivate my Facebook account. When I return to Facebook, probably next week, the friends list will be a dozen names lighter. I cannot go into details, but sometimes you have to let people go, and the fall-out tends to be bigger than just the primary causal person. My output will also no longer include (in)direct references to the people that I come into contact with, as even that has caused me problems. 'Nuff said.

Saturday 2 November

Our new ferry Loch Seaforth is taking shape on a shipyard in Germany, and is expected to take over from the Isle of Lewis in July 2014. On Monday 11th November, the Pier & Harbour Commission will have an open day at the Stornoway ferry terminal for displaying their plans for the new ferry terminal. As the Loch Seaforth is larger than the Isle of Lewis, reclamation works will have to be undertaken to accommodate all the traffic. I'm wondering why this is only now being thought about, 8 months before the new ferry comes into service.

And although the Loch Seaforth is supposed to take the overnight freight runs as well, the relevant report on Hebrides News mentions that the linkspan on Pier #1 is to be refurbished - to take a future freight service. A prudent measure. During the summer, the ferry to Ullapool sails three times a day on Wednesday and Friday, leaving Stornoway at 6.00 am and completing the service at 1.45 am. Leaving just four and a bit hours to do the freight run which takes 8 hours back and forth. Well, I'm sorry, but even in the Outer Hebrides, a day only has 24 hours, not 29.

Friday 1 November

Another day of sunshine and showers, but the showers were rather beefy, sometimes accompanied by hail. Spent the day preparing for the visit of a friend, who I had invited for tea. A convivial couple of hours of talk of mutual experiences rounded off a pleasant evening.

Thursday 31 October

A day of sunshine and showers, accompanied by a few atmospherical light effects (such as the parhelion in the second picture). I don't do Hallowe'en, except for the preceding posting.

Someone posted portraits of two casualties of the Great War who originated in Harris; one from the islands of Soay, off Amhuinnsuidhe, and another from the tiny hamlet of Huisinis, some 5 miles up the road. The person concerned gave me permission to use it on the WWW. I was also given more info on another casualty, so all in all, Facebook does also have its constructive uses.

Hallowe'en 2013

Reposted from 2010
Hallowe'en is not a tradition I grew up with, and I've only grown more familiar with it since I came to the UK, 16 years ago this month. It is a relatively inoccuous event, although I resent, like the gentleman in the pic above, the abuse of black cats just because they have black fur.


I'll just stick to the black cat as depicted in this graphic. My family had a black tomcat for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s, and he was the friendliest creature you could care to find. Other cats, around at the time, would agree or disagree with that vehemently; other toms would get a sound thrashing out of him, whilst the females of the species got all they ever wanted out of him and more.


Donna provided me with this graphic 6 years ago, and I'm glad to see she's slowly getting back in the habit. She was also behind this graphic
which had us trick-or-treating through J-land, meaning this image is at least 6 years old. I had two Hallowe'ens in J-land (2006 and 2007); J-land was closed down on Hallowe'en 2008. I was sitting in an airport lounge at Aberdeen when news came through that our blogs had gone. I've never understood why they had to be deleted, rather than being kept in an archived status. It caused a lot of upset, and I've not forgiven AOL for it.

Hallowe'en has a serious side to it. Its full name is All Hallows' Eve, the day before All Hallows, when we remember those that have passed away. 1 November will be the day, 5½ years ago, that my mother passed away, and I'll bear that in mind on the day. Others who have recently lost loved ones or friends will be kept in mind on that day. November is also the month that I post the links to journals whose bloggers have gone before, and I'm closing this admittedly sombre post with that.

In remembering those that went before us, we will gain strength from their memory and the fortitude they showed in adversity.

One Girl's Head Noise (UK) - Pam, RIP 16 April 2006
There are no Sundays - Jim, RIP April 2007
The Diatom Project - Walt, RIP 27 April 2007
Pennie's Pieces of Ohio - Penny, RIP 1 October 2007
My Reason for Reasoning - Barbara, RIP 20 November 2007
Lahoma's Laments - Lahoma, RIP 25 December 2007
I shaved my legs for this??? - Kim, RIP 26 December 2007
Sylvia Boiling, RIP 2 May 2008
Dribble by Chuck Ferris - Chuck, RIP 1 July 2008
Lori's Love Tribe - Lori, RIP 22 November 2009
Just Plain Bill, Bill, RIP 28 November 2010
A journey of another kind, Jane, RIP 30 May 2010
Daria, RIP 22 January 2011
Angie Marshall, RIP 30 January 2011
Lori Johnson, RIP 16 February 2011
Rebecca Robertson, formerly as Journeyzpath (Summer 2011)
Say it Baldy, Sam Shafer, RIP 29 June 2011
Gypsypaths, Carol Martinez, RIP 28 September 2011
Larry Wayland (moondawg), 2 December 2011
Frances Lawson, RIP 28 March 2012
Dad's Tomato Garden, Ray White, RIP 9 May 2012
Andy, RIP 15 September 2012
Dana Bate, RIP 28 July 2013
Ally Wells, RIP 8 July 2013

Wednesday 30 October

Who would have thought that. Until 3 pm, it was pishing it down and blowing a hoolie, and here we are, sun's out, the wind has dropped (in the space of 15 minutes) and it's quite acceptable. Pity the sun's going down at 4.45, but that's late October for you.

Tuesday 29 October

Got some fantastic cloudscapes rolling by; who needs a television (or the WWW) for entertainment. Unfortunately, they merged into a longer spell of rain after lunchtime, making the rest of the day a sopping wet affair.

Monday 28 October

Quite a nice morning here, with a moderate westerly breeze and 10C on the clock. Weather reports from the Netherlands show sustained winds of 68 mph, gusting to 85 mph on the island of Vlieland, which I happen to know very well indeed. The storm has caused a lot of travel disruption in southern England through blown-down trees. The highest recorded gust was 99 mph at The Needles, Isle of Wight.

Also keeping an eye on high winds across the North Sea, where winds of 71 mph, gusting to 92 mph are occurring off the Dutch coast. The storm is due north of the Netherlands and is scooting away towards Denmark and Finland. The below image shows a tree lying across railway tracks at Oosterbeek, a few miles west of Arnhem. Here in the UK, the storm is rapidly abating. It has claimed at least two lives and demolished several houses due to a gas explosion, caused when a falling tree ruptured a gas main.

Sunday 27 October

A steady procession of heavy, squally showers is passing through. The barometer has resumed its downward progression, presently at 969 mbar (28.6 in). If you're in England, keep a close eye on the forecast for strong winds.

At 4 o'clock, we saw the backside of the all the nasty weather. Nice cloudscapes for the last half hour of daylight.

Saturday 26 October

Clocks going back tonight (in Europe), and the weather is suitably dark and wintry. It's 5 pm, and the lights are on. It's raining and blowing pretty well at the moment. Winds at galeforce near the Butt of Lewis, with currently gusts to 55 mph. Barometer has dropped 10 mbar in the last 6 hours, from 990 mbar at 11 this morning to 981 mbar just now and I expect another 15 mbar off the readings before we're done. Keep an eye on the forecast if in England and Wales; there will be a storm, but its exact track is as yet not certain.


The image of the ferry is unusual. Normally, the boat makes the 180 degree turn upon backing out of her berth. Today, the winds were so strong that she had to back half a mile into Glumag Harbour, before being able to safely make the turn.

Where did the wind go? Oh I see. The barometer bottomed out at 981 mbar at 5 o'clock, so the wind dropped from force 7 to force 3. Eye of the storm, and here we shall reside until Monday.