Saturday 31 March

Wildfires continue to plague the Highlands and Islands, including Lewis. Went out, being driven around, first of all to the Lewis War Memorial, then to North Tolsta. A few miles north of Tolsta, a large wildfire has destroyed an area of moorland to the north of Garry Beach, leaving blackened hillsides.


Lewis War Memorial


Coll


Wildfire as seen from North Tolsta

Blackened hillsides near Garry


At the Bridge to Nowhere


Sandblow at Garry


Traigh Mhor, Tolsta


Sandblow at Gress - it had to be shoveled off the road a week ago

Saturday 30 March

Visited the Grinneas nan Eilean [Beauty of the Isles] exhibition in An Lanntair today. It is an open event for local artists to showcase their work, some of it good, some of it bad. But it's a question of taste. What I can't hack is bad labelling, like a work that was about Eilean Donan Castle in Lochalsh, being referred to as Elen Dawn. Ugh.

Friday 29 March

Nicolson Institute (left) and Portrona Drive (right)

Cockle Ebb from Cross Street (left) and Sand Street (right)

Cuddy Point

Moorland (left) and Lochs from Achmore (right)

Pond area by the Iron Fountain bridge

Notice

This blog will not be updated until further notice.

Tuesday 26 March

Moon at 3.10 am

Monday 25 March

Spring is here according to the calendar, but the people in the south and west of Scotland, and in the north of England and Northern Ireland do not agree. Vast drifts of snow, up to 20 feet in height, have blocked roads, torn down overhead powerlines and buried livestock alive. Huge losses in sheep and cattle are feared, Arran is off power as are parts of the Kintyre peninsula. Unbelievable. Although we "only" have a cold wind and not much sun, winter is continuing under the banner of spring.

Sunday 24 March

Spring continues in the guise of winter, but the bulbs are blooming. The sparrowhawk has become the terror of the garden birds...

Saturday 23 March

The east wind has stopped the ferry from sailing, but not stopped these blooms from appearing on the bushes along the street. No ferry for 24 hours? Well, you get panic buying and empty shelves in the supermarket.

Friday 22 March

Yesterday, the First Minister for Scotland, Alex Salmond MSP, announced that the day for the independence referendum for Scotland is to be Thursday 18 September 2013. At least we can start to count down to the day that we'll finally be rid of all this politicking on the issue, to the detriment of all the other important stuff that is needing to be addressed. If I get round to voting on the day, I'll be voting against. I'm shocked at the lack of preparedness for the eventuality of independence as shown by Mr Salmond's Scottish National Party, who appear to have to think on the hoof whenever an issue is raised. Independence may be a good idea on its own, but I shudder to think at the state the country will be in by 2016, if Scots vote for independence. 2016 is the year that Scotland would be on its own two feet - or flat on its face.

Today is seeing massive disruption due to snow in England and southern Scotland. Snow depth of up to 40 cm / 16 inches are being forecast. Here in northern Scotland, strong easterly winds are wreaking havoc with the ferry services; the Calmac boats are mostly stormbound in port. The Outer Hebrides are completely without any ferry service at all, including inter-island ferries.

I am reducing my activity on Atlantic Lines. I shall be posting pictures and specific posts on current events, such as above. I don't think there is much point in posting just for the sake of it.

Monday 18 March

At 9 o'clock, I jumped on the postbus to Lochmaddy, where I picked up the keyboard, which I had left at Taigh Chearsabhaigh. The weather was unpleasant, with a strong easterly breeze making it cold. It also made it very difficult to keep a hold of the large box containing the keyboard. I waited in the ferry terminal, then went out to wait for the bus - which was 15 minutes late. It raced down the 10 miles to Berneray, making the 11.10 departure to Leverburgh by only a few minutes. The crossing was pretty rough, with frequent episodes of spray flying over the bow of the Loch Portain. Upon arrival at Leverburgh, I had more trouble with the crosswind trying to make me fly off with the box, before I boarded the bus to Stornoway. £6.20 took me to the town; had 40 minutes for lunch at Tarbert. Once back in town, I took a taxi for the last bit - I did not fancy walking any distance with 'the box'.