Saturday, 25 April 2009
Saturday 25 April
Overcast but calm day. The spring tide is at a low ebb, leaving a lot more exposed than you'd normally see at low tide. Just watched the first cruiseliner of the summer season leave port heading for the Shiants. That's a group of 3 islands about 20 miles south of Stornoway off the coast of Lochs. Nobody lives there permanently, but are quite scenic.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Midnight post
Quarter to midnight, and time to close the session for today. Weather has gradually improved, and the sun came out in the hour before sunset. Tomorrow, 25 April, will be ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand. Those two nations will remember the dead of two world wars and other conflicts since. The date marks the start of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in the First World War. On 25 April 1915, the first attacks were launched against Turkish strongholds southwest of Istanbul. The idea was to take the fortresses and open the way for Allied troops to march on the Turkish capital, which (at time) was Istanbul. A series of blunders, both in planning and execution, saw Gallipoli out as an abysmal failure. It also left thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers dead.
As I have remarked earlier this week, Australia is currently in the grips of a fierce debate on immigration and racism. Whilst remembering the Fallen, I hope everybody remembers what they fell defending. And that doesn't just apply to the Antipodeans.
Good night.
As I have remarked earlier this week, Australia is currently in the grips of a fierce debate on immigration and racism. Whilst remembering the Fallen, I hope everybody remembers what they fell defending. And that doesn't just apply to the Antipodeans.
Good night.
Friday 24 April
Day started out grey and wet, but the sun is making valiant efforts to break through the low clouds. No change in temperatures, we're always very steady up here in the far northwest. I'd be very unwell living in places where one day you're at 90F and the next day down to 60F. Not much happening in this neck of the woods, apart from party political bluster over this week's Budget.
Last Wednesday's sky
Last Wednesday's sky
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Thursday 23 April
After a very windy night, the winds had subsided a little. But we're back to force 6 again. Overcast but not too cold (12C / 54F). Temperatures in southern England are expected to peak at 21C / 70F today, so a bit of a contrast across 600 miles. Not much doing out here - local council aims to switch off streetlights to fill potholes. Lateral thinking will resolve that the money saved on lights can be used to purchase potholl filling machine. Another project is to sure up a seawall in the town which is crumbling under the effects of "pounding waves". Well, actually, the area of harbour it fronts is quite sheltered, but the wall in question is past its best.
I am not inclined to comment too much on yesterday's Budget (bore, yawn); the politicians concerned have laid an egg over the past decade and it has hatched into a bit of a firebreathing dragon. General election due in 2010, which makes all the predictions seem like the start of the election campaign. Putting a few names to it, Labour have been in power since 1997 and are running out of steam. Much like the Conservatives had run out of steam after 18 years in power by 1997. British politics always shows a pendulum motion from Labour to Conservatives. Neither of them are any good in my perspective.
I am not inclined to comment too much on yesterday's Budget (bore, yawn); the politicians concerned have laid an egg over the past decade and it has hatched into a bit of a firebreathing dragon. General election due in 2010, which makes all the predictions seem like the start of the election campaign. Putting a few names to it, Labour have been in power since 1997 and are running out of steam. Much like the Conservatives had run out of steam after 18 years in power by 1997. British politics always shows a pendulum motion from Labour to Conservatives. Neither of them are any good in my perspective.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
View by Google Earth
This is a view of a remote part of Lewis - Loch Hamnaway. It is located on the west coast, some 8 miles south of Carnish (in a direct line) and 3 miles southeast of Brenish in Uig. The distance from Stornoway is about 40 miles to the southwest. If you want to get there, you face an 8 mile trek along a very rough track (shown in the image above), or possibly a cross-country foray for the same distance from Morsgail. By sea, it is a "simple" 4 mile sail from Huisinish in Harris.
This indented coastline, with its long sealochs, account for the fact that if you want to drive from Huisinish in Harris to Brenish in Uig you are facing a 78 mile journey; by water, it is only 9 miles.
Oh, as it said in the title, this is the view as generated through Google Earth. I've not (yet) been here myself. Maybe one day...
Petition
A nurse working in a hospital who exposed poor standards of care by using a secret camera, was struck off the nursing register for professional misconduct. It was deemed a breach of patient confidentiality. This in itself was the case, and cannot be condoned. However, the standards of care in the hospital fell so far short of what could be expected that the nurse was felt to be acting in the public interest. The Royal College of Nursing, the union involved, is featuring a link to a petition on its website to lodge an appeal against the Nursing and Midwifery Council's decision to delete the nurse's registration. Although she did do wrong, her sanction was too harsh.
I would like to encourage anyone in the UK who reads this to sign. The NHS has this unfortunate tendency not to address problems put to its managers. It is the whistleblowers that usually get punished, not those in charge who fail to take action. A good example was seen here in the Western Isles a few years ago, where it took several years before the failing management of the local NHS was removed. Another example was the late gynaecologist Rodney Ledward, who was allowed to butcher (which he passed off as operating on) women for 11 years before he was removed.
I would like to encourage anyone in the UK who reads this to sign. The NHS has this unfortunate tendency not to address problems put to its managers. It is the whistleblowers that usually get punished, not those in charge who fail to take action. A good example was seen here in the Western Isles a few years ago, where it took several years before the failing management of the local NHS was removed. Another example was the late gynaecologist Rodney Ledward, who was allowed to butcher (which he passed off as operating on) women for 11 years before he was removed.
Wednesday 22 April
Increasingly overcast as the wind slowly picks up to the anticipated high winds for tonight. Current forecast is for force 6, so not too bad. Temperature 12C, which will not change over the next few days. Just watched a Norwegian fish carrier, the Roy Kristian, coming into port. Stornoway is not a busy port, so any vessel coming in attracts my attention. Yesterday's prize was a navy vessel called the Seeker. It duly did not show up on my ship tracker, AIS.
For those in the UK: if you use Bonjela, you are strongly advised against using it in children under the age of 16. It contains the same chemical compound that is found in aspirin, which should not be used in children either. Aspirin can cause Reye's Syndrome in children with viral illnesses. Reye's is a potentially fatal but fortunately rare condition, which includes effects on liver and brain.
For those in the UK: if you use Bonjela, you are strongly advised against using it in children under the age of 16. It contains the same chemical compound that is found in aspirin, which should not be used in children either. Aspirin can cause Reye's Syndrome in children with viral illnesses. Reye's is a potentially fatal but fortunately rare condition, which includes effects on liver and brain.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Les lacs du Connemara
Remember this one by Michel Sardou? Long live YouTube!
Good one for practising your French. By way of a song about Ireland.
Karelia Suite - Sibelius
That piece of 20th century classical music is one of my favourites. Below recording (audio only) from YouTube of the Alla Marcia [March] from Sibelius' Opus 11.
Tuesday 21 April
Seems our week of spring has gone, to be replaced by wet weather. No strong winds; the low pressure system bringing the change is too far away to cause gales on land. Today is the 83rd birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II, so here's 3 cheers. The official birthday celebrations will be held in mid June, with Trooping the Colour in Horseguard's Parade in London. Another royal birthday bash happens in Holland in 9 days from now, when Queen Beatrix celebrates her 71st birthday, which actually happened on 31 January. Her son, crown prince Willem Alexander, has his 42nd on 27 April.
Locally, the council appears set to approve a large windfarm development in the district of South Lochs, 12 miles (as the crow flies, but 25 miles by road) south of Stornoway. It would see 26 turbines, each 450 feet tall, rising above the low hills and lochs of the district. Jobs would be created, in an area that is economically deprived. However, there is said to be a considerable environmental impact of the scheme. Final planning permission will be decided by the Scottish Government, but thousands of objections have already been lodged.
Locally, the council appears set to approve a large windfarm development in the district of South Lochs, 12 miles (as the crow flies, but 25 miles by road) south of Stornoway. It would see 26 turbines, each 450 feet tall, rising above the low hills and lochs of the district. Jobs would be created, in an area that is economically deprived. However, there is said to be a considerable environmental impact of the scheme. Final planning permission will be decided by the Scottish Government, but thousands of objections have already been lodged.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Closing notes
Been busy today, cleaning up my database of World War I casualties from Lewis. I detected 15 duplicates (resulting from men being mentioned at their parents' home as well as their own married addresses), one duplicate resulting from an error on the database of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and one duplicate resulting from a look-up error on my part. The last two did not lead to a deletion. Total number of names is now 1,285.
Iran's president Ahmedinajad continues to have my grudging respect. He acknowledged that the American / Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi should get a fair appeal hearing, after being convicted of espionage. That went down well with the West.
Today he grabbed the headlines by referring to Israel as a 'totally racist' country. That statement went down like a lead balloon. The substance of Mr Ahmedinajad's speech was nowhere near diplomatic. But then, he has never hidden his extreme hatred of the state of Israel and has vowed its destruction. Dozens of diplomats, attending the United Nations convention in Geneva, walked out in protest. My respect for the Iranian president stems from the fact that he is a clever political player - and that's where it ends. I could not disagree more with his politics.
Once more, I don't have time this evening to go round journals, will do my best tomorrow.
Iran's president Ahmedinajad continues to have my grudging respect. He acknowledged that the American / Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi should get a fair appeal hearing, after being convicted of espionage. That went down well with the West.
Today he grabbed the headlines by referring to Israel as a 'totally racist' country. That statement went down like a lead balloon. The substance of Mr Ahmedinajad's speech was nowhere near diplomatic. But then, he has never hidden his extreme hatred of the state of Israel and has vowed its destruction. Dozens of diplomats, attending the United Nations convention in Geneva, walked out in protest. My respect for the Iranian president stems from the fact that he is a clever political player - and that's where it ends. I could not disagree more with his politics.
Once more, I don't have time this evening to go round journals, will do my best tomorrow.
Monday 20 April
The weather has turned, and I'm looking at an overcast sky with a few chinks of brightness in between. Overnight, we had a little rain which disappeared to bother the mainland by mid morning. Temperatures remain moderate, at 12C / 54F. Although it is very nice to have 21C / 70F, as is forecast for southern England, I prefer the 12C for mid- to late April.
A British soldier was shot in Afghanistan - but the bullet just passed through his helmet, missing his head by 2 mm. Although shaken up, the man resumed his duties within the hour. He is hailed as the luckiest soldier alive.
A British soldier was shot in Afghanistan - but the bullet just passed through his helmet, missing his head by 2 mm. Although shaken up, the man resumed his duties within the hour. He is hailed as the luckiest soldier alive.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Closing notes
Well, that's it for today. Gone 11pm and time for bed. I've got a stack of blogs to go through, but I'll peruse those tomorrow. We are due a change in the weather overnight; rain in the small hours, although the sun should put in an appearance come morning. Nice colours when the sun set this evening; usually does not augur well.
Lewis in pictures
Today is the 4th anniversary of me taking photos in the isle of Lewis. It's not something you'd ordinarily remember, but as you all know, my photography hobby has gotten badly out of hand. And I'm not apologising for that. The shutter has clicked the grand total of about 21,000 times, leaving me with about 18,500 pictures of Lewis and Harris (including a few hundred of places on the mainland and elsewhere in Scotland). My first pictures took me to the highest point I have reached in Harris, Tealasbhal, 690 metres above sealevel.
Don't get me wrong, I've been taking pictures for nearly 30 years. The advent of a digital camera just unleashed the beast.
Don't get me wrong, I've been taking pictures for nearly 30 years. The advent of a digital camera just unleashed the beast.
Blogger Community Photo Challenge - The Great Outdoors
Blogger Community Photo Challenge
You can't get much more outdoors than the summit of Mullach an Langa in the Harris hills, 2,011 feet above sealevel. The body of water is called Loch Langabhat, Norse for Long Water.
Guest Editor's post
Les Ellingham, who manages blogs for the Island Blogging community over on Wordpress, wrote this excellent post on his blog View from the Helm. He was happy for me to copy it on Atlantic Lines, and I'm putting it up as a Guest Editor's post.
Blogging is a two-way business. By committing our words to a blog we open ourselves up for others to agree or disagree as they see fit. Comments are an important part of a blog for without them our thoughts may just as well be written on paper and filed in a drawer. What do you do though when comments turn nasty? Do you give up or do you just shrug and move on? I guess it depends on how sensitive you are or how vulnerable you feel.
One of the blogs I follow is by David duChemin, an American photographer and about a year ago he wrote a post on why you should or shouldn’t blog. One of the reasons he gave not to blog related to adverse comments where he said
You can’t handle the trolls. If you can’t handle the odd jerk showing up uninvited, then blogging may be less appealing to you. Once in a while someone logs on and starts a fight. It’s a little like someone arriving at your home, walking in, and lighting the sofa on fire. You can either ban them, delete them, put up with it, or stop blogging. I don’t think this is a good reason not to blog - but it’s a reality. Fortunately photographers tend to be a civil lot and if you fill your blog with big words, the jerks tend to stay away.
One of the keys to dealing with the morons is that mention of ‘big words’. Someone wrote to me recently and said that The Croft had the best way of dealing with bad comments and that was to simply publish them and then destroy them with a superior intellect. That really is the answer but not everyone has that ability. We do all, however, have the ability to publish comments and let our friends draw their own conclusions. It does require a certain amount of courage but you should know that your enemies will never prosper in the company of your friends. In the bad times simply turn to your friends, even those you have never met. Above all, don’t give up.
You still have us
Blogging is a two-way business. By committing our words to a blog we open ourselves up for others to agree or disagree as they see fit. Comments are an important part of a blog for without them our thoughts may just as well be written on paper and filed in a drawer. What do you do though when comments turn nasty? Do you give up or do you just shrug and move on? I guess it depends on how sensitive you are or how vulnerable you feel.
One of the blogs I follow is by David duChemin, an American photographer and about a year ago he wrote a post on why you should or shouldn’t blog. One of the reasons he gave not to blog related to adverse comments where he said
You can’t handle the trolls. If you can’t handle the odd jerk showing up uninvited, then blogging may be less appealing to you. Once in a while someone logs on and starts a fight. It’s a little like someone arriving at your home, walking in, and lighting the sofa on fire. You can either ban them, delete them, put up with it, or stop blogging. I don’t think this is a good reason not to blog - but it’s a reality. Fortunately photographers tend to be a civil lot and if you fill your blog with big words, the jerks tend to stay away.
One of the keys to dealing with the morons is that mention of ‘big words’. Someone wrote to me recently and said that The Croft had the best way of dealing with bad comments and that was to simply publish them and then destroy them with a superior intellect. That really is the answer but not everyone has that ability. We do all, however, have the ability to publish comments and let our friends draw their own conclusions. It does require a certain amount of courage but you should know that your enemies will never prosper in the company of your friends. In the bad times simply turn to your friends, even those you have never met. Above all, don’t give up.
David duChemin’s posts on blogging, although aimed at photographers are well worth reading
Yesterday's pictures
View from Ardroil Cemetery
Replica Lewis Chessman near Ardroil
Farmhouse at Ardroil
House near Baile na Cille, Timsgarry
Church at Timsgarry; not in use, subject of a dispute between the Church of Scotland and the local community. Community want to buy it off church, but church wants to make more money off it. Building is now structurally unsafe.
Say after me...
Sunday 19 April
Brilliantly sunny day with the mercury already at 13C. It'll probably creep a few degrees higher before the day is out. Whilst sitting on the bus from Uig last night, I was listening to BBC Radio 2, spelling out all the traffic jams in southeastern England. Hardly met a car on the A859, the spinal road from Tarbert to Stornoway.
A head-on collision on the M1 motorway near Luton has claimed the lives of 5 people in two cars. One of the vehicles was travelling in the wrong direction, the reason for which is unclear. The wreckage was barely recognisable as having been cars. In Holland and Germany, people who drive up motorways in the wrong direction are referred to as ghost-drivers, and are regarded as a major emergency. Radio programmes are interrupted to announce their presence. The M1 crash happened in the early hours of this morning. My thoughts are with those that died, and their relatives, some of whom are yet to be informed.
The files on the Hillsborough Disaster, in which 96 people died in 1989, are to be published 10 years early. A new inquiry into the tragedy at Sheffield could well be launched on the strength of the evidence contained in said files.
With thanks to Sugar for tag, will place in sidebar later
A head-on collision on the M1 motorway near Luton has claimed the lives of 5 people in two cars. One of the vehicles was travelling in the wrong direction, the reason for which is unclear. The wreckage was barely recognisable as having been cars. In Holland and Germany, people who drive up motorways in the wrong direction are referred to as ghost-drivers, and are regarded as a major emergency. Radio programmes are interrupted to announce their presence. The M1 crash happened in the early hours of this morning. My thoughts are with those that died, and their relatives, some of whom are yet to be informed.
The files on the Hillsborough Disaster, in which 96 people died in 1989, are to be published 10 years early. A new inquiry into the tragedy at Sheffield could well be launched on the strength of the evidence contained in said files.
With thanks to Sugar for tag, will place in sidebar later
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Saturday 18 April
Brilliantly sunny day, although there was some cloudiness in the afternoon around the hills. Went out on the bus at 3pm to the district of Uig, 35 miles west of Stornoway. The object of my visit was to photograph (19) wargraves and the local war memorial. It took the wee bus an hour to get there, not helped by longstanding roadworks along the way. They are taking longer to complete than anticipated because someone misdesigned a bridge. Didn't fit when it got there. Uig (which means 'bay') is one of the most scenic areas of Lewis, but with only very few people in it. Doesn't mean that there is no community spirit. Anyway, after my business at the graveyard, I walked across Uig Sands to Timsgarry where the war memorial is located. Upon arrival at the community shop, I found out that there was an event at the community hall - pity I did not have the time to go there.
I took a total of 64 pictures today (no records, I have been known to take in excess of 200 on a few occasions). Take away 20 for the wargraves, and 5 for the war memorial, and you'll have my scenic total of about 40. Pretty good for 2 hours' worth. Returned to Stornoway at 7.15pm. Those who follow me on Twitter know about the fact that I went to Uig - this is filling in some of the details. My pictures are uploading as I type; I shall place a selection on here tomorrow.
I took a total of 64 pictures today (no records, I have been known to take in excess of 200 on a few occasions). Take away 20 for the wargraves, and 5 for the war memorial, and you'll have my scenic total of about 40. Pretty good for 2 hours' worth. Returned to Stornoway at 7.15pm. Those who follow me on Twitter know about the fact that I went to Uig - this is filling in some of the details. My pictures are uploading as I type; I shall place a selection on here tomorrow.
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