Evening notes

Strong easterly winds continue to blow, and there is some light rain about tonight.

An avalanche in the western Highlands has killed two climbers on Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe, this afternoon. The avalanche struck just before 5 pm. A major search operation was mounted, which resulted in the recovery of two bodies this evening. Police advise intending climbers to check for avalanche risks before setting out for the hills.

Bad weather is headed our way, meaning that ferry services are likely to be disrupted. It is starting tonight, with our freight ferry (MV Muirneag, shown below) not crossing to Ullapool due to heavy swell. The Muirneag is not a terribly good seaboat.

Wednesday 24 February

Overcast and cold today, although the thermometer is at +4C / 39F this afternoon. The snowballs I had put out as ammo for chasing seagulls away from bread put out for birds have melted on me. Snow is causing extensive disruption across the eastern Highlands, with dozens of schools closed by lunchtime and major delays on arterial routes. Here in Stornoway, there is only an easterly breeze.

Over the weekend, an Atlantic storm will power up and pass Spain en-route for the UK with potentially hurricane force winds. At the moment, the arrival of the low pressure system off the English Channel is timed at the end of the 5-day forecast period, so no specifics at present.

The deputy First Minister of Scotland has apologised to the Scottish Parliament in the matter of a badly written letter. Ms Nicola Sturgeon had written to a court on behalf of a constituent, who had been convicted as a second time fraudster. This caused a political storm at Holyrood two weeks ago, and the minister made a statement to Parliament on the matter this afternoon. She admitted that the wording and composition of the letter was more reminiscent of her previous profession as a lawyer than of her present occupation as MSP. There have been calls for her resignation, but I don't think it will come to that.

Tuesday 23 February

Another bright and sunny if not very warm day. We had a fall of snow late last night, which has not shifted in places sheltered from the sun. Nonetheless, the mercury did not drop below freezing last night. The birds continue to have a hard time of it, particularly when the seagulls swoop in to gobble up any bread left outside. Their appearance tends to see me chasing them off. I have no compassion with seagulls - they are scavengers and can get a meal out of the sea if the ground is frozen. Small garden birds have little alternative.

Was reading an article on bad science in movies. Now, I am prepared to overlook certain impossibilities for the sake of a good yarn; I smile benignly at Star Trek movies, where travel tends to be conducted at speeds in excess of the speed of light. That's about as plausible as drawing the square root of a negative number. It doesn't really bother me; I'm not a film buff.

For the first time in many weeks, I have no hurricanes to follow in the southern hemisphere. Things have fallen silent - for the time being at least.

Monday pics

The first of the series of pictures I took on my trip to Arnol today is now my new header picture on this blog. Yes, it was that cold.

Arnol used to be a populous little place, but as you wander down the main streets, a series of abandoned blackhouses and ruined houses stare out from the roadside. It is not customary in the Hebrides to remove something that is no longer in use, whether that be a safe or a house. Houses whose occupants have passed away are also not touched.

The four snowmen stood outside a house in Barvas, 4 miles east of Arnol.

Visit to Arnol

Decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and head out of town to Arnol. That is a small village, 15 miles northwest of Stornoway. It is famous for the Arnol Blackhouse, a restored blackhouse of the sort that people used to live in until the 1970s. I did not visit the Blackhouse, which has halved its entrance fees, but instead went to the RSPB bird reserve at Loch na Muilne (Mill Loch), half a mile away. The weather was brilliantly sunny, but quite cold. There was a lot of snow around (although not deep), and the moor was frozen over. The loch was also frozen over, and there were no birds. The only birds of note were a group of three geese, some starlings and chickens and geese in a farmyard. There were also plenty of cats about, and some kids having fun on swings and roundabout by the junction.

Arnol has a remarkable collection of ruined blackhouses, and some of the ruins show a progression from blackhouse to modern house. The village also overlooks the shoreline along to Bragar and Labost, further west up the coast.

As I type this, the 91 pictures are uploading, so I shall post a selection of these in a later post.

Monday 22 February

Good morning from a sunny but very cold Stornoway. Overnight low was a teeth-chattering -7C at 7 am, within an hour of sunrise. Since then, the sun has set to work and jacked the mercury up to +3C an hour ago. There is ice on the waters of the basin across the road from me (and that's an inlet from the sea, to clarify for new readers), which will now melt quickly.

The golf course at Scarista, Harris, has won a £64k improvement grant from Sportscotland, in spite of not being open 7 days a week. Local Sabbath observance requires the course to be shut on Sunday, and that initially jeopardised the grant. Quiet talks over the past year have result in the grant being awarded, although the course remains closed on Sundays.


View from Scarista

Viewpoint Lewis

The island on which I reside lies at the northern end of the Outer Hebrides, and is actually the largest island off the mainland of Great Britain. Lewis and Harris (one landmass) stretch for 80 miles between the Butt of Lewis in the north and Rodel in the south. On a clear day, visibility extends for 75 miles, as I discovered some time ago.



The two humps on the horizon are the Red Hills by Broadford in Skye, as I said, 75 miles to the south of Stornoway. This picture was taken on 10 February, when visibility was very good. You can see from Cape Wrath all the way down to Kyle of Lochalsh; Cape Wrath is visible at night particularly on account of the lighthouse, whose flashes can be discerned from just below the horizon as you stand near the Butt of Lewis. The mountains on the mainland stand out at this time of year, wreathed in snow.



From my own viewpoint in Stornoway, I can make out the hills around Applecross on a clear day (like this afternoon), a mere 60 miles to the southeast.

Sunday 21 February

Nice and bright after a very cold night. Before midnight, towels drying on an outside line had already turned into boards, and the mercury ended up at -5C. At the moment it is above freezing, and we're looking at cumulus clouds drifting overhead.

It is a quiet Sunday in Stornoway, and not much moves, apart from church traffic. This week, the first cask of legally distilled whisky for 166 years will leave this island to be sampled at a bar in Glasgow. The spirits are not strictly speaking whisky yet (it is not quite 3 years old), but will pack a hefty punch at 65% alcohol-by-volume. The whisky was produced at the Red River distillery in Uig, 40 miles west of Stornoway.

I was shocked to see the video footage of flooding and mudslides in Madeira, a Portuguese island southwest of the Iberian peninsula off Africa. The capital Funchal was overrun by mudstreams, and there have been more than two dozen fatalities as a result.

The BBC has obtained transcripts of discussions within the Scottish Government, which show that they could be planning an referendum on the independence of Scotland as early as 30 November 2010. I would like to refer to the article for details, but I am very concerned by this head-long rush into independence by the SNP administration.

Looking across the water

I'm rather concerned about developments in political Holland today. As I mentioned in an earlier blogpost, there will be early general elections in the country after the government collapsed over a disagreement regarding deployment of troops in Afghanistan. Coalition partners Labour and Christian Democrats fell out over the issue, and elections are now in the offing for late spring or early summer.

Since 2002, a new political force has sprung on the scene in Holland - the farther right. By that I mean parties who oppose immigration and/or advocate removal of migrants from the country. It should be borne in mind that the issue of migrants could not be discussed properly in Dutch society in the wake of the Second World War, a conflict that saw the mass murder of millions on account of their faith. When Pim Fortuyn emerged in 2002, he amassed a huge following for daring to place on the agenda the vexed issue of immigration. Elections held in the aftermath of his assassination in Hilversum in '02 brought his party to government, a government that fell after only a few months.

The 2010 elections are expected to bring the successor to Pim Fortuyn, Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party, a large number of seats in Parliament, and probably ministerial posts. Mr Wilders is known in the UK, as he was denied entry to Britain in February 2009 for his far-right political views. Upon appeal, he was allowed into the country to expound his views to a favourable audience at the Houses of Parliament in London. I dread to see Mr Wilders assume government responsibility - he could well end up tarnishing the Netherlands' reputation as a tolerant society, and a country that welcomes the genuine refugee.

Life in the Hebrides

A reprint from a few years ago

Dogger, Fisher German Bight
Once again, the weather's sh***
Howling wind, cold rain and hail
Calmac's boats will never sail
today

Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea
Looks about Force Ten to me
The bin's away; blown down the croft
It's ragged contents swirl aloft
Again

Rockall, Malin , Hebrides
I'm fed up with days like these
It's still dark at half past ten
When will we see the sun again?
Ever?

Fair Isle, Faeroes, South East Iceland
Sorry kids, the veg is still canned
I'm cooking tea by naked flame
Oh Lord don't send us more the same
Tomorrow

Saturday 20 February

Awoke to a good covering of snow, after an overnight low of -3C / 26F. Temperatures have now lifted to +2C / 36F, meaning a slow thaw. The birds are well tended, with seed on the ground and in feeders, in addition to bread. The seagulls like the bread too, but they are chased off as soon as they appear. The ferry just came in for its lunchtime call, and will depart at 2.30pm - it's Saturday.

The Dutch government has fallen over a disagreement between coalition partners Labour and Christian Democrats over future deployment of Dutch troops in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende will submit the resignation of his cabinet to Queen Beatrix today. Elections will follow in due course. The government had been heavily criticised in recent months over its role in the Iraq war in 2003.

Here in the Western Isles, a row is escalating between the Council and Stornoway Port Authority. SPA is apparently the only independent harbour authority in the UK, with other harbours being administered by local authorities. Stornoway's harbour is independent and SPA have said it has worked within the framework set out by it under Acts of Parliament. The Authority also says that following £14.5m worth of budget costs, the Council would probably make stringent cuts in the running of the harbour - which requires £1.3m annually.

Yesterday, golfer Tiger Woods apologised over his behaviour in recent months. Do I care? Do I want to know?
Yesterday, BBC TV soap Eastenders reveiled who had killed one of its characters. Do I care? Do I need to know? As I said on Twitter, I follow one soap - The Archers on BBC Radio 4 - and that's enough for me. As far as Mr Woods is concerned, he should always bear in mind that being the world's number 1 in a sport brings responsibilities.

Picture post

Lewis Street


Thursday sky


Starlings


Dawn

Hurricane update - 19 February

Tropical cyclone Gelane is currently approaching the small Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues, 350 miles east of Mauritius. This storm is equivalent in strength to a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, so packing quite a punch. By this time tomorrow, Rodrigues will feel the full force of Gelane, even if that system will then start to weaken slightly. The weather service for Mauritius (under whose jurisdiction Rodrigues falls) is issuing warnings (in French and Creole).

Friday 19 February

As I type, the ferry is coming into port for its customary lunchtime call. Quite a cold day, but still fairly bright with distant showers. Overnight tonight, temps in the Highlands could plummet to -15C, so winter's back. The weather charts shows some interesting developments early next week, but it's still quite far off.

Yesterday, there was a resumption of sabre rattling between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. Twenty-eight years ago, the two countries fought a war over the territory. Although the UK won, Argentina maintains that it has sovereignty over the islands. The present exchanges centre on oil exploration on the continental shelf in the South Atlantic, which Argentina claims as its own. The government in Argentina insists shipping bound for the Falklands and calling at Argentinian ports get a permit before proceeding. A drilling rig is going to start exploration shortly, and the company will reroute its resupply lines through Brazil.
Islas Malvinas - when are the Argentinians going to take the hint?

Thursday 18 February

A cold day, which started in the morning with plenty of hail showers. The cloudscapes were spectacular, and although the showers ceased later on, the view remained enthralling. I have to say that to my mind, the cloudscapes are sometimes a lot better than the rubbish shown on television.

I'm just reading reports that a small plane has crashed into an building in Austin, Texas, which houses offices for the Inland Revenue Service IRS. The 199 employees inside appear to have been evacuated safely, although one person is reported to be missing. The pilot apparently flew the plane into the building on purpose, and left a suicide note on a webpage. It was a long-winded ramble against the IRS, that the 54-year old pilot had a grudge with - it can be accessed through the site of Mashable.com if you're interested.

Locally, the protests against the refurbishment of Stornoway Town Hall continue unabated, although the Council is expected to ratify the proposals tonight. I'm slowly getting the impression that the Council did a colossal booboo with this planning application, if all the claims by the opposition are true. It's a shame though that nobody objected against rather more visible demolitions of historic buildings in Stornoway in 2007 and 2009.

Wednesday 17 February

Occasional wintry showers and feeling quite cold today. Only 3C on the thermometer, so definitely down on recent times.

A lot rougher is the weather in the Indian Ocean. It is mid summer in Mauritius, which means that it is hurricane season down there. Tropical cyclone Gelane is moving south from a position of about 550 miles north of Mauritius, and will pass to the east of the island by about Sunday. Winds around the centre could peak at 110 mph, but probably will not impact Mauritius.

Locally, the contentious proposals for upgrading the 80-year old Town Hall have come in front of the council. Unfortunately, as I type this, the link provided by local news site Heb News is not working. The Stornoway Gazette link does give more info, and says that the committee decision will be put in front of full council tomorrow. If approved, the Scottish Government will have to give its consent for the alterations to the listed building. Opponents to this scheme have vowed to take their fight to the Scottish Government.

The letters section of Heb News is filling up with cries of woe from expat Lewismen who hold fond memories of days of yore in the Town Hall. I wonder what they would have to say if the building fell to pieces on them.

Tuesday 16 February

A cold and overcast day, with a chilly easterly wind. Snow is making conditions difficult in the Highlands, but out in the west, we're not troubled with precipitation of any form.

Spent a few hours in Stornoway town centre this afternoon. Visited the local museum, which has a memorial plaque for Old Boys of the Nicolson Institute who died in the First World War. After a bowl or two of soup in the library cafe, I found a useful publication with more info about WW1 casualties. Accompanied a friend round shops brought the time round to 4 pm, and I was glad to get back indoors. It was very chilly indeed.

Locally, a planning application is to be submitted to install a tide bell at Bosta Beach in Great Bernera, 30 miles west of Stornoway. The bell is operated by tidal flows which move its clapper. Can't say the idea appeals to me terribly much, but then it won't disturb many people. Nobody lives at Bosta; there is a cemetery nearby, and I'm not certain that anybody visiting that will be taken with the notion. The tidebell won't make a very loud sound, I'm told.


Image courtesy Marcus Vergette

Ten years on-line

This month, it will be 10 years ago since I set my first steps on the World Wide Web. My Hotmail account records my first email on 1 February 2000. I still have that account, and it is active. No longer active is my pharmolo account with AOL; any email that comes into that inbox is automatically redirected to my adb422006 account with gmail. An email account with Yahoo is only used because of its link to my Flickr photo accounts. I set it up whilst staying in a place which blocked the AOL website.

I joined AOL for its dial-up ISP service in April 2004, and brought me the first experiences of social networking on-line. The News Debate Chat was a rough and ready affair, invaded at times by the less appetising elements in British society. Following my relocation to Scotland in the summer of 2004, this fell by the wayside for a while, as I changed to blogging.

AOL Journals allowed me to record my travels in the north of Scotland in the summer and autumn of 2004. A year later, the much maligned VIVI awards introduced me to the circle of journalers; the untimely death of Pam (his1desire) at Easter 2006 turned me into a full member of Jland.

Jland ceased to exist in October 2008, after AOL decided to scuttle its journals division. A fair few of us migrated to Blogger, but many others abandoned the community.

My ten years on-line has seen a marked change in my personal circumstances, much of which I have decided not to discuss on here. Reading back through the emails from 2000 to 2010, I can see that quite clearly. The biggest shock, which I did share, was the death of my mother, now nearly 2 years ago. I tend to operate on a "live by the day" basis, which means I do not make a forecast for the next 10 years.

The Internet has proved an invaluable source of information to me, and a way of meeting new people, new friends. The Internet has also caused me a fair bit of distress, both directly and indirectly. Not all my friends understand the concept of social networking involving people you have not met, and are unlikely to ever meet. The Internet has an extremely unpleasant dark side to it, the least manifestations of which are the spam emails. However, it is here, and here to stay. 

Monday 15 February

Cold and at times wet today, with wintry showers this afternoon. After a period of milder weather in the Hebrides, air from the Arctic is presently moving south across northern Scotland and will bring snow to the mainland. I'm typing this just after 5.30pm, but it's still light outside. Due to the poor light conditions though, the Arnish Lighthouse has been operating since 4pm.

(Image courtesy Reuters) Two commuter trains have collided head-on south of Brussels, near the town of Buizingen. Eighteen people are now known to have died, with nearly 60 injured. The local service from Quiévrain to Liège crashed into the service from Louvain to Braine-le-Comte. Initial speculation suggested that one of the trains had ignored a red light, but that has been branded as premature. Weather conditions at the time of the accident, 8.30 am local time, were poor with falling snow, but snow is a common occurrence in winter in Belgium and does not normally pose major problems on the rail network.

The Eurostar service between London and Brussels has been suspended until further notice, although trains do run as far as Lille, in northern France. It will take a considerable period of time to clear the wreckage from the tracks. This accident is rated as one of the worst in the history of the Belgian railway NMBS; a crash in the Netherlands in 1962 claimed 92 lives.

Sunday 14 February

Happy Valentine's Day, if you celebrate. It's been a very quiet day here in Stornoway, as is customary on Sunday. Apart from those going to or coming from church, little has moved. Only the clouds and occasional light rain. The ferry is presently on its way in, back from its normal single Sunday sailing.

Although I'm not much of a rugby fan, I couldn't avoid watching some of the Six Nations action this weekend. Scotland managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, after losing 24-31. They had been ahead 24-14 only 10 minutes before the end. Their opponents were Wales. Ireland were giving a hammering by France, losing 10-33. England was the only home country to manage a win, beating Italy 17-12 in Rome. I find rugby a very physical game, but at least you don't get all the daft backchat you get in football. Players listen to the referee, and that's it.

Next week, I intend to revisit the local museum to take pictures of a memorial plaque there. I do have photographs of it, but cannot read the names on it. I went to the library yesterday, which was rearranged a few weeks ago. Where is the local history section? Well, that's been put in the middle of the place, and you have to walk around with your reference books to find a table to work on. Not a vast improvement.