The polls have closed about 20 minutes ago (as I start writing this post) in the General Election. The results will start to come in from about 10.45pm onwards, although the bulk will be declared at around 2 am. I am fed up with pundits saying what it will be like, and I'm not looking forward to an evening of journalists talking to each other about worms, swingometers and other stuff that usually turns me into an electophobe.
The second cruiseliner of the summer season called into Stornoway today. The 1961 built Funchal dropped anchor off the Arnish Lighthouse early in the morning and began discharging passengers ashore using tenders. They were bussed round the island to see the sights, like the Callanish Stones, Carloway Broch, Gearrannan and Arnol Blackhouses and what not. At around 6pm, it weighed anchor to head for Invergordon, north of Inverness. I've got pictures of the ship, which I will display in a day or so.
The weather today? Fairly bright with the odd light shower and not too cold. The volcanic ashcloud is threatening Ireland (i.e. us as well), forcing the closure of Irish airports tomorrow. I think I'll abandon airtravel in favour of surface travel for the foreseeable future. May stow away on one of the cruiseliners one of these days.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Wednesday 5 May
Well, it's 10.30pm and I can't express loudly enough my sense of relief that that infernal election campaign here in the UK is finally over. Tomorrow, between 7 am and 10 pm, the polling stations will be open, and I too urge all who are eligible to vote to come out. That excludes me, by the way.
Here in the islands, it has been another drab and dreich day. It wasn't cold, and the dandelions are having a feast out the back.
Although the airports in the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland are closed today, I did hear an aircraft passing overhead a minute ago. Must have been the coastguard helicopter on an emergency call.
Here in the islands, it has been another drab and dreich day. It wasn't cold, and the dandelions are having a feast out the back.
Although the airports in the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland are closed today, I did hear an aircraft passing overhead a minute ago. Must have been the coastguard helicopter on an emergency call.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Two minutes silence in Amsterdam
In my last post, I referred to the two minutes' silence that the Dutch were observing at 8pm local time. I watched the ceremony in Amsterdam courtesy the Internet. In the last 15 seconds of the two minutes, people suddenly started running away from an area of the Dam square in Amsterdam, panicking at - nobody knew what. The Queen and other royals were quickly led away into the nearby Palace. The master of ceremonies quickly announced that someone had collapsed and was being attended to by paramedics. Judging by the some of the pictures on NOS TV, which was being relayed on the Net, some bystanders were pushed over and hurt. It brought back some very bad memories of just over a year ago, when a deranged man drove into a crowd of spectators at the Queen's Day celebrations in Apeldoorn, killing 7. Hearing of the cause of the disturbance, I can only assume that the panic was caused by the memory of that terrible incident.
Within a minute or two, everybody had resumed their places, including the Queen. Amidst emotional scenes, the ceremony resumed by the playing of the National Anthem, colloquially referred to in Holland as the Wilhelmus.
Within a minute or two, everybody had resumed their places, including the Queen. Amidst emotional scenes, the ceremony resumed by the playing of the National Anthem, colloquially referred to in Holland as the Wilhelmus.
Tuesday 4 May
As I'm typing this, the rain is once more closing in from across the Arnish hills, a mile away across the water. It has been a dreich day, with frequent drizzle although not really cold. The northwesterly wind has brought us a return of 'volcanic conditions' and 'dirty air'. The latter quote is courtesy Hebrides News, and can be happily misconstrued, which I'll do for a moment. If planes can't fly in dirty air, how come they are able to fly around London, where the air can be pretty polluted at the best of times?
Away from levity.
I was deeply saddened to see that Jane, "A journey of another kind", has now reached the point that once her pain has stabilised, she will return home to die. It is not that long ago that she was in Brazil on holiday. My thoughts are with her and her husband Martin, who keeps us informed when Jane is not able to. I posted on Call for Support yesterday, when things took a turn for the worse.
In just over half an hour's time, the Netherlands will come to a halt to observe a two minute's silence in memory of those that lost their life in the Second World War. The national event will take place on the Dam in the centre of Amsterdam; another event in the dunes outside The Hague where up to 280 people were summarily executed by the occupying forces of Nazi Germany. I observe this, as well as the Armistice Day commemoration in November.
In the context of the latter, I have been looking up further information on the Canadian casualties from Lewis from the First World War. The attestation papers give the address in Canada where the man in question lived before he signed up. It is possible for me to view the house courtesy Google Streetview. It struck me how many came from Fort William near Thunder Bay, Ontario. There is also a Fort William here in Scotland, 100 miles north of Glasgow. Many Lewismen emigrated to the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and were then transported up the Great Lakes to end up in places like Thunder Bay. Some crossed over into the USA, not far down the road, and abandoned all identifying items in order that they could not be sent back into Canada.
Away from levity.
I was deeply saddened to see that Jane, "A journey of another kind", has now reached the point that once her pain has stabilised, she will return home to die. It is not that long ago that she was in Brazil on holiday. My thoughts are with her and her husband Martin, who keeps us informed when Jane is not able to. I posted on Call for Support yesterday, when things took a turn for the worse.
In just over half an hour's time, the Netherlands will come to a halt to observe a two minute's silence in memory of those that lost their life in the Second World War. The national event will take place on the Dam in the centre of Amsterdam; another event in the dunes outside The Hague where up to 280 people were summarily executed by the occupying forces of Nazi Germany. I observe this, as well as the Armistice Day commemoration in November.
In the context of the latter, I have been looking up further information on the Canadian casualties from Lewis from the First World War. The attestation papers give the address in Canada where the man in question lived before he signed up. It is possible for me to view the house courtesy Google Streetview. It struck me how many came from Fort William near Thunder Bay, Ontario. There is also a Fort William here in Scotland, 100 miles north of Glasgow. Many Lewismen emigrated to the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and were then transported up the Great Lakes to end up in places like Thunder Bay. Some crossed over into the USA, not far down the road, and abandoned all identifying items in order that they could not be sent back into Canada.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Monday 3 May
A cool day, but no complaints - at least it stayed dry and the sun put in an extensive appearance. Out of the wind, it felt quite warm. In the wind, it was cold.
The election circus is rollicking on and I'm heartily sick of it. I can't wait for Thursday to come along. To my mind, this election is all for the benefit of the media and the politicians. That is an over-simplification, but I hardly dare switch on the telly for fear of seeing more of the three prime culprits, not to mention the shouting champion of Scotland, otherwise known as its First Minister, Alex Salmond.
The volcanic ash cloud is back to haunt us. The Irish are closing their airspace, and the Western Isles are keeping a close eye on the ash, which is hovering just to the west of us. If I detect a sulphurous smell, it's either the Eyjafjallajoekull or I've had beans for supper.
Finally, I spent the afternoon mapping the villages of Pairc, which were cleared in 1821. Using an old map and modern satellite imagery, I could locate Brunigil, Stromos, Airigh Dhomhnuill Chaim, Rias, Scaladale Beag and Mor, Gilvicphaic, Ceannmore, Bagh Ciarach and Bagh Reimsabhaigh, Bunchorcabhig, Glenclaidh, Smosivig, Caolas an Eilean, Valamus and Valamus Beag, Ceann Chrionaig, Brollum, Hamascro, Mol Truisg, Molhagearraidh, Ailtenish, Buhanish, Gearraidh Righsaidh, Ceann Tigh Shealag, Gearraidh Reastail and Stiomrabhagh.
These foreign sounding names once meant home to small groups of people, scattered on the periphery of an area of mountainous moorland, whose highest peak, Beinn Mor, crests 1,700 feet. You can access the map on this link to find out which village each marker represents. Looking at the linked map, you can switch over to satellite view and zoom right into the marker. It will show a ruined house, homestead or even farmhouse. Kinloch Shell (Ceann Tigh Shealag) used to host an inn where the men from the district would come to drink. The ribbed appearance of the land is an indication of the runrig (or lazybed) system of agriculture. A lazybed is a ridge of ground generally used for growing potatoes and sometimes also for raising corn, the seed being laid on the surface and covered with earth dug out of trenches along both sides.
It is nearly 190 years ago since those villages were cleared, and its occupants packed off elsewhere. Not necessarily overseas, but certainly to elsewhere. To date, the evidence of their toil remains visible, even from as far away as outer space. The Eishken Estate, on which these tiny hamlets lie, is now the domain of the toffs, the shooting and fishing fraternity. In a few years, the hills will be desecrated by 33 wind turbines, each standing a third of the height of Beinn Mor, with attendant electricity transmission infrastructure.
Trying to read up on the history of the district pre-1821 yields practically nothing. It is heavily focused on the trials and tribulations of the Clan Mackenzie and the Earl of Seaforth. Nothing on the people who lived off the land. In a way, a distant echo came back from those days in the year 2005. The fifty folk living on the shores of Loch Seaforth objected to the Eishken Windfarm. But they were drowned out by the roar of big business.
I close with an image by BBC Islandblogger Molinginish showing Reimsabhagh.
The election circus is rollicking on and I'm heartily sick of it. I can't wait for Thursday to come along. To my mind, this election is all for the benefit of the media and the politicians. That is an over-simplification, but I hardly dare switch on the telly for fear of seeing more of the three prime culprits, not to mention the shouting champion of Scotland, otherwise known as its First Minister, Alex Salmond.
The volcanic ash cloud is back to haunt us. The Irish are closing their airspace, and the Western Isles are keeping a close eye on the ash, which is hovering just to the west of us. If I detect a sulphurous smell, it's either the Eyjafjallajoekull or I've had beans for supper.
Finally, I spent the afternoon mapping the villages of Pairc, which were cleared in 1821. Using an old map and modern satellite imagery, I could locate Brunigil, Stromos, Airigh Dhomhnuill Chaim, Rias, Scaladale Beag and Mor, Gilvicphaic, Ceannmore, Bagh Ciarach and Bagh Reimsabhaigh, Bunchorcabhig, Glenclaidh, Smosivig, Caolas an Eilean, Valamus and Valamus Beag, Ceann Chrionaig, Brollum, Hamascro, Mol Truisg, Molhagearraidh, Ailtenish, Buhanish, Gearraidh Righsaidh, Ceann Tigh Shealag, Gearraidh Reastail and Stiomrabhagh.
These foreign sounding names once meant home to small groups of people, scattered on the periphery of an area of mountainous moorland, whose highest peak, Beinn Mor, crests 1,700 feet. You can access the map on this link to find out which village each marker represents. Looking at the linked map, you can switch over to satellite view and zoom right into the marker. It will show a ruined house, homestead or even farmhouse. Kinloch Shell (Ceann Tigh Shealag) used to host an inn where the men from the district would come to drink. The ribbed appearance of the land is an indication of the runrig (or lazybed) system of agriculture. A lazybed is a ridge of ground generally used for growing potatoes and sometimes also for raising corn, the seed being laid on the surface and covered with earth dug out of trenches along both sides.
It is nearly 190 years ago since those villages were cleared, and its occupants packed off elsewhere. Not necessarily overseas, but certainly to elsewhere. To date, the evidence of their toil remains visible, even from as far away as outer space. The Eishken Estate, on which these tiny hamlets lie, is now the domain of the toffs, the shooting and fishing fraternity. In a few years, the hills will be desecrated by 33 wind turbines, each standing a third of the height of Beinn Mor, with attendant electricity transmission infrastructure.
Trying to read up on the history of the district pre-1821 yields practically nothing. It is heavily focused on the trials and tribulations of the Clan Mackenzie and the Earl of Seaforth. Nothing on the people who lived off the land. In a way, a distant echo came back from those days in the year 2005. The fifty folk living on the shores of Loch Seaforth objected to the Eishken Windfarm. But they were drowned out by the roar of big business.
I close with an image by BBC Islandblogger Molinginish showing Reimsabhagh.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Sunday 2 May
A quiet day, which started sunny, turned wettish around lunchtime and is turning sunny again now that the evening is drawing nigh.
In the world of snooker (for the uninitiated: a form of billiards), the world champion, John Higgins, has been accused of match fixing and been suspended indefinitely. One of his competitors is quoted on Twitter as saying "It's a bit of a flat day in the press room, nothing much going on". Nuff said.
Spent the afternoon tracking the Canadian element of my WW1 casualties, linking to their on-line attestation papers and submitting their portraits for the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Should see some feed-back on that later this week.
Dinner tonight: leg of lamb with veg and spuds.
In the world of snooker (for the uninitiated: a form of billiards), the world champion, John Higgins, has been accused of match fixing and been suspended indefinitely. One of his competitors is quoted on Twitter as saying "It's a bit of a flat day in the press room, nothing much going on". Nuff said.
Spent the afternoon tracking the Canadian element of my WW1 casualties, linking to their on-line attestation papers and submitting their portraits for the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Should see some feed-back on that later this week.
Dinner tonight: leg of lamb with veg and spuds.
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Swell at Sheshader
Showing a few moments of the swell, rolling in from the Minch at Sheshader this afternoon.
Two years later
It is two years ago today that I received word of my mother's death at the age of 72.
I would like to thank the J-land community (as was) for their support at the time and since.
Although I miss my mother every day, her deteriorating condition in the years up to May 2008 meant that her passing was a blessed relief.
Thanks to all.
I would like to thank the J-land community (as was) for their support at the time and since.
Although I miss my mother every day, her deteriorating condition in the years up to May 2008 meant that her passing was a blessed relief.
Thanks to all.
Saturday 1 May
A brilliantly sunny day with a steady northeasterly breeze, keeping the temperatures in single figures. We're under warning for a slight overnight frost. Went into the town centre this morning, and ran into the two main candidates for next Thursday's general election, trying to win votes. I managed to get past without a balloon, which was being handed out to the younger passers-by. Perceval Square is being dug up, meaning that the public toilets are closed, the trees chopped down and four callboxes uprooated. Hope it's worth the upheaval; will post pictures when I get them.
This afternoon, I went to Point with someone in a car, visiting the villages of Knock, Swordale, Garrabost, Shulishader, Sheshader and Portvoller.
Tiumpan Head Lighthouse
Portvoller
Aird, Point
Around Sheshader slipway
Shulishader
Coastline below New Garrabost
New Garrabost
Swordale
This afternoon, I went to Point with someone in a car, visiting the villages of Knock, Swordale, Garrabost, Shulishader, Sheshader and Portvoller.
Tiumpan Head Lighthouse
Portvoller
Aird, Point
Around Sheshader slipway
Shulishader
Coastline below New Garrabost
New Garrabost
Swordale
Friday, 30 April 2010
Friday 30 April
After a sunny afternoon, the sun has disappeared behind the clouds and the wind is picking up. It hasn't been cold today. The day started badly for an Irish fishing boat which took on water in the Atlantic northwest of Lewis. Another fishing boat dashed to their aid and saved the 5 crewmembers on board.
I'm glad the three 'prime-ministerial debates' on television are over. We still have to endure another 5 days of politics until the General Election next Thursday. I am not denying it is an important event, but it is turning more into a media circus than anything else, and I'm heartily fed up with it. I will go so far as to say that Gordon Brown's gaffe has blown away his credibility. Saying one thing in someone's face, then the opposite behind their back is insincere. Just as well I'm not eligible to vote. I would probably not bother.
I'm glad the three 'prime-ministerial debates' on television are over. We still have to endure another 5 days of politics until the General Election next Thursday. I am not denying it is an important event, but it is turning more into a media circus than anything else, and I'm heartily fed up with it. I will go so far as to say that Gordon Brown's gaffe has blown away his credibility. Saying one thing in someone's face, then the opposite behind their back is insincere. Just as well I'm not eligible to vote. I would probably not bother.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Visit to Kershader
This afternoon, I jumped on the bus and paid a brief visit to the village of Kershader, 22 miles by road and 12 miles as the crow flies from Stornoway. Kershader (Cearsiadar in Gaelic) is a small crofting township on the shore above Loch Erisort, the 15 mile long inlet from the sea. It is the cause for the lengthy detour. As you come down the main road at Laxay, you can actually see the village across the water. But you still have to go down a 10 mile detour round the head of the loch!
The object of the visit was the Ravenspoint Centre, a venue that I am only too familiar with. I stayed there during the 2004/5 winter, making many miles in the surrounding moorland until conditions became too inclement. It was there that I sat through a 48 hour black-out, caused by 100 mph winds on 11 January 2005. This same hurricane claimed 5 lives in Uist, 60 miles to the south.
Today, the Ravenspoint Centre (have a look on Streetview, link provided) looks a lot smarter. The shop is now much larger; I did not look in at the hostel, which can't have changed that much. The museum is all in a small room, but held some interesting artefacts.
It helped that the weather cleared up and warmed up as the day wore on, although the wind stayed chilly.
Loch Erisort at Balallan
Pairc Museum, Kershader
Inside the Ravenspoint Shop
The object of the visit was the Ravenspoint Centre, a venue that I am only too familiar with. I stayed there during the 2004/5 winter, making many miles in the surrounding moorland until conditions became too inclement. It was there that I sat through a 48 hour black-out, caused by 100 mph winds on 11 January 2005. This same hurricane claimed 5 lives in Uist, 60 miles to the south.
Today, the Ravenspoint Centre (have a look on Streetview, link provided) looks a lot smarter. The shop is now much larger; I did not look in at the hostel, which can't have changed that much. The museum is all in a small room, but held some interesting artefacts.
It helped that the weather cleared up and warmed up as the day wore on, although the wind stayed chilly.
Loch Erisort at Balallan
Pairc Museum, Kershader
Inside the Ravenspoint Shop
A year ago tomorrow
On 30 April 2009, the annual Queen's Day festivities in Holland were cruelly torn apart by a man in car, who smashed into a crowd of spectators at 60 mph. He bore a grudge against the Dutch royal family, who were seated in an open-topped bus, within yards of his car as it veered across a road and collided with a monument. Kars Tates died not long after of his injuries. So did seven innocent bystanders. A memorial to these will be unveiled this afternoon in the city of Apeldoorn, 65 miles east of Amsterdam.
I was watching the events on television in Holland that day, and it is was quite strange to see a small black car, obviously not part of the festivities, suddenly appear at high speed and crashing into a monument. Unreal. But only too real for the bystanders, and the seven who died - and their relatives. They have requested the media to please leave them alone (Google translation of Dutch article).
Tomorrow, 30 April 2010, will see the 30th anniversary of Queen Beatrix's ascension to the throne in The Netherlands. I hope it will be a festive occasion, even if the weather will be a little cool and showery. I'll keep an eye on proceedings from here in Stornoway, courtesy the internet.
I was watching the events on television in Holland that day, and it is was quite strange to see a small black car, obviously not part of the festivities, suddenly appear at high speed and crashing into a monument. Unreal. But only too real for the bystanders, and the seven who died - and their relatives. They have requested the media to please leave them alone (Google translation of Dutch article).
Tomorrow, 30 April 2010, will see the 30th anniversary of Queen Beatrix's ascension to the throne in The Netherlands. I hope it will be a festive occasion, even if the weather will be a little cool and showery. I'll keep an eye on proceedings from here in Stornoway, courtesy the internet.
Thursday 29 April
After two days of continuous rain, today dawned fairly bright, if not very warm. I'm not really complaining about 11C at 10 am, but there is a breeze going and that cools things down. I am normally a late starter, but this morning saw me heading for Sandwick Cemetery at 9 am in order to search for a particular gravestone. I did not manage to locate it (the person in question died in a hospital in Glasgow in 1917, but might have been transferred to Lewis after death for burial). I did find 9 other gravestones that are of interest to me for wargrave purposes.
Gordon Brown had his open mike moment yesterday, when he was all smiles to a voter in Rochdale, but called her a bigot when he was safe in his car. Or so he thought, because a mike on his jacket was still working. The tape was duly played to the voter, and also played to Gordon Brown himself as he was live on air on BBC Radio 2. He was also video'd, and he knew he had dropped a clanger. The PM returned to the lady's home to apologise, but the damage was done.
The dangers of deep-sea oil exploration are becoming clearer by the minute as an open oilwell continues to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico, following the destruction of an oilplatform. The sea is 5000 feet deep, and efforts to plug the leak by robot have so far proven unsuccessful. The oilslick on the surface is a lot bigger than previous thought, and is set to come ashore in the US state of Louisiana in the next few days. It is forecast to be the worst oilspill in history.
Gordon Brown had his open mike moment yesterday, when he was all smiles to a voter in Rochdale, but called her a bigot when he was safe in his car. Or so he thought, because a mike on his jacket was still working. The tape was duly played to the voter, and also played to Gordon Brown himself as he was live on air on BBC Radio 2. He was also video'd, and he knew he had dropped a clanger. The PM returned to the lady's home to apologise, but the damage was done.
The dangers of deep-sea oil exploration are becoming clearer by the minute as an open oilwell continues to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico, following the destruction of an oilplatform. The sea is 5000 feet deep, and efforts to plug the leak by robot have so far proven unsuccessful. The oilslick on the surface is a lot bigger than previous thought, and is set to come ashore in the US state of Louisiana in the next few days. It is forecast to be the worst oilspill in history.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
St Kilda
This year, it will be 80 years ago since the islanders of St Kilda (Hiort) were evacuated to the Scottish mainland at their own request. It was on 29th August 1930 that the culture of St Kilda died with the passing to other shores of its inhabitants. This evening, Monty Halls in his Hebridean Hideaway visited the islands. The scenery was absolutely stunning. But otherwise, there was nothing there. There are no permanent residents left, the houses are ruinous, with a few exceptions, and the storage huts (cleits) stand empty and derelict. In other words, St Kilda is dead.
Monty Halls, who stayed in North Uist for six months from July 2009 onwards, got involved with the controversy surrounding the location of the St Kilda Centre. It will be a point where the culture and people of St Kilda will be celebrated and kept alive. The strife was bitter, and already reflected in Monty's programme. The other contestants were Mangersta (Lewis) and Leverburgh (Harris). Cleitraval (North Uist) is a hilltop location near Sollas, where a plaque sits on the hill, pointing out where St Kilda can be seen, 41 miles (70 km) away to the west.
In the end, the St Kilda Centre was allocated to Lewis, and will be erected off the road between Mangersta and Islivig, overlooking the cliffs of Mangersta to be reminiscent of the St Kilda clifftops. (This link will take you to the location courtesy Google Streetview). The people of Harris and North Uist are deeply upset over losing out over the centre. It will obviously bring tourists to the location involved, and Uig (in which Mangersta lies) can very well do with the revenue.
Some people in these islands have voiced misgivings over having a St Kilda Centre in the first place. I can have some sympathy with those who say it is not right to make money off people who were cruelly neglected by the Government of the day - and neglected they were. Conversely though, nothing will bring them back, and it is a way of keeping their memory and the memory of their culture alive.
Monty Halls, who stayed in North Uist for six months from July 2009 onwards, got involved with the controversy surrounding the location of the St Kilda Centre. It will be a point where the culture and people of St Kilda will be celebrated and kept alive. The strife was bitter, and already reflected in Monty's programme. The other contestants were Mangersta (Lewis) and Leverburgh (Harris). Cleitraval (North Uist) is a hilltop location near Sollas, where a plaque sits on the hill, pointing out where St Kilda can be seen, 41 miles (70 km) away to the west.
In the end, the St Kilda Centre was allocated to Lewis, and will be erected off the road between Mangersta and Islivig, overlooking the cliffs of Mangersta to be reminiscent of the St Kilda clifftops. (This link will take you to the location courtesy Google Streetview). The people of Harris and North Uist are deeply upset over losing out over the centre. It will obviously bring tourists to the location involved, and Uig (in which Mangersta lies) can very well do with the revenue.
Some people in these islands have voiced misgivings over having a St Kilda Centre in the first place. I can have some sympathy with those who say it is not right to make money off people who were cruelly neglected by the Government of the day - and neglected they were. Conversely though, nothing will bring them back, and it is a way of keeping their memory and the memory of their culture alive.
Wednesday 28 April
Another day of rain with rather more wind than yesterday. Whilst the south of the UK basks in temperatures of nearly 22C, we're having to make do with 11C this afternoon. By the end of the week, all of the UK will have to do with 11C. It's only April (nearly May), and anything could still happen.
The Southern Hemisphere hurricane season is simpering to a conclusion on Friday, with nothing happening at present. The Northern Hemisphere season is slowly cranking up, with one tropical disturbance bringing rain to the south of the Philippines. The North Atlantic is still in winter mode, as is the Eastern Pacific. The seasons there will commence on June 1st and May 15th respectively.
My local rag, the Press and Journal, reported on events in the "Showboat" area of Lewis. Having a spell checker on your wordprocessor can be useful, but be careful not to allow it to automatically correct everything it perceives to be wrong. Shawbost is a lively community, and some would argue that the moniker "showboat" would not go amiss there.
Next week, it will be three years since Madeleine McCann disappeared whilst on holiday with her parents in Portugal. No reliable sightings of the girl, who would be nearly 7 now if she is still alive, have been made. Parents Gerry and Kate continue to search, and now accuse the British police of giving up on her. I can fully understand that the McCanns will never quit searching for Madeleine, but it is cringeworthy to note the flurry of fake sightings in the British gutter press. Employing the media is like wielding a two-edged sword: it can help you, but you will be chewed up and abused by the hacks to their own ends.
Finally, the Scottish National Party has failed in their bid to be allowed a representative on the final election debate on BBC TV on Thursday. They had argued that as the party in government in Scotland, they should be permitted someone alongside Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown. This argument has been rejected by the court, which found that the BBC had not breached its impartiality in refusing the SNP request to participate. The comments from other political parties, at the bottom of this BBC article, speak for themselves.
The Southern Hemisphere hurricane season is simpering to a conclusion on Friday, with nothing happening at present. The Northern Hemisphere season is slowly cranking up, with one tropical disturbance bringing rain to the south of the Philippines. The North Atlantic is still in winter mode, as is the Eastern Pacific. The seasons there will commence on June 1st and May 15th respectively.
My local rag, the Press and Journal, reported on events in the "Showboat" area of Lewis. Having a spell checker on your wordprocessor can be useful, but be careful not to allow it to automatically correct everything it perceives to be wrong. Shawbost is a lively community, and some would argue that the moniker "showboat" would not go amiss there.
Next week, it will be three years since Madeleine McCann disappeared whilst on holiday with her parents in Portugal. No reliable sightings of the girl, who would be nearly 7 now if she is still alive, have been made. Parents Gerry and Kate continue to search, and now accuse the British police of giving up on her. I can fully understand that the McCanns will never quit searching for Madeleine, but it is cringeworthy to note the flurry of fake sightings in the British gutter press. Employing the media is like wielding a two-edged sword: it can help you, but you will be chewed up and abused by the hacks to their own ends.
Finally, the Scottish National Party has failed in their bid to be allowed a representative on the final election debate on BBC TV on Thursday. They had argued that as the party in government in Scotland, they should be permitted someone alongside Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown. This argument has been rejected by the court, which found that the BBC had not breached its impartiality in refusing the SNP request to participate. The comments from other political parties, at the bottom of this BBC article, speak for themselves.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Caught up
Tuesday 27 April
A very wet day here, with no immediate sign of improvement on the horizon. The rainfall radar shows a mass of rain moving in from the southwest, which will take its time to make its way east. Tomorrow should see a slight improvement, but more rain is forecast.
The coverage of the general election is beginning to tire me out, it seems to be a game for politicians and journalists, with Johnny Average left gasping on the sidelines. My take on elections is that the politicians are like tomcats in March, caterwauling their promises of everlasting fielty to the credulous recipients of their goodies. And when the evil deed is done, all the fair promises are so much fried air.
I was horrified to hear of the teacher who battered a pupil during class. It appears that the teacher had lost control of his class, and when he was sworn at also lost control of himself. He dragged the 14-year old culprit out of the classroom and hit him repeatedly with a heavy object.
When I was in school, I have witnessed a couple of occasions where the teacher lost the plot, after being goaded. Anyone can be provoked, given the wrong circumstances, and the battered youngster was by all accounts a pivotal player in classroom disruption. I do not condone violence in any form, and trust that measures will be taken to prevent a repeat. Not just towards the teacher, but also the class involved.
The coverage of the general election is beginning to tire me out, it seems to be a game for politicians and journalists, with Johnny Average left gasping on the sidelines. My take on elections is that the politicians are like tomcats in March, caterwauling their promises of everlasting fielty to the credulous recipients of their goodies. And when the evil deed is done, all the fair promises are so much fried air.
I was horrified to hear of the teacher who battered a pupil during class. It appears that the teacher had lost control of his class, and when he was sworn at also lost control of himself. He dragged the 14-year old culprit out of the classroom and hit him repeatedly with a heavy object.
When I was in school, I have witnessed a couple of occasions where the teacher lost the plot, after being goaded. Anyone can be provoked, given the wrong circumstances, and the battered youngster was by all accounts a pivotal player in classroom disruption. I do not condone violence in any form, and trust that measures will be taken to prevent a repeat. Not just towards the teacher, but also the class involved.
Monday 26 April
Forgot to put in the entry for Monday, so a few lines about that here. It was a nice and bright day, albeit without much open sunshine. But there was sufficient clearance between the clouds to give it a decent feel. Temperatures about 12C. I went to see an exhibition of local art in the An Lanntair gallery. Grinneas nan Eilean is an annual event, where everybody can submit their artwork for exhibition and, potentially, sale. The quality was variable, from the extremely good to the "I don't know what this is supposed to be" very bad. An Lanntair hangs works right down to the skirting boards, putting the sticker with artist's name and price on the skirting board.
I spent the past few weeks on a revision of data on the Faces from the Lewis War Memorial website, and continue to put them onto the site from a workingfile. Bit of a job, if you bear in mind there are 1300 names on it.
I spent the past few weeks on a revision of data on the Faces from the Lewis War Memorial website, and continue to put them onto the site from a workingfile. Bit of a job, if you bear in mind there are 1300 names on it.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Afternoon stroll
Stornoway on Sunday is a very quiet place, where very few people move. I went for an amble round South and North Beach, and caught the following images.
Sunday 25 April - Anzac Day
Today is ANZAC day, the day when Australia and New Zealand remember their troops, lost in the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. I refer to the linked article on Wikipedia for a detailed account of this campaign. The 95th anniversary commemorations today have been darkened by a helicopter crash near Wellington, New Zealand, in which three people were killed. The chopper was to take part in the ceremonies marking ANZAC Day.
The casualty figures of Gallipoli are sobering. The Allies lost about 44,000, with 96,000 injured. The Turks lost 86,000, with 164,000 injured. Of the Allies, the British suffered the worst losses, nearly 50% of the above total. Australia and New Zealand lost 8,700 and 2,700 respectively, with 19,400 and 4,700 injured. I once watched a movie named Gallipoli, which is a moving account of an Australian boy who put his age on in order to join up - only to be mowed down in a senseless rush on Turkish lines.
Like the First World War as a whole, Gallipoli was an unnecessary exercise in bloodletting, exacerbated by military and strategic incompetence.
More later.
The casualty figures of Gallipoli are sobering. The Allies lost about 44,000, with 96,000 injured. The Turks lost 86,000, with 164,000 injured. Of the Allies, the British suffered the worst losses, nearly 50% of the above total. Australia and New Zealand lost 8,700 and 2,700 respectively, with 19,400 and 4,700 injured. I once watched a movie named Gallipoli, which is a moving account of an Australian boy who put his age on in order to join up - only to be mowed down in a senseless rush on Turkish lines.
Like the First World War as a whole, Gallipoli was an unnecessary exercise in bloodletting, exacerbated by military and strategic incompetence.
More later.
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