Today started sunny but ended cloudy. The rainfall radar shows an area of rain moving north across the country, with heavy falls over mainland Scotland. We'll get some rain during the night, I expect. Winds are forecast to increase during Sunday.
Not much else to report on, due to a spot of headache during the day. Worst of it is gone, thanks.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Friday, 9 July 2010
From the Napier Commission, 1883
Bosta Beach, 2006
In June 1883, the Napier Commission into the condition of the crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands visited the village of Breasclete, a mile from the famous Callanish Stones. They were hearing from a villager from Great Bernera, just across the water from Breasclete. The people of Bernera found themselves prevented from properly entering their cemetery, just off the beach at Bosta. I relay that part of the discussion. Today, in 2010, there are TWO gates into Bosta Cemetery.
14849. Lord Napier, Commission Chairman: With regard to the dyke which prevents you getting into the burial ground, why was there not a gate left in it through which you could carry the bodies ?
—Murdo Macdonald, Tobson, Gt Bernera: When the dyke was being made I was working at it, and we made a gate for the purpose of access to the churchyard, and it was shut up and filled with stones, and notice was sent to us by the farmer of Linshader that we must fill it up.
14850. Did you make any remonstrance to the authorities at Stornoway ?
—I don't think so.
14851. Are you aware that it is not lawful by the law of Scotland to shut up a road to a burial ground?
—I did think so.
14852. Then why did you not apply to the authorities ?
—Because the local government was stronger than we.
14853. In consequence of the shutting up of the wall, are you, in point of fact, to this day, obliged to lift the bier over the wall when you come to it ?
—Yes, we are obliged at this time to lift the coffin up on to the wall, and men to stand there, with others on the other side.
14854. Do you know whether the proprietor or those in authority were aware of that fact ?
—I don't know.
Friday evening
The morning's and afternoon's rains have moved away, and we're now enjoying some pleasant evening sunshine. The ferry is just coming into port, half an hour late, on the second of its three Friday calls - only in July and August by the way.
I posted on Facebook and Twitter the news that the Food Standards Agency has now lifted restrictions on the last Scottish sheepfarm following the Chernobyl disaster of April 1986. After 24 years, it's unbelievable. No details on the location of the farm are given in the article.
And they want to build windfarms in the Minch, the stretch of water between Lewis and mainland Scotland. Yep, it's an eyesore. People are protesting - but some of those are in favour of a landbased windfarm of similar turbine size.
I was watching the Coastguard helicopter taking off this morning and head inland. They were tasked to search for a walker, who had gone missing near Loch Langabhat yesterday. The 46-year old man was located cold and wet, but otherwise unhurt, between Loch Morsgail and Loch Reasort, a few miles west of Loch Langabhat.
Loch Langabhat from near Scaliscro
Loch Morsgail
Loch Resort
I posted on Facebook and Twitter the news that the Food Standards Agency has now lifted restrictions on the last Scottish sheepfarm following the Chernobyl disaster of April 1986. After 24 years, it's unbelievable. No details on the location of the farm are given in the article.
And they want to build windfarms in the Minch, the stretch of water between Lewis and mainland Scotland. Yep, it's an eyesore. People are protesting - but some of those are in favour of a landbased windfarm of similar turbine size.
I was watching the Coastguard helicopter taking off this morning and head inland. They were tasked to search for a walker, who had gone missing near Loch Langabhat yesterday. The 46-year old man was located cold and wet, but otherwise unhurt, between Loch Morsgail and Loch Reasort, a few miles west of Loch Langabhat.
Loch Langabhat from near Scaliscro
Loch Morsgail
Loch Resort
Friday 9 July
Pouring with rain as I type this, and it's going to continue pouring down until evening. The rainfall radar looks decidedly ominous. More later.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Thursday 8 July
The gale has died down, but we're left with a stiff breeze of nearly 25 mph. Heavy showers continue to punctuate the morning. The swell from yesterday's high winds has prevented the cruiseliner Marco Polo from putting its passengers ashore. That is usually done using tenders, which cannot manage in choppy conditions. Three years ago, two hundred cruisepassengers were left stranded ashore after being put ashore just as a gale was blowing up.
Yesterday, the Germans lost their semi-final match in the football world cup against Spain, 1-0. The Dutch, always ready to rib the Germans, immediately swamped Twitter and made Schade, Deutschland, alles ist vorbei (What a shame, Germany, it's all over) a trending topic. The Germans did not really like this exercise in "schadenfreude" and seethed at the Käseköpfe. The Germans refer to the Dutch as cheeseheads. Anyway, whoever wins the World Cup on Sunday will do so for the first time.
Yesterday, the Germans lost their semi-final match in the football world cup against Spain, 1-0. The Dutch, always ready to rib the Germans, immediately swamped Twitter and made Schade, Deutschland, alles ist vorbei (What a shame, Germany, it's all over) a trending topic. The Germans did not really like this exercise in "schadenfreude" and seethed at the Käseköpfe. The Germans refer to the Dutch as cheeseheads. Anyway, whoever wins the World Cup on Sunday will do so for the first time.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Wednesday 7 July
Awake to a very windy morning, with winds blowing at nearly 40 mph (galeforce), with gusts up to 65 mph near the Butt of Lewis. The ferry is sailing, but I imagine it will be a vomit comet as it does its customary three crossings. Today, the analogue signal for BBC2 TV has been switched off at the Eitsal transmitter near Achmore. Digital TV's need retuning today, and again on July 21st when the other analogue signals will be switched off.
Today is also the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the London Underground and Transport systems. Between 8 and 10 am on 7 July 2005, four suicide bombers struck underground stations in London and one bus at Tavistock Square, near Euston. Fifty-two innocent civilians died. An effort has been made to improve the integration of the Muslim community in Great Britain, but radicalisation appears to be rearing its ugly head again, the BBC reported this morning.
I'll go so far as to disapprove thoroughly of tarring all Muslims as terrorists on account of both 7/7 and 9/11. The perpetrators, in my mind, abused their religion to commit mass murder - if any justification were possible, political motives could be quoted. The Koran, which I have not studied, apparently disapproves of murder, and takes into account other religions, telling Muslims to treat both Jews and Christians with respect.
Today is also the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the London Underground and Transport systems. Between 8 and 10 am on 7 July 2005, four suicide bombers struck underground stations in London and one bus at Tavistock Square, near Euston. Fifty-two innocent civilians died. An effort has been made to improve the integration of the Muslim community in Great Britain, but radicalisation appears to be rearing its ugly head again, the BBC reported this morning.
I'll go so far as to disapprove thoroughly of tarring all Muslims as terrorists on account of both 7/7 and 9/11. The perpetrators, in my mind, abused their religion to commit mass murder - if any justification were possible, political motives could be quoted. The Koran, which I have not studied, apparently disapproves of murder, and takes into account other religions, telling Muslims to treat both Jews and Christians with respect.
Tuesday 6 July
Uninspiring grey and wet day, so much so that I resorted to taking pictures of fruit and flowers. If only to have something colourful. As the day wears on, the weather brightens up, but the wind starts to pick up through the evening. The Football World Cup is now into the semi-finals, with Holland beating Uruguay 3-2. For the first time since 1978, the Dutch are in the finals. Their opponents, Germany or Spain, will meet them on Sunday. The other semi-final takes place on Wednesday.
Monday, 5 July 2010
Hurricane update - 5 July
Not even a fully fledged tropical cyclone, but a tropical disturbance is moving ashore in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana this evening. Heavy rain and strong winds can be expected in that area. Windspeeds will be below galeforce, although there is a good chance (60%) that this system briefly becomes a tropical storm immediately before coming ashore. The NHC has updates.
Monday 5 July
Weather more autumnal than summerlike, with intermittent showers and still fairly windy. In the course of the evening tomorrow, we can expect another gale. Yippee. Let's hope that's the end of them for a while, although I do recall a severe gale around this time in July five years ago - see pic below..
This picture was taken near Holm Point, 2½ miles south of Stornoway
Had a restful day after quite a varied weekend. Here in Stornoway, a flat burned out on Church Street in the early hours of Sunday. Two dogs were killed in the blaze, but no people were hurt. Adjacent properties suffered smoke damage; the flat itself was destroyed.
This picture was taken near Holm Point, 2½ miles south of Stornoway
Had a restful day after quite a varied weekend. Here in Stornoway, a flat burned out on Church Street in the early hours of Sunday. Two dogs were killed in the blaze, but no people were hurt. Adjacent properties suffered smoke damage; the flat itself was destroyed.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Sunday 4 July
Happy 4th July to all in the United States. It is now 234 years since the Declaration of Independence, so a big bash will be on the cards for 2026. Please be careful with barbeques and fireworks.
Here in the Western Isles, this morning's rain has moved away to be replaced by high winds. At the moment, it is blowing force 6 to 7, with gales approaching from the southwest. Many ferry services are disrupted up and down the west coast of Scotland - our ferry appears to be on schedule to depart at 2.30pm.
This picture shows the rescue that took place in Stornoway in the morning of 2 July, when a fishing trawler lost power and was nearly blown into the ferry linkspan. The RNLI lifeboat came to its aid.
Here in the Western Isles, this morning's rain has moved away to be replaced by high winds. At the moment, it is blowing force 6 to 7, with gales approaching from the southwest. Many ferry services are disrupted up and down the west coast of Scotland - our ferry appears to be on schedule to depart at 2.30pm.
This picture shows the rescue that took place in Stornoway in the morning of 2 July, when a fishing trawler lost power and was nearly blown into the ferry linkspan. The RNLI lifeboat came to its aid.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Saturday 3 July
Not a very good day in terms of weather - intermittent showers although the wind is slowly decreasing. The sun was out. Last night, our freight ferry Muirneag did not sail due to the unfavourable weather conditions. The result is, as always, empty shelves in the shop. Yesterday's ferry schedule was in tatters as well, when the late sailing by the Isle of Lewis was more than 2 hours late - it docked at 3 am! The next sailing was due out only 4 hours later. Just as well they have crew rotation on those ferries. Worse disruption exists on the Oban to Lochboisdale and Castlebay routes, 100 miles to the south, after the Clansman sprained its crankshaft, necessitating a lengthy spell in dry-dock. There aren't really any relief vessels, and what is available only has very limited capacity.
Muirneag
Isle of Lewis
Clansman
Muirneag
Isle of Lewis
Clansman
Friday 2 July
A very breezy day, with the wind blowing at force 5 to 6. A fishingboat had to be towed to safety by the lifeboat after losing power near Goat Island. Without assistance, the boat would have drifted onto the ferry pier, according to the Press & Journal. In the afternoon, I went to Sandwick Cemetery to photograph one particular grave momument - one that stands 8 feet tall. I previously only pictured the section that referred to a war casualty. The graveyard had recently been mowed, which made it look nice and tidy. Many of the gravestones are losing the legibility of their inscriptions. Back here in town, a gardening company has filled some of the tubs with nice flowers.
By the way, I prefer Stornoway's 19C to the 35C that my father is "enjoying" down in Holland.
Flowery boat, Newton
Memorial at Sandwick Cemetery
Sandwick Bay
By the way, I prefer Stornoway's 19C to the 35C that my father is "enjoying" down in Holland.
Flowery boat, Newton
Memorial at Sandwick Cemetery
Sandwick Bay
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Trapper trapped
My perusal of attestation papers for the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in the First World War revealed some unusual details, some actually quite tragic.
A 31-year old trapper from the Canadian Northwest Territories, George Mckenzie, was apprehended on 14 October 1918 after not reporting for military duty. Since 1917, the military draft had been in force in Canada. The numbers of volunteers had seemingly dropped off dramatically as the heroic battles on the Western Front showed themselves to be pointless bloodbaths in which thousands of Canadian lads had perished. George Mckenzie had been called up 11 months previously, but not reported for duty. His place of residence is quoted as Fort Smith, a settlement on the Salt River on the border between Alberta and Northwest Territories. He was born in 1887 in Fort Resolution, 60 miles to the north on the shores of the Great Slave Lake. If he was a trapper, it stands to reason he would not receive his summons for nearly a year. What caused his hospital admission is not known (at this stage).
George Mckenzie died in hospital in Edmonton, 500 miles south of Fort Smith, without his details being recorded by the military authorities.
A 31-year old trapper from the Canadian Northwest Territories, George Mckenzie, was apprehended on 14 October 1918 after not reporting for military duty. Since 1917, the military draft had been in force in Canada. The numbers of volunteers had seemingly dropped off dramatically as the heroic battles on the Western Front showed themselves to be pointless bloodbaths in which thousands of Canadian lads had perished. George Mckenzie had been called up 11 months previously, but not reported for duty. His place of residence is quoted as Fort Smith, a settlement on the Salt River on the border between Alberta and Northwest Territories. He was born in 1887 in Fort Resolution, 60 miles to the north on the shores of the Great Slave Lake. If he was a trapper, it stands to reason he would not receive his summons for nearly a year. What caused his hospital admission is not known (at this stage).
George Mckenzie died in hospital in Edmonton, 500 miles south of Fort Smith, without his details being recorded by the military authorities.
Are these the same?
On 28 February 1916, a man named Norman Maciver walked into an army recruitment centre at Saltcoats in Saskatchewan, Canada. Norman was a man of small stature, half an inch short of 5 feet, with a chest circumference of only 30½ inches. He was apparently eager to join the Canadian Expedionary Force fighting in France. His mother, erroneously named Mary Macaulay on his enrolment paper, lived a dozen miles away in Wroxton. Norman was born in the Isle of Lewis in 1899 and not married in 1916. On 12 December 1916, he was signed off medically unfit.
On 20 January 1917, a man named Norman Maciver walked into an army recruitment centre at Melville in Saskatchewan, Canada. Norman was a man of small stature, half an inch short of 5 feet, with a chest circumference of only 31½ inches. but apparently eager to join the Canadian Expedionary Force fighting in France. His mother, Mary lived a dozen miles away in Yorkton, where he himself also lived. Norman was born in the Isle of Lewis in 1898 and not married in 1917. On 14 June 1917, he was signed off medically unfit.
Are these the same? It would appear so, tantalisingly so. I have been unable to find a birth certificate for a Norman Maciver being born in either 1898 or 1899, with a mother named Mary. But the similarities are striking. However, having gone through several hundred attestation papers, a chest circumference of 31 inches is very small (average being nearer 38), as is Norman's height of 4' 11.5" (1.50 metres). Maybe that prompted his dismissal as medically unfit? We shall probably never know.
On 20 January 1917, a man named Norman Maciver walked into an army recruitment centre at Melville in Saskatchewan, Canada. Norman was a man of small stature, half an inch short of 5 feet, with a chest circumference of only 31½ inches. but apparently eager to join the Canadian Expedionary Force fighting in France. His mother, Mary lived a dozen miles away in Yorkton, where he himself also lived. Norman was born in the Isle of Lewis in 1898 and not married in 1917. On 14 June 1917, he was signed off medically unfit.
Are these the same? It would appear so, tantalisingly so. I have been unable to find a birth certificate for a Norman Maciver being born in either 1898 or 1899, with a mother named Mary. But the similarities are striking. However, having gone through several hundred attestation papers, a chest circumference of 31 inches is very small (average being nearer 38), as is Norman's height of 4' 11.5" (1.50 metres). Maybe that prompted his dismissal as medically unfit? We shall probably never know.
Thursday 1 July
The day started wet and windy here, but after lunchtime, the cloud broke and the sun is currently shining brightly. The mercury is at 15C, which is a lot more bearable than the 31C that my father is reporting from Holland. West is best, it would seem. Not much doing today, apart from giving some computer help and monitoring hurricane Alex, that I mentioned in my previous post. And watching the second movie (on DVD) of Lord of the Rings.
Hurricane update - 1 July
Hurricane Alex has made landfall about 110 miles south of Brownsville, TX, with winds of 100 mph, gusting to 130 mph. The storm is now well inland and weakening. The main problems will be rainfall, with 8 to 12 inches already falling over northern Mexico, and 4 to 8 inches over southern Texas. If you're in that area, please be extremely wary of flash-floods, which can be life-threatening. Please monitor the output of NWS Brownsville and Corpus Christi for further details.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Wednesday 30 June
Closing the first half of the year on a positive note, with bright and sunny weather and fairly warm for this part of the world. We once more managed 19C, which is warm enough for me. Went out for a drive to Bayble, 5 miles east of Stornoway, for a stroll on the small beach by the pier there. The tide was out and the plovers were scurrying amongst the rocks looking for tidbits. I haven't uploaded the pictures yet, as I've been installing a wireless printer after coming back from Bayble. Very nice piece of kit.
I won't bore you with another rant about windfarms. We're threatened with another one, this time south of Stornoway. Wonderful. That coming on the day that the Isle of Eigg did not have power because there was no wind and there hasn't been rain there for a while - and most of their electricity is generated using hydro- and windpower. OK, they have generator back-up, but that's not the point, is it. Worse than that, last March, there was a day that all the windfarms in the whole of Scotland managed sufficient power to boil 1,000 kettles. Not much use in a nation of 5 million, is it?!
I won't bore you with another rant about windfarms. We're threatened with another one, this time south of Stornoway. Wonderful. That coming on the day that the Isle of Eigg did not have power because there was no wind and there hasn't been rain there for a while - and most of their electricity is generated using hydro- and windpower. OK, they have generator back-up, but that's not the point, is it. Worse than that, last March, there was a day that all the windfarms in the whole of Scotland managed sufficient power to boil 1,000 kettles. Not much use in a nation of 5 million, is it?!
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Lewismen in Canadian service
Lewismen serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1918
Total found: 678
112 do not feature in the Rolls of Honour
200 cannot be traced on Veteran Affairs Canada (with any degree of reliability), in spite of being quoted as serving with the Canadians
130 were killed
Drafted
37 were called up under the Army Act from 1917 onwards, 3 were defaulters, and were arrested after not answering their summons
445 volunteered for service
Marital status
53 were married
414 were single
Religion
1 was a Seventh Day Adventist
1 was United Free Church
11 were Church of England
451 were Presbyterian
6 had no religion recorded
Location of enlistment
Calgary 21
Edmonton 21
Valcartier 41
Vancouver 38
Victoria 31
Winnipeg 96
amongst others
Trades / occupations
Carpenter 35
Farmer, farmworker 50
Labourer 110
Miner 22
Sailor 15
Stonemason, -cutter 16
Teamster 21
amongst others
Complexion
Dark 141
Fair 150
Fresh 40
Ruddy 45
Eyes
Blue 243
Brown 99
Grey 97
Hazel 25
Hair
Black 77
Brown, dark or light 289
Dark 31
Light / fair 60
Height
Less than 5 feet - 2
5 ft 0 to 5 ft 3.75 - 20
5 ft 4 to 5 ft 4.75 - 31
5 ft 5 to 5 ft 5.75 - 45
5 ft 6 to 5 ft 6.75 - 57
5 ft 7 to 5 ft 7.75 - 82
5 ft 8 to 5 ft 8.875 - 41
5 ft 9 to 5 ft 9.75 - 64
5 ft 10 to 5 ft 10.75 - 40
5 ft 11 to 5 ft 11.75 - 25
6 ft and taller - 19
Total found: 678
112 do not feature in the Rolls of Honour
200 cannot be traced on Veteran Affairs Canada (with any degree of reliability), in spite of being quoted as serving with the Canadians
130 were killed
Drafted
37 were called up under the Army Act from 1917 onwards, 3 were defaulters, and were arrested after not answering their summons
445 volunteered for service
Marital status
53 were married
414 were single
Religion
1 was a Seventh Day Adventist
1 was United Free Church
11 were Church of England
451 were Presbyterian
6 had no religion recorded
Location of enlistment
Calgary 21
Edmonton 21
Valcartier 41
Vancouver 38
Victoria 31
Winnipeg 96
amongst others
Trades / occupations
Carpenter 35
Farmer, farmworker 50
Labourer 110
Miner 22
Sailor 15
Stonemason, -cutter 16
Teamster 21
amongst others
Complexion
Dark 141
Fair 150
Fresh 40
Ruddy 45
Eyes
Blue 243
Brown 99
Grey 97
Hazel 25
Hair
Black 77
Brown, dark or light 289
Dark 31
Light / fair 60
Height
Less than 5 feet - 2
5 ft 0 to 5 ft 3.75 - 20
5 ft 4 to 5 ft 4.75 - 31
5 ft 5 to 5 ft 5.75 - 45
5 ft 6 to 5 ft 6.75 - 57
5 ft 7 to 5 ft 7.75 - 82
5 ft 8 to 5 ft 8.875 - 41
5 ft 9 to 5 ft 9.75 - 64
5 ft 10 to 5 ft 10.75 - 40
5 ft 11 to 5 ft 11.75 - 25
6 ft and taller - 19
Tuesday 29 June
Quite a nice day, even if there was some cloud about. Managed to sit outside for lunch, as there was far less wind than yesterday. Nothing noteworthy in football land - Paraguay and Spain are through to the next round. I went to the library to find copies of the Stornoway Gazette from 1918. This was printed on poor quality paper, meaning it has had to be transferred to microfiche. Being quoted the wrong date did not help, but the quality of the film was mediocre.
I ended up photographing the screen of the microfiche reader to get the best result.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Monday 28 June
Tropical storm Alex is getting its act together for a hit on the Rio Grande later this week: around 90 knots (105 mph) of wind and a heck of a lot of rain. Take care if you're down there. Here in Stornoway, it may be mild (16C) but not sunny and quite windy. That does not stop the visitors from flocking to these islands - it is as busy as ever.
Football? Holland went through against Slovakia, beating the East Europeans 2-1. They will now face Brazil, who are beating Chile 3-0. Never thought I'd be reduced to blogging about football. Oh well, swept away in the general excitement (not), I suppose.
I've spent the day looking up details of Canadian combatants in the First World War, who originated in the Isle of Lewis. It was more a case of double-checking, as I found myself correcting quite a few minor transcription errors.
Football? Holland went through against Slovakia, beating the East Europeans 2-1. They will now face Brazil, who are beating Chile 3-0. Never thought I'd be reduced to blogging about football. Oh well, swept away in the general excitement (not), I suppose.
I've spent the day looking up details of Canadian combatants in the First World War, who originated in the Isle of Lewis. It was more a case of double-checking, as I found myself correcting quite a few minor transcription errors.
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