Sunday 9 December

A quiet day, with occasional showers and rather lower temps than yesterday. We managed 6C / 43F. The coming week will see benign weather, with good bright spells and moderate temperatures for the time of year. High pressure is taking up residence overhead, which tends to give rise to settled weather. It is the continuation of a weather pattern that has been present all year.

Typhoon Bopha is no more. After making a resurgence on Friday and Saturday west of Luzon, the storm collapsed from 85 knots to below tropical cyclone warning strength within 24 hours. Tropical cyclones require an even flow of wind at all levels of the atmosphere (they reach up to 10 miles up), and a strong windflow from the northeast monsoon killed Bopha just as it started to wreak havoc on the west coast of Luzon, Philippines. I anticipate that we shall never see the name Bopha used again, in view of the hundreds of lives lost in Mindanao and Luzon over the past week or so.

Earlier today, one of my FB contacts returned to their home in the Western Isles from a visit to Inverness, saying welcome back to civilisation. It is a tongue-in-cheek welcome, as some people go to the city to go to the theatre, the film or attend to various pieces of business. However, over the years that I have been in Lewis, I have found Inverness (and any city) to be place I cannot wait to get out of. Too many people, too much noise, traffic and what not. There is also a degree of friendly rivalry in this part of the world. The people from Stornoway look down on the teuchters (the country bumpkins) from out of town. Those from Inverness look down their nose at the country cousins from Stornoway. The people in Edinburgh look down at the Highlanders from Inverness. And Londoners look down on those Scots from Edinburgh.

I was talking about the busy streets of Inverness.


Your average road in this island looks like this.

Saturday 8 December

A milder day than of late, with the mercury reaching the dizzying heights of 10C / 50F. We did not see much of the sun today, although the sunset was quite creditable.



I went into the town after dark to photograph the Xmas decorations. Although they look very festive and colourful, their extent and variety has sadly decreased considerably over the years. Austerity has bitten deep here.

Prank phonecall

I want to write a few lines about the on-going controversy about the prank phonecall, perpetrated by Australian radiostation 2day a few days ago. Two presenters rang the King Edward VII Hospital in London where the Duchess of Cambridge was a patient. They pretended to be the Queen, and a nurse on duty answered questions on the Duchess's condition. This was against protocol and procedure; apparently, when a senior royal is in hospital, a policeman will answer such calls. It was reported yesterday that the nurse who answered the call took her own life.

A serious backlash is underway against the radiostation in Sydney, with advertising having been withdrawn by major Australian companies. I am disgusted by the prank phonecall, but do not feel that this was intended to cause someone actual harm. I think that the nurse knew she had made a serious mistake, and was unable to cope with that. Even though Prince William and his father Prince Charles went out of their way to show that they did not take this too seriously.

When someone makes a mistake when working with patients in hospital, they are usually spoken to by their line manager to ascertain the course of events and to ensure that the error will not occur again. It is not so much laying blame as learning lessons.

Just as I am closing this post, I read that the two DJs involved have been offered counselling over this event. I don't know if such was also offered to the unfortunate nurse in the aftermath of the prank phonecall.

Friday 7 December

Another nice day, apart from the temperature. We are in the middle of a nippy spell, with daytime temps of around 5C / 41F. The overnight lows on the mainland have been very low indeed, with Braemar at -13C on Thursday morning. The Netherlands have seen a good dump of snow, with up to 8 inches in places and all the attendant traffic problems that this brings. Our temps are due to rise over the weekend, possibly into double figures. Elsewhere, it will only go down.

A few days ago, the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge received a prank phonecall from an Australian radio station. The presenters pretended to be the Queen, enquiring after her daughter in law. The nurse answering the call proceeded to divulge confidential information - to the Australian radio station. I understand that when a royal is in hospital, any phonecalls of this nature are answered by the police officer on duty at the hospital. However, even when ordinary mortals are in hospital, telephone enquiries about someone's health are not routinely answered. This evening, it was announced that the nurse answering the phone that night is thought to have taken her own life. However, investigations are on-going, so it is not in order to enter into speculation into who are at fault here are not in order.

Wednesday 5 December

Another cold day, but fairly bright. By the middle of the afternoon, cloud started to increase from the southwest, obscuring the sun towards sunset time, 3.40pm. That, however, did not prevent the thermometer from dipping down to -3C at 6pm, rising through the night as cloud increased to heavy rain.

Earlier, between 8.30 and 10am, a ship came into port - only to leave shortly afterwards.

MV Arrow was en-route to Uig (Skye). She is a roll-on roll-off ship, so maybe trying out the port with a view to take over from the MV Muirneag, which will go out of service in 10 months' time. I don't know. Visibility just allowed the superstructure of MV Grand Canyon to appear over the horizon, as she passed south down the Minch.

Typhoon Bopha (known in the Philippines as Pablo) has left a trail of death and destruction across Mindanao and other islands in the Philippines. Some 300 people are known to have died, and 700 are missing. Bopha was a category V typhoon, the strongest on the scale, and packed winds of 160 mph near its centre. The system is moving into the South China Sea, where it is expected to dissipate within 5 days.

Today is the eve of St Nicholas, the original and only Santa Klaus (sorry). In Holland, Flanders and western Germany, children will have spent the past fortnight or so putting their shoe in front of the fireplace, with a carrot in it. St Nicholas rides the roofs on his white charger, surrounded by Black Peters who do the dirty work of bringing presents. During the night, they wil go down the chimney to collect the carrot and leave a present in the shoe. Children who have been bad will find a bunch of twigs, indicative of punishment. The really bad ones will be taken back to Spain in the sack.

It all starts in mid-November, when St Nicholas arrives in Holland (or one of its towns) in a steamer, well, any boat really, with his posse of Peters. The Peters go off running around, scattering sweeties amidst the assembled children. Towns not near the sea or water will see St Nicholas arriving by train. Or coach if there is no railway station. St Nicholas arrives from Spain, as that is the place where his remains lie interred. Originally, he is from Turkey, but when the Muslims came, the bones were spirited across the Mediterranean to Spain

Tuesday 4 December

A fairly bright day, but continuing to feel very cold in the north wind. There were a few showers about, which did not help the temperatures; only 5C as a high. Major problems were experienced by drivers, caught out by black ice. Frozen roads look deceptively like wet roads, and people were relying on their in-car temperature gauges. Thinking that 4C is OK, they found themselves off the road at Balallan in Lewis and Luskentyre in Harris.

I still prefer our cold snap to the 160 mph winds that were experienced in eastern Mindanao, Philippines over the past 24 hours. In spite of the category V typhoon, the death toll in the Philippines appears to be relatively low. Preparations seem to have prevented a major loss of life, which so often is the case in the country. The Philippines, on average, sees about 20 tropical cyclones annually. The season is winding down over there, as the southern hemisphere season is beginning.

Sunset was at 3.40pm today, but we were treated to a very colourful display in Stornoway.

      

Monday 3 December

A fairly overcast and cold day, with the mercury at 6C at the most. The news was dominated by the Duchess of Cambridge (also known as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland), who had to be admitted to hospital with a severe form of morning sickness - in other words, she is expecting, but less than 12 weeks into the pregnancy. What I don't particularly like is that the news bulletins are taken over by this news, however happy for the couple involved.

I am keeping a close eye on the progression of supertyphoon Bopha / Pablo, as it prepares to slam into the Philippine island of Mindanao. The storm carries winds of 140 knots, which is 160 mph, gusting to 170 knots or 190 mph. Apart from the extreme wind, this also carries the risk of heavy rains, which (in the Philippines) carry the added hazard of life-threatening mudslides and flash floods. On Sunday, Bopha caused damage in the archipelago of Palau, 450 miles east of the Philippines.

A linesman who was assisting at an amateur football game in Amsterdam was kicked to death by three of the players on Sunday. The culprits, aged 15 and 16, have been arrested and will face court proceedings. A huge discussion has erupted in the Netherlands over violence in society, and particularly at football matches. Dutch football was long plagued by hooliganism, but the age of the players involved in this incident has hit a raw nerve. RIP Richard Nieuwenhuizen.

Sunday 2 December

After a slight overnight frost (-1C / 30F), the day dawned cold but bright. Cloud later built into isolated showers, which (here) appeared to be of rain only. As I type this, there are reports of snow on the Scottish mainland, which could accumulate to 15 cm / 6 inches on the mountains.

I spent the afternoon preparing my 40-odd Christmas cards for despatch. About half of those go to the USA. Printing the cards and envelopes and writing the messages. Tomorrow, I shall proceed to the Post Office to obtain postage. This also includes 5 Postcrossing cards, which go to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Russia and the USA.

Today was another day for great cloudscapes, and I share a handful of pics below.

Saturday 1 December

I awoke at 7 am, when it was still pitch dark, and noticed the planet Venus rising in the east.



The first day of the meteorological winter, and it definitely felt like that today. There was a steady progression of showers, and although I did not observe snow, there was a clear wintery feel about the weather today.



After lunch, I went out to the Iolaire Memorial, which stands some 2 miles south of Stornoway, at the entrance to the harbour. Just as I arrived at the location, I noticed a shower passing over the town.




These are the Beasts of Holm (not a whale, as someone on FB thought), also as seen from the Memorial




This is the coastline, runnign west from the Memorial to Holm Point.

Hurricane update - 1 December

Typhoon Bopha is headed for the Pacific island state of Palau, and is forecast to affect the southeastern Philippines beyond that. The typhoon carries maximum sustained winds of 125 knots (140 mph), with gusts to 150 knots (170 mph), and will intensify a bit more. This system originated from a disturbance that formed very close to the equator, and had some bother pulling itself together through lack of Coriolis force, which is greater, the further away you are from the equator.

Friday 30 November

The northern Atlantic hurricane season is drawing to a close today, but one pesky disturbance is keeping it alive. 91L, far out in the middle of the Atlantic, has a 40% chance of become a tropical cyclone. Here in Stornoway, it is getting colder and colder, and it was quite wet through the afternoon.



I just want to write a few lines on the subject of the Leveson Report, which was published yesterday. It has set out recommendations on press regulation in the UK, preferably underpinned by legislation. I am horrified to learn that the Conservative party has no intention of bringing that about, and the whole of the British press, broadsheets and all, are squarely behind that. The reason quoted is a loss of press freedom; News of the World style? Hope this brings down the government, as it is no longer representative of the people in this respect.

Thursday 29 November

Another cold day, temperature wise, with some good sunny spells. Again, the sun doing nothing to lift temperatures in any way. The flooding across England and Wales from earlier in the week is only slowly subsiding, and further rain next week could exacerbate the situation again. Wasn't it funny when some of the TV weathermen, at the height of the flood crisis, thought that the rain would exasperate the flooding.

My eye was caught by an article in the Daily Telegraph of 27 November, where people owning crofts in the Highlands were threatened with eviction, as they did not live there all the time. That may sound harsh, but it needs to be borne in mind that a croft is a phenomenon that lies at the heart of a lot of passion in these parts. A croft, a leased strip of land, was where people made their living. It was the lack of security of tenure that prompted what amounted to an uprising in the 1880s, as tenants were at risk of summary eviction. When you have a croft, it does not automatically have a house on it - a house is classed as an improvement. What happens a lot is that people think they have a house, and oh, there's a croft alongside it. Nope, it's the other way round.

Tuesday 27 November

A very cold day, with the mercury only briefly getting above 4C / 39F. There was some sunshine, but that had no impact on the temperature. We continue to enjoy days of nice cloudscapes, even if that does mean showers here and there. I by no means envy the people in floodstricken areas of England and Wales, and express my condolences to the family and friends of the elderly lady who drowned in the flooding of St Asaph, Denbighshire today. St Asaph is a small city, southwest of Chester and was nearly swept away in severe flooding.

I have spent the afternoon preparing a few texts for publication (read, make up into a nice book for myself); only one of these will make it on the open market, namely a selection of my writings. The other text is a private diary of some of my trips in the north of Scotland in 2004.


On the Cape Wrath peninsula, August 2004

I continue to monitor the slow progression of tropical storm Bopha, the 26th of the Northern Pacific season. However, it is still stuck at low latitudes, only 4 north. The system is not expected to move above 10N within the next five days. So, I'm presented with a lesson in the geography of the Federated States of Micronesia. I had heard of Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap and Palau before. But not of their constituent islands, such as Nukuoro, Losap or Puluwat.

Monday 26 November

A fairly bright day, although a couple of showers did come along to tease us. It felt cold, with the temperature no higher than 7C / 45F and a penetrating northerly breeze. As per usual this year, we're having the best weather in the country. North Yorkshire is being plagued by flooding, after the weekend wreaked havoc in southwestern England.

It was reported today that the famous Stornoway Black Puddings (a type of blood sausage) is closing in on the coveted Protected Geographical Indication status. I'm not fond of black pudding, but Stornoway is famous for it and I support the protection that the PGI affords. Unfortunately, producers outside the town will not be covered - but don't forget that there is a historic rivalry between rural Lewis and towny Stornoway, and a Niseach (e.g.) would not like to be seen under the same umbrella as a Stornowegian. Don't ask.

Hurricane update - 26 November

A tropical depression has formed in the Pacific Ocean, in the Federated States of Micronesia. System 26W is currently located near position 4.6N 155.7E, this being 70 miles northeast of Nukuoro; 145 miles southwest of Sapwuafik / Ngatik; 135 miles eastsoutheast of Lukunor; 235 miles southwest of Pohnpei; 260 miles southeast of Losap and 330 miles southeast of Weno, Chuuk.

The system will intensify to typhoon strength, reaching 90 knots (105 mph) by the time it reaches Yap.

If those names mean nothing to you, have a look on the warning pages of NWS Guam or consult an atlas. I had to too.

Sunday 25 November

A beautifully sunny day, after a veil of high cloud dissipated in the course of the morning.

I think we were really luck with the weather, as conditions in England have been downright atrocious. Two people were reportedly killed as a result of wind and rain, and although two inches of rain is not that much, it comes on top of a heck of a lot of rain that has fallen recently, leaving rivers full, the ground saturated - and basically, a recipe for disaster. The forecast for the northwest of Scotland is for a couple of cold and fairly calm days ahead; the Met Office puts our daytime highs between 5 and 9C (41 to 48F).

In the afternoon, I went for a wee amble round the bay to Goat Island, just as the ferry left and the tanker came in. There was no wind to speak of, making it feel warmer than the 7C / 45F on the thermometer; but out of the sun, you could feel the cold. The sun was so low in the sky that I could barely see where I was going.

Saturday 24 November

Quite a nice day, with good spells of sunshine and only high-level cloud. We managed 9C, about the highest temperature in the land. Went into town in the morning for a copy of the Stornoway Gazette; this usually comes out on Thursday, but it was late coming this week, and yesterday I didn't get round to getting it. But today, I managed a copy of the Two Minutes' Silence for 90p. The farmers' market was in Perceval Square, and I had a look round the bazaar in the Town Hall.

I have just finished watching an episode of a programme, recorded earlier this week, presented by Michael Portillo, on rail journeys in continental Europe. He was traversing Germany, and parts of it were familiar to me. During my time in Stornoway so far, I have encountered many people from that country. The historical background is familiar to all, and it somehow does not seem to be true - but it very much is. A fortnight ago, I once more highlighted the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938. However, times do change, and a huge effort has been made to integrate Germany back into the family of nations. Like Hitler was the wrong man at the wrong time, Adenauer (the first chancellor of post-war West Germany) was the right man at the right time. We should never forget what happened between 1933 and 1945; but not let it rule either what happens now and in the future.

Friday 23 November

This cloud summed up the day for us here in Stornoway; sunshine and a few showers. With the early sunset, before 4pm, we don't get much daylight through the day. At winter solstice, around December 21st, sunrise is at 9.15 am and sunset at 3.35 pm, giving us 6 hours and 20 minutes of sunshine (on a bright day). Stornoway lies just north of the 58th parallel North, and in December, the sun rises not more than 8 degrees (a hand's width) above the horizon at midday.

It has grown very quiet on the hurricane front, with the Atlantic hurricane season going out with a bang in the shape of hurricane Sandy. The southern hemisphere season has kicked off with tropical cyclone Anais a couple of weeks ago, but it did not affect land.

I have compiled two different calendars with my pictures; selecting 26 images out of the 5,500 photographs I have taken this year was no easy task!

Thursday 22 November

A wild start to today, with winds of 84 mph before dawn at the Butt of Lewis and nearly an inch of rain near the Tiumpan Head Lighthouse, 10 miles northeast of Stornoway. The rain cleared after midday, leaving us with a reasonably bright afternoon - our afternoons are presently rather curtailed due to sunset times before 4pm.

As I type this, a consultation is coming to a close at the local council [Comhairle nan Eilean Siar] about budget cuts, amounting to £6 million. This is the final of a series of consultations across the islands. I have seen the list of proposed cuts, and some of them are painful to say the least. Closing schools, slashing provision of social services - and yet, councillors have been provided with their own iPads. Budget choices are always difficult.

Today it is reported that one Pacific island, Sandy Island, does not exist. It was reported to lie between New Caledonia and Australia, but when a survey ship went to have a look, there was only 4,600 feet of water. So, this is a case of undiscovering an island.

Kittens for sale

A pretty little girl named Suzy was standing on the pavement in front of her home. Next to her was a basket containing a number of tiny creatures; in her hand was a sign announcing FREE KITTENS.



Suddenly a line of big black cars pulled up beside her. Out of the lead car stepped a chubby, grinning man.

"Hi there little girl, I'm Alex Salmond. What do you have in the basket?" he asked.
"Kittens," little Suzy said.
"How old are they?" asked Salmond. Suzy replied,
"They're so young, their eyes aren't even open yet."
"And what kind of kittens are they?"
"Scottish Nationalists," answered Suzy with a smile.

Salmond was delighted. As soon as he returned to his car, he called his PR chief and told him about the little girl and the kittens. Recognising the perfect photo op, the two men agreed that the Salmond should return the next day; and in front of the assembled media, have the girl talk about her discerning kittens.

So the next day, Suzy was again standing on the pavement with her basket of "FREE KITTENS" when another motorcade pulled up, this time followed by vans from STV, BBC, and CNN. Cameras and audio equipment were quickly set up, then Salmond got out of his limo and walked over to little Suzy.

"Hello, again," he said, "I'd love it if you would tell all my friends out there what kind of kittens you're giving away."
"Yes sir," Suzy said. "They're Conservatives."
Taken by surprise, the Salmond stammered, "But...but...yesterday, you told me they were SCOTTISH NATIONALISTS."

Little Suzy smiled and said, "I know. But today, they have their eyes open."