The opening ceremony for the Winter Paralympics was held in Sochi yesterday. One piece of music struck me as supremely ironical, if not (as my friend Daan suggested) cynical. "The Grand Gate at Kiev". The athletes will be doing their level best for the next eight days or so. The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday, 16th March.
On Sunday, 16th March, this referendum will be held in Crimea whether to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. So far, Ukraine has not reacted to the armed provocation by the Putin's Russia, thereby preventing a disaster. Thus far. However, we all know what the outcome of the Crimean referendum will be - to join Russia. Ukraine has said it will not let go of Crimea. I've marked Sunday 16th March in my diary, and I barely dare look.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Sunday 2 March
Quite a nice afternoon here in Stornoway, with a good collection of lens-shaped clouds about. There is also a southerly breeze going, with the weatherglass on its way down. Am expecting rain in the evening. Meanwhile, I'm also looking out as the tide recedes. Low tide at 1.50pm. Went for a walk round town, but found the wind very cold. Did find a mollusc at the tideline, but did not want to eat it, so it went back into the sea.
Monday 3 March
A beautiful spring day, so I went for a 4½ mile jaunt round the Castle Grounds. Went along the bank of the Bayhead River to the Waterwheel, thence via the new mountain bike trail to the Marybank Gate, and on to Strawberry Hill. Some very nice vistas to be had at the higher points. Noticed that the crossing at Bennadrove had been broken through the wall, to give access to mountain bikers. Not many of them about. Returned via Cuddy Point, where the tide was just beginning to rise.
Saturday 1 March
Quite a bright morning here, but the sky is what I call messy, with lots of mid-level cloud about (altocumulus), cirrocumulus at higher level - and the dreaded cumulonimbus, also known as showerclouds. In plain English, I don't trust the weather one bit today. However, the sun is nice and getting warm behind glass. 7C / 45F is no great shakes for March, but we're only 12 hours into the month so not complaining. Yet.
Friday 28 February
Morning all, it's grey here, but the rain has stopped and it's getting slightly less dreich. Very worried about the situation in the Crimea, where a Russian (backed) intervention in all but name appears to be underway. Actions speak louder than words.
Spent a wee while in Stornoway library, browsing the columns of the Inverness Courier and offshoot The Highland News. I was looking for an obituary or a death notice for a South Uist soldier, who had died of TB in February 1917. A death notice in the paper costs money, and people in the South Uist of 1917 did not have money. There is no gravestone over the grave in Hallan Cemetery, Daliburgh, mute testimony to their poverty.
I was pleased to see they are finally widening the right-hand pavement (as you come up from South Beach) on Kenneth Street, outside An Lanntair. It was so narrow that two people could not pass each other without one having to step into the roadway. A disabled parking bay? Don't make me laugh. It'll be a free for all parking bay.
This weekend will see another springtide, with the highest and lowest tides occurring on Sunday and Monday. I'm pleased that here in SY the ebb tides occur in the afternoon, giving me a chance to go down and look for shellfish.
Spent a wee while in Stornoway library, browsing the columns of the Inverness Courier and offshoot The Highland News. I was looking for an obituary or a death notice for a South Uist soldier, who had died of TB in February 1917. A death notice in the paper costs money, and people in the South Uist of 1917 did not have money. There is no gravestone over the grave in Hallan Cemetery, Daliburgh, mute testimony to their poverty.
I was pleased to see they are finally widening the right-hand pavement (as you come up from South Beach) on Kenneth Street, outside An Lanntair. It was so narrow that two people could not pass each other without one having to step into the roadway. A disabled parking bay? Don't make me laugh. It'll be a free for all parking bay.
This weekend will see another springtide, with the highest and lowest tides occurring on Sunday and Monday. I'm pleased that here in SY the ebb tides occur in the afternoon, giving me a chance to go down and look for shellfish.
Thursday 27 February
Morning all from Stornoway, where the weather is very changeable this morning. Plenty of showers (when are we getting our radar back?!). I am currently unable to locate our ferry MV Isle of Lewis on AIS, but she is due to return to Liverpool for further repairs. Been up since half past five this morning (don't ask), so that will catch up with me at some stage today. Done a few more searches on Hebridean Connections.
The woman who kept a horse in her living room returned home this morning - to find that the equine had been removed to a more suitable location. A stables in Benbecula. This made national news headlines.
An interesting day from a point of view of weather. As I type this (10pm), a rogue shower is passing through, whilst the rest of Lewis is ogling the Aurora Borealis. The day did start wet as well, but cleared up to heavy showers, which gradually faded in the second half of the afternoon. Gorgeous cloudscapes.
The woman who kept a horse in her living room returned home this morning - to find that the equine had been removed to a more suitable location. A stables in Benbecula. This made national news headlines.
An interesting day from a point of view of weather. As I type this (10pm), a rogue shower is passing through, whilst the rest of Lewis is ogling the Aurora Borealis. The day did start wet as well, but cleared up to heavy showers, which gradually faded in the second half of the afternoon. Gorgeous cloudscapes.
Wednesday 26 February
Quite a nice, bright day here, with a few attempts at showers - not coming to very much at all. We're managing double digit temperatures this afternoon, and the daffs and crocuses are out. Very cheery. Only three days of (meteorological) winter left, but to be honest, we have not seen much winter at all this year.
Russia, the Crimea and the Ukraine (II)
Strange. Earlier today, I was watching parts of that press conference with Vladimir Putin, and he looked as if he had suffered a disappointment. Yes, his troops have taken possession of the Crimea. Not a single person has been wounded or killed - thus far - although some hot heads did discharge their weapons outside an airforce base earlier today. The hot heads being some Russian soldiers who were confronted by a column of 300 Ukrainean soldiers marching towards them - unarmed. By not offering any resistance to this profound provocation, being the invasion of what was their territory since 1954, has most likely taken the sting out of the situation. The Ukraineans knew they could never stand up to the might of the Russian armed forces. So they offered no resistance. And that deprived Putin of the pretext he wanted for launching an all-out assault. We ain't there yet. But suddenly, the sun seems to be reappearing behind the clouds over the Ukraine. Keep your heads cool there. Oh, Yanukovich, you ask? He has been ruled out by Putin.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Russia, the Crimea and the Ukraine
The Crimea, a peninsula in the north of the Black Sea, has been part of the Ukraine since 1954, with a section being used by the Russian Federation for its Black Sea fleet under treaties signed in 1994. The Crimea, scene of a war in the 1850s, has a mixed population, consisting of 55% Russians, 21% Crimean Tartars and the rest Ukraineans. Although the regional government of the Crimea is appointed by the Ukrainean government in Kiev, armed men loyal to the Russian majority have now seized power and have requested (and are getting) support from Vladimir Putin's Russia. Russian troops have deployed outside the naval base at Sevastopol, and have mounted a de-facto invasion of Ukrainean territory, although no combat appears to be taking place.
It is also interesting to place this in the context of recent events in the Ukraine. This large country (which spans 800 miles east to west) has a Russian speaking minority in the east. Late last year, president Yanukovich turned down a trade deal with the EU in favour of a much more appealing offer from Russia. If memory serves, the EU offered £1bn, whereas Russia's carrot was £17bn. At the time, I commented that I did not fault Yanukovich for taking that deal. However, the population in the west of Ukraine was very unhappy, and started demonstrations in Kiev which have lasted since November. They have resulted in more than 70 deaths as well as the de-facto deposing of Mr Yanukovich. He appears to have been enriching himself not unlike Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and seems to have fallen out of favour with even the Russian minority in the east of his country. Yanukovich appears to have been spirited out of the Crimea into Russia.
Last Sunday, during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia's president Vladimir Putin could be seen looking decidedly glum. Do not forget that Yanukovich was his man, and his replacement (referred to by the Kremlin as "Ukrainean ultra-nationalists" poses a "direct threat to the live (sic) and health of Russian citizens". We can therefore expect the Crimea to be placed under Russian control (never mind those treaties), to safeguard the health and safety of Russian citizens. That will create tensions, as the Crimean Tartars are not enamoured with the Russians. Under Stalin, a large number of them were deported from the Crimea and murdered. However, Mr Putin appears to be flexing the muscles of the Russian Federation in the face of the popular uprising in Kiev. He will regard the Ukraine as his backyard, to be ruled by who he approves - and if that no longer is the case, he will take whatever is required to remedy that situation. Including the use of force.
Russia appears to be in a strong position. The Western powers cannot do anything to intervene, without risking a direct confrontation with the Russian Federation. At the end of the day, we may well find Russian forces onto Ukrainean territory proper, north of the Crimea, to reinstate Yanukovich in Kiev - at whatever cost. Barack Obama was talking about 'costs'. Like what? Mr Obama needs Mr Putin more than Mr Putin needs Mr Obama. Instances of note are the civil war in Syria and the question of Iran's nuclear programme. I have to laugh when I watch David Cameron, Angela Merkel and Barack Obama in earnest telephone conversations with Vladimir Putin, who pledges to uphold the territorial integrity of the Ukraine - aye, he will. But our Vladimir, who is a clever political player, will not rest until the politics of his western neighbour are aligned to serve his interests best. If anybody starts to make a real fuss, all he has to do is turn off the gas.
Putin will enjoy large support on the home front. There are many people in Russia today who long for the lost days when the Soviet Union was a superpower, with a sphere of influence to match. The Russian bear has woken up and finds it is strong. Beware.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Tuesday 25 February
The morning started so innocent and calm, not a cloud in the sky and all the rest of it. However, here we are, six hours later, and it is overcast and looking like serious rain in the next five minutes.
I was speaking to a passenger who had travelled on the ferry from Ullapool yesterday. Apparently, the MV Isle of Arran does not have enough space for all the vehicles that need to come across, so they are loaded on the MV Clipper Ranger whilst their drivers and passengers go on the Arran. Once at Stornoway, the passengers disembark at the ferry terminal and are then bussed to pier number 1 to be reunited with their vehicles. I was also told that the MV Isle of Lewis got a battering on the Friday morning crossing from Stornoway to Ullapool, with all the plates and crockery broken - my experience on the ferry is that whenever it gets rough the crockery gets smashed.
I was speaking to a passenger who had travelled on the ferry from Ullapool yesterday. Apparently, the MV Isle of Arran does not have enough space for all the vehicles that need to come across, so they are loaded on the MV Clipper Ranger whilst their drivers and passengers go on the Arran. Once at Stornoway, the passengers disembark at the ferry terminal and are then bussed to pier number 1 to be reunited with their vehicles. I was also told that the MV Isle of Lewis got a battering on the Friday morning crossing from Stornoway to Ullapool, with all the plates and crockery broken - my experience on the ferry is that whenever it gets rough the crockery gets smashed.
Monday 24 February
A very sunny day here in Stornoway, haven't had one of those for ages. The barometer is rising, as is the thermometer. We may even see double-digits this afternoon. Better enjoy it, as rain is due in during the evening.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is pushing for the interconnector (subsea high voltage cable) to get installed. It could cost £800m ($1.3bn, €1bn) to be laid across 50 miles of sea, and 50 miles of land from Dundonnell to Beauly. Mr Ewing says it will help to alleviate fuel poverty in the Western Isles. What a load of tosh. If this infernal thing gets installed, we won't get a penny off our electricity bills. The only ones to financially gain from it will be the energy companies - our islands will not benefit, they will only lose. Did I say I was against?
Typical Hebridean day. Started off sunny, cloud bubbled up after lunchtime and now we're having showers.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is pushing for the interconnector (subsea high voltage cable) to get installed. It could cost £800m ($1.3bn, €1bn) to be laid across 50 miles of sea, and 50 miles of land from Dundonnell to Beauly. Mr Ewing says it will help to alleviate fuel poverty in the Western Isles. What a load of tosh. If this infernal thing gets installed, we won't get a penny off our electricity bills. The only ones to financially gain from it will be the energy companies - our islands will not benefit, they will only lose. Did I say I was against?
Typical Hebridean day. Started off sunny, cloud bubbled up after lunchtime and now we're having showers.
Saturday 22 February
Right, a new permutation in the dance of the ferry boats. The MV Isle of Lewis is hovering just off Achiltibuie in Loch Broom, but the good ole MV Isle of Arran is ploughing its way across the Minch - providing they dare venture beyond Rudha Reidh.
Well, that has turned into a nasty wet and windy afternoon. The MV Isle of Arran made it into port half an hour late (she is slower than the Isle of Lewis) and is currently on its way back to the mainland. Pleased about events in Ukraine, but situation still in a state of flux and potentially hazardous. Do have a reasonable sense of optimism about it - but we shall see what we shall see.
Galeforce southerly winds this evening, with persistent heavy rain. The poor ole MV Isle of Arran is gallantly ploughing her way across the Minch this evening, trailing green smoke from its long suffering passengers. Am not expecting her back until 10pm.
Well, that has turned into a nasty wet and windy afternoon. The MV Isle of Arran made it into port half an hour late (she is slower than the Isle of Lewis) and is currently on its way back to the mainland. Pleased about events in Ukraine, but situation still in a state of flux and potentially hazardous. Do have a reasonable sense of optimism about it - but we shall see what we shall see.
Galeforce southerly winds this evening, with persistent heavy rain. The poor ole MV Isle of Arran is gallantly ploughing her way across the Minch this evening, trailing green smoke from its long suffering passengers. Am not expecting her back until 10pm.
Sunday 23 February
Wet and windy this morning, but that's pretty much par for the course here. And you know me, I'll never complain about a good blow. All sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool were cancelled. A large Norwegian fishing boat came in, the Rav.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Friday 21 February
The MV Isle of Lewis is back on its run to Ullapool, but sailings promptly get cancelled for the rest of the day. This afternoon, the weather is poor, but this evening's crossing is called off due to technical reasons. Isn't that great? The boat is only just out of drydock, and it sounds as if it needs to go straight back in! It later transpires that the boat had trouble with its rudder.
I was horrified to learn that copies of Anne Frank's Diary had been vandalised in libraries in Japan. Japan may not have Jewish settlements, or a historical Jewish community. However, Japan has never apologised for the atrocities committed in Eastern Asia during WW2 (unlike Germany). Its emperor was allowed go evade prosecution, although he could be said to be responsible - as all the atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan were committed in his name. Deeply concerned.
Well, that was a day of mixed fortunes. After a decent start, we had a spell of heavy rain or showers, followed by a clearance towards sunset. I am pleased they reached a deal in Ukraine, under duress by the sound of it, and no guarantees for it holding.
Thursday 20 February
A wet morning here in Stornoway, but not excessively windy. Nothing new in the news either, fighting in Kiev, water leaks at Fukushima - at least there is progress in the refurbishment of Lews Castle. Afternoon improved quite a bit, after a handful of beefy showers. No complaints this end.
Read in the local paper that the island of Barra is thinking of defecting to Argyll & Bute Council (I think it's about 100 miles to the southeast of the island) as Barraich do not feel that the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) serves it properly. This follows the rejection of an application to reinstate the airlink between Barra and Benbecula, which was severed in earlier budget cuts. I somehow do not think it is such a good idea to revert to the old Inverness-shire type set-up that existed until 1975. The southern isles were very poorly served by Inverness-shire, which was only interested in the town of Inverness. Barra has strong connections to the mainland port of Oban (in Argyll & Bute).
Read in the local paper that the island of Barra is thinking of defecting to Argyll & Bute Council (I think it's about 100 miles to the southeast of the island) as Barraich do not feel that the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) serves it properly. This follows the rejection of an application to reinstate the airlink between Barra and Benbecula, which was severed in earlier budget cuts. I somehow do not think it is such a good idea to revert to the old Inverness-shire type set-up that existed until 1975. The southern isles were very poorly served by Inverness-shire, which was only interested in the town of Inverness. Barra has strong connections to the mainland port of Oban (in Argyll & Bute).
Wednesday 19 February
The pier bashing in Stornoway continues, with the live fish carrier Ronja Viking and the gastanker Sigas Laura joining the ranks of our illustrious ferries to collide with pier no 1.
More importantly, the travel review site Tripadvisor has rated the Outer Hebrides as one of the top 10 island holiday destinations in the world. That is a nice boost for tourism, which is the mainstay of the local economy.
More importantly, the travel review site Tripadvisor has rated the Outer Hebrides as one of the top 10 island holiday destinations in the world. That is a nice boost for tourism, which is the mainstay of the local economy.
Monday 17 February
Councillor Donald Crichton has expressed his concern about the ordnance that was washed up on Gress Beach last week. It turned out to be a French flare grenade from Operation Joint Warrior, which is held twice a year around the northwest of Scotland. Can I just say, in connection with this letter from Cllr Crichton, that in my view the MoD takes the issues of unexploded ordnance extremely seriously? In the firing range off Faraid Head, near Durness in Sutherland, divers go down on a regular basis to check for unexploded ordnance. Any batch of explosives is bound to contain a number of items that fail to go off. Operation Joint Warrior has been held for quite a few years off these islands, and (to my recollection) has not led to a regular appearance of dud ordnance on our shores. In other words, don't get your knickers in a twist.
Cloud has moved up from the south this morning, following a clear and very cold night. The overnight low was -2C, one of the few nights with frost we have had this winter so far.
Cloud has moved up from the south this morning, following a clear and very cold night. The overnight low was -2C, one of the few nights with frost we have had this winter so far.
Tuesday 18 February
Fairly bright day, with some sunny spells. Been watching the dismantling of an old fishing boat, the SY882 Flowing Stream over on Goat Island. Today, a large crane was deployed to remove the engine from the wreck.
I was profoundly irritated by the phenomenon of Google Plus, Google's answer to Facebook. After putting one of my Gmail contacts onto Google Plus, this promptly displayed my entire address book to the person concerned, who is not involved in any of my on-line activities, and does not want to know about it. The result will be that I am closing my Google Plus account on 1st March. At least on Facebook I have some measure of control over who sees my contacts.
I was profoundly irritated by the phenomenon of Google Plus, Google's answer to Facebook. After putting one of my Gmail contacts onto Google Plus, this promptly displayed my entire address book to the person concerned, who is not involved in any of my on-line activities, and does not want to know about it. The result will be that I am closing my Google Plus account on 1st March. At least on Facebook I have some measure of control over who sees my contacts.
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