Sunday 1 August

The first day of the last month of summer. Not that we've seen much of summer up here in the Hebrides, but that's part and parcel of life at 58 degrees north. After a day or two of dry weather, rain is set to return tomorrow afternoon.

Further on the weatherfront, but far away, a tropical cyclone appears to be forming midway across the Atlantic between the Cape Verde islands and the Lesser Antilles. NHC now puts the likelihood that a tropical depression will form at 80%, high. It is anticipated that warnings on what could become tropical storm Colin (if the current trend of development continues) may be initiated later today. Cape Verde hurricanes, which have plenty of time and warm water to develop, can be among the most devastating in the Atlantic basin.

After a spring with temperatures in excess of 50C / 120F, Pakistan is now being devastated by flooding, caused by monsoon rains, which have claimed more than 1,000 lives. July and August is the time for the monsoon to move north from the Indian Ocean to bring rain to the Indian subcontinent every year.

Bloglist

When I looked at my Dashboard panel on Blogger, I found several dozen blogs on the go. Time to list them and categorise.

Personal blogs
Atlantic Lines, this blog - my personal blog, updated every day
The Shell Gallery - updated when I'm in Holland
Atlantic Light - picture a day blog, work in progress
Recipe Book - updated if and when
Jokes off the seawall - updated if and when
Northern Trip - archived blog, predecessor of Atlantic Lines
Northern Trip (the start) - archived blog, early stages of Northern Trip
Lewis Lines - diary excerpts from Northern Trip (2004, 5, 6 and 7)
Minch Views - opinionated excerpts from Northern Trip
Heather Isle Views - pictures of Lewis villages (incomplete)

Events
St Martin's Storm 2005 - report of a force 12 storm on 11 November 2005
Mod 2005 Stornoway - report from the Royal National Mod
Hurricane Ivan at Madagascar - report of the impact of an Indian Ocean cyclone
Tropical Cyclones - hurricane updates, updated when required
Tropical Cyclones 2006/7 - archived

Napier Commission transcripts
Napier Commission in the Isle of Skye - work in progress (at time of posting)
Napier Commission in the Outer Hebrides - completed

World Wars I and II
Lewismen in Canadian service - completed
Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery - completed
Vlieland War Graves - completed
Wargraves in Lewis - completed
World War II Tribute for Lewis - completed
Harris War Memorial - completed
Faces from the Lewis War Memorial - completed
Iolaire Disaster 1919 - completed

J-land
Call for Support
J-land Central
Call for Support - AOL archive (entries until October '08)
Ye Olde English Posy - a few entries from a blog by the late Sylviam4000
J-land Anniversary blog - 5th anniversary of J-land, just before its shutdown

Saturday 31 July

Far from summerlike is an adequate summary of today's weather. Like yesterday, a lot of drizzly rain about, which puts paid to any outside aspirations. So, I busy myself with completing the website on Lewismen in Canadian service during WW1. It has some unexpected spin-offs, as it allows one of my contacts to add further details to their family tree. Another website is commenced, with transcripts of the Napier Commission Report, and this time from the Isle of Skye. Two years ago, I tidied up the transcripts, but did not put them on-line - so that's what I am doing now. The Commission started its work in Skye, later to move on to the Outer Hebrides. I will also prepare an index for the whole report, which is 4,000 pages long. It is not my intention to transcribe all of that.