War memorials

For an island of about 20,000 inhabitants, Lewis has a surprising number of war memorials, sixteen. The largest is situated just outside Stornoway and consists of a tower, with a circle of 23 plaques below. They used to be in the tower, but that is severely affected by ingress of water, so they were placed outside.


Other locations are

Garrabost (Point)


Braighe na h-Aoidhe & Melbost


Back


North Tolsta


Cross (Ness)


Borve


Bragar


Carloway
 

Tolsta Chaolais


Breasclete


Great Bernera


Timsgarry (Uig)


Crossbost


Laxay (Kinloch)


Kershader (South Lochs)

Sunday 11 November

Remembrance Sunday today. I watched the parade in Whitehall in London at 11 am, then walked the 40 minutes to the local war memorail for a ceremony at 1pm. The shortest route on foot leads through the local golf course. There were about 150 people present at the war memorial. The minister of one of the local churches conducted proceedings, which included the laying of wreaths by military and civilian dignitaries. After the singing of hymns and psalms, the national anthem closed the ceremony at half past one. I returned through a practically deserted town centre. It was a chilly day, but the threat of showers receded and the sun even came out. As I type this, at 7pm, we are not far above freezing.


The below pic shows the crowds gathering at the memorial.

Lewis War Memorial

Twenty-three plaques
More than fiteen hundred names
Standing in a circle
Below a prominent tower

Looking out over the town
Over the Minch
which they all had to cross
but never to return

Looking out over the island
At the villages near and far
From where they flocked
Eagerly but with hidden trepidation

In a circle near the top
their names are remembered
Parish by parish
In each World War

On land, in France or Mesopotamia
Out at sea, in the Atlantic or in the Mediterranean
In the skies over Britain and Europe
or even further from home

But closest to home
Within view of the tower now
The two hundred who drowned
at Holm Point, as 1919 started

Twenty-three plaques
More than fifteen hundred names
Remembered by theirs
Remembered by us all

Saturday 10 November

Quite a reasonable day, with showerclouds in abundance, but not much rain falling. The result was the inevitable mix of cloudscapes and rainbows. We maintained a reasonable temperature of 9C, and while the barometer rose, the showers started to peter out.

I could not help but notice that the leaves on the fuchsia bush are turning yellow. Not something that merits the news headlines, but in previous years, the gales had blown both blooms and leaves off by now. Not this year. We have had very few days with high winds this year, and (likewise in the Castle Grounds) has allowed mother nature to put up a fine display of autumn colours.

I have made a good start with my two new books. The first one, If Britain had fallen, gives a chilling account of what might have happened if the Germans had mounted a successful invasion. I'm about 1/3 of the way through, and I'm blessing my stars that this never came to be. The second one, Crime and punishment, is a very wordy but intriguing novel by Russian writer Dostoevsky, and the first twists and turns are already appearing - I'm on page 37 (of nearly 500).

Want a mince pie? Sorry, they've all been eaten :-)

Calum Zachary

Hey, where are you?
Need a word, real quick
You and I, well, what do you say?
Be together for good

But listen, we're poor
Can't get any land
Your folks have so little
splitting it would leave even less

Don't get me wrong, though
I'll be yours alright
We are as one
And will always be

Look, come look, who's that?
He's here for the money
What my dad hasn't got
Hasn't had for so long

Hey, where are you?
Got some news, bad and good
We've got to leave the island
Dad's been turned off his land

Come with me tonight
Nothing left here for us
We'll start a new life together
Take our chance, wherever

They were to meet on the pierhead
To start afresh somewhere
The moon set early though
and darkness shrouded all

He could not find his lady
She could not find her man
He therefore went to America
without his love by his side

His name was Calum Zachary
A name living on in song
echoing his loss
across the waves and years

Friday 9 November

After last night's wind and rain, the day dawned fairly brightly, but with intermittent heavy showers. The temperature was no great shakes either, managing 9C / 48F, achieved soon after midday. The afternoon only got colder.

My heart bled when I heard the terrible privations having to be endured by Anders Breivik as he continues his 21-year sentence (mininum) for the murder of 78 people in Norway last year. At least he has a comfy prison cell for the rest of his life; his victims' lives were cut short by him. I hope he is now deprived of the oxygen of any further publicity.

St Kilda has been awarded an international award for preserving architecture. The group of islands, 45 miles west of North Uist, was abandoned by its permanent residents in August 1930. The houses were restored by the National Trust for Scotland, and the main island is home to a tracking station for test missiles, fired from a range in South Uist. The St Kilda Centre, which is due to be constructed at Mangersta in Lewis is yet to be put up.

To Canada

The man walked down the road
his knapsack slung over his shoulder
although he had gained some land
he had lost his neighbours

There had been only one way out
to Canada
Cutting down trees
building the Pacific railway

Gratitude had led to this separation
for the man left his family behind
sending back money
that he had earned over there

His neighbours were behind with the rent
And as he had saved the proprietor's life
The reward was a piece of land
taken off his neighbours' croft

The man did not ask for a reward
even less for more land
however useful
And certainly not at the expense of his neighbour

So he walked down the road
His family staring after him
As he disappeared in the distance
Never to return

Death of army cadet

Five years ago, in August 2007, an army cadet from Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, drowned following an accident in Loch Carnan, South Uist. Kaylee Macintosh had become trapped under a RIB after it overturned, and her absence had not been noticed for 90 minutes. When the boat was finally turned over, the cadet was found drowned underneath.

It is reported today that the officer in charge, Major George Maccallum, has admitted at Inverness Sheriff Court charges on health and safety issues at the time.

Kristallnacht

9 November 1938 - an organised mob of Nazi forces and sympathisers go on the rampage in towns and cities across Germany, smashing and destroying Jewish-owned property and businesses. It was to be a marker, to what was to come during World War II - the extermination of anyone deemed sub-human by the warped mind of Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. Jews topped their league of the unfit, closely followed by gypsies, the mentally ill and many many others. The Reichskristallnacht was a night of infamy, and not just to Germany.

For Hitler was allowed to get away with literally murder for several years beforehand. In 1936, he occupied the Rhineland which had been ceded to France at the end of the First World War. The League of Nations, a toothless talkingshop, cried wolf but had no bite. In March 1938, Nazi forces marched into Austria to join that country to Germany, an event referred to as the Anschluss. Neville Chamberlain flew to Munich to meet with Adolf Hitler on 30 September 1938, returning with the infamous phrase: "Peace for our time". Six weeks later, the Reichskristallnacht took place, a sign of ill omen. Only a few months later, Germany invaded the Sudetenland area of Czecho-Slovakia, and again, nobody moved a finger to stop. In September 1939, Hitler thought he could get away with the invasion of Poland. But instead, it prompted the outbreak of the Second World War.

The lights have gone out in Europe, it was said at the time. The lights in Europe were extinguished in 1914, and had not been relit, not even at the end of the First World War. The Versailles Peace Treaty of June 1919 contained all the ingredients for another war, which duly materialised.

9 November

Light fills the room
refracted by hundreds of
finely cut crystals
hanging from the chandelier

A fire demurely crackles
in the hearth
filling the room
with warmth and comfort

A waltz gently plays
and couples glide
in tender embrace
along the polished floor

Darkness rules outside
as does the November chill
wafting along city centre streets
with marked windows

Light flares up rudely
as a bonfire shoots tongues
of fire into the night sky
illuminating the scene

Light flares up further
refracted by thousands
of crystals scattered
along streets of darkness

Gaping mouths where windows were
Glass pulverised into countless crystals
Fire spreads
consuming the culture

Books are burned
their writers were deemed unfit
for the country whose Leader
sought to exterminate

The millions of fragments
of broken glass, of crystal
scatter the light of the fire
burning the synagogues

Soon the worshippers
will follow the fate of their temple
The light of the fire
overshadows the continent

Dying into dull embers
the dancers fade into shadows
as the light goes out over Europe
on Kristallnacht

Thursday 8 November

What started out as quite reasonable day with good sunny spells, has now gone downhill at a rate of knots. As I type this (just after 11pm), a force 7 southerly wind is lashing us with spells of rain. A major Atlantic depression, whose influence on weather extends from Iceland to the Azores, is pushing frontal systems in. These will be followed by cooler weather. Conversely, or perhaps perversely, after being hit by snow this week, New York will be enjoying temps of 17C in the next few days.

I have to observe, with considerable sadness, that after a day's respite, vitriol has returned to the internet regarding the re-election of Barack Obama as president of the USA. I can very well imagine that those who did not relish the prospect of Mr Obama's second term are perhaps disappointed that Mr Romney did not get in. But it is not done to assail others, who hold differing political opinions, on-line. I think it would be much better if politics was given a rest for a couple of weeks. Here in Scotland, we are facing 98 weeks of independence debate (read: garbage), and things will be getting a lot worse than over the USA, I'll give you that as my opinion.

Stulaval

Now derelict on the shore of Loch Reasort
Little Luachair stands
Years back a carpenter came
over the hills from Bowglass

After job's end he was left
with some planks
which he carried back
below the frowning cliffs

A sound of hammerblows
echoed below the face
of stern Stulaval
Regular and slow

Turning around
the carpenter espied
nothing
and nobody

But the tapping
continued
Soon he descended
over the hills into Vigadale

Reached home but
his hearth was cold
and nobody around
except his wife, no longer alive

The carpenter hammered
his wife's coffin
An echo of the hammerblows
Below cold Stulaval

Wednesday 7 November

A better day, in terms of weather, than yesterday, but still hefty showers interspersed with reasonable sunny spells. It's become rather milder than of late, with the thermometer rising to a respectable 11C / 52F this afternoon. Went out for a walk round the harbour, and to buy a book. One of the local bookshops sells classical novels for £2 each, so my choice ended up Crime and punishment by Dostoevsky. As I said, slightly tongue-in-cheek, some light bedtime reading. Another book that I have ordered is a chilling account of what Great Britain would have looked like under Nazi occupation during WW2. It's something that fortunately never came about, but am nonetheless intrigued how this topic will be covered.

I was sad to learn that Dad's Army star Clive Dunn (lance-corporal Jones) has died at the age of 92. Apparently, Dunn specialised in acting roles that were much older than himself. Most of us will know the keyphrases like "No panic, no panic!" etc.

Barack Obama was elected for a second term in office as president of the USA first thing this morning. The election has changed nothing in political terms, and Mr Obama will have quite a job getting his legislation through an opposing parliament, being the House of Representatives. By my observation, the USA is deeply divided and remains so.

In spring

I met you on the rising road
that sunny afternoon in April
Innocent eyes looking up
as I looked down

The dark mountains loomed
over the deep waters
under the rays of the
springtime sun

A first spring with
gentle winds from
the distant seas
carrying aloft the shadows

Their calls mocked
at what they had taken
not caring, in fact
relishing and enjoying

She was expiring
as I approached
only a step or two
from the roadside edge

You did not know
but looked at me to explain
what was beyond your days
and was to befall you too

The sun shone through
the pink ears of the young lamb
The ewe was breathing its last
after being blinded by crows

Tuesday 6 November

An overcast, grey and mostly wet day. The drizzle kept visibility down to just about 1 mile, with the lighthouse and the fabrication yard only just about within sight. There was a strong breeze today, but that did serve to keep our temps at an unexpectedly mild 10C / 50F, the highest in the land. This often happens in the winter half-year, when mild air off the Atlantic warms us up.

This evening, momentous news came through from the island of Scalpay, just off the coast of North Harris, 8 miles east of Tarbert. A ballot was held among its residents, 78.2% of whom turned out to vote whether to take their island into community ownership. Scalpay is owned by a man called Fred Taylor, but he has decided to gift the island to its residents. 197 were in favour, only 8 against. A second question was whether to go it alone, or under the umbrella of the North Harris Trust, a body that took control of that area of Harris a few years ago. Votes were 110 in favour, 96 against.Apart from being a new addition to the list of areas now under community ownership, it is also historical because up to now, the people from Scalpay did not really regard themselves as from Harris - separate islands.

Today, as we all know, the USA is voting for its next president. We shall learn within 12 hours of this post going live whether #45 will be Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

A dreich day

Light fades over the islands
Grey to greyer still
not a ray of
sunshine to be had today

The drizzle hides
what isn't that far off
the breeze shakes
the now bare branches

From sun-soaked seas
to the northern Hebrides
a final hint of distant
summer wafts our way

Soon the edge of mild
will move away east
leaving us with crisp
and once more chill

A grain of hail
a splash of wet snow
winter draws near
dark at half four

Look north for the
merry dancers
a moving green
curtain down from the pole

Even further north
beyond the land of fire
no sunshine at all
on solstice day

Monday 5 November

Guy Fawkes night today, but other than a few firecrackers, little evidence of the event here in Stornoway. This morning, a crane was spotted on Goat Island, hoisting a rusty, twin-hulled boat out of the premises of the slipway and put on blocks on the roadway outside. The significance of that is not known to me.

Today was a bright and fairly sunny day, although cloud did increase through the afternoon. It left us with another stunning sunset at 4.30pm. By late December, sunset will have receded to 3.30pm.

The fuel price saga took another twist today, when wholesalers Scottish Fuels announced that their retail customers could switch suppliers and not be tied into a 5-year contract. However, those wishing to do so were advised to seek legal advice. The average price of a litre of fuel is not far off £1.50 a litre (= $9 a gallon), and is consistently 15 pence higher than on the mainland.

The boat from Pabbay

Row boys, row!
We're going out again
The sail will help us on our way
Out to the fishing grounds

Look, there goes another boat
They too are venturing forth
Can't be too bad a day
If we're all out here just now

Ominous grey clouds
scudding on the rising wind
soon touching galeforce
soon right up to stormforce

From the open ocean
Squalls of rain fly past
The islands loom up to the west
Now shrouded from sight

Row boys, row!
We've got to turn back
if we can
The sail has gone

Did you see the others?
Not for quite some time
Never mind, keep bailing
We may yet have a chance

Two days the storm lasted
nobody could put to sea
the herring was left uncaught
as the boats remained in port

The boat from Mingulay
weathered the storm to return
to their island
safe and well

Pabbay lost ALL
its menfolk
that May Day in 1897
all in one boat

Sunday 4 November

Like yesterday, today started out wet but cleared up nicely. As I type this, we have fallen back to near-zero after achieving a day-time high of 8C / 46F. There was no wind to speak of; I went for a walk which was sheltered from the light northwesterly wind that the weatherstation at airport was reporting.

I was just going through my blogs on Google Reader, and could not help but notice that things have changed a lot over the past four years. In AOL J-land, we communicated our blogposts primarily through the Alerts, which have only recently been discontinued. After moving away from AOL, Facebook came on the scene and I can safely say that I am keeping up to date mainly through that medium, rather than through the blogs. Even though many of you (like I) resort to blogging to express ourselves in longer entries. As you all know, I have been blogging for more than 8 years, and still enjoy putting a couple of lines down each day.

 

Calm

Flat calm
Upside down
in the water
Indistinguishable

Reflections
or original
Even the lighthouse
perhaps even the mountains far-off

Benign clouds
slowly move
on an unseen
but unfelt wind

A small boat
carves through
the mirror which
quickly resmoothes

Dusk slowly
overtakes and dulls
the reflections of
daytime

To be replaced
by the high moon
of nearing winter
Enoy the calm - while it lasts

Sunday

The grey canopy
breaks to the southeast
A promise of sunshine
over the mainland hills

A gentle rain
falls over grey streets
calm and movementless
a Sunday morning

Worshippers proceed
to church in an orderly
fashion, quietly so
to beseech blessings

Whether He listens
is up to Him to decide
Most appear favoured
others are oblivious

Should we go somewhere
on the day of rest
None are disturbed
Peace has remained

Our link to the world
will sail in the afternoon
Another link takes to the air
But none are disturbed

Saturday 3 November

A bright day, although the morning was punctuated by some downpours. These faded after lunchtime, giving me the opportunity to go for a walk round the Castle Grounds, 3½ miles or so. It is particularly rewarding to do so at this time of the year, when the leaves are turning and falling. So far, this autumn has been quite benign in terms of high wind, which we have been spared. This means that rather than being blown off the trees, leaves have a chance of showing their colours.

I was not surprised that the New York marathon was cancelled for tomorrow, although some of the participants were. What planet were they on?

 

November

Low sun
pale blue sky
bare branches
a cold wind

Dark green losing
colour to palest hue
Leaves gently
drift down

Demure yellow
before falling
Standing out
in final glory

Riches in berries
seeds being scattered
in the blanket of leaves
new life in waiting

Dark clouds speed in
the wind lifts its voice
the command is heeded
Leaves scatter

Distant hills don
their white caps
the sun now sets early
ice glazes what rain has wetted

The signal is raised
The window is open
For the voice of the North
To sing the final of the year

The clearance

Let's have some cuts
can't sustain all that lumber
I'm not here to provide
for those that can't help themselves

Back when Napoleon strode
the battlefields of Europe
we needed gunpowder
and only kelp would do

I had those natives
along the shoreline cutting
seaweed for me for
just a few bob

They didn't need much land
but now they're just sitting there
eating out of my pocket
leaving me out of pocket for all the meal

Going forth and multiplying
well, they can go on daddy's croft
divide, subdivide
and rule

I want my money out of them
Can't get it from anywhere else
Can't afford to be seen to be less rich
So they can't afford the rent?

Gone round the villages
Who's in arrears, off you go
We'll cancel what's owed
if you go to America

Here is the ship
you can take so much
leave the rest behind
including your relatives

Don't want to go, how dare you
Torch to the roof
Milk on the fire,
OK, we'll let you bury your dead

The statue stands grand
in the deserted glen
Green fields of grass
Rolling hills around

The statue stands grand
in the Canadian city
The achievements celebrated
of those boldly gone forth

Did they want to leave their
humble homesteads
where their forefathers
lived happily?

Achievements for sure
Many did great things
in the land of the prairie
But why not in their homeland?

Picture post - 2 November

Friday 2 November

Quite a bright day with an occasional shower or two, but turning very cold after nightfall - we are just on or below freezing at the moment. We didn't manage more than 6C / 43F in the afternoon.

News came through that the interconnector is to be delayed by at least a year. The interconnector is a subsea high-voltage electricity cable, which is crucial for exporting power, generated by proposed renewable energy projects in the Isle of Lewis. These consist in the main of windfarms. Two are currently under construction, but reading the submission from power company SSE, it sounds as if they are gradually backing out of the idea. The cost has risen to a total of £775m, and the delay would augment the cost further. I'm not too unhappy with the idea of the interconnector never coming here, but others are crying wolf, claiming it would be the wrecking of the islands' economy.

I have been in Lewis 8 years this month, and over that period, windfarms have been talked about an awful lot. They were vaunted as the salvation for the employment problems here, with some rosey-eyed individuals thinking it would lead to the return of the diaspora to work in the local fabrication yard. Since then, the fabrication yard has operated more off than on, switching owners several times. Constructing a windfarm does generate jobs, but only for a limited period of time. The Pentland Road windfarm has had its wind turbine components fabricated elsewhere, as they were shipped in earlier this week from another factory. And if the interconnector never materialises, then many millions of pounds will have been wasted.

Callanish

Sun and moon
seasons' cycle
winter snow
round to autumn rain

Marked out in stones
high on the ridge top
two dozen others
not far away

Aligned to distant hills
obscuring the moon
when the nights
are not dark

One was interred
in the centre circle
where he is now, none know
but not there for sure

They come now from far-off loands
to visit the stones
celebrate the sunrise
at solstice, forgetting the moon

All is quiet
as the days shorten
winds batter the circle
impervious to what passes

They have seen many
pass by
never returning
They will remain

The old cemetery

A rusty gate
from the sandy dunes
A wall of stone
on all four sides

A rock-strewn hillside
inside
The sea incessantly
speaks from the shore

Strange
no rocks
outside the walls
just flower-clad sands

Rolling away
in every direction
down to the ocean
their ancient roadway

Living from the bounty
of the ever-present sea
it would exact its price
giving change - wreckage on the shore

Living in penury
but happily
demure hamlets
strung out to the north

Poor ground prompted
a move inland for summer
gathering fuel
before the storms came

Unknown were the riches
in money and goods
Riches in happiness and
the strength of kinship

Only a rock
remains within walls
a mark of ending
to remember their days

Nine thousand you'll find
on that rock-strewn hillside
No carved tombstone
Just a rock

Thursday 1 November

A cold day, in spite of the 8C / 46F on the thermometer, the bitterness being caused by a strong easterly breeze. It grew even less pleasant when we lost the sun in the afternoon to showers. I was glad to have taken the woolly hat and gloves out, even for the short walk to the shop and into town. Was that haircut such a good idea? Nggg, that hair in my face was driving me batchy.

Western Isles Council has put proposals out for consultation that would result in service cuts amounting to £5.7 million. The details of the proposals are breathtaking; I had a look at a six-page document outlining them all, and it is absolutely horrendous. It begs the question what we have a council for if it isn't doing anything for the local people anymore. OK, that's an overreaction, but it is very bad news.

Chessmen?

Village by the sand
hiding the ninety-one
pieces carved from ivory
brought in from across the sea

Men from the north
left them for us to guess
their play with the future
after they had gone from these shores

Leaving behind only names
for the villages along the shores
the hills, bays and inlets
no further trace was left

Except the ninety-one
in the sand by the village
along the bay that named a whole district
Were they chessmen?