Friday 18 January

A bright and sunny day, but with a strong southeasterly wind which made it bitingly cold. The mercury remained pegged down at +3C / 37F. Nonetheless, I'm not complaining, when I see the reports of deep snow in southern England and Wales, causing all sorts of problems. Went for a wee amble round the bay to sample the day, and it was nice enough. But for that wind.

The ferry was cancelled at lunchtime due to the strong southeasterly winds, which makes docking hazardous here at Stornoway; the bay faces southeast, and is therefore exposed to today's winds. The freight ferry Muirneag isn't sailing for the same reason.

Gun control - Gov Perry (TX)

I found this statement from Texas governor Rick Perry, in response to Barack Obama's executive actions, in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Newtown CT.

I have never seen such a horrifying exercise in ostrich policy. Mr Perry, with all due respect, seems to be unaware that the excessive availability and presence of guns in American society, coupled with a poor caring system for those with mental health problems, has brought this (and other similar events) about. I don't think anything will change, in spite of (what I personally see as) the good intentions of the president. I wonder what Gov Perry would have said if his kids (presuming he has any) had been mowed down in a shooting at school.

However, looking at Gov Perry's Facebook page, he has the full support of his populace. 

Referendum

The Scottish National Party was established in 1934 with the express aim of achieving secession of Scotland from the United Kingdom. In itself an aim I don't disapprove of. However, you'd imagine that the SNP would have spent the last 79 years thinking what it would take to run a country. Or at least the last 5½ years, during which they were in government. Not so.

Each and every time a major policy issue turns up, we find out that the SNP has to go away and think about it. Rather than looking forward, I get the distinct impression that the party has spent its time looking back. To all the times that Scotland was allegedly wronged by the English. Unfortunately, if you look closely, the historical fact turns out to be that the Scots were given a raw deal by other Scots. The Clearances are a case in point.

It is for that reason that I would not vote YES in the independence referendum in October 2014. Independence, yes. But not under the SNP.

Thursday 17 January

A very cold day today, or at least the wind made it feel bitterly cold. Those out and about in town this morning were all wrapped up, and commenting on the cold. The temperature value, 6C / 43F, was purely academical - but one of the highest in the country. Further south, major problems with snow are expected tomorrow. Meanwhile on the continent, the thermometer will remain below zero in the daytime over the next few days. No such problems here in the isles, where the Atlantic keeps the electric blanket on. The downside of that is high winds, which are currently disrupting ferry services in the southern Isles.

Wednesday 16 January

The day started windy and wet, but by midday it had dried up and it was a bit brighter. I compiled nine more profiles of WW1 casualties from Arnol, one of them a lieutenant-colonel - but him no better or worse than the humble privates and sailors who lost their lives elsewhere and at other times.

What shocked me most of all today was the helicopter crash in Vauxhall, south London. I switched on the TV at 8.30 am, half an hour after the crash, and fell straight into the immediate aftermath. It soon became clear that two people had lost their lives and about a dozen were hurt. Bearing in mind location and timing, it was an absolute miracle that the casualty toll was not much higher.

US president Obama has announced the first steps to control guns in the States. Many people are opposed, viscerally so, and by constitution all Americans are allowed to keep and bear arms. However, if 10,000 people a year are killed by guns (compared to 250 pro rata for European countries), something is wrong. Maybe America never got out of the 19th century.

This heron flew off just as I was trying to take its pic.

Tuesday 15 January

Another cold day, with some remnants of overnight frost in the shade. The day dawned fairly bright and remained so. Upon returning from the shop, the mainland hills, bathed in sunshine, stood out from 50 miles away on the eastern horizon, resplendent in snowy white. We have had no snow, and are not expecting any. The Atlantic is keeping us warm, if you want to call 3C / 37F warm. However, with all the snow problems elsewhere in the UK, I'm not complaining.

Confirmation reached us today that the man who fell off a cliff in Point yesterday died after reaching hospital. In a small place like Swordale and Knock, everybody knows everybody else. The man who died had returned to the island to look after his elderly mother, and had been trying to rescue his brother's ram when he fell. My sympathies with his family, friends and the community in his village.

Monday 14 January

A day of fast changing cloudscapes as a plethora of showers came through the area. At one stage, a dozen different anvil clouds lined the horizon all round. If anything did fall in Stornoway it was of rain. Elsewhere in Scotland, falls of snow were reported. Further south, in England, heavy falls of snow caused problems, but nothing major.

Just before 4pm, a man fell from a cliff in Point, near the village of Swordale, after he tried to retrieve a ram that had also fallen. The man, in his forties, fell 70 feet to a shingle beach at the bottom. RNLI and Coastguard helicopter attended and took the man to hospital in Stornoway, a few miles to the west. Latest reports indicate that he unfortunately died of his injuries. People have been reminded of the dangers of cliff edges, particularly in wet and windy conditions.

It was reported today that the Scottish government have earmarked £1 million for the restauration of the country's 5,000 war memorials. A million pounds sounds like a lot, but divide it by 5,000 and you're left with an average of £200 per memorial. Bearing in mind that some of them are not in a good state, the sum leaves something to be desired, I'd imagine. Lewis has nearly two dozen memorials, most of them erected in the past 20 years. Even those will need to be touched up, as the paint has suffered in the harsh Hebridean weather.

Sunday 13 January

The day began quite wet, but the clouds broke to a fairly bright afternoon with occasional showers and very nice cloudscapes. A free and continuous performance, all day long, only requiring a glance out of the window. It's one of the benefits of living near the sea, with (as you all know by now) a virtually unimpeded view of the sky.

Resumed my project, looking up all the information I can find on WW1 casualties from this island. I left off in mid-December in the middle of the village of South Dell, whose casualties I added to the site. Tomorrow, I shall continue with Swainbost, the last of the dozen-or-so villages in Ness, the north of Lewis. As a sneak preview, I can reveal that the numbers lost in Ness exceed those of Stornoway, although more people live in the town.

Saturday 12 January

The day started quite cold, after an overnight frost with minimum temps of -2C / 28F. Even as late as 11 am, the puddles in the streets were still frozen. Went off to buy a few things in the morning, and spent the afternoon reading and finishing books. I finally made it through Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky, which is a treatise in psychology. I also breezed through the 40 pages of Paladins of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The latter author has been a favourite of mine for more than 25 years, but this short story was a disappointment. Mr Brooks appears to have become confused with the sequence of events in the Shannara series, and showed a lamentable lack of originality. He should not have bothered.


South Beach (L) and Free Church (R), Stornoway

Friday 11 January

Another fairly bright and coolish day out here in the Western Isles. The Beast from the East is threatening snow to the east coast, but out here in the west we won't be as severely affected. In the Castle Grounds, they are doing a lot of maintenance, and burning off the debris. Quite visible from my position.



Apart from the five lost in the hurricane of 2005, the turn of the year also marks the death of a young merchant navy cadet in 2008, who disappeared following a Boxing Day dance at Daliburgh. He was let off a minibus, but ended up dead in nearby Loch Bi - only a few miles from where the family of five perished in '05. In December, it was the 8th anniversary of the grounding of a fishing boat at Arnish Point. Its autopilot had gone wrong, steering it straight into the cliffs below the lighthouse - but nobody had been on watch. The skipper died after helping his crew to escape the sinking boat.

Eight years ago

High winds, gusting up to 134 mph, lashed the Western Isles this day in 2005. The winds claimed the lives of five members of one family in South Uist. They had fled their storm battered home at Liniquie, only for their car to be swamped and carried off by the sea on a causeway. At the time, I was staying in Kershader, 20 miles south of Stornoway (by road). These are my diary entries from the time. 

11 January 2005
Gales forecast for today, so decided not to go out for walk. Could have done, in retrospect. The sun was out at 3pm, but then all hell broke loose. Alarming reports on Radio Scotland, no ferry, the Isle of Lewis did not leave Ullapool after the early sailing and Western Isles Council has closed libraries, schools for tomorrow. Calmac has cancelled sailings on ALL its routes. At 5.20pm the power went off. It's off in Uig (Lewis) and all of Lochs. There is no signal on the entire FM-band; the transmitter at Eitsal is off. Isles FM is still going as this has a separate transmitter in Stornoway. Power briefly came back at 6.23, but didn't last. Blue lights at Laxay, apparently police telling people to abandon their car journeys. Bins flying about at the back; I'll be retrieving them from the loch shore in a few days time. Isles FM keeps me posted with my battery powered radio. Radio Scotland on 810 kHz mediumwave reverts to football. What a night! Oh there was no TV signal either, when the power came back at 6.23. Pity it's dark. Before dusk, the caps on the waves were sheered off by the wind, at 4.15. People are being advised to stay in. Scaffolding on a site at South Beach Street in Stornoway has collapsed through the window of a restaurant across Kenneth Street. The A859 in Stornoway is shut  between Newvalley and the Manor Roundabout. Only light indoors is from the emergency lights and my own little torch, by which I write this account. Storm rampages through every nook and cranny. All sorts of meetings are being cancelled. The causeway between North Uist and Benbecula may be closed. The hostel building is shaking in the wind. Skye Bridge closes at 7.15, other bridges in Scotland follow suit. No traffic goes down the A859 - it's pitch dark. Isles FM went off air at 7.32, leaving me with a silent FM band. The transmitter keeps going, but there is no signal from the Newton Street studios. Radio Scotland on mediumwave only has bloody football until 9.30, aaargh! I'm already bored. No lights anywhere, not in the village, not in Laxay across the water either.

12 January
Very disturbed night, with the wind shaking the building. Electricity remains off. Trains, planes, ferries: the lot are cancelled. Shop nextdoor is closed, a rooftile lies in front of the door and one tile has come off the roof of the centre next door. Storm has been rampaging through Stornoway, and high tide led to flooding. Overnight windspeeds: Barra 106 mph, Stornoway 99 mph (steady speed: 62 mph), North Rona (40 miles north of Lewis) 124 mph. Briefly ventured out at 12.30, found the minibus for the centre had lost all its windows on the windward side, blown in. Walked round to the top of the road, then doubled back through the moorland. Encountered Mr McLeod who stopped short of calling me mad for venturing out in this weather. Shower started, which changed to hail, and very strong winds. People are asked not to venture into the Lews Castle grounds, as trees are coming down. Likewise, the Willow Glen road. Caught the shoplady, so have beans and bread. There is no busservice today. There is no mains water in Gravir and Achmore. The Eitsal transmitter is off with stormdamage. The Co-op on Macaulay Road in S'way reopened at 3 after they fixed the roof. The sun comes through at 3.10. Funny, all the water had been blown out of the U-bend in the toilet early this morning. Had to flush in order to fill it up again. Electricity not expected back on until tomorrow evening. At 4.30, Laxay had the electric back on. Found that local supply comes across the loch from there.More than half the island is still without power, so as yet: hanging on in a rather cold hostel. Only one room heated on a gas-heater which smells. Went to bed at 8 - all the emergency lights are out and it's pitchdark. 

13 January
Nice, benign morning, but cold. Remains of wintry showers on the ground. Bus arrived a little after 10. Had previously retrieved the dustbins and their contents (yuk) from the hill behind the hostel. Fair amount of damage along the road to Stornoway. Garage wrecked, trees down by the dozen, trailers overturned and an isolator dangling loose on a powerline. Bins as well - anyone missing their bin? It's sitting in the garden at 6 Back (Isles FM). A row of pinetrees is uprooted in Balallan, some trees have snapped halfway down the stem. Fences are blown over as well. A funeral causes a tailback on the A859 at Laxay, because mourners park on the road. A huge number of trees are blown over in Willow Glen, including the ones that were blocking the road a few days ago. Sandbags outside houses on Bayhead, seaweed on seats at the Bridge. The grounds of Lews Castle are devastated, scores of trees (300-400) blown down, situation remains precarious. Christmas lighting has been smashed all along the harbour front. In the town, repairs are being carried out on Cromwell Street, and on the corner of Kenneth Street and South Beach Street, where the Star restaurant was damaged by flying debris. Two boats lie wrecked on the shore next to the ferryterminal. Owners clamber over boulders to check their state. Weather absolutely perfect - sunny, not a breath of wind and not too cold. Incredible, after the storms. Boat came in for the first time after Tuesday morning. Lots of electricity vans came off. Spoke to a few shopkeepers about their experiences and overheard several people exchanging experiences and showing each other their damage. Nice "warm" and sunny. Had a meal at HS-1, to compensate for not having a hot meal for a few days. Went back on the 2.20 bus. Terrible story of a family of 5, grandparents, parents and kids aged 5 and 7. They had fled their house because of rising floodwaters in two cars. These got swept off the causeway between South Uist and Benbecula, and they all drowned. Eitsal transmitter is still off air. Now a gardenpond has ended up in the wrong garden. Not all schools will reopen in the morning. People are urged to check on elderly or infirm neighbours. Missing your oiltank? It's lying in the loch just as you get into Balallan. Fire at Benbecula Hospital, worsened by an oxygen tank. Visitors are helped to move patients out of the affected ward. On return to Kershader, the power was still off, but it should come back this evening. Can't wait... It's 4.35, and I'm back to writing by torchlight. Have a book with walks and a book with Lewis history to read. Laxay has its lights back on, lucky them. Still, could be worse. Gravir has no water as the pumping station at Garyvard has no power. Eating habits slightly altered. Soaking the porridge overnight. Everyone was plundering a rather empty CO-op of buns and the like, if their power was still off. Western Isles hospital will resume normal service tomorrow, it's been on an emergency footing since Tuesday. Staff stayed in overnight Tuesday/Wednesday on account of weather. New moon in the southwest at 5pm. Not completely dark at 5.30, 85 minutes after sunset (4.06); sun rises at 9.03. Balallan is lit up again - when do we follow? At 5.50, the lights are back on, 48 hours and 30 minutes after going off, leaving that brief spell at 6.23 on Tuesday to one side. Central heating boiler plays up, need to reset it continually. Electrics still seem to wobble. There are apparently still problems at Lemreway, 10 miles down the road. Mysterious flood in kitchen, hot water tank had a lot of water on the floor. The librarian in Stornoway library was blown all over the shop on Tuesday. Still no reception on FM, apart from Isles FM, so no BBC; and no TV reception either. Don't know when that's going to be back. Various bits and pieces on Isles FM, including a song with rude lyrics, which was cut short very quickly by the DJ. Frost expected tonight; busdriver nearly lost his bus on a patch of ice at Orinsay this morning. Power still off in many areas. At 8 o'clock were blacked out briefly. Schools remain closed tomorrow, good week for the kids. Nipped out at 8.30 to watch the stars. Saw the Milky Way and Jupiter in Gemini. Have the hot water and the hot shower back: bliss... 

Thursday 10 January

A pretty bright day, a little cooler than earlier in the week. Much high and middle-level cloud, but that did not impede the sun. The sunset was nowhere near as spectacular as yesterday. Went into town to buy stamps for postcrossing (and a family birthday). Diverted up Francis Street to check on developments by the old school, which was pulled down last autumn. They are still shifting big piles of soil around.

Francis Street

Wednesday 9 January

An increasingly bright day, with phenomenal sunset colours. Went into town this afternoon for a handful of small items in the shops. Included in those were some lightbulbs, filament bulbs to be precise - not all old fittings will take the new long-life ones. Mind you, they do have special long-life ones, but they cost something like £8 each. The old-fashioned ones are only £2 each. Filament bulbs burn out quickly here, because of surges in the electricity supply. Over Christmas, there were repeated powercuts, and those tend to get preceded by a surge.

Tuesday 8 January

A fairly bright day, although not very warm. Spent most of the day catching up with things like postcards, Christmas cards, photographs, and file management on the computer. A freight ship was in port, the Nordstern, which was delivering coal or roadsalt or something like that.

It was announced that jobs are under threat in the local salmon processing industry, in the plants at Marybank (north of Stornoway) and Arnish, across the bay from the town. Economic and biological reasons are quoted, but in an economically fragile area like the Western Isles, any job losses have a larger impact than might otherwise be the case.

Monday 7 January

By bus, train and two planes, I found myself back in Stornoway just after 7pm. On arrival at Inverness, at 4.20pm, the monitors showed the 6.10pm plane to Stornoway delayed by 90 minutes. Fortunately, that was reduced to 20 minutes, and we duly took off just after 6.30 - in darkness. The journey from Amsterdam was above the clouds, as the sun sank down to the horizon for sunset just after 4pm. There was shallow fog at Inverness airport, right across the runway. But even from my seat, I could make out the lights on the runway.

Hurricane update - 1 January

Happy New Year - but it could get nasty on La Reunion in the southern Indian Ocean by Friday. Tropical cyclone Dumile is headed straight for the island from the north, and will reach a peak intensity of 100 knots upon closest approach to La Reunion. The local hurricane centre is monitoring the situation closely, and has placed the island on YELLOW alert. The last link is in French, by the way.

I am continuing to blog on the Shell Gallery.

Moved blog

Until 8 January 2013, I am blogging on the Shell Gallery blog. See you there.