Playlist

I have added a playlist with my choice of music on it. It does NOT start automatically, but you can have a listen yourself; the player is located just below my Facebook badge in the sidebar.

Open Office

Over the past 2 weeks, I've been trialling Open Office 3.0, and I'm not too impressed. It can only accommodate 256 columns in the spreadsheet function, although it suggests far more are possible. The search-and-replace function is disappointing, not being able to replace or search for formatting codes like a paragraph-mark or tabs. Macros are a disaster, as they cannot be linked to a keyboard shortcut.

Open Office comes as a free if huge download (about 120 MB), and is the free counterpart of Microsoft Office. I'm sorely tempted to shell out the money required to get the fully functional MS Office.

Tuesday 28 October

Awoke to a nice cover of * snow * this morning, which is only melting very slowly. Temperature is suitably low, +2C / 36F. No ferries today; although the wind is only force 5 to 7, the swell generated by the northerly wind would be too much for our boat to handle. Anyone desperate to come or go can use the ferry from Tarbert to Uig (Skye). Tarbert is the main town of Harris, and is 37 miles by road from Stornoway. Don't want to think what conditions would be like on the Clisham, where the A859 rises to 600 feet / 190 metres above sealevel. On Saturday, a bus had its windscreen smashed by flying debris out there.

Internet service to outlying districts has been disrupted by Saturday's high winds, which blew down or damaged several masts. Broadband (ADSL) is supplied by radiolink in areas where the telephone exchange is not geared up to ADSL. In one island, Berneray, the service gets disrupted at certain states of the tide, when the signal is reflected off the water...

Here are a few pictures from this morning's snow.

Another round

Told you

Dear AOL Pictures user,

In order to offer you a more comprehensive online photo service, we will be closing down AOL Pictures on 31 December 2008.

We have partnered with Pixum, one of Europe’s leading and multi-award winning independent online photo service providers, to provide all AOL Pictures customers with a free, improved and fully integrated ‘one-stop’ online photo service.

To ensure that you keep all of your photos, we recommend that you transfer your photos to the new photo service before 31 December 2008. Go and transfer your photos to our new photo service provided by Pixum and get up to 100 prints for free!*

Please note that to transfer your photos you will have to sign up for a Pixum account. By selecting the transfer option, you consent that your name, email address and AOL Screen Name are encrypted and sent to Pixum to facilitate the registration and the transfer of your photos.

Alternatively, you can download your photos to your computer.

You need to ensure you have either transferred your photos to the new photo service provided by Pixum or downloaded them to your computer by 31 December 2008. After this time, the site will be permanently closed and you will not be able to access your photos through AOL Pictures. So, do please ensure that you act now and go to AOL Pictures for continued access to your photos or to save your photos on your computer.

To have a look at the new photo site provided by Pixum, please click here.
To Learn more about Pixum, click here.

We hope to see you on our new site soon!

Sincerely,

Your AOL Pictures Team

Alerts

Have cleared Google Reader this afternoon, commented on several of your blogs. Put a handful on Followers that were not already on Followers, and am quite impressed with the way some blogs have been dressed up.

I'll try to keep up, but cannot promise.

Four days to go to AOL Journals shutdown.

Stuck to the toilet

A man was stretchered from the high-speed train between La Rochelle and Bordeaux in France, with a toilet-bowl attached to his arm. After using the lavatory, his mobile phone had fallen in, and he had stuck his arm into the bowl to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the suction mechanism had engaged and had sucked his arm into the pipework. The emergency services had to physically remove the toilet from the train, still attached to the man.

Blizzards

We can expect more severe weather tomorrow, when north to northwesterly winds ratchet up to galeforce, bringing snow to sealevel. Bit unusual for late October, but we're getting everything, including the kitchensink at the moment. The ferry has remained tied up here in Stornoway this afternoon, as the crossing to Ullapool would have been too rough. Judging by today's advance weather warning, the MV Isle of Lewis won't be going anywhere tomorrow either.

There is a moderate risk of a severe event affecting northern parts of Scotland during Tuesday. An unseasonably cold spell of weather will see gale force north or northwesterly winds bringing snow to many areas. Significant snow accumulations are possible over higher ground, and some snow could settle down to sea level. The strong winds will also mean blizzard conditions, especially over higher ground.

Monday 27 October

Nice sunny morning with showers passing by or over. Otherwise fairly quiet today.

Saturdays' storm caused a fair bit of disruption in Lewis. Bus services were suspended, as it was too dangerous to drive a large vehicle. A bus travelling from Tarbert to Stornoway was damaged on the pass over the Clisham. The entrance porch at the Tesco supermarket was damaged by the wind. Ferry services, as I reported on the day, were extensively disrupted.

Yesterday, both the passenger and the freight ferry did catch-up runs - on a Sunday. Wow.

Evening notes

All the competitors in the fell race in Cumbria have been traced and are safe and well. The organisers deserve a clip round the ear for not heeding advice regarding the weather. Yes, everybody coped supremely well, and I am not surprised they did. But some of the participants, speaking on BBC TV tonight, mentioned the impossible conditions.

I'm falling behind with journals updates, do forgive me. Once again, the tally is approaching 200, and it's not going to get better. By the end of this week, I'm popping over to Holland for a few days for a commemorative service for the deceased in my home village. My mother will be mentioned., following her death on May 1st. More practical details as matters progress.

No, I'm not happy with the move away from AOL onto Blogger, but that's the way it's gonna be. Big money does not care about little people like us. Let us make an effort to stay together (see Krissy's journals directory).

Sunday 26 October

Weather is much better today than yesterday, although it's still sunshine and showers. Hope everybody has had a nice lie in this morning (in Europe), with the extra hour. America can follow suit next Sunday.

I was horrified this morning to turn on the radio and hear that 1,700 fell runners were missing in the English Lake District. A mountain marathon had started on Saturday, in which 2,500 people were going to run across the Cumbrian hills. That is no mean feat, as the Lakeland fells rise up to 2,500 feet above sealevel, and are considered serious mountains. I reported on our stormforce winds and lashing rains - well, they also hit Cumbria.

The event was called off at midday yesterday, but the vast majority of runners had to go under cover. Nobody knew how many were actually still out there, but at midday (to my relief) the total number of missing had been slashed to 44. Others had turned up, or had gone home without informing anyone. The organisers did not come up with a list of names until this morning, which is extremely bad.

The participants were hardened mountain walkers, well used and equipped for conditions, precisely like yesterday. However, a combination of high winds, flash flooding and heavy rain made conditions practically untenable.

Put your clocks back

Yes, it's that time of the year again. At 2 a.m. British Summer Time, the clocks will go back 1 hour to 1 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time.

The USA, as I understand it, holds on to Daylight Savings Time for another week, but will join the rest of the Northern Hemisphere in Standard Time on November 2nd.

Not endorsed

Remember this banner above the [edit: AOL] US journals as of September 30th?
Remember the addition that was always below the ads?

Ads are not an endorsement by the blog author.

Too bloody right.

Comments

Jeannette (Outside Looking In) pointed this out to me, and I'm more than happy to relay:

You will notice I have made the comment system much easier. To do the same, go into your dashboard, select settings and then select comments. Scan down the comments related page until you see Comment Form Placement. Make sure that the third option is ticked - it says Embedded Below Post. Then just press save. That is all there is to it. Much more like our old J-Land system.

Saturday 25 October

Savage day in the Western Isles, with a severe gale blowing at Stornoway and a full force 10 at Eoropie, near the Butt of Lewis. Winds have gusted up to 90 mph at Eoropie, 70 mph here at the airport. The sun is coming out now, after a morning of persistent heavy rains. Ferry sailings wholesale disrupted across the Calmac network, from Islay right up to here. The afternoon sailing to Ullapool is likely to be cancelled as well. Which may find us with a rare Sunday sailing to play catch up. There was no afternoon sailing yesterday either.

The dormant blogs, which I referred to on Magic Smoke, are going into a separate Blogger account. It is possible for blog ownership to be transferred between Blogger accounts, and anyone prepared to take one of them under their wing is welcome to do so. As far as I can tell (and if I have anything to do with it), none of those listed will be lost. If you know of any others that need salvaging this way, leave a note.

Close of day

The rain clatters, the wind buffets. Another gale on its way in, as I prepare to shut down for the night. No ferry until at least lunchtime tomorrow.

A repeat call from Vish to get in touch if you still have problems migrating your journal.

Please leave your new journal URL's on Krissy's Journal Directory.

It is now 7 days until AOL Journals disappear.

Good night

Follow-up

The man who was seriously injured in a car crash in Point on Tuesday, has sadly died of his injuries in hospital in Stornoway.

The Russian freighter Mekhanik Semakov is still anchored in Broad Bay, accompanied by the Coastguard tug Anglian Prince and a sister ship. Apparently, the ship was compelled to accept the tow on orders from the Government in London. Not doing so would have imperilled the coastline and people of the Isle of Skye. The ship had lost engine power and was drifting towards shore.

New blogs

Krissy has set up a blog directory, which will provide a cross-reference between our journals on AOL and here on Blogger. Please call round and leave a comment, with the requested information, including

First name
AOL Screenname
Present URL on Blogger
Email address

Friday 24 October

Yesterday at 5pm, just as I was outside stormwatching, the wind went up to 45 mph, gusting to hurricane force, 76 mph. I could barely keep my footing around the Coastguard Station. Have a look at the pictures here.

This morning is still not very good, frequent heavy hailshowers, mercury down to 7C / 45F from the 13C / 55F yesterday. Wind is at force 5, but will increase through today. The Shipping Forecast warns of winds up to force 10, but we'll likely see up to force 9. Like yesterday.

Economically, the UK is heading for recession, with growth percentages in the minus to the tune of -0.5%. If the following quarter is also in the negative, recession is here. Hope this episode leads to a more sane set-up in the credit sector.

I was watching some of the hustings in the US presidential election, with John McCain accusing his opponent of 'socialist' policies, of wishing to redistribute wealth. One punter at a rally in Ohio was very upset, having worked hard to earn his money to have to give it away to those that were not working hard.

In my opinion, one of the problems of the United States is its failure to properly deal with the less fortunate in its society. Reading on-line journals (formerly on AOL, now on this forum) has taught me that. I am flatly appalled at the amounts of money people have to pay to get medical treatment or even investigations. Being in the UK, you don't have to pay much if anything at all. What really got my goad from the above rally was the insinuation that all those relying on social security (for what it's worth) are lazy good-for-nothing lay-abouts, whilst there are many, many people who cannot work through no fault of their own. That's not unique to the US, same happens in Europe.

Apart from that appalling attitude from John McCain, his choice of running-mate is a colossal mistake, in my opinion. I hear a lot of very sensible remarks to the tune of: "If he pops his clogs, do we get Ms Palin in the White House? God help us!"