On 30 September 2008, AOL gave us a month's notice to quit and abandon our journals. Yes, it's a year ago. Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of this blog, Atlantic Lines. As I said a few days ago, much has changed. Not always for the better, but not necessarily wholly for the worse either.
On 30 September 2004, I was in the process of relocating from the Northern Isles to the Western Isles. I'll post that day's diary entry below.
For the first time in weeks, I had a room (or more accurately: a cabin) to myself. At 7 a.m., I found myself in a rain- and windswept Aberdeen. Delayed my departure from the ferry until the latest possible hour. Slouched off into the city at 10 a.m.. First thing needed: a townplan. Second: a post office, to send off maps and other stuff related to Orkney that was no longer required. A dark-coloured lady tried to chat me up in the PO, what a laff. Spent the rest of the morning sloping round the soaking-wet streets, with that bloody big pack on my back.Want to find the library, but Aberdeen, the Granite City, is very grey and even greyer in this rain. After I buy a pastry in a shop, and miserably eat it on a bench, I locate the library. I walked past it several times during 40 minutes, just past the Robert Gordon University. No, the library wasn't that great either. Few terminals, very limited time, and the terminal I was on crashed. Went to the station and found there was a train to Inverness at around 3pm. I was on it. Aberdeen I just do not like. Folk are friendly enough. Train departed at 3.25 and it was pretty full. As we went east, the rain relented although it stayed overcast right the way through. I can't say I'm riveted by the Moray or Aberdeenshire countryside - sorry, was in a foul mood all day today. Arrived in Inverness at 5pm, and booked into the Youth Hostel on Millburn Drive. Then went back to the Safeway for shopping. Had a lot of bother finding my way round, I had become quite used to the Co-op and Safeway stores in Kirkwall. Cooked supper,did the laundry, went on the Internet using vouchers. Fairly good deal: £1 for 20 minutes, or 24 minutes if you join the club. As membership was free, I gladly joined back in Kirkwall. Show a couple of young hostellers how to use the laundry machines. There is a group of disabled kids in who are on a trip out of Shetland. In Inverness, you can only get into the rooms using a swipe card. Some strange characters in my room tonight. Typical Mediterraneans, don't like them.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
From the archives: Wednesday 29 September 2004
In the morning, I jump on the bus to the Houton Ferry, to go to Hoy. Crossing was rendered uninteresting, because we were required to stay below decks all the way to Lyness. On arrival, I have to time my walk carefully. Lyness itself is just plain unsightly. It used to be part of the Scapa Flow naval base, and after the war the Royal Navy just pulled out and sailed off into the sunset. The base was just left to fall to ruin. Worst are all the buildings, also scattered over the hillside beside the village. I walk north along the B9048, in the general direction of Moaness, at the northern end of Hoy. After about 45 minutes, I have left the village and am in the farming area of the island. Workmen are laying long stretches of blue piping, which I later learn are water mains. At 12.45, I reach a picnic site by Pegal Bay.This abuts a small, fenced-off nature reserve. All along this road you'll encounter milestones, totting up the distance between Lyness and Moaness. After Pegal Bay, the road veers inland to cross over the shoulder of Pegal Hill to Lyrawa Bay. Below Lyrawa Hill, 5½ miles / 9km outside Lyness, I encounter Betty Corrigal's grave. This is a recent feature, a fibre-glass tombstone dedicated to the memory of a young woman who committed suicide after falling pregnant out of wedlock in the 18th century. She fell for the charms of a sailor, who afterwards disappeared. She was buried in an unmarked grave, because suicides are not buried in consecrated ground. She lay undisturbed for 160 years, until her coffin was found by peat cutters in 1930. Her body had remained virtually intact, only the noose beside her had turned to dust. She was reburied, but during WW2, sailors frequently got her out. Finally, in 1949, she was buried for the last time. An American minister asked for the current headstone to be erected, but this was not done for another 27 years. After a moment or two, I squelched my way back to the road. I walked up the track, onto the nearby Lyrawa Hill, to view the gun emplacements that lie abandoned there. Nice views east, towards Wideford Hill near Kirkwall, and the hills above Houton. At 2pm, I went back towards Lyness. Forty minutes later, I was very kindly offered a lift back to Lyness by an elderly Australian couple who were here to trace ancestors by looking round graveyards. Their car made short shrift of the remaining 4 miles, and I was left with 1½ hours to kill around Lyness. Wandered up the hill to an ugly, derilict, concrete building that looked as if it had been some sort of HQ. Everything covered in layers of dirt, electrical wiring hanging all over. To escape the chilly north wind, I sat down in the lee of the building for a cuppa. Then ambled down to the ferry terminal. Ferry arrived at 4pm, but they raised the ramp again. It's not due to sail until 4.40. Have a look round the Scapa Flow museum, and the hazardous dockside. Ferry leaves on time, and I'm having a pleasant chat with a nice couple in their mid 50's. They offer me a lift back to Kirkwall once at Houton. One other person joins me in the car, but not before somebody returns me a glove I had dropped somewhere. I'm dropped off outside Safeways for shopping at 7pm. On return to the hostel, I decide to take the late ferry to Aberdeen. A quick taxiride at 10.30 duly delivers me to Hatston, where the ferry lies docked. After about 10 minutes, I'm allowed on board. Am shown to my cabin, where I take a shower, then retire for the night. The ferry sails at midnight, and exactly 4 weeks after arriving in Orkney, I'm leaving the islands. The swell rocks me to sleep.
Postscript: I'd be back in Orkney in October 2008 - will post pictures in a later entry
Postscript: I'd be back in Orkney in October 2008 - will post pictures in a later entry
Train crash
Yesterday afternoon, just after 2pm, the 1038 Inverness to Thurso train collided with a car on a level crossing at the village of Halkirk in the far north of Scotland. Its 3 occupants were killed, one of them was flung from the vehicle. The train came to a halt about a quarter of a mile down the track. It had been travelling at 50 mph when the collision happened. Investigations into the cause of the accident are on-going, and the names of the deceased have not yet been released, such pending the outcome of a post-mortem. None of the 18 passengers and 4 crew was hurt on the train. They were transferred to a nearby hotel. The train was taken to nearby Georgemas Junction railway station.
Services to Thurso and Wick remain suspended; trains from Inverness terminate at Forsinard Station, from where buses are put on. Travellers are advised to allow an extra 60 minutes for their journeys. More details here.
My sympathies are with the relatives and friends of the victims, who are reported to be elderly.
The Sun
Logo courtesy http://goalpost.wordpress.com
The Sun is a tabloid newspaper here in the UK with the highest readership, put at over 3 million copies sold each day. It is (in)famous for page three girls (who show off their assets). I usually glance at the paper when I'm buying my daily rag, the Press and Journal. I have very little time for The Sun, as it contains very little news (IMHO). I'll leave it at that.
Political Britain was all afluster today when The Sun announced it was no longer backing the Labour party (who have been in government since 1997), and instead switched its allegiance to the Conservatives. Only in Scotland did the Sun shift from Labour to nobody else. That's a piece of non-news if ever I heard one. The Sun, as I stated above, does not carry news (of note), and its editorial stance looks as if it is written on a sheet of lavatory paper. Yet it has delusions of grandeur, saying it backs winners in general elections.
This shift in political allegiance is very nice for the Conservative Party, as much as it was not nice for them in 1997, when the Sun started backing Tony Blair's Labour Party. It does show that The Sun has not got an opinion of its own, it does not stand for anything. The paper's editor has said that it backs the party that best appears to serve the interests of its readers.
Some people think that the Sun is for those who cannot be bothered to engage their brain. That's not true. You have to think very hard to read the Sun. Because you DO have to think for yourself - is what the Sun thinks is good for you really good for you?
Wednesday 30 September
September goes out with a bang, several bangs in fact. Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding. It almost sounds like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Typhoon Ketsana started off by causing severe flooding in Manila on Saturday, dumping more than 16 inches of rain on the Philippino capital in 12 hours. More than 100 people lost their lives, and they are still cleaning up. Three days later, Ketsana had blown up into a fully fledged, category II typhoon and slammed into Vietnam. A similar deathtoll, and a similar number of people homeless - 730,000 in the Philippines and Vietnam combined. Even northern Cambodia was affected, and 11 lives were lost there.
Ketsana had barely disappeared from the weather charts when the Earth had an itch and jolted 3 inches under the Pacific. Six and a half miles of water were bumped upward and outward, and swamped the Samoan islands with a 25 feet tsunami. Even Hawaii, thousands of miles away to the northeast, saw 5 feet of tsunami running by. The devastation in Western and American Samoa is huge, and the deathtoll as yet incomplete. Yesterday evening, as the wave rolled round the Pacific, I (and hundreds with me) spent several hours relaying warning messages on Twitter.
Twelve hours after the Samoan quake, which measured 8.3 on the Richter scale, the earth moved again, and this time it was Sumatra that bore the brunt. Although no sizeable tsunami was generated, the devastation in western Sumatra was once more huge. The death toll at time of posting was quoted as at least 1,000, and probably much higher.
More natural disasters loom for the Pacific in the next few days. Two typhoons, one actual and one in the making, are shunting up Typhoon Alley to the east of the Philippines. Melor will slam into Guam on Saturday with winds near 110 mph, whilst Parma (further west) could cause problems in Luzon Island, Philippines before making for Taiwan.
The Atlantic hurricane season? What's that?? There have so far been 6 named storms, of which 2 in September, which is supposed to be the peak of the hurricane season. I am pleased for those in Hurricane Alley who (so far) have been spared the worst, although you should never count your chickens before they're hatched - and there is two months of the season left. The reason for the quietude of the Atlantic this year is an abnormal temperature pattern in the eastern Pacific, which is warmer than usual - it is called El Nino. As a result, atmospheric conditions are unfavourable for tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic. Long range forecasts state that a tropical cyclone could form in a week or so from now. I'm keeping an eye on developments on my TC blog.
Ketsana had barely disappeared from the weather charts when the Earth had an itch and jolted 3 inches under the Pacific. Six and a half miles of water were bumped upward and outward, and swamped the Samoan islands with a 25 feet tsunami. Even Hawaii, thousands of miles away to the northeast, saw 5 feet of tsunami running by. The devastation in Western and American Samoa is huge, and the deathtoll as yet incomplete. Yesterday evening, as the wave rolled round the Pacific, I (and hundreds with me) spent several hours relaying warning messages on Twitter.
Twelve hours after the Samoan quake, which measured 8.3 on the Richter scale, the earth moved again, and this time it was Sumatra that bore the brunt. Although no sizeable tsunami was generated, the devastation in western Sumatra was once more huge. The death toll at time of posting was quoted as at least 1,000, and probably much higher.
More natural disasters loom for the Pacific in the next few days. Two typhoons, one actual and one in the making, are shunting up Typhoon Alley to the east of the Philippines. Melor will slam into Guam on Saturday with winds near 110 mph, whilst Parma (further west) could cause problems in Luzon Island, Philippines before making for Taiwan.
The Atlantic hurricane season? What's that?? There have so far been 6 named storms, of which 2 in September, which is supposed to be the peak of the hurricane season. I am pleased for those in Hurricane Alley who (so far) have been spared the worst, although you should never count your chickens before they're hatched - and there is two months of the season left. The reason for the quietude of the Atlantic this year is an abnormal temperature pattern in the eastern Pacific, which is warmer than usual - it is called El Nino. As a result, atmospheric conditions are unfavourable for tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic. Long range forecasts state that a tropical cyclone could form in a week or so from now. I'm keeping an eye on developments on my TC blog.
Western Isles residents wanted for study
A PhD student from Lancaster is looking for residents of the Western Isles who are willing to give an hour or so of their time to talk about the use of language. Α project is being run across the UK and Ireland about the difference between how older and younger people speak and how they feel about it.
If you are interested to participate, or know people who want to take part, please leave a brief note in comments. I’ll relay the email address (which will show up in the comment notification) to the academic concerned, and you can then make arrangements direct. Confidentiality will be upheld by this blogger, and for anyone participating in the study.
Please relay.
Thank you.
If you are interested to participate, or know people who want to take part, please leave a brief note in comments. I’ll relay the email address (which will show up in the comment notification) to the academic concerned, and you can then make arrangements direct. Confidentiality will be upheld by this blogger, and for anyone participating in the study.
Please relay.
Thank you.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Tsunami
The PTWC is currently under heavy demand, and it is best to put their link into your feedreader, and keep abreast of developments that way. Waves of 5 feet in height have washed ashore in nearby islands at intervals of 8 minutes (which can be up to 1 hours apart). Over the next 5 to 6 hours, waves are expected to propagate across the Pacific. Warnings and watches remain in force until further notice.
LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
AMERICAN SAMOA PAGO PAGO 14.3S 170.7W 1759Z 29 SEP
SAMOA APIA 13.8S 171.8W 1810Z 29 SEP
NIUE NIUE IS. 19.0S 170.0W 1822Z 29 SEP
WALLIS-FUTUNA WALLIS IS. 13.2S 176.2W 1835Z 29 SEP
TOKELAU NUKUNONU IS. 9.2S 171.8W 1844Z 29 SEP
COOK ISLANDS PUKAPUKA IS. 10.8S 165.9W 1846Z 29 SEP
RAROTONGA 21.2S 159.8W 1929Z 29 SEP
PENRYN IS. 8.9S 157.8W 1954Z 29 SEP
TONGA NUKUALOFA 21.0S 175.2W 1851Z 29 SEP
TUVALU FUNAFUTI IS. 7.9S 178.5E 1932Z 29 SEP
KIRIBATI KANTON IS. 2.8S 171.7W 1935Z 29 SEP
FLINT IS. 11.4S 151.8W 2025Z 29 SEP
MALDEN IS. 3.9S 154.9W 2037Z 29 SEP
CHRISTMAS IS. 2.0N 157.5W 2100Z 29 SEP
TARAWA IS. 1.5N 173.0E 2104Z 29 SEP
KERMADEC IS RAOUL IS. 29.2S 177.9W 1938Z 29 SEP
FIJI SUVA 18.1S 178.4E 2003Z 29 SEP
HOWLAND-BAKER HOWLAND IS. 0.6N 176.6W 2008Z 29 SEP
JARVIS IS. JARVIS IS. 0.4S 160.1W 2028Z 29 SEP
NEW ZEALAND EAST CAPE 37.7S 178.5E 2044Z 29 SEP
GISBORNE 38.7S 178.0E 2100Z 29 SEP
NORTH CAPE 34.4S 173.3E 2112Z 29 SEP
NAPIER 39.5S 176.9E 2140Z 29 SEP
WELLINGTON 41.3S 174.8E 2150Z 29 SEP
AUCKLAND(E) 36.7S 175.0E 2212Z 29 SEP
AUCKLAND(W) 37.1S 174.2E 2239Z 29 SEP
LYTTELTON 43.6S 172.7E 2255Z 29 SEP
NEW PLYMOUTH 39.1S 174.1E 2317Z 29 SEP
NELSON 41.3S 173.3E 2323Z 29 SEP
DUNEDIN 45.9S 170.5E 2331Z 29 SEP
MILFORD SOUND 44.6S 167.9E 2358Z 29 SEP
WESTPORT 41.8S 171.6E 2359Z 29 SEP
BLUFF 46.6S 168.3E 0044Z 30 SEP
FR. POLYNESIA PAPEETE 17.5S 149.6W 2045Z 29 SEP
HIVA OA 10.0S 139.0W 2214Z 29 SEP
RIKITEA 23.1S 135.0W 2247Z 29 SEP
PALMYRA IS. PALMYRA IS. 6.3N 162.4W 2102Z 29 SEP
VANUATU ANATOM IS. 20.2S 169.9E 2117Z 29 SEP
ESPERITU SANTO 15.1S 167.3E 2123Z 29 SEP
NAURU NAURU 0.5S 166.9E 2138Z 29 SEP
MARSHALL IS. MAJURO 7.1N 171.4E 2147Z 29 SEP
KWAJALEIN 8.7N 167.7E 2220Z 29 SEP
ENIWETOK 11.4N 162.3E 2309Z 29 SEP
SOLOMON IS. KIRAKIRA 10.4S 161.9E 2155Z 29 SEP
GHATERE 7.8S 159.2E 2227Z 29 SEP
AUKI 8.8S 160.6E 2244Z 29 SEP
HONIARA 9.3S 160.0E 2244Z 29 SEP
PANGGOE 6.9S 157.2E 2245Z 29 SEP
MUNDA 8.4S 157.2E 2248Z 29 SEP
FALAMAE 7.4S 155.6E 2304Z 29 SEP
JOHNSTON IS. JOHNSTON IS. 16.7N 169.5W 2212Z 29 SEP
NEW CALEDONIA NOUMEA 22.3S 166.5E 2216Z 29 SEP
KOSRAE KOSRAE IS. 5.5N 163.0E 2233Z 29 SEP
PAPUA NEW GUINE KIETA 6.1S 155.6E 2303Z 29 SEP
AMUN 6.0S 154.7E 2323Z 29 SEP
RABAUL 4.2S 152.3E 2349Z 29 SEP
LAE 6.8S 147.0E 0015Z 30 SEP
KAVIENG 2.5S 150.7E 0016Z 30 SEP
PORT MORESBY 9.3S 146.9E 0039Z 30 SEP
MADANG 5.2S 145.8E 0041Z 30 SEP
MANUS IS. 2.0S 147.5E 0050Z 30 SEP
HAWAII NAWILIWILI 22.0N 159.4W 2311Z 29 SEP
HILO 19.7N 155.1W 2314Z 29 SEP
HONOLULU 21.3N 157.9W 2315Z 29 SEP
POHNPEI POHNPEI IS. 7.0N 158.2E 2318Z 29 SEP
WAKE IS. WAKE IS. 19.3N 166.6E 2322Z 29 SEP
PITCAIRN PITCAIRN IS. 25.1S 130.1W 2329Z 29 SEP
MIDWAY IS. MIDWAY IS. 28.2N 177.4W 2349Z 29 SEP
CHUUK CHUUK IS. 7.4N 151.8E 0020Z 30 SEP
AUSTRALIA BRISBANE 27.2S 153.3E 0036Z 30 SEP
SYDNEY 33.9S 151.4E 0038Z 30 SEP
Pacific Tsunami
Copied from PTWC:
A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / NIUE / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU /
COOK ISLANDS / TONGA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / FIJI /
HOWLAND-BAKER / JARVIS IS. / NEW ZEALAND / FR. POLYNESIA /
PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / SOLOMON IS.
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
JOHNSTON IS. / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
HAWAII / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / PITCAIRN / MIDWAY IS. / CHUUK /
AUSTRALIA
FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
NOTE THE MAGNITUDE UPGRADE TO 8.3
ORIGIN TIME - 1748Z 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
DEPTH - 33 KM
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 8.3
A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / NIUE / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU /
COOK ISLANDS / TONGA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / FIJI /
HOWLAND-BAKER / JARVIS IS. / NEW ZEALAND / FR. POLYNESIA /
PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / SOLOMON IS.
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
JOHNSTON IS. / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
HAWAII / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / PITCAIRN / MIDWAY IS. / CHUUK /
AUSTRALIA
FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
NOTE THE MAGNITUDE UPGRADE TO 8.3
ORIGIN TIME - 1748Z 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
DEPTH - 33 KM
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 8.3
From the archives: Tuesday 28 September 2004
Houton Ferry Terminal, Orkney Mainland
The weather has quietened down since Sunday's gale, and there is now only a gentle greeze. I go into town to hire a pushbike. At 11, I paddle down the Old Scapa Road after a preliminary circuit of the town centre. This took me down Junction Road to the Orkney Ferries terminal, then along all sorts of back roads to the cathedral. At 11.10, I'm heading southwest along the A964 towards Orphir. It's a nice, sunny day and make good progress. Consider a shortcut at Kirbister to Finstown, but don't like the prospect of hills. Have an interchange with a tourist bus, all along the road to Scapa Garage. On arrival at Houton Terminal, it's 12.30. It's a steep descent from the main road. Nice view across to Hoy. There are two piers here, one of which is the terminal for the ferry to Lyness, Hoy. Watch the world go by behind the ferry office, then head off when the ferry comes in. By that time, I've finished lunch. Back up the hill to the main road, then left towards Brig o'Waithe. The view opens out to Graemsay and Stromness, but it's a long, long way to the A965, particularly with a headwind. Backside gets sorer and sorer as I go along, but ** finally ** I gain the main road.Turn right and am now running the gauntlet of all the traffic. Pass the sideroad to the monuments, then stop off at a petrol station to buy an icecream and a coke. As I progress further east, the weather decides it's warm enough for a shower. So, at the corner of the A986, I hide in the busshelter to don my waterproofs. Reach Finstown without further mishap. Here I decide to go to Kirkwall along the Old Finstown Road, if only to avoid the traffic. Well, I'm not very good at hills and there is a lot of traffic on this road as well. Decide on a break a little way west of Smerquoy Farm, but sitting in the verge of the road isn't that nice either. Get overtaken by a full schoolbus, and finally sail into Kirkwall at 5pm. Blimey, wasn't I knackered. Return the bike to the shop on Tankerness Lane, drop into the Internet Café across the road. This is part of an IT training enterprise, which also serves coffee and snacks. Return to the hostel after shopping at Safeways.
Ketsana
As I reported in my previous post, this typhoon has now made landfall in Vietnam. Initial local reports state that at least 23 people have been killed by the storm, with 170,000 evacuated. Windspeeds reached 90 mph.
Image courtesy NPR / AP
The storm surge, which accompanies tropical cyclones, has swept 1 km inland at Hoi An, threatening hotels and other buildings at the resort.
Image courtesy NPR / AP
The storm surge, which accompanies tropical cyclones, has swept 1 km inland at Hoi An, threatening hotels and other buildings at the resort.
Tuesday 29 September
Well, we have the sun back. In abundance. Brilliant day, after several days of rain and murk. I don't really mind the rain and / or wind, but several days in the row gets a bit depressing.
There is an alert concerning the cervical cancer vaccination Cervarix. A girl of 14 died on Monday after the jab was administered, and tests are currently on-going in the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, parents are being urged to be vigilant towards any adverse reactions, displayed by their daughters following administration of Cervarix. The programme of vaccinations is currently suspended, but will resume shortly. If this concerns any of your family (in the UK, or elsewhere), please read this BBC news article carefully.
The Pacific currently has 4 tropical cyclones on the go. Typhoon Ketsana, which wrought havoc in the Philippines over the weekend, is making landfall in Vietnam, 110 miles southeast of Hue, with winds of 110 mph. The city of Da Nang, some 80 miles from Hue, reported sustained winds of 48 mph over the past 24 hours. Tropical storm 18W is going through the northern Marianas with galeforce winds. Parma is on its way, about 400 miles in its wake, with 20W some 850 miles east of Guam.
There is an alert concerning the cervical cancer vaccination Cervarix. A girl of 14 died on Monday after the jab was administered, and tests are currently on-going in the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, parents are being urged to be vigilant towards any adverse reactions, displayed by their daughters following administration of Cervarix. The programme of vaccinations is currently suspended, but will resume shortly. If this concerns any of your family (in the UK, or elsewhere), please read this BBC news article carefully.
The Pacific currently has 4 tropical cyclones on the go. Typhoon Ketsana, which wrought havoc in the Philippines over the weekend, is making landfall in Vietnam, 110 miles southeast of Hue, with winds of 110 mph. The city of Da Nang, some 80 miles from Hue, reported sustained winds of 48 mph over the past 24 hours. Tropical storm 18W is going through the northern Marianas with galeforce winds. Parma is on its way, about 400 miles in its wake, with 20W some 850 miles east of Guam.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Monday 28 September
Overcast and wet, as a frontal zone moves west to east over the islands - aligned west to east. We're in the middle of a 48-hour spell of rain. Quite uncommon actually. We get rain frequently, showers, rainbands, but they don't usually stop for such a long period of time. A local twitterer remarked that this was the time to view Stornoway Grey, a dig at a certain car manufacturer who is marketing one their models in that hue.
As I mentioned in the preceding post, the Philippines were deluged on Saturday by tropical storm Ondoy / Ketsana. Over the weekend, I was unable to access the islands' typhoon warning website. Far worse than that, dozens of people drowned and the emergency services are barely able to cope with the aftermath. The Philippines are affected by tropical cyclones every year, and rainfall tends to be causing more problems than actual winds. Ketsana carried winds that were barely above galeforce. But it did dump a month's rainfall in 12 hours on the Philippines capital, Manila.
As I mentioned in the preceding post, the Philippines were deluged on Saturday by tropical storm Ondoy / Ketsana. Over the weekend, I was unable to access the islands' typhoon warning website. Far worse than that, dozens of people drowned and the emergency services are barely able to cope with the aftermath. The Philippines are affected by tropical cyclones every year, and rainfall tends to be causing more problems than actual winds. Ketsana carried winds that were barely above galeforce. But it did dump a month's rainfall in 12 hours on the Philippines capital, Manila.
Hurricane update - 28 September
More accurately: typhoon update. The news reports this weekend have been full of the names Ondoy and Ketsana, both referring to the same tropical cyclone. After drowning the Philippines on Saturday, Ketsana drifted into the South China Sea and blew up into a typhoon (which is the same as a hurricane). At the moment, the forecasters put this system as a category II typhoon, with winds of 90 to 110 mph. Ketsana is headed due west, along the parallel of 15.8 degrees North, and is currently lashing the Paracel Islands. Landfall will occur tomorrow morning local time, between the towns of Dà Nang and Quang Ngãi. Apart from the high winds and torrential rains, Ketsana can also be expected to bring a storm surge ashore of 15 to 20 feet.
The forecasters are tying themselves in knots over two nascent tropical cyclones, prosaically named 18W and 19W, which lie some 450 miles apart to the south and southeast of the Marianas Islands in the Pacific. Because they are so "close", it is a gamble as to which one will gain the upper hand. Either way, there'll be another typhoon to the east of the Philippines before the week is out.
The forecasters are tying themselves in knots over two nascent tropical cyclones, prosaically named 18W and 19W, which lie some 450 miles apart to the south and southeast of the Marianas Islands in the Pacific. Because they are so "close", it is a gamble as to which one will gain the upper hand. Either way, there'll be another typhoon to the east of the Philippines before the week is out.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
From the archives: Monday 27 September 2004
For the morning session, I walk out at 10 o'clock, heading east out of the town centre towards Inganess Bay. This takes me along the road to the B&B where I stayed nearly 3 weeks ago. Once past there, the road veers off right; the road to Berstane Farm carries on straight ahead. When I reach a wood, filled with junk, I am confronted with a sign saying "Private", and I have to backtrack a little way. Then I jump over a gate and head south along the perifery of the wood. Can continue along the fence for nearly a mile, with views opening up over the airport. To my left lies the Creag of Berstane. Also see a windturbine near Heatheryquoy Farm. Cannot go there in a direct line, but have to veer right along fencing to Inganess Farm. Once on the minor road, I head east, downhill, to the salmon farm. I can drop down to the sands of Wideford, but have to rejoin the top of the seawall after the salmon farm. From here, a new-looking signposted walk leads me back to Scapa. The route is punctuated by some horrendously steep stiles, but finally I arrive at the A960 road to the airport. Cross this with care and carry on along the path. With some difficulties in orienteering, I reach the A961 Burwick road at midday. Cross with care and head into the road that leads to and past Fea Farm. From here, the track winds itself down a messy looking slope to Scapa Pier. This is familiar territory and I easily walk back to the YH on Old Scapa Road. After lunch, I join the bus which will take me to the Bishop's Palace and nearby Brough of Birsay (on the far northwestern corner of Orkney Mainland). The bus goes past Finstown, then down the A986 along such places as Doune and Twatt. People alight at various places along the way, some of them quite jolly. Many have been into town to do their shopping, and are now lumbering it home. Reach Birsay at 2.30. A few people get off here, several joining the bus for the journey back to Kirkwall. First of all, I have a look inside the small church dedicated to St Magnus. A little bare - have a look at this link http://www.birsay.org.uk/stmagnus.htm.
Also have a look inside the ruined Earl's Palace, of which only a few feet now remain of its walls. In every room, a little note tells the story about it. Having walked through the ruins, I finally make my way to the Brough. This lies about a mile west of Birsay village and is a tidal island, only accessible at low tide. A concrete slabbed walkway provides a fairly safe if slippery access route. On arrival at the other side, I say hello to the warden and start by looking round theViking settlement, of which only foot-high walls remain. It included achurch. Then I go on a walk around the island, which has some pretty high seacliffs, up to 40 metres / 135 ft high. Like the views down the coast to Marwick Head, with cliffs up to 80 metres / 265 ft high. Pass the lighthouse, where a cleft, only a few inches wide, crashes down to sealevel. The coastline is eroding badly, and you have to be very cautious. I walk along, latterly with two other people in the distance. Cross the causeway back to the mainland at 4pm, and stay behind to watch the tide coming in. Have a little walk along the coastline to Skipi Geo, where people used to store their boats high up on the shore, in a shed. Sit down with two other walkers to enjoy the afternoon sun for a while. Then head back to the carpark to watch the tide creep in. At 4.30, the flag is taken down at the visitor centre on the Brough, and the warden crosses over. Shortly afterwards, the tide covers the middle section of the walkway. We had a cup of tea from a van selling sausage rolls, but when we looked round again, it had gone. Hop back to the village to wait for the 6pm bus. It's a long and chilly wait. The return journey goes along the north coast of Mainland to Evie and Loch of Swannay. Pick up ferry passengers at Tingwall and return to Kirkwall at 6.50
Brough of Birsay, image courtesy Flickr-user bugmonkey
Birsay Palace, image courtesy Flickr-user leguan001
Also have a look inside the ruined Earl's Palace, of which only a few feet now remain of its walls. In every room, a little note tells the story about it. Having walked through the ruins, I finally make my way to the Brough. This lies about a mile west of Birsay village and is a tidal island, only accessible at low tide. A concrete slabbed walkway provides a fairly safe if slippery access route. On arrival at the other side, I say hello to the warden and start by looking round theViking settlement, of which only foot-high walls remain. It included achurch. Then I go on a walk around the island, which has some pretty high seacliffs, up to 40 metres / 135 ft high. Like the views down the coast to Marwick Head, with cliffs up to 80 metres / 265 ft high. Pass the lighthouse, where a cleft, only a few inches wide, crashes down to sealevel. The coastline is eroding badly, and you have to be very cautious. I walk along, latterly with two other people in the distance. Cross the causeway back to the mainland at 4pm, and stay behind to watch the tide coming in. Have a little walk along the coastline to Skipi Geo, where people used to store their boats high up on the shore, in a shed. Sit down with two other walkers to enjoy the afternoon sun for a while. Then head back to the carpark to watch the tide creep in. At 4.30, the flag is taken down at the visitor centre on the Brough, and the warden crosses over. Shortly afterwards, the tide covers the middle section of the walkway. We had a cup of tea from a van selling sausage rolls, but when we looked round again, it had gone. Hop back to the village to wait for the 6pm bus. It's a long and chilly wait. The return journey goes along the north coast of Mainland to Evie and Loch of Swannay. Pick up ferry passengers at Tingwall and return to Kirkwall at 6.50
Brough of Birsay, image courtesy Flickr-user bugmonkey
Birsay Palace, image courtesy Flickr-user leguan001
Sunday evening
It hasn't stopped raining all day. Went out to Gress, which is 5 miles short of Tolsta, without said guests as they were being entertained. It was nice on the beach, although it was raining steadily. I spent a quiet afternoon finishing two books I was reading: one about the landraids on the island of Vatersay, off Barra, the other about cloudformations. Also watched television, a programme about Italian architecture, and another about unusual wildlife in Indonesia. Makes a difference from being glued to this wee screen ;-)
I'll close proceedings on here by posting an archive entry from 2004, when I was coming to the close of my stint in Orkney. Having arrived there on 1 September, I spent 4 weeks exploring virtually all the islands (with a few exceptions) in that archipelago.
I'll close proceedings on here by posting an archive entry from 2004, when I was coming to the close of my stint in Orkney. Having arrived there on 1 September, I spent 4 weeks exploring virtually all the islands (with a few exceptions) in that archipelago.
Sunday 27 September
Dismal morning in Stornoway, wet and windy. Nonetheless, may end up taking out some overseas visitors to the delights of the beach at Tolsta
which obviously doesn't look like that this morning. Improvements in the weather are still some way off.
which obviously doesn't look like that this morning. Improvements in the weather are still some way off.
From the archives: Sunday 26 September 2004
It's a cloudy day today, and it does not look as if it's going to brighten up. Arrive at a derilict busstation to take the tourist bus to Skara Brae, with a view to walk across to Stromness. It's also quite blustery and cold. Alight at the neolithic village at 11, and now have the rest of the afternoon to cover the 6 miles to Stromness. I start off by merrily walking into the teeth of the gale, past Skaill Farm,along walls and through pastures. Past herds of bemused looking cows,but very quickly I find myself crossing barbed-wire fences without any stiles. Back I go, glad to have my face out of that very cold SW wind. Retrace my steps as far as Skaill Farm, then head southeast, along a farmtrack that runs roughly past Loch Skaill. Then it's due south, and I'm again diverted because of herds of cows. WIth difficulty, on account of an overgrown and boggy farmtrack, I gain the road which leads south to Stromness. Because of the force 8-9 wind, I decide to engage in a spot of roadwalking. This presents me with quite a challenge, because the severe gale strength wind is determined to blow me into the path of oncoming traffic. After 2 miles, I get the opportunity to leave the busy B9050/A967 to briefly head for quieter side-roads. Pass Kirbister and proceed over Redland Hill. Here,a minor disaster befalls me, in that one of my bootlaces breaks. I tie the two ends together and carry on. My mapcase is also giving me grief. This consists of a Morrisons bag, and is flapping furiously, not really affording much protection against the force 9 winds. Carry on along the A967, with the weather improving gradually. As I struggle past Newburgh and Millhouse, the sun comes out. Head into a country lane to enter Stromness by the backdoor. The ruinous farm buildings along here don't do much for the scenery. Take a break off Millhouse farm, then descend to the bridge cum ford across the Mill Burn and wearily trudge down the hill into Stromness proper. This is along HIllside Road, not the main Kirkwall Road. Past the Co-op and the firestation at 4pm, and up Franklin Road to gain the higher reaches of Stromness. Even go up Brinkies Brae with my purchases from the Co-op, then into the town for a cuppa before the bus comes back at 4.50. Julia's Cafe is a nice wee place opposite the ferry terminal. Kids are sliding along the tiled floors. Have a cup of tea and a pastry before I rejoin the bus back to Kirkwall. Sun is out on the way back, making it quite an acceptable late afternoon.
Stromness, October 2008
Skara Brae, October 2008
Stromness, October 2008
Skara Brae, October 2008
Saturday, 26 September 2009
A year on
On Tuesday, it will be a year ago that AOL gave us a month's notice to quit our journals before they would be deleted. The following 4 weeks were a mad scramble to move our blogs to another platform, mostly this one (Blogger). Many have since left blogging, either for Facebook / Twitter or altogether. AOL, well, they could at least have left the journals on their servers, even if we would not have been able to update them anymore. What galled me most was the cynical request for me to write a guest editor's post on September 25th, knowing (for 2 months) that five days later, the plug would be pulled. And the lack of cooperation from AOL Journals staff, who had not prepared anything, in spite of the 2 months' notice they had themselves.
On 1 October, I commenced a new blog, called Atlantic Lines. It became my main blog at the end of October, when its predecessor Northern Trip was deleted. Like for so many, NT had been a constant companion for years, three years in my case. I managed to transfer it to Blogger, and is now archived there. I set it up on 28 September 2004, when I was staying in Kirkwall, Orkney. I started using it as an internet diary ten days later, by which time I had transferred to the Isle of Skye, more specifically the village of Kyleakin (pronounce: ky-lakkin).
As a memory, I'll post a few entries from five years ago and add a map to show the places I'm talking about.
On 1 October, I commenced a new blog, called Atlantic Lines. It became my main blog at the end of October, when its predecessor Northern Trip was deleted. Like for so many, NT had been a constant companion for years, three years in my case. I managed to transfer it to Blogger, and is now archived there. I set it up on 28 September 2004, when I was staying in Kirkwall, Orkney. I started using it as an internet diary ten days later, by which time I had transferred to the Isle of Skye, more specifically the village of Kyleakin (pronounce: ky-lakkin).
As a memory, I'll post a few entries from five years ago and add a map to show the places I'm talking about.
Ondoy
Ketsana is only a marginal tropical storm in terms of windspeed, but is carrying large amounts of water, as is typical of tropical systems. After leaving the Philippines later today (GMT), the system will move across the South China Sea, to make landfall in central Vietnam on Tuesday.
Image courtesy Xinhua
Saturday 26 September
Overcast with occasional sunny spells, so a slight improvement. Rain looks unlikely. This morning shows cruiseliner Marco Polo at anchor in Sandwick Bay and the Norwegian submarine S300 along the ferrypier. We've had submarines in before, but they did not moor. The Norwegian navy has put in appearances before, with four small destroyers in April 2007.
On a related theme, Ullapool registered fishing vessel Our Hazel was towed into Stornoway yesterday morning, after an 11 hour trip from the Butt of Lewis. The fishingboat put out an emergency call at 1 am on Friday, after she suffered a mechanical failure. The local lifeboat, (17-18) Tom Sandersen, went to her aid and towed her back to Stornoway.
On a related theme, Ullapool registered fishing vessel Our Hazel was towed into Stornoway yesterday morning, after an 11 hour trip from the Butt of Lewis. The fishingboat put out an emergency call at 1 am on Friday, after she suffered a mechanical failure. The local lifeboat, (17-18) Tom Sandersen, went to her aid and towed her back to Stornoway.
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