Thursday 4 February
Friday 5 February
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Saturday 6 February
Nice sunny morning with gentle easterly breezes and a reasonable 7C on the thermometer. That's a lot better than the east coast of the US, which is warned of a snowfall of 2½ feet and more in Washington DC. If you're there, please take care.
The BBC is pulling the plug on its active involvement with the Island Blogging site, to which I contributed myself under a nom de plume - which I tend not to refer to. We were warned in December 2008 that this was going to happen, and as of Friday 12 February, no more postings or comments will be able to be left on the site. Virtually all the bloggers have gone over to their own blogs or to a new Island Blogging site. It is a pity that the Beeb could not be bothered to furnish us with an improved blogging service, but such are the vagaries of the licence fee recipients; it's more important to stuff fat cats like Terry Wogan than to serve Johnny Public.
The BBC is pulling the plug on its active involvement with the Island Blogging site, to which I contributed myself under a nom de plume - which I tend not to refer to. We were warned in December 2008 that this was going to happen, and as of Friday 12 February, no more postings or comments will be able to be left on the site. Virtually all the bloggers have gone over to their own blogs or to a new Island Blogging site. It is a pity that the Beeb could not be bothered to furnish us with an improved blogging service, but such are the vagaries of the licence fee recipients; it's more important to stuff fat cats like Terry Wogan than to serve Johnny Public.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Friday 5 February
Not seen +8C for a while, but that's the current temperature at Stornoway Airport just now. We're having a mild interlude, and even the sun is putting in an appearance - if a rather milky one. After the weekend, the weather will turn colder from the east, which does mean that we in the west are more sheltered from the worst of its effects.
In recent times, a fierce discussion has raged in these parts on the location for a history centre for St Kilda. Hiort, as the archipelago is known in Gaelic, was evacuated in 1930 and now stands derilict some 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. Three locations in the Western Isles vied for the honour of hosting the centre, which was finally allocated to Mangersta, in Uig, western Lewis. The village of Leverburgh in Harris and a hilltop site in North Uist (Cleitreabhal) lost out. Accusations of foul play and shifted goalposts marred the process, and neither losing contender has taken their defeat lying down. Cleitreabhal may yet be the site of a rival centre.
A resident of South Uist has written to local news website Hebrides News, stating that the heritage of the St Kildans is used as a football between various agencies for the sake of money. Read for yourself.
In recent times, a fierce discussion has raged in these parts on the location for a history centre for St Kilda. Hiort, as the archipelago is known in Gaelic, was evacuated in 1930 and now stands derilict some 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. Three locations in the Western Isles vied for the honour of hosting the centre, which was finally allocated to Mangersta, in Uig, western Lewis. The village of Leverburgh in Harris and a hilltop site in North Uist (Cleitreabhal) lost out. Accusations of foul play and shifted goalposts marred the process, and neither losing contender has taken their defeat lying down. Cleitreabhal may yet be the site of a rival centre.
A resident of South Uist has written to local news website Hebrides News, stating that the heritage of the St Kildans is used as a football between various agencies for the sake of money. Read for yourself.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Thursday 4 February
Overcast today, but not as cold as of late. The mercury is now at 6C / 43F, and any remaining ice and snow is melting fast. The difference, some 5 degrees above yesterday's high, is quite noticeable and welcome.
Locally, plans to fill in part of the Inner Harbour here in Stornoway have been rejected by the Pier and Harbour Commission. The upper part of the Inner Harbour would have been put to other use, but the P&HC have declared that the scheme would alter wave patterns, jeopardise the safety of adjacent quays and increase the likelihood of flooding. The northern part of the Inner Harbour does not look very appealing at low tide (mud).
In Cambridgeshire, a man who called for the out-of-hours service of his GP surgery was unlawfully killed by the locum doctor that turned up. The patient was administered ten times the recommended dose diamorphine for kidney stone pain and died as a result. Dr Ubani, who works at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Germany, appeared hesitant when confronted with the choice of painkillers available to him. Diamorphine (abused as heroin) is not commonly used in Germany. The inquest into Mr Gray found he had been unlawfully killed by Dr Ubani, who has since returned home. It was his first ever call-out as a locum in the UK, and he is ruled to have been incompetent. One of Mr Gray's sons, a medical doctor himself, said that checks on overseas doctors coming to work in the UK should be tightened. More details here.
My personal opinion is one of shock, that the checks currently in place are so woefully inadequate. As you all know, I am a Dutch national who has worked in the UK for a number of years. When I applied for my last job, a good command of the English language was one of the main conditions for me getting the job; after professional competence. It would appear that locum doctors are not checked on those criteria. I hope the coroner's recommendations are acted upon by the relevant authorities as a matter of urgency.
Locally, plans to fill in part of the Inner Harbour here in Stornoway have been rejected by the Pier and Harbour Commission. The upper part of the Inner Harbour would have been put to other use, but the P&HC have declared that the scheme would alter wave patterns, jeopardise the safety of adjacent quays and increase the likelihood of flooding. The northern part of the Inner Harbour does not look very appealing at low tide (mud).
In Cambridgeshire, a man who called for the out-of-hours service of his GP surgery was unlawfully killed by the locum doctor that turned up. The patient was administered ten times the recommended dose diamorphine for kidney stone pain and died as a result. Dr Ubani, who works at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Germany, appeared hesitant when confronted with the choice of painkillers available to him. Diamorphine (abused as heroin) is not commonly used in Germany. The inquest into Mr Gray found he had been unlawfully killed by Dr Ubani, who has since returned home. It was his first ever call-out as a locum in the UK, and he is ruled to have been incompetent. One of Mr Gray's sons, a medical doctor himself, said that checks on overseas doctors coming to work in the UK should be tightened. More details here.
My personal opinion is one of shock, that the checks currently in place are so woefully inadequate. As you all know, I am a Dutch national who has worked in the UK for a number of years. When I applied for my last job, a good command of the English language was one of the main conditions for me getting the job; after professional competence. It would appear that locum doctors are not checked on those criteria. I hope the coroner's recommendations are acted upon by the relevant authorities as a matter of urgency.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Wednesday 3 February
Awoke to a cold and icy morning, but for a while, the sun was out. This has now disappeared behind a thickening veil of cloud which is moving up from the southwest. As I was waiting in a shop, I caught sight of a TV screen where a weather forecaster was warning of more of the white stuff. The pavements here are icerinks a lot of the time, and there is no improvement imminent.
Locally, the council have announced they intend to close 18 primary schools over a 7-year period, ending in 1918. No, I'm not joking. The last line in the article on Hebrides News states that "... schools to close in 1918".
Locally, the council have announced they intend to close 18 primary schools over a 7-year period, ending in 1918. No, I'm not joking. The last line in the article on Hebrides News states that "... schools to close in 1918".
Tuesday 2 February
My journey to Stornoway was uneventful, if I'm honest. I managed to catch an earlier train than planned, as the taxi turned up early. The 5.46 am service brought me to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in good time for the flight at 9.20 am. I make a point of being there two hours before departure, as you never know how busy it might get. It wasn't busy. The check-in area for my flight was deserted. I proceeded to gate D16 and settled down with a cup of coffee. The plane took off on the dot at 9.20 sharp.
On the way to London Gatwick, I couldn't see a thing, as we cruised through cloud all the way. Landed 15 minutes early, and disembarked at gate 55. Worked my way to the front of the terminal, then back in again through security and that rigmarole. Had to wait until about 11.40 before my onward connection to Edinburgh was posted as departing from (you guessed it): gate 55, door C. Waiting is a major part of airtravel, even when everything runs according to schedule. The plane took off at half past twelve, more or less on time, and this time we ascended to 34,000 feet, above the cloud. There were some chinks in the cloud above England, but I could not see anything until we approached Edinburgh, where the cloud cover disappeared. In a large curve, we swung round to land in a southwesterly direction at Turnhouse Airport.
As I disembarked from the plane, I caught sight of the departures board. This stated that my onward connection to Stornoway would leave from gate 23, which (oddly and erroneously) was marked as closed. Not bothered by that, I proceeded to check in for this flight and had some lunch. After that, I joined the 20 minute queue for security which, like Gatwick, you need to pass through before reaching the gates. At 5.15pm, we were taken outside in the dimming light of dusk and bussed to the aircraft. This was de-iced after passengers boarded, and then it took off. It was a turboprop plane and it flew us northwest at a good rate. Light faded from the sky as we approached Stornoway, and we bumped our way through a few rogue showers. For 20 minutes, we circled around the airport whilst another aircraft landed. Then we were smacked onto the tarmac and hurray, we were there.
Upon leaving the plane, passengers were warned to be careful as there was sheet ice around it. Made the terminal in one piece, then found an empty taxi which took me to Stornoway for £5.60. The fare to the station in Arnhem, which is a similar distance from my father's house, was the equivalent of £15.
On the way to London Gatwick, I couldn't see a thing, as we cruised through cloud all the way. Landed 15 minutes early, and disembarked at gate 55. Worked my way to the front of the terminal, then back in again through security and that rigmarole. Had to wait until about 11.40 before my onward connection to Edinburgh was posted as departing from (you guessed it): gate 55, door C. Waiting is a major part of airtravel, even when everything runs according to schedule. The plane took off at half past twelve, more or less on time, and this time we ascended to 34,000 feet, above the cloud. There were some chinks in the cloud above England, but I could not see anything until we approached Edinburgh, where the cloud cover disappeared. In a large curve, we swung round to land in a southwesterly direction at Turnhouse Airport.
As I disembarked from the plane, I caught sight of the departures board. This stated that my onward connection to Stornoway would leave from gate 23, which (oddly and erroneously) was marked as closed. Not bothered by that, I proceeded to check in for this flight and had some lunch. After that, I joined the 20 minute queue for security which, like Gatwick, you need to pass through before reaching the gates. At 5.15pm, we were taken outside in the dimming light of dusk and bussed to the aircraft. This was de-iced after passengers boarded, and then it took off. It was a turboprop plane and it flew us northwest at a good rate. Light faded from the sky as we approached Stornoway, and we bumped our way through a few rogue showers. For 20 minutes, we circled around the airport whilst another aircraft landed. Then we were smacked onto the tarmac and hurray, we were there.
Upon leaving the plane, passengers were warned to be careful as there was sheet ice around it. Made the terminal in one piece, then found an empty taxi which took me to Stornoway for £5.60. The fare to the station in Arnhem, which is a similar distance from my father's house, was the equivalent of £15.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Hurricane update - 1 February
Tropical cyclone 12P has formed in the South Pacific and is threatening the Northern Cook Islands as well as French Polynesia including Tahiti. This could become quite a nasty system; the current forecast is for winds up to 95 knots (115 mph) near the centre by Wednesday.
For reference: normal blogging will resume on Atlantic Lines on Wednesday 3 February.
For reference: normal blogging will resume on Atlantic Lines on Wednesday 3 February.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Hurricane update - 28 January
The southwestern Pacific is currently the scene for tropical cyclone Nisha, which is headed for the Southern Cook Islands, east of the dateline. Galeforce winds and higher will be moving in through the early hours of the 29th (it is 12 hours later than GMT there). Those resident there should monitor the output from RSMC Nadi (Fiji).
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
The lost parcel - a map
Click on any of the blue markers to see the name of the place they point to. These are:
- North Uist
- South Uist
- Uig, Isle of Skye
- Isle of Unst (Haroldswick), Shetland Isles
Monday, 25 January 2010
The lost parcel
Although I'm currently in Holland, I am posting this story on Atlantic Lines, as it is firmly an island story. A blogger in North Uist posted an image of a parcel on her blog the other day. It had arrived in her home after an epic journey through Shetland and the Uists. The sender, a man in a small town in Germany, had misspelled the name of the island of Unst, calling it Uist instead. After the parcel had gone through nearly all the three postal code areas in the Uists (HS6, HS7 and HS8), the postman left it with someone sharing the same surname as the addressee. And she decided to enlist the help of the global community, of which I am (with everybody reading this) a member.
I looked up the sender's address and found a telephone number in an on-line German telephone directory. I rang it, and fortunately the man answering it spoke English, better than my German which is exceedingly rusty. He told me that the packet was in fact intended for a Shetland family. For reasons of privacy, I cannot go into details, but I managed to find full address details and a telephone number. These I forwarded to the lady in North Uist and the package should be on its way to Shetland by tomorrow.
I looked up the sender's address and found a telephone number in an on-line German telephone directory. I rang it, and fortunately the man answering it spoke English, better than my German which is exceedingly rusty. He told me that the packet was in fact intended for a Shetland family. For reasons of privacy, I cannot go into details, but I managed to find full address details and a telephone number. These I forwarded to the lady in North Uist and the package should be on its way to Shetland by tomorrow.
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Journey update
Currently at Edinburgh airport, suffering one delay after another. The plane from Stornoway left nearly 2 hours late because the aircraft needed de-icing: which they did (1) using an ice-scraper and (2) using a warm hanger and (3) using the sun.
Presently at Edinburgh, where the onward connection to Gatwick is delayed by an hour, jeopardising my connection to Amsterdam. I only have 90 minutes at LGW, making it very dicey. Will update further on the Shell Gallery.
Presently at Edinburgh, where the onward connection to Gatwick is delayed by an hour, jeopardising my connection to Amsterdam. I only have 90 minutes at LGW, making it very dicey. Will update further on the Shell Gallery.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Evening notes
Went on the bus to Aignish this afternoon; Aignish is a small village a couple of miles east of Stornoway, a mile or so past the airport. Been there a couple of times before, and was back in the cemetery to take photographs of gravestones that had not come out very well on previous occasions. At one time, in late November '07, the light was very poor. No such problems today - the sun was shining brightly, there was hardly any wind and it almost felt warm. The report put us as high as 9C / 48F; at the moment the clear skies have allowed the mercury to nosedive to freezing. I am currently uploading pictures, and will post some of them a little later.
Tomorrow, I shall once more be wending my way across to Holland. Once there, I shall resume posting on the Shell Gallery. Those that follow my blogs through Facebook should see those entries appear there. Blogging on Atlantic Lines will resume on Wednesday 3 February.
Tomorrow, I shall once more be wending my way across to Holland. Once there, I shall resume posting on the Shell Gallery. Those that follow my blogs through Facebook should see those entries appear there. Blogging on Atlantic Lines will resume on Wednesday 3 February.
Friday 22 January
What a difference a day makes: bright sunshine and hardly a cloud in the sky. Only the fact that the ferry had to stay in Ullapool overnight is indication that yesterday was not a good day. It is still not a good day in the Highlands, where several accidents have occurred on the A9 between Inverness and Perth, attributable to drifting snow.
Windows is now installing a security update for Internet Explorer, which should patch a hole previously abused (allegedly) by the Chinese authorities to tap their opponents' gmail accounts. I haven't used IE for yonks; I only use Firefox these days. Apparently somewhat safer and decidedly faster than IE.
More later
Windows is now installing a security update for Internet Explorer, which should patch a hole previously abused (allegedly) by the Chinese authorities to tap their opponents' gmail accounts. I haven't used IE for yonks; I only use Firefox these days. Apparently somewhat safer and decidedly faster than IE.
More later
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Euthanasia
The Scottish Parliament today started to debate a Bill on Assisted Suicide. It was launched by MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) Margo Macdonald, who is a passionate believer in what she terms assisted suicide. I think it is a good thing to have a debate on this very difficult issue, and party leaders at Holyrood have promised that members will have a free vote on the issue, once the time for that arrives.
I copy a summary of the Bill's main points from the BBC website:
In the UK, there have been several high-profile cases, where terminally ill people travelled to Switzerland for euthanasia. Doctors in the UK would face prosecution for manslaughter or murder, and so would anyone else involved in the euthanasia. It is time this issue is sorted out either way. I hope this Bill will start a nationwide debate in the UK on euthanasia - to place it on the statute book as accepted legal practice, or not as the case may be.
I realise that my standpoint may be incompatible with that of several of my readers, and I apologise for any upset or distress caused. However, this is an issue under debate in society and if anyone has any views on this, it would be very good to have them all aired.
I copy a summary of the Bill's main points from the BBC website:
- Person must be terminally ill or "permanently physically incapacited"
- Request must be made to and approved by doctor and psychiatrist
- Both must be asked twice after 15-days cooling off period
- Assistance must be supervised by the approving doctor
- Close friends and relatives banned from administering drug
- Only over-16s qualify
- Applicants must be registered with Scottish GP for 18 months
- Bill does not apply to those with dementia or other degenerative mental condition
In the UK, there have been several high-profile cases, where terminally ill people travelled to Switzerland for euthanasia. Doctors in the UK would face prosecution for manslaughter or murder, and so would anyone else involved in the euthanasia. It is time this issue is sorted out either way. I hope this Bill will start a nationwide debate in the UK on euthanasia - to place it on the statute book as accepted legal practice, or not as the case may be.
I realise that my standpoint may be incompatible with that of several of my readers, and I apologise for any upset or distress caused. However, this is an issue under debate in society and if anyone has any views on this, it would be very good to have them all aired.
Thursday 21 January
Overcast this morning with a strengthening wind. Severe gales could develop later today, keeping up our average of one gale a week. Ferry services up and down the west coast of Scotland are duly disrupted.
Australia is bracing itself for tropical cyclone Magda. This storm formed last night (GMT) and is headed straight for the coast of Western Australia, north of the town of Derby. Magda is expected to strengthen rapidly, with the Australia Bureau of Meteorology anticipating the storm to be at category 4 strength (that is a lower category of strength than the corresponding category in the Saffir Simpson scale) by landfall, late on Friday (GMT).
More later.
Australia is bracing itself for tropical cyclone Magda. This storm formed last night (GMT) and is headed straight for the coast of Western Australia, north of the town of Derby. Magda is expected to strengthen rapidly, with the Australia Bureau of Meteorology anticipating the storm to be at category 4 strength (that is a lower category of strength than the corresponding category in the Saffir Simpson scale) by landfall, late on Friday (GMT).
More later.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Promises
This suggests that spring will one day return. Needed the reminder today, wall to wall wind and rain.
Wednesday 20 January
A wet and breezy day in the Western Isles, and the wind will only increase. Tomorrow, a force 9 severe gale is forecast. Across in Australia, a tropical cyclone is forming off the northwest coast, and this could blow up into a category II system in the next few days. It is hurricane season there (southern hemisphere summer).
I am not apologising for switching my front picture, to a wintry scene from Laxay. I tend to change my front picture every couple of weeks, and as the snow had disappeared I felt a new image was in order. I realise the colours are quite bland, but that's the way it looks. It won't be until April that colours will return to this island.
Twitter just went into an outage, although I managed to put a tweet through using shortening service bit.ly.
I am not apologising for switching my front picture, to a wintry scene from Laxay. I tend to change my front picture every couple of weeks, and as the snow had disappeared I felt a new image was in order. I realise the colours are quite bland, but that's the way it looks. It won't be until April that colours will return to this island.
Twitter just went into an outage, although I managed to put a tweet through using shortening service bit.ly.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Tuesday 19 January
A cold and cloudy day, although some brightness is about. The mercury stands at 7C, but the cold wind makes it feel rather less than that. In spite of the wintry feel, I jumped on the bus to Laxay this morning to take more photographs of wargraves in that village's cemetery. The total was ten.
Laxay lies 12 miles south of Stornoway in the district of Lochs, and it is surrounded by quite a few lochs and rivers. A loch, for those unfamiliar with the regional vocabulary, is a lake or an inlet from the sea. Loch Erisort, which bounds Laxay to the south, stretches for 15 miles from the Minch in the east and causes long travel distances. The village of Cromore, for instance, lies 12 miles from Stornoway as the gull flies, but it's more like 30 miles by road (Cromore is marked on the map below).
Some pictures from the village are shown at the bottom of this post.
Laxay lies 12 miles south of Stornoway in the district of Lochs, and it is surrounded by quite a few lochs and rivers. A loch, for those unfamiliar with the regional vocabulary, is a lake or an inlet from the sea. Loch Erisort, which bounds Laxay to the south, stretches for 15 miles from the Minch in the east and causes long travel distances. The village of Cromore, for instance, lies 12 miles from Stornoway as the gull flies, but it's more like 30 miles by road (Cromore is marked on the map below).
Some pictures from the village are shown at the bottom of this post.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Visit to Carloway
As today was nice and sunny, I jumped on the afternoon bus to Carloway with the object of photographing the local war memorial. The bus trip, 45 miles, costs me a mere £4.40 and lasts for 2½ hours. Normally, it is 2 hours, but the bus picks up and drops off school children from two different schools. This allowed me to jump off at Carloway and photograph said memorial and a few village scenes.
On the way along, I noticed that there was quite a bit of snow and ice left in verges and in shaded locations.The first pic in the below gallery shows what was left in the shade of some trees at Garynahine junction. Below that, you'll see five images from Carloway.
On the way along, I noticed that there was quite a bit of snow and ice left in verges and in shaded locations.The first pic in the below gallery shows what was left in the shade of some trees at Garynahine junction. Below that, you'll see five images from Carloway.
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