Friday 23 April

A wet day today and quite cold. The mercury has not reached much above 5C today.
The Condock II continues to discharge its cargo at Glumag Harbour. I have now found out that it came with three accommodation units for use on fishfarms.


A discussion was held on BBC Radio Scotland this afternoon from the An Lanntair arts centre here in Stornoway. It was between the five main candidates, with an audience in attendance. The BBC's main political correspondent Brian Taylor was in the chair. The Conservatives' candidate was speaking by radiolink from Dundee, as she had been unable to fly up due to volcanic ash. The BBC crew had been unable to use the same airlink, but probably squeezed onto the overnight freight ferry MV Muirneag. The link from Dundee had a bad echo on it. Mssrs Macneil, Macsween, Murray and Ms Davies provided an entertaining 45 minutes on issues pertaining to the Western Isles. As I am not eligible to vote in this election, I shall refrain from passing further comment.

As I indicated above, the plane service to this island was disrupted this morning due to unsafe levels of volcanic ash. A flight service did resume in the afternoon.

To be remembered

Norman Morrison, formerly of 10A South Dell in Lewis, died on 16 March 1917 after suffering with TB for 9 months. He had served on the Western Front, but was repatriated with gunshot wounds. He was interred at Swainbost Cemetery, but his grave was not marked. Norman would have qualified for a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) gravestone, but was overlooked.

I have gathered what I hope is sufficient evidence for Norman to be included on the CWGC files and be afforded a proper gravestone. Even if his actual grave cannot be located.

Thursday 22 April

Nice day with a lot of bright sunshine and no showers worthy of the mention. No flights at all out of Stornoway, as a no-fly zone remains in force over the far northwest of Scotland due to volcanic ash.

An unusual ship came into port this afternoon to deliver what looks like prefabricated buildings and boats. I don't know what that is all about, but Glumag Harbour, where the ship docked, is directly in my line of sight, so I'll keep an eye on proceedings.

I should explain my previous post 'Out of Office'. When I post on Tropical Cyclones, about 70 people get automated emailed notifications of the new entry. Two people had an automated reply engaged on their email accounts, as they were away on holiday.

STV News came from outside the Woodlands Centre in Stornoway this evening, which was a nice surprise. Tomorrow, there will be an election debate at An Lanntair here, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland at 1215 pm. It should also be relayed on-line.

Out of office

This morning, I made the first entry on the Tropical Cyclones blog in ten days, a record time. There were no hurricanes or the like to report on. However, my entry elicited two automated Out of Office replies from the Southern Hemisphere. One from Rarotonga and one from Australia. Both were away on holiday.

Enjoy yourselves down there.

Wednesday 21 April

As I'm typing this post, MV Muirneag comes in, nearly 3 hours late. The Muirneag is our cargoboat which takes lorries and other goods vehicles from the mainland on an overnight crossing. It is cold and bright with intermittent heavy showers this morning. Much like yesterday, which saw a litany of showers of snow, hail, rain and the kitchensink. Yesterday, Stornoway airport was the busiest in the country. This morning, there is hardly a plane to be seen, as only the flights to Inverness operate. It has something to do with the presence of ash from the Iceland volcano in the area. That should not be a problem for very much longer, as the weather forecast shows the wind direction to be veering to the southwest tonight.

Meanwhile, the airlines can now start the mammoth task of repatriating 150,000 Britons stuck overseas.

Back to normal?

Since 10pm this evening, all airports in the United Kingdom have been reopened to flights. The Civil Aviation Authority has issued guidance, stating that it is now safe to reopen British airspace. This comes after a reassessment of the risk, posed by volcanic ash, to aircraft engines. Engine manufacturers have said that lower levels of ash do not pose a substantial risk to engines.

This advice was issued as a dozen British Airways flights were headed east across the Atlantic towards the UK. The airlines have been clamouring since the weekend for a reassessment of the risk posed by the ash - a reassessment they have now got. I find it very strange that 6 hours after almost all UK airports were closed, they are now suddenly back to normal. Well, up to a point. I feel that BA (and other airlines) have leaned on the regulatory authorities to shift the goalposts in their favour. Yes, it was also imperative to sort out this mess for the sake of 150,000 British travellers stuck overseas, faced with days of travelling, mounting expenses etc.

It will take a fair number of days for the backlog to be cleared, of people wishing to return to the UK and of people wishing to depart overseas. It is just as well that the weather patterns over the Atlantic are shifting, with the wind veering to the southwest later this week.

Tuesday 20 April

April showers are the order of the day here, with rain, hail, snow and the kitchen-sink coming down at regular intervals. The ferry was nearly an hour late coming in at 1.50pm (usually 1pm), and it's just leaving port on its way back to Ullapool on the mainland.

Stornoway Airport was open this morning, and was the busiest airport in the country for a while. It is closing as I type, after a flight bound for Aberdeen, takes off. Observations across the UK still show one or two layers of ash in the atmosphere at altitudes up to about 16,000 feet. It bears out the continued closure of UK airspace today. The blustering from airlines that it was all on over-reaction has been proven incorrect, as several NATO jets returned to base with damage to their engines after flying through the ash-cloud.

The poor people of Iceland are not very popular in the UK, what after the 1970s cod war, the collapse of banks in the island state with billions of savers' deposit in it and now volcanic ash. To quote a newspaper editor on Sky TV last night: we want your cash, not your ash.

Monday 19 April

After an overnight frost, the day dawned bright - but that was not to last. Several showers, most with hail, have been passing over and the wind is brisk. Although we have managed 10C / 50F today, it has mostly been around 6C / 43F.

The volcano in Iceland that has been spewing out a lot of ash in recent days, causing havoc in European air travel, appears to have changed to spewing out lava, and less ash. There have been calls from airlines to review the blanket ban on flights - they are losing £130m / $200m a day. I feel this to be premature. Reports have emerged that two fighter jets were damaged by volcanic ash, and a Met Office plane encountered dangerous levels of ash. However, the weather forecasts hint at a change by Friday, when strong southwesterlies could sweep it all away.

The British government has enlisted the Royal Navy to get Britons, stranded across the Channel home; arrangements are being made with Spain to fly people stranded in America, Asia or Australia in there, thence to be taken to the UK over land or sea.

The latest news is that UK airspace, from Scotland south, will be reopened in the course of Tuesday.

Sunday 18 April

Fairly bright and calm, with some slow-moving, wintry-looking showers about. Although London is getting up to 19C today, we're just managing to crest 5C / 41F at the moment.

No flights anywhere in the UK today, with a ban on flights now in place until midnight GMT tonight. Several airlines have sent research aircraft up to 40,000 feet to see what happens. All have returned to the ground safely, but the planes will be checked for damage, which may not be immediately obvious. It was explained this morning that flying through the pall of ash, currently lying over Europe, may not shut an engine down, it could cause irreparable damage. The volcano is still emitting ash, and the weather patterns appear to be unchanging.

Zimbabwe is celebrating 30 years of independence. Its revolutionary leader from 1980, Robert Mugabe, remains in power, having made a pig's ear of leading his country. After permitting inflation to reach eye-watering heights, wrecking the country's farming system and embarking on a systematic campaign of bullying, harassment and murder against white farmers, there is precious little to celebrate. A degree of economic stability has been achieved after a power-sharing agreement with the opposition, but things are still dire.
Below video was made in November 2007.

Saturday 17 April

Pouring with rain all day, a situation not likely to improve.

Neither is the situation around air travel in western and northern Europe. The cloud of ash out of the Icelandic volcano continues to track southeast across the Atlantic, causing a near-total shutdown of airports on the continent. The UK is also still a no-fly zone. The implications are massive. Not only are people unable to travel within countries, or fly overseas, those caught out abroad since Thursday are unable to return by air. The situation is dire but manageable for continental Europe; there are ferries across the North Sea as well as the Channel Tunnel. The situation is horrendous for anyone caught out on another continent. Travellers will run out of credit on their creditcards, hotelbills will ratchet up to dizzying heights, they cannot return to work or school. As far as transportation goes, food cannot be imported from overseas (if it has a short shelf life, e.g. soft fruit), spare parts cannot be flown in at a couple of hours' notice.

At moment of posting, all flight movements across the UK are banned until 0600 GMT tomorrow morning, and this is likely to be extended for a couple of days beyond that point.

Picture post

First of all, I have changed the front pic - I was getting depressed by the wintry scene with that ruined house. Its place is taken by a view from Harris, and I'm taking the liberty of lumping the southern part of the Long Island with Lewis, the northern part of it.

The volcanic ash from Iceland gave us a fantastic sunset last night.


Is this man drowning in his own lawn?


Smoke plumes from muirburn (this was before the volcanic ash story erupted)


Prevailing winds

Friday 16 April

A grey day with occasional light rain. Seen no evidence of volcanic ash, other than a rather nice sunset last night. I'm not expecting anything tonight, as the weather is not conducive.

Virtually all flights to and from (and within) the UK remain grounded, with the exception of a few flights to and from the Western Isles - including Stornoway. It is a patchy service, and only going to Glasgow and Aberdeen, not to Edinburgh. It will not be until tomorrow at the earliest that we'll have a resumption of services elsewhere, and that is not certain. It all depends on two factors: the eruption of the volcano in Iceland and the weather patterns. At present, winds are veering towards the west, near Iceland, meaning that the ash will be blown towards Scandinavia. However, the weathercharts do indicate that a northwesterly airflow could resume quite soon. And nobody knows how long the volcano could continue to erupt. Estimates vary from a few days to a few years.

The General Election. How long until May 6th?

Not remembered - 3

You may remember from a few weeks ago that I am working to get a casualty of the First World War on the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission register. Things have progressed, and the last piece of the jigsaw is about to fall into place. In the next day or so, I shall receive confirmation that Norman Morrison, formerly of 10A South Dell, was buried at the Swainbost Cemetery on 16 March 1917. He died 9 months after contracting turberculosis.

Once I have confirmation, a case will be submitted to the CWGC to have Norman entered onto their records. A CWGC wargrave stone will then be erected at the cemetery.

In connection with this, it has come to my attention that reservists who died after being discharged from war service do not qualify for CWGC status. Not fair, is it?


This is the Swainbost Cemetery, where 9,000 people have been buried since the 16th century.Norman Morrison's grave is somewhere in here - each stone represents a grave.

Thursday 15 April

When I have finished writing this post, all flights within UK airspace will have been suspended due to a cloud of ash in the upper atmosphere. The ash is being pumped out by a volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland. The disruption is considerable, with tens of thousands of passengers unable to fly. People in Shetland are presently reporting a sulphurous smell. The cloud is expected to pass across northern Britain in an hour or so. It is not known how long the disruption will last, as this is tied to the volcanic eruption. Flights are grounded, because volcanic ash can cause considerable damage to aircraft engines.

Here in Lewis, we will therefore not have any mail, and the papers will be in this afternoon, on board the ferry. Not smelling any rotten eggs outside - yet.

More information on the BBC and many other websites.

Wednesday 14 April

A very nice sunny day in Stornoway, albeit slightly on the cool side. Mercury at 11C, but we are under warning for more * wintry * weather next week. Right.

I was outside earlier on when I noticed two large columns of smoke, rising to the northeast of the town. That is actually towards the airport. I then heard sirens. My twitter contacts advised me that it was most likely to be muirburn - people are allowed to burn patches of moorland in early spring.

A ship has docked at the Arnish Fabrication Yard across from my position and is loading those strange contraptions that have been sitting on the quayside for a week. I don't know what they are.


A few days ago, I learned a new expression from the field of military history. "Disembodied". It turns out that this means that a reservist is embodied when he is called up into active service. When he is discharged, he reverts to being a civilian immediately, which renders him disembodied. Weird. 

Retrospective - II

The sun is sinking towards the horizon on what has been a gloriously sunny if slightly cool day. The ferry is just preparing to dock on its customary 8.20pm arrival, now in broad daylight. I guess I'm in reflective mood today, with no fewer than two retrospectives.

The J-land Central blog lists the names and blogs of those that have gone before, and I went round their journals, now transferred to Blogger. The year 2007 was not good for our community, but 2008 was not much better, if for a completely different reason.

Lahoma's Laments - Lahoma, RIP 25 December 2007
The Diatom Project - Walt, RIP 27 April 2007
My Reason for Reasoning - Barbara, RIP 20 November 2007
Dribble by Chuck Ferris - Chuck, RIP 1 July 2008
There are no Sundays - Jim, RIP April 2007
I shaved my legs for this??? - Kim, RIP 26 December 2007
One Girl's Head Noise (UK) - Pam, RIP 16 April 2006
Pennie's Pieces of Ohio - Penny, RIP 1 October 2007

Please call round our old friends. Their writings will be there for us all to enjoy for as long as we want.

Retrospective

Every once in a while, I do a retrospective on this blog, and today you're going to get one from me again.

I started blogging in October 2004, as a way of keeping a travel diary. At the time, I was flitting back and forth across the north and west of Scotland, until I settled down in Stornoway. I became aware of a community of journalers on AOL, and was propelled into that when I learned that one of their number, Pamela Hilger (his1desire) had died after a lengthy struggle against breast cancer.

In the two years following that Easter Sunday in 2006, I came quite actively involved in J-land - until AOL decided to commit corporate suicide and pull the plug on various services, including its journals. Since then, most people who wanted to continue blogging went to Blogger, but quite a few have given up. Or moved to Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or other social networking sites.

I was very pleased to note the response to an appeal on Call for Support and Facebook for one of the former bloggers, Joyce, who lost her daughter last week. It only goes to show that the community spirit is still alive, although the blogging and commenting has fallen off.

Tuesday 13 April

Nice bright day with good sunshine although with a veil of haze and some cloud about.

The piece below relates to the Harris Tweed industry. It may benefit some of you to know that Harris Tweed is a trademark, and the tweeds have to comply with standards, set out by Act of Parliament. Simply put, wool is processed by  Harris Tweed mill in the islands into yarn. This is then taken to the weaver's home, who will weave it into a tweed. The tweed will then be collected by the mill and processed to a cloth that can be turned into garments or whatever. When reading my critique, it should be borne in mind that until now, the skill of weaving was passed on between people informally.

It was with very mixed feelings that I read on Hebrides News that as of 2011 all Harris Tweed weavers will require a formal qualification before they are issued with tweeds by the Harris Tweed mills. Whilst it is a good thing that people’s skills are recognised, I am just wondering whether this is not one more nail in the coffin of the Harris Tweed industry.

In the past, weavers learned their skills informally and did not have to gain a formal qualification for the Harris Tweed mills to send them materials to turn into tweeds. They would have been only too happy for any weavers to do work for them, as their order books were bulging and could hardly keep up with demand. And I do not recall that there were major problems with the quality of the work.

I am fully aware that in this day and age, you can only do most jobs if you hold the requisite paperwork (diploma, certificate, whatever) issued by a recognised college. I do not fault anyone for going down this path in the case of Harris Tweed weavers - but only for the reasons given in this paragraph alone.
The Harris Tweed industry has been decimated, with dozens of weavers giving up their looms for lack of work. The closure of the Stornoway mill due to the (lack of) activities on the part of its owner, Brian Haggas of Keighley, exacerbated the situation further. To place a further impediment in the way for people to rejoin the industry is not very wise at all. It shows in a painful manner how skills are being lost that used to be passed down the generations, and commend those in charge of the course for endeavouring to keep them alive.
In my opinion, it would have been much better to have built up a substantial workforce first, and maintain it in later stages using the system of qualifications.

However, there is a final point which is NOT being addressed - the lack of industrial capacity. The mills at Shawbost and Carloway have nowhere near the capacity that used to exist in this island and I am very cynical indeed when I read of all the promotional activity that is going on for Harris Tweed. What is the point of doing all that, including training people to be weavers, if you don’t have the capacity to process the tweeds in the volumes that you need to make it a viable industry that will make a substantial contribution towards the economy of these islands.

Hurricane update - 12 April

There are no tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) anywhere in the world, as the Southern Hemisphere season moves to a close at the end of the month. By the second half of May, the Northern Hemisphere season cranks into gear with the East Pacific beginning to spawn hurricanes. The Atlantic follows suit in June.

Those in Hurricane Alley probably don't need reminding to start preparing for what will follow in the summer. Although a forecast for the 2010 hurricane was issued today, it is not held to have any accuracy. The above average sea surface temperatures in the area where hurricanes commonly form (1.26C above normal) does not bode well, but there are many other factors that will determine how many hurricanes will form.

Monday 12 April

Morning all. Later this week turns out just a day later, so nothing unusual after all. Felt quite tired yesterday, hence the notice.

Yesterday, I was able to sit outside for lunch and enjoy the warm sunshine. The midges were out there as well, as was a large bumblebee. That one was a queen, looking for a nest site.

This morning is overcast and not as mild as yesterday. I'll make another posting later this afternoon.