Not a good day, although it started OK. Nice bright weather, sunshine and fluffy clouds, not too cold. However, after I did a spot of work with a carpet cleaner, I began to feel out of breath. The machine has a hoover component, which blasts air (containing copious amounts of dust, even on hoovered carpets) back into the air. Which is what went for me. Seriously.
So, after suffering for 7 hours through the afternoon into the evening, when I could only breathe comfortably if crouched forward over a table, and the muscles in my chest were in pain for straining to breathe, I decided that enough was enough, and dialled NHS 24. For my non-British readers, this is the Scottish out-of-hours medical service, which you can ring up if you feel unwell and it can't wait until morning. After being grilled on my personal details and the exact nature of the problem, they sent for an ambulance. I was put on some oxygen during the 10 minute drive across town. At 8.30 pm, I turned up at A&E at Western Isles Hospital, on the northern edge of Stornoway, where I was put on a nebuliser. This handsomely did the trick, as I expected. Had to wait for an hour or two before the doctor could see me, but he was quite happy to send me home with an inhaler and some anti-histamine pills. On return home, I crawled into my bed straightaway; it was 11pm by that time at any rate. The problem was identified as an allergic reaction to dust - something I had worked out myself beforehand. The doctor wanted to see the carpet cleaner, but that is just a soapy solution.
Typing this the following morning, I can add that I feel back to almost my normal self. The inhaler works a treat; one puff and everything is open straightaway. I'm also quite happy that a number of people turned up at the hospital to see how I was, and at the door this morning. I am on a promise not to identify them openly on the Net, but they know who they are.
This is the end of the medical bulletin!
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Sunday 29 May
Although the day did start out with some showers, it turned into quite an acceptable Sunday in terms of weather. There were only a few spots of light rain and we had some sun. In the afternoon, I decided to take a walk to Sandwick Cemetery to try out the GPS. It performed as expected, but when I downloaded the track onto the computer, it showed last Sunday's walk with some very strange perambulations. Project onto Google Maps, it looks as if I had been calling into each and every house on Bayhead Street! A more reasonable explanation would be that the machine lost sight of some satellites along the way and got it ever so slightly wrong. It does indicate the margin of error, and when it starts to go to 20 metres and above, it's decidedly inaccurate. Here in the house, it suggests that I have been walking for hundreds of yards. Lying still.
Anyway, I went to the graveyard and had to divert around it. The entrance from the shore was blocked by a flood, caused by a blocked drain. There was about 4 inches of water on the ground, caused by the run-off from the morning's showers. It had even flooded the entrance to the cemetery itself. There were several manhole covers with water flooding out of them, as well as out of a hole in the ground. On return home, I rang the water company to report the problem.
Anyway, I went to the graveyard and had to divert around it. The entrance from the shore was blocked by a flood, caused by a blocked drain. There was about 4 inches of water on the ground, caused by the run-off from the morning's showers. It had even flooded the entrance to the cemetery itself. There were several manhole covers with water flooding out of them, as well as out of a hole in the ground. On return home, I rang the water company to report the problem.
Saturday 28 May
Half Marathon day here in Stornoway, but the weather is not as bad as I feared in yesterday's blogpost. There were blustery showers, but as the runners passed my position (at around 10.15 am) it was dry and even a tad sunny. I'm continuing to monitor typhoon Songda, which is headed for Japan. The storm will weaken to below typhoon strength before reaching there, but severe gales are likely to batter the south of that country on Sunday.
The Isle of Harris will be visited by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay on Thursday 2 June. Charles and Camilla will visit producers of Harris Tweed, and representatives of the industry at a community centre in the Bays area of the island. Prince Charles gained a degree of notoriety in 1961 when, as a 14-year old, he ordered a cherry brandy in a Stornoway bar. Charles has since been back and forth to Berneray, south of Harris.
I was pleased to learn that fellow researcher Direcleit was offered (and has accepted) a position of part-time researcher for the Berneray Historical Society. Over the past 15 months or so, I have noticed a steady progression in his work (as shown on the blog), and I have been happy to learn from parts of his work, and to have been of assistance in some small measure along the way. I wish him well for the future in his new post.
The Isle of Harris will be visited by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay on Thursday 2 June. Charles and Camilla will visit producers of Harris Tweed, and representatives of the industry at a community centre in the Bays area of the island. Prince Charles gained a degree of notoriety in 1961 when, as a 14-year old, he ordered a cherry brandy in a Stornoway bar. Charles has since been back and forth to Berneray, south of Harris.
I was pleased to learn that fellow researcher Direcleit was offered (and has accepted) a position of part-time researcher for the Berneray Historical Society. Over the past 15 months or so, I have noticed a steady progression in his work (as shown on the blog), and I have been happy to learn from parts of his work, and to have been of assistance in some small measure along the way. I wish him well for the future in his new post.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Friday 27 May
Pretty awful. That is in two words the description of our weather today. The passengers on the cruiseliner Silver Explorer (pictured below) were barely able to see anything, due to the continuous rain. The cold wind added further misery. As I type this, the rain appears to have moved away east, but it certainly was a wet day.
I received the cables to connect my GPS to the PC, but that did not include the software. The mini CD contained no useful software, and I had to Google my way round the internet to get the necessary. I think that Garmin, who made the GPS device, should include cables and software with their product. However, the thing is now connected, which is all that matters. I'll give it a whirl this weekend, if and when the weather decides to dry up.
The typhoon season has fired up in the Pacific Ocean, and supertyphoon Songda blew up to 140 knots (160 mph), gusting to 170 knots (200 mph) yesterday. The storm gave a glancing blow to the north of the Philippines, and may give southern Japan a spot of bother, but only as a stormforce low pressure system. I am posting the latest updates on my Tropical Cyclones blog.
I received the cables to connect my GPS to the PC, but that did not include the software. The mini CD contained no useful software, and I had to Google my way round the internet to get the necessary. I think that Garmin, who made the GPS device, should include cables and software with their product. However, the thing is now connected, which is all that matters. I'll give it a whirl this weekend, if and when the weather decides to dry up.
The typhoon season has fired up in the Pacific Ocean, and supertyphoon Songda blew up to 140 knots (160 mph), gusting to 170 knots (200 mph) yesterday. The storm gave a glancing blow to the north of the Philippines, and may give southern Japan a spot of bother, but only as a stormforce low pressure system. I am posting the latest updates on my Tropical Cyclones blog.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Thursday 26 May
The weather today is very cold, wet and breezy. The mercury can barely manage double figures, and coupled with a northerly wind, this makes for an unpleasant day outside.
It is also been a bad day for Ratko Mladic, but otherwise an excellent day for the rest of us. Mladic was the commander of the Bosnian Serb army in the early 1990s, when Yugoslavia fell apart in a brutal war. He is alleged to have masterminded the three-year siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in which civilians were continually shelled. He was also present in Srebrenica, when this UN safe haven was overrun in July 1995. Subsequently, 7,000 men and boys from the town were taken away into nearby woods and shot. Mladic forced UN personnel to assist in the operation. Like his political leader, Radovan Karadzic, Mladic had assumed a false name. The cynical approach could be that Mladic was handed over to facilitate the entry of Serbia into the European Union.
The arrest of Mladic has been heralded with delight and relief across the world, not least in Holland. It was the Dutch Battalion of the UN peace keeping force that was present in Srebrenica when Mladic's forces invaded. I personally know several members of the Dutch armed forces who were there - at the time, I was working for the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Back in 1995, there was severe criticism of the commander of Dutchbat, who was seen to be meekly surrendering to the Bosnian Serbs. However, what choice do you make when offered the alternatives of collaborating with Mladic, or being shot?
It is also been a bad day for Ratko Mladic, but otherwise an excellent day for the rest of us. Mladic was the commander of the Bosnian Serb army in the early 1990s, when Yugoslavia fell apart in a brutal war. He is alleged to have masterminded the three-year siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in which civilians were continually shelled. He was also present in Srebrenica, when this UN safe haven was overrun in July 1995. Subsequently, 7,000 men and boys from the town were taken away into nearby woods and shot. Mladic forced UN personnel to assist in the operation. Like his political leader, Radovan Karadzic, Mladic had assumed a false name. The cynical approach could be that Mladic was handed over to facilitate the entry of Serbia into the European Union.
The arrest of Mladic has been heralded with delight and relief across the world, not least in Holland. It was the Dutch Battalion of the UN peace keeping force that was present in Srebrenica when Mladic's forces invaded. I personally know several members of the Dutch armed forces who were there - at the time, I was working for the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Back in 1995, there was severe criticism of the commander of Dutchbat, who was seen to be meekly surrendering to the Bosnian Serbs. However, what choice do you make when offered the alternatives of collaborating with Mladic, or being shot?
Wednesday 25 May
My new camera arrived today, and I spent some time getting to know the basics of the device. My old camera finally packed in over the weekend, after more than 5 years and 31,600 pictures and videos. I also received a carry case for my GPS machine - a carry case that did not fit. It went straight back to the manufacturers for a refund.
The weather was quite unpleasant with grey clouds and occasional rain. Although the wind has died down, it remains cold.
There are reported to be counterfeit banknotes in circulation in Stornoway. Although none of the local banks have confirmed this, one shop has put up a notice saying that it only accepts cards or coins; no banknotes of any description. The police state that they have not received any reports of counterfeit money. Some shops say they lost hundreds of pounds of income, after notes turned out to be fake. It is strange that no confirmation can be obtained.
The weather was quite unpleasant with grey clouds and occasional rain. Although the wind has died down, it remains cold.
There are reported to be counterfeit banknotes in circulation in Stornoway. Although none of the local banks have confirmed this, one shop has put up a notice saying that it only accepts cards or coins; no banknotes of any description. The police state that they have not received any reports of counterfeit money. Some shops say they lost hundreds of pounds of income, after notes turned out to be fake. It is strange that no confirmation can be obtained.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Tuesday 24 May
Quite a blustery and showery day, with even some hail thrown in for good measure. Cars here in Stornoway are all covered in a thin layer of ash (if the rain hasn't already washed it off). The ash, from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland, has stopped all air travel in Scotland. Planes in Orkney and Shetland were found to be covered with a layer of ash as well. An echo of the disruption from April last year (the below picture shows some of the ash on a car roof).
The high winds have caused havoc on the mainland, but these islands did not get off scotfree either. A lorry overturned off the A859 Tarbert to Stornoway road, about 7 miles north of Tarbert. The driver was airlifted to hospital in Stornoway with serious injuries. Judging by the state of his cab, shown on TV images, he is lucky to come out of that alive.
Local people were alerted to a scam letter, where the residents of a house were advised that a relative, named Gilbert [surname of resident], had died in China, leaving $9,8m. And of course you have to email, fax, write to some dodgy address in Hong Kong to claim your cut. I'm used to seeing that c**p in email, it does not regularly turn up here.
Cruiseship NG Explorer, entering port this evening
The high winds have caused havoc on the mainland, but these islands did not get off scotfree either. A lorry overturned off the A859 Tarbert to Stornoway road, about 7 miles north of Tarbert. The driver was airlifted to hospital in Stornoway with serious injuries. Judging by the state of his cab, shown on TV images, he is lucky to come out of that alive.
Local people were alerted to a scam letter, where the residents of a house were advised that a relative, named Gilbert [surname of resident], had died in China, leaving $9,8m. And of course you have to email, fax, write to some dodgy address in Hong Kong to claim your cut. I'm used to seeing that c**p in email, it does not regularly turn up here.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Monday 23 May
Although the calendar says late May, the weather was more like November today. After lashing rain overnight, the morning cleared to a rising gale. Winds got up to 40 mph, gusting to 70 mph; but down at Malin Head, the northwestern cape of Ireland, there was a 60 mph storm, with gusts to 80 mph. In central Scotland, countless trees and power cables were brought down, leading to serious travel disruption and powercuts. Here in Stornoway, we lost power between 7.15 and 7.50. One person died when his vehicle was crushed by a falling tree. Ferries were cancelled up and down the west coast, although our ferry ploughed on through the force 8 winds, eventually arriving at 9.30 this evening, more than an hour behind schedule.
Although the weather was severe here, it was nothing as compared to the tornado that devastated Joplin, MO, in the USA. More than 100 people are now known to have been killed, and more than 1000 injured. The town is largely destroyed.
So Obama sipped a pint in a pub in Ireland. Volcanic ash clouds prompted his early departure for England. Tomorrow, there will be no flights from Stornoway Airport in the morning, or from any other hub outside the Central Belt [Glasgow / Edinburgh]. We're back to April last year, in other words. Hope this stops soon; I'm due to fly in a fortnight's time.
Although the weather was severe here, it was nothing as compared to the tornado that devastated Joplin, MO, in the USA. More than 100 people are now known to have been killed, and more than 1000 injured. The town is largely destroyed.
So Obama sipped a pint in a pub in Ireland. Volcanic ash clouds prompted his early departure for England. Tomorrow, there will be no flights from Stornoway Airport in the morning, or from any other hub outside the Central Belt [Glasgow / Edinburgh]. We're back to April last year, in other words. Hope this stops soon; I'm due to fly in a fortnight's time.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Sunday 22 May
A slightly better day than yesterday, with good sunny spells - interspersed with showers. Still breezy, and that will only get worse. Tomorrow, we are on warning for galeforce winds with gusts up to 80 mph. I think the Philippines can expect a bit more than that by the weekend, with the north of Luzon Island going up to 125 mph gusting to 155 mph. The name of the typhoon is Songda, the first of the 2011 season. However, it won't be the winds that will be the killer in the Philippines, it will be the rainfall and attendant floods and landslides.
Went for a walk around town to try out my new GPS device, which dutyfully logged every step I took. It also claimed I walk at the breathtaking pace of 4.1 mph. Now, I do walk fast, but I also stop to take pictures. Nifty machine, and you can actually download your walked routes onto the PC. As soon as I have all the pieces of kit in place, I'll give that a whirl - hopefully by the end of the coming week. Which is also when I hope to have my new camera as well. The old one died on me this weekend, so I'm using a borrowed one until the new one arrives.
Went for a walk around town to try out my new GPS device, which dutyfully logged every step I took. It also claimed I walk at the breathtaking pace of 4.1 mph. Now, I do walk fast, but I also stop to take pictures. Nifty machine, and you can actually download your walked routes onto the PC. As soon as I have all the pieces of kit in place, I'll give that a whirl - hopefully by the end of the coming week. Which is also when I hope to have my new camera as well. The old one died on me this weekend, so I'm using a borrowed one until the new one arrives.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Saturday 21 May
Once more, a day of atrociously bad weather. Nothing but wind and rain, and very low temperatures. I'll have to wait for better weather to try out my new GPS device. And I've ordered a new camera, after my trusty old Olympus showed signs of imminent breakdown yesterday. I hope this Panasonic will do the job just as well. The Olympus took more than 31,600 pictures and videoclips over a period of 5 years and 3 months, and doesn't owe me a thing, even more so after two previous repairs.
A huge furore over a footballer (not my favourite breed) who objects to having his extra-marital romps put out to view on Twitter. Well, Mr CBT, you should have thought before humping the female in question. It has posed a question for the legal eagles of this world, because Twitter is on the Internet - like this blog - and therefore internationally viewed. Worse than that, the Wikileaks saga has taught us all that you only need to copy and copy and copy, and it is completely out of anybody's control. So, can the Internet be gagged? Nope.
The pilot whales in Loch Carnan appear to have gone there for a feed of octopus and a burp, and are now thought to be on their way out to sea. Hopefully.
A huge furore over a footballer (not my favourite breed) who objects to having his extra-marital romps put out to view on Twitter. Well, Mr CBT, you should have thought before humping the female in question. It has posed a question for the legal eagles of this world, because Twitter is on the Internet - like this blog - and therefore internationally viewed. Worse than that, the Wikileaks saga has taught us all that you only need to copy and copy and copy, and it is completely out of anybody's control. So, can the Internet be gagged? Nope.
The pilot whales in Loch Carnan appear to have gone there for a feed of octopus and a burp, and are now thought to be on their way out to sea. Hopefully.
Friday 20 May
Although we're moving into the latter third of May, the weather is more like March. I went to the shop around midday to buy a set of rechargeable batteries + charger, and it felt positively wintery. Later in the afternoon, hail and even show lashed against the windows. The cruiseliner that was promised for Tuesday actually did not turn up, and with the gale warnings in force for Saturday, the Lord of the Glens may not appear either.
A man from Aberdeenshire, Malcolm Webster, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife in 1994. At the time, he said he had crashed off the road, and the vehicle had caught fire. He had managed to escape, but his wife had not. In fact he had pushed the car into the undergrowth after drugging his wife, then set light to it. Webster tried the same trick to his next wife, in New Zealand, which proved to be his undoing. She lived to tell the tale of feeling drugged before that particular staged accident.
A pod of pilot whales, which normally roam the high seas, have turned up in Loch Carnan, South Uist. There are about 100 animals in the narrow loch, and some 20 are injured. It is thought that pilot whales beach themselves when injured or sick; and their strong family bonds mean that the others in the group will follow suit. Last year, a similar group was freed from Loch Carnan, but turned up dead on a beach in County Donegal, Ireland a few days later. Donegal is about 150 miles south of the Hebrides.
A man from Aberdeenshire, Malcolm Webster, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife in 1994. At the time, he said he had crashed off the road, and the vehicle had caught fire. He had managed to escape, but his wife had not. In fact he had pushed the car into the undergrowth after drugging his wife, then set light to it. Webster tried the same trick to his next wife, in New Zealand, which proved to be his undoing. She lived to tell the tale of feeling drugged before that particular staged accident.
A pod of pilot whales, which normally roam the high seas, have turned up in Loch Carnan, South Uist. There are about 100 animals in the narrow loch, and some 20 are injured. It is thought that pilot whales beach themselves when injured or sick; and their strong family bonds mean that the others in the group will follow suit. Last year, a similar group was freed from Loch Carnan, but turned up dead on a beach in County Donegal, Ireland a few days later. Donegal is about 150 miles south of the Hebrides.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Thursday 19 May - evening notes
The day has turned into a very windy and cool affair, with occasional heavy showers. The TV news reports from Stornoway on the subject of coastguard reform showed the weather conditions beautifully.
I apologise in advance for any distress caused by my comments, below, on the subject of rape.
The UK Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has been trying to remove the foot from his mouth, where he put it yesterday. Mr Clarke suggested that there were some forms of rape, which were less serious than others. One example was of a girl of 15 (below the age of consent), who would willingly have sex with an older man - which is technically rape. However, there was a huge outcry of the suggestion that rape be downplayed under any pretext. Mr Clarke was attacked in parliament on the issue, and has been asked to apologise and even resign. He has done neither - he has only said he could have chosen his words better. Mr Clarke seems to be unaware of the extreme distress caused by rape to the victim, and as he is the man responsible for the administration of justice, he really should apologise. Or quit. I have very little time for government ministers who show themselves so far removed from the reality of life away from Whitehall.
I apologise in advance for any distress caused by my comments, below, on the subject of rape.
The UK Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has been trying to remove the foot from his mouth, where he put it yesterday. Mr Clarke suggested that there were some forms of rape, which were less serious than others. One example was of a girl of 15 (below the age of consent), who would willingly have sex with an older man - which is technically rape. However, there was a huge outcry of the suggestion that rape be downplayed under any pretext. Mr Clarke was attacked in parliament on the issue, and has been asked to apologise and even resign. He has done neither - he has only said he could have chosen his words better. Mr Clarke seems to be unaware of the extreme distress caused by rape to the victim, and as he is the man responsible for the administration of justice, he really should apologise. Or quit. I have very little time for government ministers who show themselves so far removed from the reality of life away from Whitehall.
Thursday 19 May
A morning post, just for a change.
The route that the Olympic Torch will take across the UK next year was announced yesterday. The Isle of Lewis will see it on July 11th, but the relevant page on the London 2012 website only highlights sights-to-see in the town of Stornoway, and omitting the Callanish Stones - although a picture of them does feature on the page.
Osama bin Laden has spoken from beyond the grave. Well, Al-Qa'eda have released a video of him recorded before he was killed on May 2nd. An analyst has pointed out that Al-Qa'eda and the USA both wanted to get rid of the tyrannical regimes of Egypt and Tunisia - but the outcome desired by the protagonists is vastly different. The USA is hoping for western-style democracies (see that happening in a hurry??), Al-Qa'eda wants strict Islamic laws introduced (see that happening in a hurry??).
The Select Committee on Transport is currently sitting in Stornoway, to hear evidence about the proposed changes to the Coastguard service. Only for the UK Transport Secretary to announce that the proposals have been ditched, and something else will be thought out. Goes to show what pester power can do - an long-running campaign has been fought against the reduction in CG services.
The route that the Olympic Torch will take across the UK next year was announced yesterday. The Isle of Lewis will see it on July 11th, but the relevant page on the London 2012 website only highlights sights-to-see in the town of Stornoway, and omitting the Callanish Stones - although a picture of them does feature on the page.
Osama bin Laden has spoken from beyond the grave. Well, Al-Qa'eda have released a video of him recorded before he was killed on May 2nd. An analyst has pointed out that Al-Qa'eda and the USA both wanted to get rid of the tyrannical regimes of Egypt and Tunisia - but the outcome desired by the protagonists is vastly different. The USA is hoping for western-style democracies (see that happening in a hurry??), Al-Qa'eda wants strict Islamic laws introduced (see that happening in a hurry??).
The Select Committee on Transport is currently sitting in Stornoway, to hear evidence about the proposed changes to the Coastguard service. Only for the UK Transport Secretary to announce that the proposals have been ditched, and something else will be thought out. Goes to show what pester power can do - an long-running campaign has been fought against the reduction in CG services.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Wednesday 18 May
Heavy showers with occasional sunshine, and the wind blowing a half-gale at 30 mph. Could have been worse, but also, could be better. Did a wee bit of local history, with more Napier witnesses from Ness. Otherwise, not much doing.
Spoke to a visitor to this island, who had been on a yachting trip over the past few days. The trip was to have gone to St Kilda, but the skipper of the sailing boat did not fancy braving 18 ft waves in the Atlantic, so it diverted down the Minch to Skye.
There was a cruiseliner in, the Quest, here on its 4th visit since April. The Marco Polo is due in tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, there will be a meeting at a local hotel regarding the revision of Coastguard services around these shores. The meeting is in fact a hearing from the Transport Committee of the House of Commons, as there is grave concern about the implications of the plans to review the UK Coastguard.
Spoke to a visitor to this island, who had been on a yachting trip over the past few days. The trip was to have gone to St Kilda, but the skipper of the sailing boat did not fancy braving 18 ft waves in the Atlantic, so it diverted down the Minch to Skye.
There was a cruiseliner in, the Quest, here on its 4th visit since April. The Marco Polo is due in tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, there will be a meeting at a local hotel regarding the revision of Coastguard services around these shores. The meeting is in fact a hearing from the Transport Committee of the House of Commons, as there is grave concern about the implications of the plans to review the UK Coastguard.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Tuesday 17 May
Went from bad to worse, in terms of weather. As I type this, just after 5pm, it is raining persistently with the wind, currently at force 5, set to rise to a near-gale later this evening. Spent the afternoon looking into four of the witnesses who spoke at the Napier Enquiry in 1883. One of them died on the island of North Rona, 45 miles northeast of Lewis. Rona has been uninhabited since the 17th century, and when Murdo Mackay and Malcolm Macdonald went there in 1884 after a row with the minister, they were not to return. After winter, a crew of Ness men went to look for them, but only found their remains. Illness appears to have been the cause of death.
Queen Elizabeth has laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin. The Garden remembers those who gave their life in the struggle for Irish independence from British rule in the early decades of the 20th century. One of the incidents associated with that struggle has a distant echo in Lewis history. John Macaulay, a sailor from Islivig in Lewis washed up north of Dublin in 1918, after his ship was torpedoed in the Irish Sea. His funeral was conducted with full military honours, and it would have gone down in the history of Balrothery as an event of note - if it had not been for the fact that two years later, British soldiers sacked Balrothery for the alleged murder of a Royal Irish Constabulary officer in the town.
Queen Elizabeth has laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin. The Garden remembers those who gave their life in the struggle for Irish independence from British rule in the early decades of the 20th century. One of the incidents associated with that struggle has a distant echo in Lewis history. John Macaulay, a sailor from Islivig in Lewis washed up north of Dublin in 1918, after his ship was torpedoed in the Irish Sea. His funeral was conducted with full military honours, and it would have gone down in the history of Balrothery as an event of note - if it had not been for the fact that two years later, British soldiers sacked Balrothery for the alleged murder of a Royal Irish Constabulary officer in the town.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Monday 16 May
Monday started like Sunday ended: wet and miserable. However, by midday, the rain let off and the sun started to come out intermittently. Not too bad at all by the end of the afternoon.
Tomorrow, Queen Elizabeth II will visit the Republic of Ireland for the first time. It is the first visit to Ireland by a reigning British monarch since the country gained independence in 1922. The relationship between the UK and Ireland is historically fraught. The so-called troubles in Northern Ireland are firmly tied in with the separation of Ireland and Britain, and these continue to rumble today. A terror group with republican leanings has threatened violence on account of this royal visit, and I have my doubts about the wisdom of this visit.
Some people find it pleasing to see the head of the International Monetary Fund in jail for alleged sex offences. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a potential candidate for the presidency of France, was remanded in custody today after accusations were levelled against him that he had attempted to rape a chambermaid in New York. I hope that justice is seen to be done, irrespective of Mr SK's position. The depiction of justice, a blindfolded woman holding scales, suggests as much.
I hope that the international arrest warrant against Muammar Gadaffi will be executed, in order that he can face justice too over the way he has treated the people of Libya over the past 40 years or so. We already knew he was unsavoury, but he has shown his true colours over the past few months. Osama bin Laden did not deserve a better fate than he got two weeks ago. Muammar Gadaffi in court will be a sight to behold.
Tomorrow, Queen Elizabeth II will visit the Republic of Ireland for the first time. It is the first visit to Ireland by a reigning British monarch since the country gained independence in 1922. The relationship between the UK and Ireland is historically fraught. The so-called troubles in Northern Ireland are firmly tied in with the separation of Ireland and Britain, and these continue to rumble today. A terror group with republican leanings has threatened violence on account of this royal visit, and I have my doubts about the wisdom of this visit.
Some people find it pleasing to see the head of the International Monetary Fund in jail for alleged sex offences. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a potential candidate for the presidency of France, was remanded in custody today after accusations were levelled against him that he had attempted to rape a chambermaid in New York. I hope that justice is seen to be done, irrespective of Mr SK's position. The depiction of justice, a blindfolded woman holding scales, suggests as much.
I hope that the international arrest warrant against Muammar Gadaffi will be executed, in order that he can face justice too over the way he has treated the people of Libya over the past 40 years or so. We already knew he was unsavoury, but he has shown his true colours over the past few months. Osama bin Laden did not deserve a better fate than he got two weeks ago. Muammar Gadaffi in court will be a sight to behold.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Sunday 15 May
A few weather related notes. Today saw the start of the hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Landmasses affected by tropical cyclones there include Mexico and Central America. The Baja California peninsula is likely to see one or more systems, particularly later in the period, in late summer or early autumn. The USA will not be directly impacted, due to low temperatures in the ocean off the state of California. The southwestern states may however be affected by rainfall, drifting northeast from remnants of hurricanes.
Rainfall is what marked out the day here in Stornoway. It basically rained all day, and it was thoroughly grey, wet and miserable. I kept a quiet day, watching a lot of television, some of it recorded previously. One of my favourite series, Ice Road Truckers, ended last Friday. Another Alaska related series, Flying Wild Alaska, about bush planes there, continues on Thursday evenings.
The wet weather will continue tomorrow, but I'll be resuming my local history activities.
Rainfall is what marked out the day here in Stornoway. It basically rained all day, and it was thoroughly grey, wet and miserable. I kept a quiet day, watching a lot of television, some of it recorded previously. One of my favourite series, Ice Road Truckers, ended last Friday. Another Alaska related series, Flying Wild Alaska, about bush planes there, continues on Thursday evenings.
The wet weather will continue tomorrow, but I'll be resuming my local history activities.
Saturday 14 May
A day of mixed fortunes, with broad sunny spells and occasional showers. As I type the first part of this post, the sun is just going down (just before 10pm). We managed 14C / 57F today. Yesterday, I noticed that the old shellfish processing factory on Shell Street had been almost completely taken down. Its smell will not be missed. It had been out of use for the past 4 years. The local brewery had expressed an interest in the site, but demolition was to be its fate.
Site today
Site on 4 March
Although the upper picture has a wider angle, the building in the right of the picture gives a point of reference. That, incidentally, is also due for demolition.
I have spent today setting up back-up blogs (on Wordpress) for my Tropical Cyclones blog and the Pentland Road blog. I don't want to be confronted with the spectre of losing entries on either blog through Blogger's incompetence. Can't say I like Wordpress that much, because it's fiddly and the back-up of this blog failed - only the first year's entries (2008/9) were copied over. Have to try again.
Site today
Site on 4 March
Although the upper picture has a wider angle, the building in the right of the picture gives a point of reference. That, incidentally, is also due for demolition.
I have spent today setting up back-up blogs (on Wordpress) for my Tropical Cyclones blog and the Pentland Road blog. I don't want to be confronted with the spectre of losing entries on either blog through Blogger's incompetence. Can't say I like Wordpress that much, because it's fiddly and the back-up of this blog failed - only the first year's entries (2008/9) were copied over. Have to try again.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Friday 13 May
It certainly was a bad day for the users of the Blogger forum, as the site was offline or inaccessible for most of the day. When service was restored, posts and comments had disappeared into thin air, and I'm still clearing up the mess that this 21 hour outage left behind. I'm not impressed, and I shall spend the weekend backing up my 52 blogs to Wordpress. I don't want to have this happening again.
Friday the 13th is often associated with black cats. Well, let me tell you the story of this black cat.
Thomas was in my life for 15 years, between 1973 and 1988. He had all his gear, and made no bones about asserting that. Fights were common between Thomas and the other tomcats in the neighbourhood, particularly in the months of March and November, when the females were in season. His wounds were nasty, because tomcats grasp each other round the neck and dig their claws in - leaving infections behind. If we could not find Thomas in the house, we only had to go after the smell.
Thomas was also a proficient catcher of mice, birds and rabbits. One rabbit was consumed under my parents' bed at 3 am, from live. Ear piercing screams were replaced by bones being crunched. And a bloated cat lying prostrate on the floor, being unable to move. Thomas ate what we ate. We would give him balls of minced meat, and he would bolt after them into the garden, where we threw them. He was mad for butter, ate runner beans and cheese.
Thomas always had varying numbers of fleas. Consorting with other cats, particularly feral females, ensured that his quota remained topped up. On returning from holiday one year, the fleas jumped for joy. So, out came the fleapowder. I had to powder Thomas. Both cat and myself were quite ill as a result of the insecticide powder.
Thomas grew weaker through the first months of 1988, and we finally took him to the vet. His kidneys were failing and he was dehydrated. Returning from the vet, he was presented with a meal of boiled fish, which he wolfed down. Over the next seven days, he wasted away at a breathtaking pace, from muscular tom to almost kitten size. One Sunday morning at the end of May, he was so weak that he had been unable to jump onto a chair. He had spent the night on the floor, but on hearing us stir, he made his presence known. By 9 o'clock that evening, he left us and passed over the Rainbow Bridge. The next morning, his fleas had also left him. All 400 of them.
Friday the 13th is often associated with black cats. Well, let me tell you the story of this black cat.
Thomas was in my life for 15 years, between 1973 and 1988. He had all his gear, and made no bones about asserting that. Fights were common between Thomas and the other tomcats in the neighbourhood, particularly in the months of March and November, when the females were in season. His wounds were nasty, because tomcats grasp each other round the neck and dig their claws in - leaving infections behind. If we could not find Thomas in the house, we only had to go after the smell.
Thomas was also a proficient catcher of mice, birds and rabbits. One rabbit was consumed under my parents' bed at 3 am, from live. Ear piercing screams were replaced by bones being crunched. And a bloated cat lying prostrate on the floor, being unable to move. Thomas ate what we ate. We would give him balls of minced meat, and he would bolt after them into the garden, where we threw them. He was mad for butter, ate runner beans and cheese.
Thomas always had varying numbers of fleas. Consorting with other cats, particularly feral females, ensured that his quota remained topped up. On returning from holiday one year, the fleas jumped for joy. So, out came the fleapowder. I had to powder Thomas. Both cat and myself were quite ill as a result of the insecticide powder.
Thomas grew weaker through the first months of 1988, and we finally took him to the vet. His kidneys were failing and he was dehydrated. Returning from the vet, he was presented with a meal of boiled fish, which he wolfed down. Over the next seven days, he wasted away at a breathtaking pace, from muscular tom to almost kitten size. One Sunday morning at the end of May, he was so weak that he had been unable to jump onto a chair. He had spent the night on the floor, but on hearing us stir, he made his presence known. By 9 o'clock that evening, he left us and passed over the Rainbow Bridge. The next morning, his fleas had also left him. All 400 of them.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Thursday 12 May
A day of varied fortunes in terms of weather. We had intermittent showers, but also glimpses of sunshine. I have a collection of my walks on the walkingworld.com website, but one of them required a complete overhaul. The site shows images of the route, maps and directions. It does not help, however, if part of the route has been dug up and blocked due to ground works; and when an entire building has been demolished, it does change the scenery a bit. So, I went out to photograph the first half mile or so, then upload it onto the website.
In the afternoon, I had to deal with the stresses and strains that crop up on Call for Support (on FB); it's not always easy to strike the right tone, and in the heat of the moment, the wrong choice of words can spark off an torrent of consequences.
I have also continued to look into the witnesses at the Napier Commission, sitting at Barvas on 6 June 1883. The last two men, from Arnol and Bragar, came out of the census returns quite neatly - next up are the witnesses from Ness, in the north of the island.
In the afternoon, I had to deal with the stresses and strains that crop up on Call for Support (on FB); it's not always easy to strike the right tone, and in the heat of the moment, the wrong choice of words can spark off an torrent of consequences.
I have also continued to look into the witnesses at the Napier Commission, sitting at Barvas on 6 June 1883. The last two men, from Arnol and Bragar, came out of the census returns quite neatly - next up are the witnesses from Ness, in the north of the island.
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