Tuesday 8 May

Overcast and latterly very wet. Not much wind and the rainclouds are taking their time moving southwest. I can see brightness away east, but it's chucking it down in Stornoway.



I just read that all air ambulances (pictured above at Stornoway on 24 June 2006) have been grounded after a potential fault in the rotorblades was discovered. Although the Civil Aviation Authority has not ordered the grounding, the manufacturer of the helicopters has voluntarily taken the decision. The work of the choppers will be taken over by Coastguard helicopters and normal aeroplanes. The air ambulances are normally very busy around Scotland, recovering victims of road traffic accidents and many other incidents. The Coastguard helicopters tend to be busy around coasts and hills.

Next Tuesday, 15th May, will see the commencement of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season. Storms commonly affect the western coastline of Mexico, from Baja California and further east towards El Salvador. In recent years, quite a few high-category hurricanes have occurred in the basin, which stretches all the way to the 140th degree longitude west. Landfalls in Mexico tend to cause problems with flooding, land- and mudslides. The North Atlantic season commences on 1st June. At present, the first tropical wave of the season is yet to appear, although activity near the west African coast seems to suggest we're not far off that occurrence.

Hurricane update - 7 May

After the fuss I made over the tropical cyclone in Indonesia, it did form, east of Timor; only to collapse within 12 hours. It could yet make a come-back, but am not holding my breath. System 19S did not even make it to named status. Oh well, the Northern Hemisphere season starts next week.

Monday 7 May

I was profoundly saddened to hear of the death by suicide of the GP for the Small Isles, Dr Rachel Weldon. She was based in the Isle of Eigg, but also provided medical cover for the neighbouring islands of Muck, Rum and Canna. Total population of the four islands is about 170; the archipelago is situated some 15 miles southwest of Mallaig, to the south of the Isle of Skye.

The media are reporting that the GP had been convicted of a drink-driving offence at Fort William earlier this year, which had carried a sentence of a fine and a driving ban. Although the news reports carry the two events in the one headline, a causal link cannot and should not be assumed, unless proven otherwise. I know the Small Isles quite well, and realise that the loss of the GP in such tragic circumstances will come as a body blow. I briefly met Dr Weldon on one of my last visits to the island, back in 2004. 

The communities of the Small Isles as well as Dr Weldon's family and friends are in my thoughts today.

Sunday 6 May

The day here has been quite remarkable. Starting with the supermoon before sunrise, then a snow shower at 7.30 am, followed by several beafy hail showers later on in the day. The weather was very un-May like, with an overnight low of -1C / 30F.

Supermoon
Snow shower
Hail

The French have elected a new president, Francois Hollande, who beat Nicholas Sarkozy by a margin of 4%. After making an acceptance speech in his hometown of Tulle, Hollande has now left for Paris.With the emerging election results in Greece (appearing to be opposed to the EU bail-out plan), the European Union appears to be starting the week with a colossal headache.

A tropical cyclone looks likely to be forming in the waters of southern Indonesia, a very unusual occurrence, as I pointed out yesterday. Bakung (Daffodil) will head southwest towards the islands west of Timor over the next few days.

Hurricane update - 5 May

This is usually a quiet time on the tropical cyclone front, but something is brewing in Indonesia. Tropical disturbance 94S is located near 4.5S 126.2E, to the east of the Indonesian island of Celebes (see map below), and looks set to become a rare phenomenon: a late season cyclone, and in Indonesia.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is monitoring this system as it slowly gathers strength from the warm waters of the Banda Sea (the red marker "A" on the map); water temperatures are more than 30C / 86F out there. The Indonesian weather service will be issuing regional warnings, once 94S is declared a tropical cyclone. This is likely to happen in the early hours of Monday. The storm will be named Bakung, Indonesian for Daffodil. As per usual, JTWC will also issue warnings.



View Larger Map

Saturday 5 May

As I type this, a fairly bright afternoon has deteriorated with sleet, hail and rain showers rattling through. It remains cold, although not as penetrating as yesterday. Went out for an amble through town before the showers commenced, but there was not much doing - although I did not go into the town's centre.

I am pleased that mainland football team Ross County have completed their season with 24 matches unbeaten. They finished their last game of the season with a 5-3 victory over Dumfries side Queen of the South - who will be relegated from the First to the Second Division next season. Ross County have already been promoted to the Scottish Premier League.

Friday 4 May

A bitterly cold day, with a steady northerly breeze. There were a few showers, some with hail, sleet and snow. Although it is May 4th, the mercury did not do any better than 6C / 43F. And it felt like it. The occasional sunny spell did nothing for the raw feeling.

The results from local elections came in through the afternoon, and there were quite a few changes in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council. The turn-out here was among the highest in the country, with up to 61% in Point, the Eye peninsula east of Stornoway. The turn-out for other elections was down to 24% in places.

I was pleased to hear that a community buy-out is to be considered for South Harris, which includes Berneray and other islands in the Sound of Harris. The estate was sold off in 1925, among other possessions of the late proprietor, Lord Leverhulme. If the buy-out bid succeeds, the whole of Harris will be in community ownership. The movement towards community ownership was started by the people of Assynt (north of Ullapool) in 1992, followed in 1997 by the islanders of Eigg. It has allowed them to determine their own future, rather than being stifled by the whims of an absentee landowner. Community buy-outs are the result of legislation, enacted in 1886, which afforded security of tenure to crofters in the Highlands and Islands.

Thursday 3 May

Today saw a change in the weather, in that we lost the sun. There were a few spells of light rain in late afternoon and early evening and a steady north wind. Spent most of the afternoon uploading the 156 pictures I took yesterday, and putting them on the preceding blogpost. By early evening, my eye caught two craft approaching port at high speed, and one of them looked like our lifeboat. The other looked like the new lifeboat that is being based at Leverburgh, South Harris. I hurried out to Goat Island, in time to see the two lifeboats coming into the harbour. The Lifetime Care was welcomed into its homeport, Leverburgh, yesterday.

Picture post - 2 May

All 156 pictures of the trip can be seen here
Cliasmol School (now closed)

Eastern entrance to Amhuinnsuidhe Castle
Loch Leosavay

Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

Huishinish
Abandoned homesteads on Scarp
Sheep and lambs at Huishinish
Sound of Harris in the distance
Amhuinnsuidhe
Taransay and Sodaigh
Glen Miavaig
Cows near Miavaig
West coast of Harris
B887 near Bunamhainneadar
Bunamhainneadar
Former whaling station at Bunamhainneadar

Community Photo Challenge: Transportation

This poor old wreck of a bus, long since reduced to scrap metal, had been hauled to a piece of waste ground just outside Stornoway in March 2008. In its better days, it would carry the fair maidens of the islands of Lewis and Harris on the annual carnival parade. The phrase "Gals on Motors" is a pun on the name of one of the bus operators in Lewis, who are called Galson Motors.

Wednesday 2 May

A faultless day, full of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Just a hint of 'haar' in the Minch by late afternoon. Was driven to Huishinish, 47 miles southwest of Stornoway in the farthest northwest corner of Harris. The last 14 miles to Huishinish lead along one of the most difficult roads in the country. The B887 is not for the faint-hearted, full of blind corners, blind summits, sheer drops and (worst of all) breathtaking scenery on all sides.

The road runs along the coastline, up to 370 feet above sealevel and offers stunning views along the west coast of Harris, with the famed beaches of Luskentyre, Seilebost, Horgabost, Scarista and Northton closed off by the bulk of Ceapabhal, near Northton. Beyond, the distant shapes of Pabbay and North Uist loom up. As today's visibility was stupendous, even the Isle of Skye, a good 40 miles away, stood out clearly to the east. Nine miles into the journey, you pass by the manecured lawns and incongruous castle of Amhuinnsuidhe [pron: Arvensooy].

Once at Huishinish, which took us 2 hours to reach (with plenty photostops), there was a keen northeasterly breeze blowing. However, after an hour, that dropped away and we were left roasting. The views at Huishinish comprise a close look at the island of Scarp, which you can only reach by private boat; and the hills of Uig to the north. Huishinish lies 8 miles south of Brenish (in the farthest west of Lewis). If you want to travel from one to the other by road, you are looking at 78 miles. I took 160 pictures today, which I shall upload later. I close this post with a map showing the journey.


View Trip to Huishinish, 2 May 2012 in a larger map

Tuesday 1 May

A brilliantly sunny day, which saw the mercury at a respectable 13C / 55F. The northeasterly wind kept the edge off the temperatures. Visibility was good, not exaggeratedly so, which is an indication of stable weather conditions. Went for an amble out to Sandwick Cemetery, then back to town, a distance of just over 2 miles.

Rupert Murdoch has been declared not a proper person to lead a multinational media empire. Yet he does, and is not likely to cease doing so anytime soon. However, all the wrong doings happened on his watch and (my quote) in the pursuit of ever larger profits, passing over bodies, lives and reputations in doing so. I agree that he was the one who gave British journalism the bad name it has, impersonated in the Sun and its page 3.

Monday 30 April

Another sunny day, with only a transitory bank of thin, high cloud to mar the enjoyment. Much better than the inches and inches of rain in parts of England. The resulting flooding claimed a life near Newbury, Berkshire.


I finished the transcription of the 1902 report into social conditions in the Isle of Lewis, which made for interesting but at times aggravating reading. It has a distinctly condescending tone,which compares unfavourable with that of the Napier Report of 1883.

There was a bit of excitement this afternoon, when the town and his wife came down to the seafront to see the Norwegian submarine Uredd move into port. Five sailors stood out on deck as she came in to dock on the eastern side of pier no 1. There have been manoeuvres in the Minch of late, but this vessel apparently came in as a courtesy call.

30 April

Today is the last day of winter in the old Gaelic year. Tomorrow, Beltane, will see the advent of the light, and the banishment of the darkness of winter for another half-year. In six months' time, Hallowe'en (All Hallows' Eve) will signal the end of summer, as we remember on 1 November those that have gone on ahead.
In continental Europe, the night of April 30th into May 1st is Walpurgisnight, which serves the same purpose. The town of Zutphen, 20 miles north of Arnhem in Holland, has a church dedicated to St Walpurgis.

In more recent history, April 30th, 1945, was the day that Adolf Hitler committed suicide towards the end of the Second World War. An evil spirit was certainly exorcised at that time.

Queen's Day in Holland

From 600 miles away, I catch a glimpse of the annual Queen's Day celebrations in Holland. It is the day when the Queen's Birthday is being celebrated. Beatrix was 74 last January, but the weather tends to be better in late April. On this day, the whole country has a day off and takes to the street with celebrations, silly games or streetmarkets, where they sell the contents of their attic. The weather is usually good, and likewise this year. Like in Stornoway today, it is sunny. Unlike Stornoway, the mercury is at a very royal 20C / 68F. Here in the Hebrides, we have to make do with 10C / 50F.

The Queen and her family also join in, and each year they visit one or two towns to do so. Three years ago, the celebrations were marred by a deranged man, who crashed his car into a crowd of people, killing 6. But this year, everybody appears to be having a whale of a time, as demonstrated by Crown Prince Willem-Alexander (45). On a visit to the town of Rhenen (midway between Arnhem and Utrecht), he joined in a spot of toilet tossing. Of course, his toilet had to be Orange (just ignore the audio).

Sunday 29 April

After a very cold night, with a low of -2C / 28F, we were treated to a sunny day with reasonable temperatures. After 3pm, a thin layer of cloud moved across the island and stopped just off the east coast. I ventured out for a walk, 5¼ miles round the Castle Grounds. The amble is locally referred to as going Round the Creed, the Creed being the moorland river which is the southern boundary of the Castle Grounds. You start at the Bridge Centre, then follow the coastline all the way to the river. The walkway then veers along the river for half a mile as far as the Iron Fountain. A little garden has been created at the junction of paths there, making for a vast improvement. More improvements were found on Gallows Hill, a 220 ft high prominent hill with nice views across Stornoway. Returned past Lews Castle, which is being refurbished, then back into town.