Saturday 2 June

Ooh, we had two drops of rain early this morning. Otherwise, another bright and sunny day, with a biting northeasterly wind keeping the temperature around 11C all day. Bit warmer darn sarf [down south], where HM the Q attended the Epsom Derby horse race as a start to her Diamond Jubilee weekend. There was a streetparty here in Lewis (at least one I know of) in Laxdale, with another one planned for next Wednesday in the town area of Stornoway. On Monday, we'll be watching the lighting of beacons.

I was pleased to hear that former president Mubarak of Egypt was sentenced to life in jail for complicity in the killings of people 16 months ago in Cairo, when his regime was overthrown. He could have been executed, but that would have made him a martyr. Isn't it odd though, how certain figures crash from favourite to outcasts in a matter of weeks. Mubarak and Gadaffi are certainly good examples. As a classical music afficionado, I am only too familiar with Carl Orff's rendition of Carmina Burana, and the first excerpt of that piece:

The wheel of Fortune turns;
I go down, demeaned;
another is carried to the height;
far too high up
sits the king at the summit -
let him beware ruin!
for under the axis we read:
Queen Hecuba.

View of an island

I found this posting from my old Northern Trip blog among my files in Google Drive. It summarises what kept me in Lewis, after arriving there in November 2004. This revised text dates back to late December 2005. Before you ask, the same reasons still apply. 

I was amazed at the colours at sunset these past days. And at sunrise as well. Normally, I expect light to start to fail 25 minutes after sunset, but at this latitude this is extended to 40 minutes. I am not a native of the islands, but one of the reasons I have come here is the natural beauty. Whether it is in the images shown above, at a time of good weather - or in bad weather, as I showed in a much earlier posting about the November 11th [2005] hurricane.

Being caught up in a thunder, hail, snow, sleet (and kitchensink) shower back in January, whilst going down the Lochs Road at Leurbost, with the bus driver being forced to reduce speed to a crawl. No snow or ice at the next village, Keose.

The many rainbows in the spring.

The joy at seeing the first green shoots, in April.

Hearing the first bleating of lambs in a pasture at Breascleit late in March. Walking the island in the bitter winds of February, and seeing the sad remains of the sheep that did not make it through the winter. Or the sheep that was knocked down at the Marybank cattlegrid in April, and was slowly decomposing in peace in the ditch that it was dumped in over a period of 6 months.

Seeing the days lengthen to an incredible extent, sunset at 22.30, with the light lingering to the nadir of the night at 01.30, then returning fully at 03.30. But also shortening of the days, with the present daylight hours of 09.15 to 15.35.

The howling of the gales, 4 in one week in November. Clattering of hail and thumping of the wind against the window at night - waking up in the middle of the night because there is no noise.

Watching the breathtaking coastal scenery at Filiscleitir, or the stunning mountain scenery from Rapaire, Teileasbhal, Mullach an Langa. Or beautiful Glen Langadale, where I'm forever fording that river under the frowning face of Stulabhal. The little mouse on the slopes of that mountain, the one that allowed me to stroke it. The yellow grasses on the moors of South Lochs, finding your way in amongst a myriad of lochs, streams and bogs. Loch nan Eilean, south of Garyvard.

Place seems to have gotten under my skin.

Friday 1 June

Another day of the bright and sunny variety, with some cloud out and about. The northeasterly wind continues to make it feel cold outside, although in the lee and in the sun it does feel quite pleasant.

The news is dominated by the Jubilee Weekend. Here in Stornoway, bunting has been strung along the railings along South Beach, the main street on the seafront. I'm not aware of anything major being organised here (I stand to be corrected), although a streetparty has been organised in Laxdale. On Monday, beacons will be lit on the Arnish Point peninsula as well as in Ness and on the Clisham, our highest hill. Her nibs is having a do, it would seem. Unfortunately, the temperature in London looks set to take a nosedive, with rain and 10C forecast for Sunday. Think I'll watch it all on the box.

Although I did not attend, this week saw the Local Mod. As you may recall from my blog postings in October of last year, the Mod is a showcase for Gaelic culture in this part of the world, and I found a large group of small children outside the Town Hall, where they had been performing. The performances include singing, dancing, declamation and instrumental performances, e.g. the melodeon, clarsach and others. Five years ago, I attended some of the prelims and recorded the results. You can hear some of those recordings from this page. I never cease to be amazed by the gusto and confidence with which the tiniest tots (as young as 5) strut their stuff on the stage, in front of an audience of more than 100 at times.

Hurricane season 2012

Today, June 1st, is the start of the North Atlantic hurricane season. However, we have already seen two named tropical storms. Beryl dissipated two days ago; Chris is the next one on the list. As regular readers of Atlantic Lines know, I take an active interest in the subject of hurricanes and blog summaries warnings and advisories on a separate blog, Tropical Cyclones. 

Hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones are all one and the same thing. It is a phenomenon which, on a planetary scale, serves as a safety valve to vent excess heat from the tropics to temperate latitudes (above 30 degrees north or south). Simply put, the processes of evaporating and condensating water transfer energy from the ocean to the atmosphere. When the circumstances are right, this can give rise to an area of low pressure, accompanied by intense thunderstorms which reach up to 10 miles up into the atmosphere. A tropical cyclone needs water temperatures of at least 26C / 80F to form, and uniform windspeeds and wind direction throughout the atmosphere. The rotation of the earth spins the system and also propels it to higher latitudes. Wind speeds near its centre can go as high as 150 knots (170 mph), with gusts to 180 knots or 200 mph. Both path and central windspeed are not easy to forecast.

For reference, storms are named once their windspeeds reaches or exceeds galeforce, 35 knots or 39 mph. Names of storms that have been particularly devastating are usually retired, never to be used again. Katrina is an example of a retired name.

Around the world, several specialised meteorological centres have been set up to monitor tropical cyclones. The main ones are at Miami (North Atlantic and East Pacific Oceans), Honolulu (Central Pacific), Tokyo (Northwestern Pacific), three in Australia, La Reunion (Southwestern Indian Ocean), New Delhi (Northern Indian Ocean) and Nadi, Fiji (Southwestern Pacific Ocean). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu monitors the Northwestern, Southern and Southwestern Pacific Ocean as well as the whole of the Indian Ocean basin. Tropical cyclones rarely form in the southern Atlantic or southeastern Pacific Ocean.

Personally, I frown at descriptions of hurricanes as "killers" or "monsters". The effects of these natural phenomena are certainly devastating, and sometimes claim many lives. However, the advent of the above mentioned monitoring centres has served to increase warning times to those that live in the paths of hurricanes, preventing more damage and loss of life than in the past.

Stay safe.

Thursday 31 May

A cloudier day than of late, but still with good spells of sunshine. Went to town for a few bits and pieces at 3pm, and was surprised to find the ferry still tied up. She normally leaves for Ullapool at 1.50pm, but in the end the MV Isle of Lewis did not go until 3.50pm. As a result, the boat did not come back in until 10pm, still 2 hours late. Called into the ferry terminal to look for bus timetables (none to be found) for mainland buslinks, but instead found the below memorial to merchant seamen from the Western Isles who were lost in both world wars. The memorial is new, having only been erected last September.



Transcription of the text:

This Memorial commemorates the loss of
Merchant Navy and Mercantile Personnel
from the Western Isles who gave their
lives in War and Conflict for the
freedom of others.

Eternal Father, Strong to Save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Hymn 527 verse 1

Chlaodh iad ri Dia'nan teinn;
Is shaor e iad o'n trioblaid gheir
Ghrad-chuireadh leis an
stoirm gu feith,
's na tuinn 'nan tamh gu leir;

An sin tha iad ro-ait, airson
Gu bheil iad samhach beo:
S gun d'thug e iad do'n chaladh sin,
's do'n phort bu mhiannach leo

Psalm 107 verses 28-30
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
we will remember them

This memorial was erected by the Western Isles Branch
of the Merchant Navy Association
on 3rd September 2011

Another bloody water

I'm not apologising for the swear word in the title of this post. It is in fact the name of a brand of bottled water in Australia. I'll let the label, forwarded to me by an acquaintance in Queensland, speak for itself.

Wednesday 30 May

More sunny weather, but with a persistent northeasterly wind which once more keeps us cold. The mercury only reached 13C / 57F this afternoon. In the sun it's nice; but not so in the shade.

Next Monday, beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth's 60th anniversary on the throne. No fewer than five will be lit on the Long Island. One at the Butt of Lewis, one at Cross-Skigersta Road nearby, two on the Arnish Peninsula across from my position and one on the summit of the Clisham. I hope the weather will be clement, as the Clisham is 799 metres or 2,621 feet high. The beacons will be lit between 22.00 and 22.30 hours. Oddly enough, no beacons are planned in the Isle of Skye, 50 miles south of here. The nearest beacon to that island will be at Ardnamurchan Point, 30 miles to its south.

The recent good weather has even made it to the local news headlines, as it has enticed people out to cut their peats. Last week's heatwave (26C / 80F in Harris) made it very uncomfortable at the peats, which is a strenuous physical exercise. You cut slabs of peat out of a peatbank with a peat iron (or tairsgeir), and leave them to dry for a couple of weeks, weather permitting.

Tuesday 29 May

A beautifully sunny day, but that strong cold northeasterly wind took the warmth out of it all. We did not manage more than 12C / 54F, but the wind made it feel even lower. Rather warmer, I gather, were the people in the US, where late May temperature records have tumbled. I gather that some places got as high as 36C, not far off 100F. I think I'll stick to the Hebrides; I find 12C easier to cope with than the mid-30s.

A few weeks ago, six children were killed in a house fire in the town of Derby. The fire was started deliberately, by pouring petrol through the letterbox and setting this alight. The parents, of whom the father had 18 children, have now been arrested on suspicion of their murder. The investigation in Derby is still on-going.

Italy has suffered another earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale. Sixteen people are reported to have lost their lives. Seismologists expect the quakes to continue. Footage of a refugee camp at the time of today's quake showed people running away, out of their tents.

Monday 28 May

That was a startling contrast. From 23C yesterday right down to 13C today. The day started overcast, but by lunchtime we had the sun back. However, that did little to help the mercury, as there was this penetrating northeasterly wind blowing at force 6. And we are not likely to get any warmer anytime soon, as there will be a nationwide downturn in the warmth. Nonetheless, here in the Hebrides we are not really used to these large jumps in temperature - even if they take us back where we should be at this time in the year.

The woman who had contracted rabies after being bitten by a rabid dog in southern Asia has sadly died at a hospital in London. Only a few cases of imported rabies occur in the UK each year, but the survival rate of the disease is poor. Once symptoms become evident, the outlook is grim. Stringent controls on the import of mammals into Great Britain have eradicated rabies from the indigenous wildlife.

Sunday 27 May

Another warm day, with the mercury cresting at 22C. It has become rather more humid. By evening, a northeasterly wind has picked up, heralding quite a change for tomorrow, when we should have no more than 14C on the thermometer. This transition will prompt thunderstorms on the mainland. We normally only get thunderstorms in winter. I spent the day outside, sitting in the sun - yes, I did apply sunblock and was in t-shirt and trousers.

The first tropical storm to threaten the US mainland this season is headed for the border between Georgia and Florida. Beryl is a storm, carrying winds of force 10 to 11 on the Beaufort scale, and will be even stronger upon landfall, later this evening. After making landfall, Beryl will make an about turn and head northeast. I don't think the up to 12 inches of rainfall are unwelcome, as there have been drought conditions for many months in that part of the States.

Saturday 26 May

Beautiful spring day, with the mercury reaching summer-like values of 22C / 73F by 10am. Although it did cool down with the seabreeze later in the afternoon, it remained very pleasantly warm.

At 10 am, the runners in the Stornoway Half Marathon passed through the town and outlying areas. There were about 100 of them, I think. Click on the picture to see more images of the run.

In the afternoon, I went for a 5 mile walk out to Sandwick and Steinish, taking in the fringes of the Cockle Ebb. This is an area of tidal mudflats as well as quicksands. During specific times, it is possible to cross to Tong, a village that is 4 miles away by road - but far less than that directly.

Friday 25 May

Today in 1962, St Michael's Cathedral in Coventry was rededicated by Queen Elizabeth II. The cathedral had been wrecked during a Nazi German bombing raid on 14 November 1940, which caused extensive damage to the city. The ruins of the old cathedral were retained and are standing outside the new edifice, as a reminder of the destructiveness of war.

In Stornoway, it was a sunny day, but with a fair amount of haze about, and haar rolling ashore in Point, 5 miles east of the town. The cruiseliner Marco Polo came in during the early hours, and still lies anchored off Arnish Point. She is due to leave for Ullapool later tonight. Marco Polo is the second cruiseship to visit us this season; the Ocean Nova paid us three visits over the past fortnight or so.

I am making my way through The Healing Threads by Mary Beith, who died on 13th May. I have read half the book, which is a thoroughly researched appraisal of traditional medicine in Scotland. The second half is a rundown of what is termed Materia Medica, various healing practices in other words. I may conduct my own research into the subject.

Thursday 24 May

A brilliant day, if a tad cooler than yesterday. That's not the way it felt, but the official readings said 16C. Went out for a walk of 12 km, 7½ miles, through the Castle Grounds to Bennadrove, Loch Airigh na Lice and Horgaraid. From the latter remote corner, I went back through Newvalley, Guershader and Laxdale. Took me 2 hours and 45 minutes. I did this walk in my walking days, early in 2005, when it was a good deal colder. For this afternoon's walk, I did not take a coat or indeed a jumper.

A woman with rabies presented to A&E at her local hospital in northwest Kent twice before being transferred to a specialist hospital. The UK is rabies free and stringent controls are in place to prevent infected animals crossing the border. Those cases of rabies that do occur here result from bites from infected animals (e.g. dogs) abroad.

Wednesday 23 May

A very nice spring day, with the mercury topping out at 21C / 70F this afternoon at 2 o'clock. It was wall-to-wall, blue-sky sunshine, as there was a lot of high-level cloud about. However, that did not spoil the fun at all, and these high temps are quite unusual for this part of the world. The highest maximums I've seen here are 25C / 77F, and we just might get there in the next couple of days.

The Jubilympics are serving to push the news on the Euro off our screens, but I am learning from Dutch news media that governments in the EU are beginning to draw up contingencies to reinstate their own currencies, should the Euro fail. Once Germany withdraws from the Euro, that will be the end of the currency. Greece is on the point of withdrawing, and when that starts, others will follow.

I received a free CD today from the Gaelic college in Skye, containing Voices from Scottish Islands, as recorded by the School of Scottish Studies. If you're interested, you can request a free copy (if in the UK) by emailing dualchas [at] smo.uhi.ac.uk, mentioning your name and address and subject Guthan Eileanan na h-Alba/Voices of Scotland's Islands CD.

Tuesday 22 May

Although we did not have much sun, the mercury rose to 18C / 64F, which was very nice. When we do get the sun (may take a couple of days), we should crest 20C, and that is not very common in this part of the world.

The Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated in the Western Isles in the first week of June. Beacons will be lit on 2 June at 10.15pm (sunset) at Arnish Point (right across the water from me), Eoropie Beach (Ness), the Clisham in Harris; Langass (North Uist) and Askernish (South Uist). HM Queen Elizabeth will light the final beacon in central London at 10.30pm that evening. 

In recent times, I've been writing about some of the cats my family have had over the years. As I don't have that much to write about in this post, I'll put a few images of them on here.

 (Stapper [Strider] 1988-2004)

Thomas (1973-1988)

Monday 21 May

Well, spring appears to be here at last. Although we saw little of the sun today, the mercury managed a creditable 15C / 59F this afternoon, and for the first time since that warm spell in March, I could do without a scarf on going out. The evening is very calm, with not a ripple on the water of the harbour, and the lights reflecting in the sea as darkness falls. It will not get completely dark until close on midnight. We are one month away from the summer solstice, and sunset time is around 10pm.

The northern hemisphere hurricane season has come to life, with three tropical cyclones around. Alberto is fading off the coast of the Carolinas in the Atlantic; a tropical depression is making threatening noises to the south of Acapulco, with a hurricane likely to hit Mexico later this week; and another tropical storm is just south of Guam in the western Pacific.

Sunday 20 May

An overcast and pretty non-descript day in terms of weather, although milder than of late - we managed 13C / 55F. Went out for an amble around town, trying to find nano-sized geocaches. Well, I failed abysmally, as I couldn't find a single one of them. I also felt embarassed standing around, looking around the foot of a statue, not really knowing what I was looking for. And there were three others. Anyway, I'll probably have to start by looking for a larger sized cache.

Italy was shaken by an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, which caused a lot of damage and destruction in the vicinity of Bologna. Six people were killed, two of them in a factory which collapsed. There was footage on TV, showing a clocktower just as another aftershock occurred: leaving the tower in a pile of rubble. A few years ago, 300 people were killed in a similar earthquake, and in 1976 an even stronger quake in northeastern Italy left nearly 1,000 dead. Italy straddles a faultline in the earth's crust, where tectonic plates grind along each other, leading to sudden movements. Another manifestation of this phenomenon are Italy's four active volcanoes: Stromboli, Etna, Vesuvius and Volcano - I visited all these in 2001. Having stood close to the summit of Etna, I was in the nearby town of Taormina that year when I saw a red, glowing line near the top of the mountain later that night. I later learned that the eruption which started then left all the places I had stood at under 500 feet of lava. None of them exist anymore.

An annular solar eclipse is to start in just over an hour's time (at 10pm GMT), which will be visible across the northern Pacific Ocean and North America. Although my sunset times are very late at the moment, the sun sets shortly, making it impossible for me to see it. Those in Iceland and the Arctic will be able to see it though.

Megrahi is dead

The sole person ever convicted of guilt in the bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie in December 1988, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, has died at his home in Tripoli, Libya, earlier today. The historical facts of the Lockerbie bombings are well documented, and like everybody else alive at the time, the events that winter solstice day, 24 years ago, are etched on my memory. Was Megrahi the prime suspect, or just a scapegoat to hide the blushes of his alleged paymaster, Col Gadaffi? He is also dead, summarily executed in October last year. But it is unlikely that we'll ever really know the truth.

The more than 200 people who died when the plane was blown up continue to be mourned by their friends and family. Megrahi's conviction may have satisfied the lust for revenge in some, but others were not so sure. His early release, on compassionate grounds in August 2009, did not go down well in many quarters. His relative longevity, on the strength of a prostate cancer drug that isn't even available in Scotland (where he was incarcerated), served to embarrass the Scottish government and its Justice Secretary, Kenny Macaskill. However, I will close by echoing Mr Macaskill's assertion that Megrahi is now answering to a higher Authority. And whether Abdelbaset will rest in the garden of flowers and flowing streams, or in the fires of hell is beyond human knowledge. RIP to the victims of Lockerbie.

Saturday 19 May

A wee bit milder than of late, with the mercury tipping 12C in the afternoon. Weather is quite benign with good sunny spells and not much wind. Spent the day backing up pictures onto CD-ROMs. Since I got my new camera last year, the images are taking up rather more space on the disks. They are now spread over 67 CDs.

The search for the missing fishing boat has been called off. The vessel was found at the bottom of the English Channel, with liferafts still attached. The body of its skipper was found on the surface, the other two remain unaccounted for but are now presumed dead. My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those lost off Weymouth on Thursday.

The hurricane season made an early start in the Atlantic Ocean, with tropical storm Alberto spinning up some 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, SC. The storm will do an about turn and will approach the coast of the Carolinas tomorrow. The storm is carrying winds of 40 knots, equivalent to force 9, near its centre. However, the radius of those high winds is not more than 45 miles at present. NHC carry advisories every 3 to 6 hours.

Missing presumed lost

This boat is the Purbeck Isle, a small fishing craft that hails from Weymouth in Dorset. She left port yesterday, and has not been seen or heard of since. A search has been going on for the last 24 hours, but wreckage was located on the seabed in a location where previously there was nothing. Tonight, the body of a man was retrieved from the sea - it is believed to be one of the crew. His two comrades remain missing, but the worst is feared.

Stornoway too is a small fishing port, and not immune from tragedies like this. My thoughts are with the family and friends of those missing or lost in the English Channel.