An area of disturbed weather associated with a broad area of low pressure is centered about 1200 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. This system remains well-organized and has the potential to become a tropical depression within the next 12 to 24 hours as it moves toward the west at about 15 mph.
This is in the open ocean, and does (so far) not pose a threat to land.
Well, it would appear that AOL have managed to pull themselves together. I am still having to run around in circles to get my pictures on the journal, and have to do it from the AOL software (which I normally don't use), but as long as it goes, it goes. What a torrid week.
Another bright start to the day, which gradually turns cloudier. Temperatures reach 18C by mid-afternoon. Forecast temperatures for southern England are 34C by Sunday. We'll have a more palatable 18C. Mrs B takes unwell around midday, with a suspected TIA. I sit with her until it wears off; her nephew happens to call round too, and he joins me. By about 2pm, things start to improve, and she's happy to go out for a drive. First of all we go round to Arnish. Although 1 mile in a direct line, it is in fact a 6 mile drive by car. We are unable to see the barge sitting alongside the quayside from our position. We carry on a little way up the very rough track that leads to the Lighthouse. Then it's retracing our steps to the main road, and a 7 mile drive to Cameron Terrace (Leurbost). We can see rain moving over the hills from South Lochs. We continue west towards Achamor, then northeast, back to town. For the first 4 miles, the road rises steeply from the 108m above sealevel at Achamor to 149 m at Beinnabhuineadh, half way to the Pentland Road junction. This road is lined with small shieling huts. People used to go there "in the old days" in summer with family and a few animals, or to cut and collect peats. Only a few huts remain in a serviceable state. Peats are still cut, by a few, in May, and left out to dry. You'd be surprised to find how dry they become over a 4 month period. The Pentland Road is busy with drivers in a crashing hurry. We're taken round to a second-hand shop up Rigs Road, where mrs B wants to buy a grassrake and a bucket. I get the papers in, and we have a quiet evening. The rain starts early, at 4pm, and gets heavy. A guest comes off the 8pm ferry, and gets soaked on the 10 minute walk up from the terminal. It is very dark, and we put the lights on by 9 o'clock. The Swiss man missed his bus connection at Barvas. The bus from Ness to town is supposed to wait for the bus from the West Side, but didn't. I think he must have got a lift.
Note: I'll add the captions for the pictures later on.
Legend:
1 - Stornoway at 00.45
2 - The length of piping at Arnish
3 - Frontal cloud at lunchtime
4 - The busyard with widened entrance
5, 8, 9 - Welcome banner for the Hebridean Celtic Festival
6, 7 - Hanging baskets in the town
10 - Frontal cloud increased mid afternoon
11, 15 - Eveningtime: Sgoth off the CGS
12 - Yachts and the Sgoth
13, 16, 20 - 2-masted yachts
17, 18, 19 - Flowers in the boat along Newton Street
I can't add headings, so I'm doing a separate pictures heading :-(
News came out from the other side of the UK that a young woman drowned in the sea at Folkestone. She had been drinking with friends on the seaside, then went into the water. Emergency services were called out when she was seen in difficulty in the sea, but a sea and air search failed to locate her. The body of the young woman was later recovered from the water. With the forecast hot weather this weekend (temperatures forecast to be above 30C / 90 F), the Coastguard want to urgently stress
DON'T DRINK AND DROWN
Drinking alcohol and then participating in sailing, swimming, or any other waterborne activities can be a recipe for disaster. Excessive alcohol impairs judgment and reaction times which can lead to tragic and, in this case, fatal accidents. Our message is please dont drink and drown.
So, we're back to normal, are we? Well, it would seems so. Above feline summarises my feelings about earlier lack of service, and it's going to take some time to get my confidence back. It's been a torrid few days.
I can't add pictures to the journal, if YGP does get going it stalls the AOL software after editing 5 pictures.
AOL Hometown is not loading properly either, I am unable to load pictures that way.
My email account is inaccessible at times, leading to error messages and re-verification requests from those that try to reach me, which is a waste of my time and leads to a loss of faith of those concerned in me.
AOL get your act together.
Just to clear up a few things which may not be obvious to readers who recently joined me. I don't keep a B&B; mrs B, with whom I'm staying, keeps one. I'm fairly closely involved in it. I do act like an (unpaid) tourist guide, but I don't think I'd want to get paid for it. You probably think I'm mad, but that falls outside the remit of my stay in Stornoway. I've set it out a few restrictions on that for myself, to do with the background to it all. Don't wanna bore you.
I'm well p*d off with AOL, and they're lucky that I'm still paying the fees. I'm using a different ISP, which gives me none of the hassle that AOL does. I think that nightmaremom has summarized very nicely the way I feel about their service as well.
Anyway, here I am after a nice afternoon out in a car; someone drove mrs B and myself round for an hour so, just before the rain came. Had to keep an eye on that lady this morning, as she went through a TIA = transient ischemic attack. It's the brain's equivalent of angina, without the pain. Basically, you suffer the effects of a mild stroke, which then reverse back to normal. In a stroke, the effects cannot be (100%) reversed. Those with a medical background will understand, sorry if you don't.
Again, I'll post more later. This is only my second post today for reasons stated above.
Awake to the sight of a large barge over at Arnish, loading a 60 m segment of pipe, which looks suspiciously like part of a windturbine tower. Very bright morning, but the clouds indicate the approach of a weatherfront from the Atlantic. Temperatures rise quickly to a maximum of 18C / 64F in the afternoon, which is very respectable for Stornoway. Clouds close in by 4pm, winds pick up and it cools down. Rain commences at 9pm. Mrs B's nephew comes to call, and he is not a happy chappy. Personal problems on top of his health ones. He takes his auntie over to the Coop for a shop, and the saying "shop until you drop" takes a different meaning there. The place bears more resemblance to a building site than a superstore, with ladders, open ceilings, trailing wires and what have you all over. Not to mention the fact that tiles are being cut with an angle-grinder (this generates dust), and there is open food like bread and meat on the shelves. This is the first week that Calmac put on 3 sailings a day on Wednesday and Friday, which will continue until September 1st. Ferry leaves at 6.15 a.m., 12.45pm and 7pm, finally to return at a quarter to one in the morning. On mrs B's behalf I welcome a gentleman from Switzerland who is here until Sunday. His luggage had gone walkabout on Monday, but he is just nipping down the airport to pick it all up. Later in the evening, he comes down for a chat and some information on his trips in the days to come. Yes, I'm turning into a bit of a tourist office here LOL. His English is not very strong, he can't follow the presenters on the weather news on BBC. They admittedly gabble. Dinner consists of a nice stirfry from the butcher's, with a caramel custard afterwards. I hop out at 8.30 pm to picture two 2-masted yachts which are coming in. In the afternoon, I went into town to buy a new notebook. Had to go through 3 shops to find what I wanted. My old one will run out in 35 pages - I'm now on page 1165.
NOTE: AOL is playing sillibuggers and I can't add pictures. Will do as soon as they let me.
The Isle of Lewis is due a windfarm development. 190 windturbines, each standing 450 ft / 135 m tall, are due to be built over a 40 mile stretch of land, within a few miles of habitation. Although objections were raised by about 4500 people, these were swept aside by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the local council, as their priority was the economic benefits. A fierce debate has raged in Lewis for the past 2 years, sometimes bordering on the NIMBY. I have managed to construct an artist impression of one of these turbines (only the mast height), as they would look if constructed at the Arnish Fabrication Yard, which stands 1 mile west of here on the other side of the harbour. This will be published on the Lighthouse Blog tomorrow, and I hope it acts as an eye opener. I am not opposed to wind energy perse; I am not happy to have monsters that size hopping around. Why didn't they put more time into developing wave power? The same Arnish Yard is also making units for wavepower; for export to Portugal. Tidal energy is being harnessed at the Isle of Islay, further south. This is a very political entry, but I think the eggs are all in one basket. And somebody has said that nuclear energy is an acceptable alternative. Nope. We have not sorted out the waste problem, have we? Every month, radio-active particles are discovered on a beach near Dounreay, on the far north Scottish coast, close to a nuclear power station.
For reference: In the picture, the "mast" stands 480 ft tall, slightly taller than the projected 450 ft of the intended turbines. The building to its left is 80 ft tall and is 1 mile distant.
AOL Live Help - don't we all love it? Today, I have been unable to access AOL emails from my Internet Explorer browser - it's still accessible from the AOL software though. The hours wore on and I still got error code C0FE1801. I checked the FAQ, and it basically means there is a systems outage. I thought I'd enquire how long it was going to last, so I went to AOL Live Help. Well, it didn't help me an ounce. It was 27 minutes of wasted time. It was totally the wrong answer and the man didn't have the foggiest what I was talking about.
Note: In an earlier version of this entry, I had copied the conversation. Decided to withdraw that, I think we've all been there.
Anyway, check out my initial entry for 27 June; I have plonked the pictures into the entry. I have steam coming out of my ears now, grrr
.Bright start to the day, although cloud moves across later. The wall around the bus garage in Inaclete Road has now been pulled down and new gates were being put in this morning. Mrs B is plagued by flies in the kitchen, which come in from the backyard. The insects are attracted by the ingredients for the fruitsalad - have a look at this recipe
Boil half a pint of water with 3 ounces of sugar
Allow to cool
Add the juice of half a lemon
Add the following fruits in cubed form:
Melon
Apple
Orange
Pear
Grapes
Banana
Other fruits include peaches, mangoes, papaya and pineapple. Serves 4, keeps for max 3 days, but replace the bananas after 2.
A lady arrives off the plane who is due to visit the primary school in the morning. She is pointed in the right direction. I pay a flying visit to Somerfields. I'm not venturing outside, after this morning's one hour coughing bout. Dinner tonight is sweet and sour. Mrs B was expecting a guest, who does not turn up. He had booked into a cheaper establishment, but had not bothered to cancel his first booking. Nice. He was "doing" the islands by bike. May his punctures be numerous. We've had some fun and games with cyclists this summer. Won't easily forget the wimp that buzzed off on the ferry to his wife after a wet run up from Tarbert. At least that one did cancel. Evening passes quietly.
Postscript: I was going to add pictures, but now it's AOL Pictures that's having problems. OMG. I'll alert y'all when things are back to normal. Erm, June 31st?
Postscript 2: Promised I'd insert the pictures in the entry. Too much hassle. Made a separate entry. Sorry.
Had a message from the Journalseditor that the problems surrounding Journals have now been resolved and everything's back to normal. You can read journals and post comments as per usual.
Have a nice evening. It certainly is up here.
AOL is still experiencing major problems with the journals today. You may be unable to access journals altogether, and even if you can you may be unable to leave comments. The problem first came to light earlier today at 1100 UTC (7 am EDT), when I (in Western Europe) tried to follow alerts - and failed. Only a few journals were accessible, but no comments could be left. We're awaiting full resolution of this problem.
According to satellite and radar information, a small low pressure system could be forming about 140 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina. This could develop into a tropical depression at any time. The system will be moving north to northeast at 15 to 20 mph.
Residents along the NC coast should closely monitor the progress of this system today, as tropical storm warnings could be required at short notice, even if this system does not form into a tropical cyclone. Showers and thunderstorms accompanied by localised heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds will gradually spread onshore into NC today and early tonight.
Further info: www.nhc.noaa.gov
The breeding unit was separate from the main Serpentarium building, and was used for housing 600 unwanted creatures and some rare species. After the fire brigade put the fire out, they brought out the dead snakes and tortoises, some of whom had been in the owners' possession for 20 years. The main Serpentarium remains open for visitors.
I didn't tell about the two young girls who got blown out to sea a few weeks ago. Their dad had put them in an inflatable dinghy on a beach here in Lewis. A strong off-shore breeze combined with the run of the tide quickly blew them away from the beach. Dad swam after them, shouting frantically to them to row, using the paddles. They sat like stones. Another man on the beach jumped in the water too and swam close, calmly telling them to row towards him. He managed to tow the dinghy back to the beach, as their dad could not manage.
Only goes to show: be very careful with inflatables on beaches, particularly with offshore breezes. You cannot judge the state of the tides, or the strenghts of currents.
This is a plant, officially classified as an "injurious weed" by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs in the UK as an injurious weed. Ragwort is poisonous to horses, ponies, donkeys and other livestock, and causes liver damage, which can have potentially fatal consequences. Under the Weeds Act 1959, the Secretary of State may serve an enforcement notice on the occupier of land on which injurious weeds are growing, requiring the occupier to take action to prevent the spread of injurious weeds.
Defra have published a webpage, giving information.
This does not just applies to land on which animals are actually grazing - it applies anywhere. Ragwort grows up to several feet tall, flowers with pretty yellow flowers, and releases its seeds in puffballs that float on the wind, and can be carried for miles.
If you want to know what it looks like, Defra have published an information leaflet which gives an accurate description. Note: this is a PDF-file, for which you require Acrobat Reader on your computer; if you haven't got the Reader, you can download a free copy off the Acrobat website.
Ragwort should be eliminated where found, ideally at this time of the year, before the plants start to flower. They should be pulled out, root and all, and destroyed by burning. It is a very pretty plant - but lethal to lifestock. If you find it in your garden, get rid of it. Remember, if you don't, there are circumstance where you could conceivably be forced by law to do so.
I would just like to link to this entry in journal Life & Faith in Caneyhead, for this very appropriate present-day rendition of Noah's Ark. I'm sure the same would apply in the UK today... I am going to have a rant here.
I HATE COMMERCIAL BREAKS
I have access to Sky Television, with upwards of 500 channels. And every 10 to 15 minutes your program will be interrupted by a commercial break. Now, one or two ads are nice, and actually enjoyable. The vast majority are (deliberately) annoying, stupid or sometimes offensive.
Afternoon TV is interspersed with endless ads for loan companies. Would you imagine the amount of misery people are in because of debt? I recently learned of a chap who had 13 credit cards. Not to mention store cards, loyalty cards and what have you. Plugging one hole with another, extortionate interest rates (30, 40 even 50%) and with a financial commitment of 25 years or what have you.
In the UK, we have a group of channels who all seem to be sponsored by an on-line casino. Again, there is a huge problem in this country with gambling addicts, yet these ads carry on unrelentingly. But then, look at the length of time it took to get tobacco advertisements off radio, TV, newspapers and finally Formula 1 motor racing.
Ads for alcohol products seems to have slipped the lead of "we support responsible drinking". Well, I know that each consumer has their own responsibility with regards their alcohol habits, and driving (or preferably not, afterwards). Doesn't mean we have to continue to plug them, does it. For a start, it gives a very bad example to young folk.
Nonetheless, what really makes me howl with laughter are those advertisements which says that a product is NEW and/or IMPROVED. So, you have a new type of washing powder. What you've been using for years is now suddenly a waste of money and totally useless, is it? Come off it.
Right, back to Sky Television. Less than 10 channels do not carry ads, all BBC offspring. But whether these are actually worth my £120 annual license fee? I don't think so.
End of rant.
A few comments asked why a blackhouse was called a blackhouse. Just quoting from this article on the Am Baile [The Village] website:
Blackhouses were common in the Outer Hebrides until the 19th century and were lived in as recently as the 1970s. A blackhouse was usually a long narrow building, sometimes parallel with other buildings and sharing a wall. The walls had an inner and outer layer of un-mortared stones with the gap between them filled with peat and earth. The roof was a wooden frame which rested on the inner wall, covered with layers of heather turfs and then thatched and held down with a net weighted with stones. The roof, traditionally, had no chimney. Animals lived under the same roof as humans and grain was also stored and processed in the same building.
There are a number of reasons for the name 'blackhouse'. With no windows or chimneys the smoke from the peat fire blackened everything and 'outsiders' called them black houses because of this. Another reason is that the name comes from a mis-hearing of the Gaelic. In Gaelic for thatch is 'Tughadh' while black is 'dubh'. Said quickly these two words could sound very similar and so the proper 'thatched house' could easily become 'black house'. The most frequently-quoted reason for the name is that it comes from the introduction of modern houses to the islands. These houses were coated with lime wash and were white, hence the terms 'whitehouse' and 'blackhouse'.
This week's Photo Scavenger hunt #80 by Val and Krissy has as its theme out-of-date, old, or antique. I had to think about this for a while, not realising that the theme is all around me in the island.
Until the 1950s, the majority of people in the Western Isles lived in a blackhouse. Picture 1 shows the outline on the ground, this being a ruin in the hamlet of Borrowston, near Carloway. The left-hand section would have been the living area. It's not very clear on the pic, but the exterior walls consist of two walls, joined together with clay. thickness, built of stones collected from the surrounding area. A thatched roof would cover it, with the roofbeams sloping down to the area between the two walls. Grass will grow there as well. Any rain drains away over the clay. The original blackhouse has no chimney, and the fireplace is actually a hole in the ground in the middle of the living area. Peats sit there, burning and glowing white-hot. It was the horror of any mother to think that a small child might fall into the fire - which did happen. The smoke simply rises up and dissipates through the thatch. If you visit the Arnol Blackhouse Museum at Arnol, you'll get an appreciation of what living conditions were like. The living area would have a "sitting room", with sleeping quarters at the very rear of the house. As you may be able to discern on the above picture, houses were often built on a slope. At the bottom of the blackhouse, on the other side of the entrance door, the animals would be housed. Any effluent would drain away through a hole in the exterior wall. The second section would act as a byre, storage area &c. From the 1920s onwards, the blackhouses [tighean dubh] were gradually replaced with houses of more common design. Translating the Gaelic [tighean geal] would yield "white houses". The Arnol Blackhouse faces a tigh geal across the road, dating back to 1924. It is afflicted with damp, its walls being made of rough-cast cement.
About six miles west of Arnol, a whole village of blackhouses has been restored. They do have chimneys, as was more customary in the 20th century, and look a lot brighter on the inside than does the Arnol blackhouse. Again, you'll find sleeping quarters at the top of the house, and a byre at the bottom.
Whoever you speak to in Lewis, they are glad to be out of blackhouses. Filthy, uncomfortable and dangerous. Out of date, in other words.
Fairly bright start to the day, cold is a lot better thanks. Showers pop up, but nothing to worry about. As yet. There is an open day for emergency services over a thte Coastguard Station, between 1.00 and 4.30pm. This includes the Coastguard Tug, which lies moored at no 3 pier. I go out just after 1pm, on time to watch the CG helicopter land. It's getting quite busy, and I join a queue to view the helicopter inside. There are loads of kids about. Available for viewing are a fire-engine, an aireport fire tender, ambulance - and of course the kids love to set off the sirens. After a while, a yellow air ambulance comes in to land. It's surprisingly spacious - relatively speaking. The SSPCA has a stand, the police is there with the Padded Man, giving everyone who wants a chance to have a bash. One young boy breaks down in tears at the sight of someone being hit, and the policeman agrees it's not nice to hit people. I have a wee chat with the Navy bomb disposal unit. They have a bomb standing by to be exploded. Apparently at least two pieces of live ordnance are being dragged out of the sea by fishermen around Britain's coast every month. Diving gear from today and yesteryear is on show. The coastguard's garage has all its gear on show. Inside the Station, there is a room full of posters and leaflets from organisations like SEPA. Upstairs, I visit the heart of the Station: The Ops Room. Four people man consoles, which show detailed maps of the area. A warning is being broadcast on channel 16 that an explosion will occur in Stornoway Harbour in 15 minutes' time - at 2.15. The clocks inside the room all show GMT, so it's easy to think it's only just after 1pm. All shipping should avoid the area. A dinghy is out there, prepping the bomb. A five-minute charge is set on it. Meanwhile, a Coastguard explains that the operational area for Stornoway extends to 61 degrees North (we're on 58) and 15 degrees West (we're on 7). The western boundary is shared with the US and Canadian coastguards. Head out at 2.15 to witness the big bang. We are duly warned that the bang will occur in 1 minute - not quite.
BANG!!!
A spout of water jumps in the air. The coastguard boats leave their guard stations, which they had to assume to stop anyone entering the port. Next, I join the queue for a can of coke (60p). Then, it's on to the SAR exercise. Two man "have gone overboard". The lifeboat rushes to the rescue. A flare has been let off to mark their position. The two are retrieved in about 5 minutes. With the water temperature at 9C, you have 10 to 60 minutes to live. After this, I drift off to no 3 pier to view the tug. The Anglian Prince is a large vessel, with a very awkward gangway. Am allowed on to the wheelhouse. One of the crew discovers that a wee girl has managed to break the radar console. The tug escorts tankers through the narrows of the Minch, tows anything the lifeboat can't handle. The events were well attended, and Newton Street was packed with parked cars. A shuttlebus was available to go between the two sites. I miss the final flypast by a Navy Nimrod; it flies over very low, then roars away into the clouds. Meanwhile, mrs B's son has been preparing to put the wee boat in the water, which he finally does with the aid of his uncle's landrover and one of his boys and his pals. Before that, they consume a mountain of pancakes. Dinner is a large sirloin steak with sautéed potatoes, onions, broccoli and cauliflower. It's been a very good day, with plenty of sunshine and warm breezes. The evening closes with the sea as smooth as a mirror. The wee boat is pottering about around the basin and the inner harbour. The Atlantic and the Pacific are beginning to flex their muscles, with a few embryo weather systems that could grow into something nasty.
NOTE: The pictures from the Open Day are included in a separate entry.
I am passing a couple of numerical landmarks with some of my Internet activities this week.
1 - My webcam has been viewed more than 20,000 times since I set it up on December 14, 2005
2 - I am going to pass 100 entries on this blog this month, June 2006
3 - The number of views of this blog since October 2004 will exceed 6,000
4 - I have made 150 entries on the VisitHebrides message board, helping prospective visitors to the Outer Isles. I have received a few emails of thanks for that - yes, I am flying my own flag.
Well, the local Health Board, eh? That is a cesspit, no mistake.
The Lighthouse blog features quite a few entries on it, and reactions on it have been increasing hostile. The very first entry on the subject, dating back to last December, gives a flavour of what is (allegedly LOLOL) going on.
The issue of service reforms in the NHS in the Western Isles has dominated the news over the past few weeks. Without boring readers to tears, there are a few issues that influence the NHS in the Western Isles. First of all, only 26,500 people live between Ness and Mingulay. There has to be a fully equipped health service on the islands, in order to cope with any immediate emergency. We have a largish hospital in Stornoway, a medium sized one on Benbecula and a small unit in Barra.
It is common practice for complicated cases to be flown out to major centres like Inverness and Glasgow. Health professionals, such as doctors, have to maintain and expand their skills, and to that end usually rotate through different hospitals over a period of years. Because complicated cases are not normally treated at Stornoway (or Benbecula or Barra), there is little professional incentive for doctors to come here. In other words, it is desperately difficult to attract professional staff. The same applies to other health professionals, like nurses.
The Health Board has therefore been forced to get the necessary staff in as locums. These can cost as much as £70 an hour, and if they are on call (i.e. available to work, but not necessarily on the job), that can mount up.
At the moment, there is a vacancy for a psychiatrist after the previous consultant retired on December 6th. He announced his retirement in July, but the Board never took action until much later than that. The result is that no-one has as yet been found to replace the consultant in question, and another locum is probably going to be employed. At a considerable cost.
So, the NHS Board in the Western Isles decided on service reform to address this problem. In consultation with staff, the Board reached the conclusion that closing a ward, to release nurses for duties elsewhere in the NHS (not necessarily in hospital), would be a good idea. And that skills and responsibilities would be shared out to lower grades of professional staff than before. Training would be provided where necessary. An example: a general surgeon can be expected to perform a caesarian section. Psychiatric emergencies are expected to be dealt with (out of hours) by a community psychiatric nurse and a GP. Still with me?
Second problem is a serious breakdown in communication between management and staff. Allegations of bullying and harassment have been flying around, and are currently being investigated. People felt so intimidated and brow-beaten that they did not feel able to speak to their manager about any concerns or misgivings regarding the current round of reorganisations. They felt able to speak to anyone, apart from the management of NHS Western Isles. As a result, local councillors organised a meeting on November 30 for staff to air their grievances. And air they did. It was a damning indictment of the Health Board, which has been widely reported in the press. The Health Board itself put its case to the public the next day. When the opportunity arose for questions, several people voiced their concerns over service cuts and the problem of staff morale. The Chief Executive himself did not acknowledge or respond to the criticism - he mutely passed it on to one of his medical directors to answer. It was this same Medical Director who has gone on record today (16th December) as saying that any more criticism of the health board may well lead to its abolition. In other words, criticism is not allowed. That is also bullying. The Scottish Health Minister, Andy Kerr, has said that he is not interested in the bullying allegations. Whilst these in themselves may justly be seen as a purely internal matter, they very seriously undermine the credibility of the health board when it states that the proposed service changes were made in proper consultation with staff. It is speaking volumes that grievances can only be aired in public meetings, at the instigation of local councillors. Under normal circumstances, this should be thrashed out internally without the need to hang out all the dirty washing.
The third problem that surfaced were the facilities offered to Health Board managers not to have to live in the islands, but being able to commute from and to the mainland at the tax payers' expense. They were held not to contribute to the island's economy in a direct sense. Unfortunately, it would appear that (unlike e.g. elected representatives, such as councillors) Health Board managers are appointed, and are not accountable to the public they serve.
The hospital in Stornoway has always been 'of the people', built with the money of the people of Lewis and Harris. People are very proud of their hospital, and feel strongly about cutbacks in services.
To me, as onlooker, this smacks of an old attitude that used to be around in these islands. It reminds me of "A Shilling for your Scowl" i.e. do not criticise the man in the Big House - Laird knows best. It is an attitude I've never understood, yet it does keep rearing its ugly head.
I thought we had gone into the 21st century, not still stuck in the 19th.
Got up for breakfast at 9.20. It's a dry and cloudy morning, yet fairly bright. There was a possibility of a tropical depression forming out in the Pacific, but the chance of that happening has receded. Whatever you do, don't buy canned spicy parsnip soup. It's spicy, but otherwise tasteless. After lunch, I go for a walk. Go down Inaclete Road, where they are replacing kerbstones. They have lowered them in front of the piece of wall that is going to be pulled down. Up Lewis Street all the way to Bayhead. The riverlevel has gone up with all the recent rains. Walk into the Castle Grounds to Cuddy Point. The clock in the Town Hall strikes 3pm. At Cuddy Point, new gates have been erected. Rhodondendrons line the route further south to the Creed River. A new seat has been erected at the mouth of the river. When I pass Sober Island, a training yacht can be seen manoeuvring alongside Muirneag. At the Lookout Point, a new, rough-hewn wooden bench has been erected, saving people from having to climb up the wee hill. After the usual twists and turns, I finally come out at the mouth of the Creed River. Big blobs of foam float in the water. The fountain by the bridge is in full flow too, but the water has this horrible sulphurous taste. It's getting increasingly muggy as I return towards town. When I pass the Woodlands Centre, the Town Hall clock strikes 4pm. Return to Somerfields via Kenneth Street. Notice the chairman of the Health Board standing on the pavement at James Street, waiting for a lift. I'm glad to be out of Somerfields, it was warm and close in there. Back at mrs B's, I take a shower and a change of clothes. Feel knackered. Read in the local press about yet another misdeed by the local Health Board management - they held a secret meeting over in Barvas, excluding several critical members. Although staff issues were being discussed, the personnel director was not there. Anyone who says it was anything else but an innocuous meeting between individual Board members can expect action to be taken - read: be taken to court for defamation. This includes the Stornoway Gazette. The Lighthouse Blog too has had an anonymous threat to that effect. Supper was currie. I go to bed at 10 o'clock, was too knackered. We have 3 guests in: a lawyer and two workers from a Glasgow company. The latter return from an evening out at 12.30, much the worst for wear, sticking their heads down the toilet.
Note about the pictures: You may find some of the pictures hazy. The light conditions this afternoon were very difficult. The sky was very bright, but because there was no direct sunlight it was relatively dark under the trees.
Early this month, I reported the sinking of the fishing-boat Brothers, which had left the small harbour of Gairloch on 1 June, never to return. Her wreck was found at Eilean Trodday, north of Skye. The two crewmen went missing, but the body of one of them, 40-year old David Davidson, was found washed up today at Mellon Udridge, in Gruinard Bay, some distance to the northeast. The other man, 39-year old Neil Sutherland, remains missing.
Details courtesy BBC Online.
Earlier today, I mentioned the Small Isles, see the map above. Canna had that funny story about the ratters, I have some funny but also tragic stories from other islands in the group. More than enough, actually, to fill an entire blog with. But as I consider myself to be under an Outer Hebrides remit I'll restrict myself.
In 1992, I was leaving Eigg after my 4th visit there (I was to return there quite a few times until 2004). At the time the transfer between island and ferry was not effected by the ferry docking at the pier - no, you had to jump into a wee flitboat, which would chug-chug out to the larger ferry (at the time it was the Lochmor) and then a precarious step between the two boats would see you on board for the onward journey to the mainland or wherever.
That cloudy Monday afternoon saw me as sole passenger on board the Ulva when the engine cut. The two men crew looked at each other, tried to restart the engine, fiddled about and finally realised the diesel had run out. Cursing the man who had used the boat the day before, they went on the VHF radio. You have to realise that the VHF transmissions reach for several dozen miles. "Lochmor, Lochmor, this is the Eigg ferry. We have run out of diesel, can you come alongside us please". This must have been met with gales of laughter up and down the west coast, and the leers from the Lochmor crew spoke volumes. The ferryboat ended up on the wrong side of the big ferry, so I was left an unholy scramble to get on board. But not before the engineer had said to the ferryboat crew: "Now, now. Let's discuss TERMS for this diesel!"
The other story is not hilarious at all, it is quite sad.
It relates to the Isle of Muck, 3 miles south of Eigg. I first visited Muck in 1995, during a blazing hot summer. Like at Eigg, you had to reach Muck by ferryboat. The tides at Muck are even dodgier than at Eigg. So, when it came to departure time, I found myself in Port Mor [the harbour bay] at low tide. The ferryboat crew came down to the pier and told me to take my shoes and socks off and wade into the sea. I waded into the sea to the rowing boat, jumped in, this was rowed to the ferryboat, and the ferryboat went to meet the Lochmor. The master of the ferryboat, Brian Walters, was about 15 minutes early, so he threw a line with hooks into the sea to catch some mackerel. He caught none. Eight years later, news came through that Brian's fishing boat was seen going round in circles in the sea between Eigg and Muck. At nightfall that quiet September evening, the lifeboat went to investigate. Nobody was found on board. Brian was known to have gone out in her, on his own. An accident must have happened and he had gone over the side. He was never found.
I am worth $1,385,032 on HumanForSale.com
Now, come on, show some guts and do this test. You don't have to answer all the questions, but it's a laugh. Oh, I disagree with the way they rate certain aspects, grrrr.
Last autumn, a team from Edinburgh University spent some time on the
island setting traps to capture the mice live and take them to
Edinburgh for safekeeping. Whilst the mice were away, it wasn't the
cats that were dancing, and certainly not the rats. They were going to
be treated to a dose of poison. So, the dapper ship MV Spanish John II was
chartered to transport canisters of rat poison to Canna, one day in
October this year. As she was chugging round the Isle of Rum, a call
came on the VHF radio. An American warship, on manoeuvres in the area,
was warning a vessel on its portside to move away, as it was in its
safety zone. The skipper of the Spanish John didn't take
notice, because he was on the starboard side of the American vessel.
However, he was the only one there. The warnings were repeated six
times, with increasing urgency. The master of the Spanish John now
began to panic, and he tried shouting at the USS Klakring, to
no avail. Another message came through on the VHF, ordering the black
vessel with the white superstructure to pull away. The Spanish John hasn't
got a white superstructure, but the white drums with poison could be
misinterpreted as such. Then another four verbal warnings came to the Spanish John to pull away, or else the Klakring
would open fire. The skipper did pull away, but not sufficiently. Four
loud bangs, followed by four red glowing dots moving at speed from the Klakring would indicate that four rounds had been fired. The Spanish John
was not hit, and a Navy spokesman insisted that the American vessel was
not authorised to fire live weapons. The manoeuvres had been widely
broadcast and advertised, but may not have got through to the crew of
the Spanish John. The latter vessel continued on its innocent passage to Canna, where the rats are currently being exterminated.
Due
to adverse weather conditions the 1200m hrs ex Lochranza and 1235 ex
Claonaig have been cancelled. The service will resume at 1315 hrs ex
Lochranza weather permitting. We apologise for any inconvenience this
may have caused. Mallaig-Small Isles service will be reviewed on an hourly basis with a view to there being moderation in the weather, will update at approx. 1015h. Still no moderation with the weather will update at 1130h re. a possible sailing today. Will update at midday! Update at 1300h, still no improvement with the weather. Contact Mallaig for further info. 01687 462403 Mallaig-Armadale service
The 0810h ex Mallaig and 0850h ex Armadale have been cancelled due
to adverse weather. Will update at 0900h re the 0935h sailing. The 0935h ex Mallaig and 1015h ex Armadale are also cancelled. Update at 1030h. The 1055h/1135h departures are also cancelled, will update at midday re the 1215h sailing. The 1215h/1255h departures are also cancelled, will update at 1300h re the 1335h sailing. The 1335h/1415h departures are also cancelled, the 1455h/1535h are
also extrmely doubtful the earliest sailing if at all will maybe be at
1615h. Will update later.
Brodick - Ardrossan
Due
to adverse weather the 0820Hrs ex Brodick has been diverted to
Gourock. The 0900hrs and 1230 hrs sailings ex Ardrossan and the 1030hrs
and 1105 hrs sailings ex Brodick have been cancelled. A decision will
be made at 1300hrs regarding the 1330hrs sailing ex Ardrossan. We
apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Still wet this morning, but my cold has cleared up it would seem. The weather shows no sign of improvement for the rest of the week. A sailing yacht leaves port, which is a training vessel for teenagers - the Eastend Endeavour. The ferry is an hour late coming in, just after 2pm. This morning she was an hour late leaving for Ullapool. Went into the library to correct the list of names of people on the Iolaire. I also pop into a small exhibition by the Stornoway Historical Society (irreverently referred to as the hysterical society by some, tut). It's raining on and off, but fortunately, the sun does come out later in the evening. By sunset, 10.36 pm, it's still very clear and light. Go for a walk round to Goat Island and into town between 11.10 and 11.45. Great pictures to be had. Supper was left-over lasagna from yesterday - still very good.
Just wanted to share these piccies, which I took tonight (June 19th) at around 11.30pm.
Pictures 19 and 20 were taken around 1 a.m., 90 minutes later.
Came across this page regarding lightning safety on the National Weather Service page. Cautions apply to anyone, not just those in the USA.
Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. Safeguarding U.S. residents from dangerous lightning is the goal of this Website. The campaign is designed to lower lightning death and injury rates and America's vulnerability to one of nature's deadliest hazards.
In the United States, an average of 66 people are killed each year by lightning. In 2004, there were 32 deaths attributed to lightning, down from 44 thanks in part to increased education and safety. In 2005, there were at least 43 deaths confirmed deaths and 172 confirmed injuries. The injury number is likely far lower than it should be because many people do not seek help or doctors do not record it as a lightning injury.
People struck by lightning suffer from a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and an inability to sit for long.
Lightning—The Underrated KillerIn the United States, there are an estimated 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year. Lightning can be fascinating to watch, but it is also extremely dangerous. During the past 30 years, lightning killed an average of 67 people per year in the United States based on documented cases. This is more than the average of 65 deaths per year caused by tornadoes and the average of 16 deaths per year caused by hurricanes. However, because lightning usually claims only one or two victims at a time, and because lightning does not cause the mass destruction left in the wake of tornadoes or hurricanes, lightning generally receives much less attention than the more destructive weather-related killers. While documented lightning injuries in the United States average about 300 per year, undocumented injuries caused by lightning are likely much higher.
Lightning Safety Awareness: Education is KeyFew people really understand the dangers of lightning. Many people don't act promptly to protect their lives, property and the lives of others because they don't understand all the dangers associated with thunderstorms and lightning. The first step in solving this problem is to educate people so that they become aware of the behavior that puts them at risk of being struck by lightning, and to let them know what they can do to reduce that risk. Coaches and other adults who make decisions affecting the safety of children must understand the dangers of lightning.
Watch for Developing ThunderstormsThunderstorms are most likely to develop on warm summer days and go through various stages of growth, development and dissipation. On a sunny day, as the sun heats the air, pockets of warmer air start to rise in the atmosphere. When this air reaches a certain level in the atmosphere, cumulus clouds start to form. Continued heating can cause these clouds to grow vertically upward in the atmosphere into "towering cumulus" clouds. These towering cumulus may be one of the first indications of a developing thunderstorm.
The Lightning Discharge: Don't Be a Part of ItDuring a thunderstorm, each flash of cloud-to-ground lightning is a potential killer. The determining factor on whether a particular flash could be deadly depends on whether a person is in the path of the lightning discharge. In addition to the visible flash that travels through the air, the current associated with the lightning discharge travels along the ground. Although some victims are struck directly by the main lightning stroke, many victims are struck as the current moves in and along the ground. While virtually all people take some protective actions during the most dangerous part of thunderstorms, many leave themselves vulnerable to being struck by lightning as thunderstorms approach, depart, or are nearby.
An Approaching Thunderstorm: When to Seek Safe ShelterLightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the rain area in a thunderstorm. That's about the distance you can hear thunder. When a storm is 10 miles away, it may even be difficult to tell a storm is coming.
IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER, YOU ARE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!
The first stroke of lightning is just as deadly as the last. If the sky looks threatening, take shelter before hearing thunder.
The 30-30 RuleUse the 30-30 rule where visibility is good and there is nothing obstructing your view of the thunderstorm. When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If that time is 30 seconds or less, the thunderstorm is within 6 miles of you and is dangerous. Seek shelter immediately. The threat of lightning continues for much longer period than most people realize. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before leaving shelter. Don't be fooled by sunshine or blue sky!
If it is cloudy or objects are obscuring your vision, get inside immediately. It is always safer to take precautions than to wait.
Outdoor Activities: Minimize the Risk of Being Struck
Most lightning deaths and injuries in the United States occur during the summer months when the combination of lightning and outdoor summertime activities reaches a peak. During the summer, people take advantage of the warm weather to enjoy a multitude of outdoor recreational activities. Unfortunately, those outdoor recreational activities can put them at greater risk of being struck by lightning. People involved in activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, bicycling, golfing, jogging, walking, hiking, camping, or working out of doors all need to take the appropriate actions in a timely manner when thunderstorms approach. Where organized sports activities take place, coaches, umpires, referees, or camp counselors must protect the safety of the participants by stopping the activities sooner, so that the participants and spectators can get to a safe place before the lightning threat becomes significant. To reduce the threat of death or injury, those in charge of organized outdoor activities should develop and follow a plan to keep participants and spectators safe from lightning.
Indoor Activities: Things to AvoidInside homes, people must also avoid activities which put their lives at risk from a possible lightning strike. As with the outdoor activities, these activities should be avoided before, during, and after storms. In particular, people should stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with anything that conducts electricity. People may also want to take certain actions well before the storm to protect property within their homes, such as electronic equipment.
Helping a Lightning Strike VictimIf a person is struck by lightning, medical care may be needed immediately to save the person's life. Cardiac arrest and irregularities, burns, and nerve damage are common in cases where people are struck by lightning. However, with proper treatment, including CPR if necessary, most victims survive a lightning strike, although the long-term effects on their lives and the lives of family members can be devastating.
SummaryLightning is a dangerous threat to people in the United States, particularly those outside in the summer. With common sense, we can greatly reduce the number of lightning deaths. When thunderstorms threaten, get to a safe place, stay there longer than you think you need to, stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with anything that conducts electricity
