Thursday 23/02/06

Viewers on the webcam overnight include someone from the Faroes, at 2.30 a.m., as well as Thailand. At 10 a.m., I go to the Caladh Inn (formerly Seaforth Hotel), on James Street, for a public meeting by the local health board. I am welcomed in the Garry Room by controversial Chief Executive, Dick Manson, who pulls up a chair for me. I am issued with a wad of papers for the meeting. Items on the agenda include the impending flu pandemic and the Western Isles response to it, waiting times and delayed discharges at the local hospital, dental services (W.I. doing better than average), community health and social care partnerships (26 page document), Chief Exec's report (60 pages). The Finance Director announces proudly that the deficit for the current financial year stands at a projected £2.5m, 500k down on last month's projection. The service redesign update elicits expressions of concern about staff involvement, or more correctly, staff withdrawal from the whole process. Although two boardmembers express concern, one senior board member denies any problem at all. The annual report on public health is curtly curtailed by Board Chairman David Currie. Proceedings close at 12.30 - a private meeting will follow. I return to mrs B's after doing my shopping at Somerfields. No Free Press today. It's a cloudy and chilly day. Receive an email from Malcolm MacDonald with a full list of those involved in the Iolaire disaster of 1919. Work the list of links to pictures into the pages and put it on the Internet. Publish another video over the webcam, which attracts 7 viewers at 13.30.

Wednesday 22/02/06

Very cold start to the day, with a touch of frost (0 C), frozen puddles and rime on grass. In the afternoon, I accompany mrs B part of the way to a party that she has been invited to at her sister-in-law's. I go with her as far as Island Road and Smith Avenue, but one of her relatives picks her up at the buspark. I carry on up the road to Leverhulme Drive and Westview Terrace. Cross over Percival Road to Sand Street, to gain the Cockle Ebb, the estuary and mudflats of the Laxdale River. I turn right at the bottom and follow the soggy coastline to Steinish. It's very flat, lots of gulls about as well as cockles. Sun shines brightly, and the wind is light, easterly. Temp about 7C. Run into a spot of bother on the approach to Steinish, as deep water bars my progress. I have to wade through two tributaries, one 50 cm, the other 10 cm deep. Water is cold, but bearable. Sun is nice and warm, and at 3.55, an hour after starting out, I sit down just outside Steinish to sun myself. Walk up past a house where a little dog is yapping at me. I proceed towards the perimeter fence for the airport (all of 4 feet high). Go up a farmtrack, where the farmer is spreading muck in an adjacent field. Eugh. Wind is blowing the other way. His farm is surrounded by seas of mud. I walk down the road to North Street, Sandwick, enjoying the views out to the mainland, with snowcapped mountains. The Harris Hills are lost in the glare of the low sun. I cross into Lower Sandwick and walk past the cemetery into Newton. Great views of Skye, the Shiants and Kebock Head. Return to Newton at 5pm. Have to scout around for a lottery ticket, as the machine in Somerfields is out of commission. Mrs B returns at 6.30, and she cooks dinner for me. A spot of tellywatching closes the evening.

Tuesday 21/02/06

Fairly sunny morning with changeable cloud. Cool, as I wash the windows. I take a lot of pics through the windows, and one of yesterday's crop was fuzzy because of the salt on the glass. Today, I'm showing another online video, this time the Tolsta to Ness and Dell walk. Lasts about 4 minutes, and comes out well. Unfortunately, Camstreams cut off the last few frames. This is due to the delay in transmission, of about 30 secs. But as soon as the link goes off-line, so does the showing on the website. I tried to make a third video, but the result crashed the computer. Doesn't happen that often. Mrs B buys me my paper, and I already had food in for today. So, I only show my nose outside for the purpose of washing the windows.

Monday 20/02/06

Before breakfast, a shower wets the pavement. Two dunlin run along the top of the seawall. Afterwards, it's bright and sunny, but with a regular build-up of cumulus clouds. None reach the shower stage over the town. The Isle of Lewis ferry is back on its normal run, and comes in on time at 1.15. Today, I'm doing the video through the webcam link. At 11 a.m, I'm a few minutes late after I cannot find the file on the computer. At 3 and 7 pm, everything goes fine. One person even asks for a rerun. At 3pm, 3 people are watching. One from Glasgow, one from London and another from Leeds - all UK. Viewers internationally, not to the clip, but to the webcam generally come in from Russia, Hong Kong and Switzerland. Mrs B cleans out the front garden, and is plain to see on the webcam LOL. She pots some daffs in anticipation of spring. At 5pm, a rainshower moves across, giving a very nice rainbow and spectacular sunset colours. Temperatures a very acceptable 8C. Watch some more of the Winter Olympics, whilst enjoying a Berserker. That's 7% v/v alcohol ale, very heady indeed.

Temperament

Found this little test on-line:

***You Have a Melancholic Temperament***

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything.
You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life.
You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you.

Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace.
You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life.
Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times.

At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you.
You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others.
You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperament Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whattempermentareyouquiz/

Sunday 19/02/06

Sunny start to the day, but cloud bubbles up in the early afternoon. Nithing untoward, initially. Yesterday, the Isle of Lewis returned from its refit, so at 3pm, the Clansman sails south to its homeport of Oban. I go for a short stroll along the shoreline from the Coastguard Station to the bottom of Millar Road. It involves a lot of clambering over rocks, and takes much longer than the normal road route. The weather produces some nice cumuli, and even a brief shower over Arnish at 5pm. I do not have the camera at my personal disposal (I've been given the loan of it by mrs B son, who needs it today). Mrs B serves me a Sunday roast with a sticky toffee pudding after. I manage to convert my pics into a movie, which will be shown on the webcam in the course of tomorrow.

Saturday 18/02/06

Brilliantly sunny day, not too cold. After lunch, mrs B and myself go for a walk in the Castle Grounds. Island Blogging wants to see spring pictures, so my mission is to take spring-related images. It starts at Somerfields, where a crocus and a lily poke through the rubbish by the roadside. It's pretty busy in the town. We walk up Kenneth Street, past the Free Church and the Masonic Lodge to Bayhead. Cross the bridge and go into the Woodlands Centre for a cup of soup and a roll. We arrive at 1.45pm, but service is so slow. It takes them 15 minutes to serve 4 people. Lots of wee kids about, a dad talking to his wife on the upper level asks: "Is she being awful? Is she being dreadful?" Resume the walk at 2.20pm and go up the path through the Shoeburn Glen. See a bluetit, lots of small purple flowers and white ones as well. Come out under Lews Castle and cut through to Lews Castle College. From there, a path leads on to Strawberry Hill. This path is very mddy, and just leads past the hill, not over it. Once at the far side, the main trails from Marybank lead us neatly back to Lady Matheson's Memorial above Cuddy Point. See a bunch of snowdrops, ferns, budding horse chestnuts. Return to town along Cromwell Street, to do some shopping. Notice that visibility is excellent, allowing plain views of the mainland hills. Sun sets at 5.40. Supper provided by mrs B, lottery wins us nothing.

Friday 17/02/06

This was one of those days where I kept very quiet. It was a nice sunny day, bit on the cool side. One or two light showers pass through, otherwise quite acceptable. The Free Press has arrived in Somerfields. Also had a look in the Basin, but the tide was coming in fast at 4pm. The ground is very soft in there, but what do you expect in a tidal area. Found an article which gave an eye-witness account of the Iolaire disaster. The moon rose just before midnight, see picture.

Thursday 16/02/06

Nice if blustery morning. During breakfast, waves can be seen crashing over the Goat Island causeway, but as the tide goes down, this ceases. The tide was very high this morning. The strong southerly winds are blowing at force 6, gusting force 8, ease as the day progresses. The 7C feel cold in the wind. The sun is very warm. Go into town after lunch to buy a replacement printer cartridge, which I have exhausted personally. Go to Somerfields to buy food for a meal for mrs B and myself: carrots, potatoes, onions and minced meat balls. On the way back, I can see the snowcapped mountains on the mainland and even manage to take a picture of An Teallach. Sunset by about 5.20. The days are lengthening rapidly now. No West Highland Free Press in Somerfields, didn't come up from Skye apparently. Still a nice day, only one or two showers. Further south, there is hail, thunder and lightning. Barometer still low, 967 mbar. The centre of the depression is a few hundred miles out in the Atlantic. After dinner, we watch Seaside Rescue on BBC1, always an interesting program.

Wednesday 15/02/06

The gale has blown itself out by morning, but the barometer has gone through the floor. It remains gloomy and very wet. Pressure readings slide down from 973 to 968 mbar as the day progresses. Although sustained winds are only a moderate force 4, gusts exceed 30 knots, force 7. Several heavy showers pass through, but the cloudscape remains interesting. Have a problem trying to broadcast a short video through Camstreams. Initially it would appear the bitrate, 864 kbps, is too high, but even a 48 kbps version cannot be transmitted. The Winter Olympics provide entertainment through the evening. I make 2 more films, one featuring the Tolsta to Ness and Dell walk, the other Carloway to Bragar. I only have a limited collection of background music. Discover that a Brazilian website has hijacked my webcam stream, but an email dissuades them from further such actions.

Ships' inspections

The Coastguard carries out checks on shipping attending British ports on a regular basis. Equally regularly, ships are detained as they are deemed unfit to put to sea. Sometimes it's a relatively simple matter which can be put right fairly quickly. The below account of the Gloria is an extreme case. Further examples can be found on this MCGA website.

Date & Place of detention: 08/08/2003 – Tyne
Vessel Name: GLORIA (General Cargo) 657 GT
IMO No: 6523107
Flag: Estonia
Company: Timant Ltd, Tallinn, Estonia
Classification Society: None
Summary:
Still under detention at the end of October. 57 deficiencies recorded prior to inspection being suspended. Vessel unsafe due to condition of ship’s hull structure, deck transverse beams holed with corrosion, numerous side frames distorted due to operational damage, vessel failed to meet the stability requirements for a vessel loading bulk grain, evidence of insect infestation in cargo hold.  The vessel has been sold and is being prepared for a single voyage to the Mediterranean, where it is understood the vessel is due to be scrapped.r
r
r

Above: GLORIA under detention at Tyne Dock

Above: under deck frame corrosion

Valentine's Day 2006

So it's Valentine's Day again. Well, I'm sufficiently pleased to see the WeatherPixie having received a Valentine. Incidentally, she tells me that at 9.50 am today it was:

7C / 45F in Stornoway
Relative humidity 93.3%.
Wind southerly 15 kts (force 4 on the Beaufort scale).
Barometer reading 996 mbar.
Weather: Showery rain

Monday 13/02/06

Another dreich start to the day, but the rain stops at 11 a.m.. Isles FM reports more foul play in the NHS Health Board saga, where a letter from councillors to Health Minister Andy Kerr is leaked back to the council, with the question: "Who did this?" Nobody is prepared to own up. On the buspark at Smith Avenue, a pedestrian was run down by a cardriver. A man has fallen into the Inner Harbour yesterday morning, but was fished out by local fishermen. A youth was apprehended in possession of controlled substances. Four French fishingboats from Lorient come into port at 10.30 for a crew change. At midday, a taxi arrives to take mrs B and myself to An Lanntair for the official opening by Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell. As we arrive, a lot of well-dressed folk go in as well. I recognise a few local councillors. Mrs B introduced me to some of her friends and relations. One of them was familiar with my work on HMS Timbertown. Another had a brother working near Nijmegen, Holland. There is also the development officer for CnES. Proceedings are due to start at 12.30, but as we sit down the film about the scenic side of the islands continues to roll, until 12.40. There are 4 speakers on the podium: Angus McCormack, who conducts proceedings; Alex MacDonald (council convener, speaking in Gaelic); Jim Tough (arts director for Scottish Arts Council) and Jack McConnell. The gist of all the speeches is that this is a good day for Lewis, a good day for Gaelic and for culture. The Gaelic Act came into force today as well, which cements Gaelic's status as a main language in Scotland. There is currently a debate about Gaelic medium education (basically: teaching kids using Gaelic). Mr McConnell also announces that islanders may see 40% off their airfares to the mainland as of this summer. You pay more for travelling to Stornoway from Glasgow than you do for going to New York. The First Minister does not touch on the vexed question of the Health Board. I take some pictures, as does the assembled press corps. After the speeches, we see a speeded-up film made of time-lapse images of the construction of the new arts centre. Most remarkable was seeing the tide rising and falling in a matter of seconds. Anna Murray and Christine Primrose, of Lewis Women, close proceedings with some Gaelic songs. We are now invited to the buffet. After a considerable delay, we finally reach the salads by 2.15. Jack McConnell has left by now. Once lunch was consumed, we had a look round an exhibition of furniture and clever woodcarvings by the late Tim Stead. One of his pieces was a chair, specially made for the Pope's visit to Scotland in 1982. At 3.30, we returned to Newton via the butcher's for eggs. Last week, one of the boxes of eggs sported an expiry date of 30 February 2006. Like you do. These are freerange eggs from Shawbost, West Side. They go like hotcakes. Supper consists of a cheese sandwich, with a jelly after. Try my hand at animating a picture, but find I've got a lot to learn. Mrs B's son calls in with one of his boys and his mates in tow. The BBC News mentions two serious medical errors. One involved a GP injecting a baby of 7 weeks with the MMR vaccine - this jab is normally given at 12 months. The other, worse, occurred in a Glasgow hospital. A lady was given medication, prescribed for the previous occupant of the bed. She died. How COULD that happen.
Tomorrow's weather will be ditto today.

Sunday 12/02/06

A very dreich and wet day, not a lot of wind, force 4. Breakfast nice and late, 11.30. After catching up with the Internet, we sit down to watch the Winter Olympics. Pretty impressive events, such as snowboarding, skiing and ice skating. Am pleased to see the Dutch longtrack skaters doing well. The rain moves away after 1pm, leaving a misty but bright afternoon. It's not cold, 10C. Sunset at 5.10, see pic above. Mrs B prepares a Sunday roast for her and myself, with a jelly afterwards.

Saturday 11/02/06 afternoon

Later on, an occasional light shower drifts by, but nothing too serious. The wind decreases slowly. Northern England reports snow. The ferry is its usual 20 minutes late coming in and leaving. Still the Clansman. Notice the webcam being viewed from Montevideo, Uruguay; Tenerife, Canary Islands and Northern Norway. The Uruguayan viewer is placed in the Avenue General Flores, which leads NNE from the Aguanda in Montevideo. The Tenerife viewer is on the northern side of the island, between Puerto dela Cruz and Los Realijos. Ostensibly in the middle of a vineyard! The Norwegian visitor has been before, and is resident in the town of Budejju, 775 km north of Oslo. Go to Somerfields for papers and a copy of the Scots Magazine. This contains a letter from Donald MacLeod of Aberdeen, about the Iolaire Disaster. I cook spaghetti bolognese for Mrs B. Later on, I point the webcam inside. Position it on a small lamp, high up on a wall and direct it at the fire and the keyboard. Only 3 people actually see it. I reposition the camera to its normal position by 11.15.

Saturday 11/02/06 morning

The rain subsides by daybreak, but the wind only slowly drops. The Met Office reports windspeeds of 27 knots sustained at 9 am, which goes down to 22 kts at 1pm. Gusts are up to 37 knots, which is galeforce. It's very busy with ships going in and out. In spite of the weather, Muirneag shows up at 9.30. The lifeboat dashes out at 10.10, preceded by a tugboat. The lifeboat encounters heavy seas at the Arnish Point bar, and is covered by waves. Next, a French fishing boat, the Jack Abri II from Lorient calls in for a crew change. She arrives at 10.30 and leaves at 12.15. The new crew will  have been flown in on a chartered flight, and the relieved one will return to France on the same plane. This saves the boat the 1500 mile return trip to Lorient. A fast crew change, within 24 hours, also brings a 25% reduction in harbour dues. Stornoway Port Authority encourages shipping companies to use this facility, in view of the proximity of the airport (4 miles away). The gastanker Sigas Champion leaves at 11.15, again aided by a pilot. Took the mickey out of the Small Isles folk, not half helped by Westword. Muck recommends crushing plastic by running the tractor over it, Canna didn't have a boat for a week, so the residents were staving off urges of cannibalism and Eigg spent its days watching whales in the bay.

More later

Animated picture

Whilst browsing some of the many journals in AOL J-land, I came across the animated designs by MyDsDesigns. She very kindly turned one of my pictures into an animated one, which shows below:

Friday 10/02/06

Fairly bright morning, but cloud increases gradually as the day wears on. It's breezy with a force 4-5 southerly wind. Outside temperatures very subdued, 5C. A large depression sits out in the Atlantic to propel milder air this direction. Enjoy the sun, until it goes in after 2pm. The people from North Uist go to Isles FM and were greeted with open arms, once they declared an interest in setting up a service from there. The Comhairle had been pressing for Isles FM to get a move-on. A good day for the station in other words. Complete mrs B's webpage by inserting a nice picture or two. At 4pm, the gastanker Sigas Champion slowly moves into port, assisted by a pilot. This vessel has a capacity of 1970 cubic metres, and can refrigerate to temperatures of below -48C. Not seen it before. The list of nations from where people view my webcam lengthens to Russia, South Africa and Latvia. I'm amazed at the level of interest from Brazil and Argentina. After nightfall, the wind increases and rumbles in the chimney by 6pm. Mrs B prepares my dinner, chicken tikka massala with rice. Later on, the Winter Olympics kick off in Turin (Italy), with a spectacular ceremony. Rain commences by about 10pm.

Thursday 09/02/06

Cloudy start to the day, but gaps in the clouds allow rays of sunlight through. Yesterday, Muirneag was late coming in at 9.30 - today it's even worse, as it comes in at 10.40. It's Thursday, so it's papers day. Received an email earlier this week saying that my work on HMS Timbertown had been published in the magazine Seanchais, from the North Tolsta Historical Society. Nice list of names, with nicknames, and an acknowledgement of my work. Another chilly morning, with temperatures of about 3C. Mrs B has two guests in from North Uist. I take a few more birdie pictures, of a robin. The local papers do not make very cheerful reading. The new arts gallery An Lanntair has had to be bailed out by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar over a deficit of £750,000, accrued over its first 4 months of operation. The formal opening of the gallery will take place next Monday, in the presence of Jack McConnell, the Scottish First Minister. In the evening I meet the two guests, who are building a new house between Balranald and Clachan. He was involved with BBC Alba, and she with the Landward programme (the Scottish counterpart of Countryfile on BBC1). Until recently, they lived in Spain, but have now returned to the land of their roots. The sunset this evening was something spectacular. The low temperatures today, 4C, are not noticeable as there is no wind.

Wednesday 08/02/06

A cold but bright start, temperature 4C. Showers are about, moving along on a northerly breeze. Nonetheless, it's a nice sunny morning. Good program on Radio Scotland between 11 and 12, about the effects of passive smoking. In a bar where only two cigar smokers were present, the nicotine levels in the saliva of the barmaid rose from 1 to 2.7 nanograms per ml [1 ng = 1 billionth of a gram]. At 12.00 a shower moves down, with a faint rainbow. Manage to snap starlings on the birdfeeders. The feed from the webcam is interrupted at 1pm because of a fault on the Camstreams network. There are 0 watchers on the whole of camstreams. Until that, about 80 viewers from around the globe have been to watch Stornoway's weather. Countries include Chile, Slovenia, Brazil (as ever), Alaska. Go to Somerfields and encounter an acquaintance along Newton Street (the man who came firstfooting on New Year's Night), who is very, very drunk. It's only 3.30pm. He made a beeline for a half-full bottle of whisky which had been left on the seawall. He managed to utter the grand total of three whole sentences in the five minutes it took me to walk to Somerfields. Get a Chinese ready-made meal from the supermarket, to celebrate 1 year with Mrs B. It's been a rollercoaster year. The meal goes down well, and she supplies the wine.

Visitor 3000

I'm flattered to notice that visitor number 3,000 has come past my pages. Many thanks.

Tuesday 07/02/06

It's a wet start to the day, but the rain ceases at noon. After that, it's a few showers. Temperature is starting to drop noticeably. Manage to snap some pictures of birds in the garden, and cloud formations over the Basin. Emails regarding the Iolaire project tell me I'm duplicating work by others. One overseas visitor leaves a comment on the page, to correct an inconsistency. An Italian lady left feedback on the main Hebridean Isles page, and says she might come back to Lewis following earlier visits in 1991 and 1995. I take more pictures at dusk.

Monday 06/02/06

Well, that's unusual for Stornoway: IT RAINS. For the first time in two weeks, it's very windy and wet. Temperature still high, 10C. Mrs B's brother-in-law comes for coffee and a yarn or two. I spend the morning churning out emails to those who previously helped me with project Timbertown, hoping they are prepared to review my Iolaire list. The Clansman is late coming in, at 1.35. I go into town to doublecheck my own list in the library, which doesn't take very long at all. Mrs B cooks supper for us, goulash with rice, which is nice.

If anything else happens, I'll report it in a separate entry

Sunday 05/02/06

Although the day started bright enough, the sun disappeared after midday and the wind began to pick up. The lifeboat from the ferry can be seen in the harbour, unusually for a Sunday. Watched a group of goldeneye ducks in the basin. Herons fish there too at low tide, as do cormorants. In the back garden, the two birdfeeders are not attracting as much attention. Late in the afternoon, mrs B's son and his kids come for supper. Nice sunday roast, convo restricted to the adults. I continue to work on the Iolaire list, putting in hyperlinks to all the pictures. Finally, iolaire.htm sits on the web (http://modmusic.bravehost.com/iolaire.htm). Tomorrow, I am going to publicise it further. In the Red Sea, a ferry has sunk with the loss of about 1,000 lives. Other unpleasantness erupts in the Middle East when Danish embassies are torched. Someone published a cartoon in a Danish paper, which was offensive to Muslims, who do not permit the depiction of the Prophet. It is idolatry. It was stupid on the Danish part, and lack of control on the part of the Middle Eastern authorities.

Saturday 04/02/06

Another grey day with the odd bright interval. After last night's party, we take it VERY easy. Breakfast and lunch get merged into a brunch. A policeman comes round to ask if we heard anything last night. Apparently, the rear window of a neighbour's car got smashed in overnight. We heard nothing, but mrs B voices her concern over the rowdiness in the town these days. I go into town to collect papers and get some food. The lottery yields nothing.

Iolaire disaster

I have devoted one or two entries on this blog to the Iolaire Disaster, in January 1919. I have now written a webpage, with a link to a list of names and pictures. There are about 256 names; 204 of those perished in the seas. Some were never recovered from the water; others washed up in the immediate area, around Holm, Sandwick, Stornoway, Arnish and Lochs. This episode in the island's history is little known, yet it's one of the worst peace time maritime disasters of the 20th century.

Lest we forget the Men of the Iolaire

Friday 03/02/06

It's a fairly quiet day once again, with variable amounts of cloud, see picture above. Temperatures have risen nice and high, to about 9C / 48F. It would appear the Clansman ferry is with us for a while. Continue to work on the Iolaire project. I have found the names of 204 casualties and 52 survivors. Some of the bodies were found as far away as Lochs, 12 miles to the south; others have never been located. It is very sad to see the faces of all those young men, who virtually all perished in that disaster on New Year's Day 1919. I have 65 images. Even after 87 years, it still carries a punch.

At 7pm, I accompany mrs B to a Burns Supper in the County Hotel, hosted by local MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) Alistair Morrison (Labour). Mrs B goes with trepidation, as the last dinner in the County had been a disaster. We are the first to arrive at 19.10. I get us a drink, and await developments. Alistair Morrison and his guest Margaret Curran (the Labour Chief Whip in the Scots Parliament) arrive by about 7.50. Next we're served cockaleekie soup (something with chicken en leek). After a considerable wait, the haggis is piped in. One man addresses the haggis using a Robert Burns poem. A haggis consists of a sheep stomach, stuffed with mashed up internal organs, such as heart, lungs and liver. Laced with onions, salt and pepper and cooked for 3 hours. It's served with tatties and neeps (potatoes and mashed turnips). I wash it down with plenty of wine, to be oblivious to the contents of the haggis. It's basically offal. A raspberry sweet concludes proceedings. Margaret Curran delivers a very good speech, ridiculing George Galloway. He is an MP for a London constituency, who is in parliament on a ticket of opposition to the war in Iraq. He went into the Big Brother House, for the sake of publicity, but was reduced to an object of ridicule. One of the events that brought that on was a scene where he was imitating a cat, lapping imaginary milk from the hands of a female contestant. Miaow. It's a pity, because Galloway is a fantastic orator, who even managed to outwit US Congress. Mrs Curran tonguelashes a local party worker and cracks some rather good jokes. After supper, the dining room gets transformed into a dance hall of sorts. I meet various people, such as the councillor for Payble (North Uist), who is trying to get a Sunday ferry from Berneray to Harris. Others include local MSP Alistair Morrison and former MP Calum MacDonald. After a strip-the-willow and a number of yarns, I accompany mrs B home at 12.30 a.m.. Outside the Sea Angling Club, a man shouts obscenities against Roman Catholics - not very nice. Apparently, Rangers FC have lost their latest match
0-3, so someone isn't happy.

Thursday 02/02/06

Cloudy day today, but with fair breaks in cloud. Discover that a link to "Stornoway Webcam" on the Shipsofcalmac website directs people to my wee cam. One blogger on Blogspot feels that the view through a rain-spattered window is strangely evocative. Others find it addictive viewing. The Shipsofcalmac site says that the Isle of Lewis and Muirneag can be seen leaving and entering port. The Isle of Lewis has left for its annual refit, months overdue. The Clansman is covering for the time being. After a bowl of soup at lunchtime, I go to the library to scan a few pages from the Roll of Honour in connection with the Iolaire Disaster, New Year's Day 1919. Mrs B's grand daughter is unfamiliar with this story, so I give her a brief outline. She's only 10, so I don't go into too much detail. Her dad calls round a few times. His wife is heading off on the ferry at lunchtime to go to London for a few days. The tide is very low at 4pm. I haven't been off the island for 15 months. Supper is my Savoy Cabbage Special. The Health Board saga continues to smoulder, with extensive reports and acerbic comments in the local press. The Chief Executive was apparently removed from a similar position in the State Mental Hospital at Carstairs (Lanarkshire), after similar problems.

Wednesday 01/02/06 afternoon & evening

Continuing with the problems in the local Health Board, there are now appeals for direct action from the Scottish Executive. In the evening, mrs B and I take one of her relatives out for supper in the Crown Hotel. We start with soup. I carry on with lasagna and chips and vegs. Liberally sprinkled with wine. Sweet is sticky toffee pudding. We're driven back home by 10.20 pm.

Viewers on the webcam

I get some unusual visitors on my webcam. On Webstats4u.com, you get a breakdown of the countries where visitors to your website come from. I was astonished at this morning's list, which included people from:

AOL
UK
China
Argentina
Portugal
Turkey
Norway
Saudi Arabia
Palestinian Occupied Territory

February 1st, 2006
America Online
10:29 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
11:01 Blueyonder, United Kingdom
12:35 CNC-Group, China
13:27 America Online
14:52 fibertel TCI, Argentina
15:10 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
15:31 Kingston Communications, United Kingdom
15:32 Kingston Communications, United Kingdom
15:33 Kingston Communications, United Kingdom
15:39 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
16:22 Blueyonder, United Kingdom
18:09 Telepac II, Portugal
19:57 NTL Internet, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
20:06 Energis Communications Ltd., United Kingdom
21:36 NTL Internet, United Kingdom
22:58 Eclipse Networking Ltd., United Kingdom
23:17 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
February 2nd, 2006
00:31 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
00:45 United States (hacc.edu)
07:56 Brightview Ltd., United Kingdom
08:00 Brightview Ltd., United Kingdom
08:15 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
09:07 Kingston Communications, United Kingdom
09:08 Energis Communications Ltd., United Kingdom
09:09 America Online, Germany
09:11 Blueyonder, United Kingdom
09:34 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
09:46 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
10:15 Eclipse Networking Ltd., United Kingdom
10:21 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
11:02 Türk Telekom, Turkey
11:02 Virgin Net Ltd., Manchester, United Kingdom
11:03 CyberCity A/S, Norway
11:39 NTL Internet, Luton, United Kingdom
11:41 Verizon Online, Erie, United States
11:44 EarthLink, United States
11:45 America Online, United States
11:51 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
11:55 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
12:02 America Online, United States
12:03 America Online
12:03 Blueyonder, United Kingdom
12:12 Sonera Plaza, Finland
12:35 NTL Internet, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
12:39 Skynet Belgacom, Belgium
12:49 British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
12:59 Eclipse Networking Ltd., United Kingdom
13:01 Palestine Telecommunications, Palestinian Territory, Occupied

Wednesday 01/02/06 morning

Into the second month of the year already. Doesn't time fly...

No sun this morning, it's a blanket of grey and misty cloud. After yesterday's record 128 viewers on the webcam, we now only have a few. Helped mrs B set up a website last night for her B&B. The art centre man, who has helped to dismantle the Sharmanka exhibition, is leaving for Glasgow. The chap that works for the security firm is back with us again. Sunrise today 8.32, sunset 16.45. NHS Western Isles is reported to have a £ 3 million shortfall (American readers: $ 5 m). The Health Board was planning to announce this in a meeting in Tarbert tomorrow, but local councillors spilled the beans early. A high-ranking official within the Health Board was sacked on the spot last Saturday for blowing the whistle on mismanagement within the organisation. His pay was stopped with immediate effect. He had worked within the NHS for 32 years. People are now really scared to speak out.

Tuesday 31/01/06

Awoke in the middle of the night, to see the bright stars of Orion and Canis Major peeping in from the southwest. The morning dawns bright, but the weather is on the change. Occasional tufts of cloud waft across. On the mainland, there was a severe frost. Aviemore reported -12C, Tulloch Bridge -10C. Once the sun is up, at 8.30 a.m., temperatures there rise rapidly. A climber was reported missing on Aonach Mor and the Steall Gorge near Glen Nevis since Saturday. Go into the library in the afternoon to dig out the names of all of those involved in the Iolaire disaster. Spend more than 2 hours trawling through the Roll of Honour, only to find the information neatly compiled at the back of the book. The new moon peeps from behind the clouds just after 5. The tanker comes in at 6pm. It's still cold outside, but 7C is not too bad. A collision is reported between two ships in the English Channel. One vessel, laden with 10,000 tons of phosphoric acid, is holed and later sinks. The 22 crew on board were rescued by the Coastguard. An exclusion zone is established, as the extremely acid water could literally dissolve a metal ship's hull. The local council is deferring debate on the Sunday sailings in the Sound of Harris ferry.

Monday 30/01/06

Gorgeous day, sunny, cloudless and not too cold. Reports suggest it was about 7C / 45F at midday, and although there was a force 4 southwesterly wind, it was quite acceptable. Went out for a walk to Sandwick at 2 o'clock, round by the Coastguard Station, the Powerstation, down Miller Road and along Sandwick Bay. I had intended to cut through the graveyard to Sandwick Road, but a burial was taking place. As I was going down Miller Road, I could hear a piper playing "Amazing Grace". A group of darkly clad people were standing by a grave, with a heap of sand beside it. I carried on past the cemetery to Lower Sandwick. Walked up the road to the A866 main road and made my way back to town. Along there stands a pile of a mansion which looks horrendously out of place. After dropping the camera off at mrs B's, who is out shopping, I went on to Somerfields for some shopping of my own.

Note: The pictures were intended to replace some for walk 3182 with Walking World, but the heavy shadows put paid to that idea.

Supper tonight: runner beans, spuds, onion rings, fried balls of minced meat.

Sunday 29/01/06 - postscript

Well, the pastabake was a success. Using aubergines instead of courgettes is not something I'd really repeat. What was not a success was the wine. It just wouldn't stay in the glass. I sent one glassful flying all over my portion of pastabake, over my jumper and into my lap. Absolutely incredible how much wine comes out of one glass. One change of clothing!

Sunday 29/01/06

The weather is the same it's been most of the week. France had a large helping of snow yesterday, southern England also had a swipe of that. There is a man staying for a few days, who is helping to take down an exhibition at An Lanntair called Sharmanka. It is something to do with clocks. The previous exhibitor hung pieces of wallpaper from the ceiling and called it art. Our guest went round the west side, to the usual places like Callanish, Carloway and Gearrannan. Today he sets off to Harris. There is a cold southwesterly wind blowing. Lunch consists of peppered mackerel with rolls and lettuce. Discover a website which shows 15 cams from inside one couple's home in Daytona Beach, FL, USA. It shows all rooms from their sumptuous premises, and every aspect of life (including the salacious) is shown. I sit in the sun to write down info about the nearly 700 pictures I have amassed in Lewis and Harris. The sun sets at 4.40 (pic above), after which mrs B's third son comes in with his boys. Mrs B cooks me supper, alternative pastabake.

If anything else happens tonight, I'll mention it in a separate entry.

Saturday 28/01/06

Slightly brighter today, with breaks in the clouds. This gives nice images on the webcam. Friday saw 109 people watching proceedings; today it's a lot less. A naval vessel is out on patrol in the Minch. The ferry comes in by 1.05. Tide is well out at that point. Go out to Somerfields at 3.30, with a new microwaveable dish of vegetable chilli concarne. Nothing much else happens today, apart from an extensive chat with mrs B.

Friday 27/01/06

This morning dawned overcast and chilly. The blanket of cloud seems to have coalesced , and the clearance over the Minch disappears by midday. It's not very warm today, but still no or little wind. Go into town at 2pm to buy a watchstrap in the jewellers. The Glasgow Herald newspaper has sold out at Nicolson's, but is still for sale at the Baltic Bookshop. Nearly had an accident at the corner of Kenneth Street and South Beach Street, after somebody didn't indicate they were going to turn left. Have a wee natter with mrs B's nephew who comes to call. Otherwise a quiet afternoon and evening. Watched a series of programs about Holocaust Memorial Day on the History Channel. Very harrowing images and accounts from the time of the liberation of the camps, early in 1945.

27 January - Holocaust Memorial Day

On 27 January 1945, the concentration camp at Auschwitz was liberated by Russian forces. In its time, more than 1 million people were murdered there on an industrial scale, and with mathematical precision. Why? Because they did not conform to one man's delusional ideas of what a human being should be. Other concentration camps existed in occupied Europe, in which similar atrocities were committed.

Some people deny that this ever happened. To do so is a criminal offence.

We should remember - to prevent it ever happening again.

Thursday 26/01/06

Yesterday, three workmen came to stay for the night, to leave on the early morning ferry. They had come over to install a large kitchen in Barvas. Sunrise shows a blanket of cloud moving across the sky, leaving Skye and Applecross in the clear. Forgot to mention that I met the lady who lives at Arnish Lighthouse yesterday. Isles FM had no local news - nothing ever happens here. The roadworks are finishing today. Only a sliver of bright sky is visible from under the clouds. The regional papers have more news than Isles FM. I notice that 15 plots of land are for sale in the island. One of them has been on the market for nearly a year. It is for a plot of land above Loch Seaforth (see 2nd pic for general view), 3 miles southeast of Balallan. No neighbours, no services (mains whatever) and no other visible structures. YET. They are proposing to build a 133 turbine windfarm on the hills to the south, each turbine measuring 450 feet / 135 m in height. That prospect put me off putting in a bid. Microwave dinner consists of sweet and sour. Eorpa, BBC 2 Scotland, features the continuing saga of the Renal Dialysis unit in the local hospital. I've summarized the current state of affairs in my Arnish Lighthouse blog, available from Friday 27th midday (GMT).

Wednesday 25/01/06

A brilliant sunrise, and not a cloud in the sky all day. It's quite chilly though, with the thermometer barely above 5C / 40F all day. It's windless and sunny. Mrs B shows me some of Robert Burns' poetry, whose works we celebrate today. Radio Scotland has organised a poll for the most popular poem in the country, and Robbie Burns' works come top. Tam o' Shanter is number 1, An' a' that is second, with Hallaig by Sorley MacLean a shared third. Go out for a walk with mrs B at 2pm through town to Bayhead Bridge. Here we meet up with her nephew. A slow amble ensues to Lews Castle. Next port of call, the butchers shop outside the Coop on MacAulay Road. Mrs B wants some smoked salmon for her Burns Supper tonight. Unfortunately, the butcher has not checked the expiry date on his stock - some of it went out of date yesterday. The supper consists of: smoked salmon; steak in creamy whisky sauce, vegetables, chips; trifle. Nice Australian wine, a g&t (or two) as aperetif and a Grouse afterwards.

Burns Night 2006

25th January 2006, is Burns' Night. It's the birthday of the famous Scots poet and writer Robert Burns. He wrote a wide variety of poetry and prose, as well as songs. To join in celebration, I'm copying two of his poems here.

Is there for honest poverty

Is there for honest povery
That hings his head, an' a' that?
The coward slave, we pass him by -
We dare be poor for a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Our toils obscure, an' a' that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The man's the gowd for a' that.

What though on hamely fare we dine
Wear hoddin' grey, an' a' that?
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine-
A man's a man for a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
Their tinsel show, an' a' that,
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,
Is king o' men for a' that.

Ye see yon birkie ca'd 'a lord'
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that?
Tho' hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a cuif for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that,
His ribband, star, an' a' that,
The man o'independent mind,
He looks an' laughs at a' that

A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an' a' that!
But an honest man's aboon his might -
Guid faith, he mauna fa' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Their dignities, an' a' that,
The pith o' sense an' pride o' worth
Are higher rank than a' that

Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree an' a' that
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's comin yet for a' that
That man to man the world o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that

And I cannot resist putting this poem in as well

On hearing a thrush sing in a morning walk in January

Sing on, sweet thrush, upon the leafless bough,
Sing on, sweet bird, I listen to thy strain:
See aged Winter, 'mid his surly reign,
At thy blythe carol clears his furrowed brow.
So in lone Poverty's dominion drear
Sits meek Content with light, unanxious heart,
Welcomes the rapid moments, bids them part,
Nor asks if they bring ought to hope or fear.
I thank Thee, Author of this opening day,
Thou whose bright sun nowgilds yon orient skies!
Riches denied, Thy boon was purer joys:
What wealth could never give nor take away!
Yet come, thou child of Poverty and Care,
The mite high Heav'n bestowed, that mite with thee I'll share.

In addition, I'm including one poem by another famous Scottish poet, Sorley MacLean from Raasay, He died in 1996, aged 85. His most famous poem, Hallaig, is dedicated to the village where he was born on the southeastern side of Raasay (near Skye). Hallaig was cleared in Sorley's lifetime. The poem originally was in Gaelic; the below translation is by Seamus Heaney.

Time, the deer, is in Hallaig Wood

There's a board nailed across the window
I looked through to see the west
And my love is a birch forever
By Hallaig Stream, at her tryst

Between Inver and Milk Hollow,
somewhere around Baile-chuirn,
A flickering birch, a hazel,
A trim, straight sapling rowan.

In Screapadal, where my people
Hail from, the seed and breed
Of Hector Mor and Norman
By the banks of the stream are a wood.

To-night the pine-cocks crowing
On Cnoc an Ra, there above,
And the trees standing tall in moonlight -
They are not the wood I love.

I will wait for the birches to move,
The wood to come up past the cairn
Until it has veiled the mountain
Down from Beinn na Lice in shade.

If it doesn't, I'll go to Hallaig,
To the sabbath of the dead,
Down to where each departed
Generation has gathered.

Hallaig is where they survive,
All the MacLeans and MacLeads
Who were there in the time of Mac Gille Chaluim:
The dead have been seen alive,

The men at their length on the grass
At the gable of every house,
The girls a wood of birch trees
Standing tall, with their heads bowed.

Between The Leac and Fearns
The road is plush with moss
And the girls in a noiseless procession
Going to Clachan as always

And coming boack from Clachan
And Suisnish, their land of the living,
Still lightsome and unheartbroken,
Their stories only beginning.

From Fearns Burn to the raised beach
Showing clear in the shrouded hills
There are only girls congregating,
Endlessly walking along

Back through the gloaming to Hallaig
Through the vivid speechless air,
Pouring down the steep slopes,
Their laughter misting my ear

And their beauty a glaze on my heart.
Then as the kyles go dim
And the sun sets behind Dun Cana
Love's loaded gun will take aim.

It will bring down the lightheaded deer
As he sniffs the grass round the wallsteads
And his eye will freeze: while I live,
His blood won't be traced in the woods.

Tuesday 24/01/06 continued

In the first entry for today, I did not mention the route I took for the walk. Up Island Road, for the derelict Harris Tweed mill. Turn left into Sandwick Road, where the Council offices and the clocktower are located. Up Matheson Road, where the well-to-do houses stand, complete with cast-iron railings - I mentioned these in an entry early in October 2005. Across to Cromwell Street via Church Street, to picture the pink and the blue buildings. In the evening, I have a look through the Coastguard website, which has finally been updated. The MCGA were involved with quite a few rescues surrounding a trans-Atlantic rowing contest, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, over nearly 3,000 miles / 4,700 km. About 3 crews have had to be rescued following capsizings, damage &c. The British MCGA passed the maydays on to other ships and agencies in the area. Another rescue took place on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Viewers on webcam

As you may be aware, I have a webcam installed here in Stornoway, and it seems to be very popular. It started running on December 14th; since January 16th, I have been keeping a tab on visitors. The webcam site itself (http://adb41.camstreams.com) gets visited by people from all over the world, have a look at the below list (courtesy http://www.webstats4u.com):

United Kingdom 209

United States 52

Germany 20

Canada 13

France 6

Italy 6

Brazil 5

China 4

Sweden 3

Netherlands, The 3

Portugal 2

Belgium 2

Saudi Arabia 2

Australia 2

Austria 2

Israel, United Arab Emirates, Estonia, Poland, Spain, Egypt, Lithuania, New Zealand, Venezuela: all 1

Unknown (AOL) 20

This page contains a link to my AOL Hometown page http://hometown.aol.co.uk/pharmolo/webcam.html, which has slightly differing stats:

United Kingdom 457

Netherlands, The 72

United States 61

Denmark 24

Germany 12

Belgium 12

Canada 9

France 5

Australia 4

Saudi Arabia 3

Norway 3

Turkey, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy: all 2

Sweden, Portugal, Taiwan, Serbia and Montenegro, United Arab Emirates, Romania, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria: all 1

Unknown (AOL) 89

People reach this site mainly through my Island Blog on the BBC (Arnish Lighthouse).

They reach the Camstreams site by general search terms for stornoway, webcam, hebrides &c. Others are attracted to Newton Cam because the description includes a reference to red lights. A buoy in the channel leading out of Stornoway harbour blinks continually with a red light at night. You'll be aware what people are looking for when they enter 'red light' in Google.

Tuesday 24/01/06

The day starts nice and bright, and it only gets better as the day wears on. Mrs B goes shopping at 11. Her grandson is with us today, like yesterday, because he's not well. It would appear that a bug is going round. The granddaughter was unwell at school yesterday, headache and being sick. Mrs B's brother-in-law calls in to return the plate which held Saturday's goodies. Her nephew also pays a visit after lunch. At 2pm, I sally forth for a walk around town. I want to take a handful of pictures, two of which are required on Island Blogging. The item gets published, but I spot a mistake in the idiom.

Any further notes about today will be published in a separate entry

Monday 23/01/06

Better day than yesterday, at least it's dry. Mrs B has a builder in to give her a quote for some major repairs to the house. At times of heavy rain and wind, the water just pours in at the windows. The Comhairle has a grant available towards some of the cost of the repairs. As with any form, this one is tricky. The grant is means-tested, which means that the less you earn, the bigger the grant becomes. It would appear that the council has a different way of interpreting means than the accountant. Ferry comes in on time, the Anglian Prince coastguard tug follows at 1.20. At Somerfields, I meet up with Sally from Balallan, whom I have not seen for a while. She is (still) very bitter about the bullying which forced her teenage daughter to continue her education in England. The attitude of some local people towards incomers elicits a response that is at best vitriolic. The weather is wet and windy at night.

Sunday 22/01/06

Dreich, wet and grey today. Breakfast at 10, then spend the day updating the diary and writing up yarns as quoted by mrs B's brother-in-law. I cannot publish them. Very quiet, hardly any traffic on the road, apart from pre-church traffic. A man drove past in his car, with a trilby on his head. Read the papers, watch some telly and watch the rain. Lasagna for supper. Television had a good program about Elizabeth I, and about the good work being done by the crew of HMS Chatham at Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami. Late to bed, as per normal.

Saturday 21/01/06

Very nice start to the day, bright but not sunny. There are chinks in the cloud. The efforts to rescue the whale in London continue. At low tide, it is hoisted onto a barge, and taken down to the Thames Estuary. Thousands throng the riverbank and bridges to watch. One bridge even had to be closed to traffic. Unfortunately, just before the animal was due to be released into the North Sea at Margate, it suffered a seizure and died. The whole operation costed 50 to 100 thousand pounds. On the worldwide weather front, there are some interesting things going on. Australia reports a cyclone (Daryl), along the coast between Exmouth and Roeburne in Western Australia. Russia has a cold snap, with temperatures at -34C in Moscow, and a whopping -68C at Verchoyansk, in Siberia. Calcutta in India is nippy, and its 7C is actually lower than Stornoway's maximum of 9C. East Africa shivers in temperatures as low as 16C. The Russian deepfreeze looked set to march west, but is unlikely to reach the UK now. Go to Somerfields at 4pm for some shopping. Lottery tickets prove useless. At 6 pm, I'm sent to mrs B's brother-in-law up the road with some baking. He offers me a dram and a good yarn or two. Return to Mrs B an hour later, much the worse for wear, and enjoy a good supper.

Friday 20/01/06

Morning dawns fairly bright with big showers, and a lower temperature. It's nicer than in Skye, which is plagued by heavy snow showers. The workmen finish the works outside, only need to fill in the ditch beside the kerb. I spend the morning checking grid references for some of the pictures I've taken. Mrs B's nephew comes to call, and he is very gloomy. His 13-year old dog has had to be put to sleep after a long illness. Although the animal was very old, it's nonetheless upsetting to be losing your pet. Go to the supermarket for a few bits, and encounter the phenomenon of the lady behind the wheel who really shouldn't be there. The light fades by 4.45, we're rapidly gaining daylight hours. Reports come in of a whale swimming in the river Thames in London. Somebody spotted it as he sat on a train, crossing over one of the bridges. It is a Northern Bottlenosed Whale, which normally feeds on squid in the deep Atlantic.

Thursday 19/01/06

Very dark and dreich this morning, with heavy rain but not much wind. Workmen are digging up the road outside. There is talk that the extreme cold in Russia could reach the UK next week. The Met Office issues a statement to the effect that this is unlikely to happen. The wind increases as the day wears on. After lunch, we're on 37 knots in gusts, force 8. Before lunch, I have a haircut and get all the papers in. This includes a feature paper about past events, including the original Stornoway Gazette article about the Iolaire disaster. It's absolutely tipping it down all day, which just gets worse and worse. At 9.15, a loud bang out in the street is accompanied by a few powerdips. Check through the house, but nothing appears to be wrong. Mrs B phones the power company, SSE, as it sounded like electricity arcing. At 11.15, SSE come to check inside and outside the house, but nothing is wrong. Two vans are parked outside, and the men have a look at the roadworks, from where the bangs could have originated.

Wednesday 18/01/06

It's a very dreich morning, with heavy drizzle and limited visibility. The Arnish Lighthouse is barely discernible, although it's barely a mile away across the basin. The murk lifts just before midday. Receive an interesting email about project Timbertown, from a lady whose relative made a jewellery box whilst at the camp. She now has it in her possessions. Go into town at midday to send off some mail through the PO. Reports come through that a fisherman has fallen overboard from his boat, 65 miles north of the Butt of Lewis, at 5.30 this morning. A major sea and air rescue swung into action, with the Coastguard helicopter Mike Uniform and an RAF Nimrod plane engaged in the search. Conditions were said to be fair with light winds. Poor visibility hampered the search, which was finally abandoned at dusk, 5 pm. The man was not thought to have worn buoyancy aids. As the temperature of the sea is only 8C, and he would have been wearing oilskins, his chances of survival for any length of time would have been minimal. This has happened before during the last 12 months. After supper, the sound of a noisy ship's engine can be heard from the harbour. A number of boats, including the lifeboat, are going in or out. One fishing boat is followed by a flock of gulls. Wind appears to be increasing after 7pm. Heavy rain is subject of a Met Office severe weather warning. Upto 50 mm of rain, 80 mm on upslopes, are forecast. It's been mild today, 11C. Compare that to Moscow's temperature, -30C / -22F. A large area of high pressure sits over Finland and propels all this cold air towards Europe. We've got Atlantic murk. Spend the evening revamping my webpages.

Tuesday 17/01/06

It's not very bright after sunrise, but it does gradually clear up as the day progresses. It's a cold day, temps around 3C, and two sleet showers pass by. Two Irish fishing boats come into port, only to leave again 20 minutes later. The SFPA (Fisheries Protection) vessel is hovering on the horizon around lunchtime. Watch the sparrows, starlings and bullfinches on the birdfeeders. Out in the basin, there are gulls, oystercatchers and curlew. Help mrs B to improve the view from the backwindow by washing it. The weather is very cold, we have a handful of sleet showers. Elsewhere in the UK, it's mild, but the Western Isles is shivering at 3C. Showers carry galeforce gusts. Go shopping at Somerfields at 4pm. Daylight hours have extended to just past 4.30, with the sun setting at 4.15. Sunrise is now at 8.55 a.m.. This means that total daylight hours have gone up by 1 hour. For the second day this week, mrs B's granddaughter comes by after school. She comes off the servicebus at 3.40. Mrs B herself takes the bus up to town in poor weather, like last week. It's only half a mile, but then she has free travel on all public transport right across Scotland. This is on account of a sight problem. I join her for supper, stew with mash, and and evening's entertainment.

Other journals

http://journals.aol.com/mlrhjeh/WatchingMySisterDisappear

This is one of the journals in J-land that I occasionally read. It is the heartrending story of an American lady whose sister has been struck down with Alzheimer's disease. Have a read for yourself - follow the link.

Monday 16/01/06

Breakfast at the slightly more normal time of 9 a.m.. Weather outside is fairly acceptable. The weather turns nasty in the course of the afternoon, with a heavy shower, carrying force 9 gusts. Go to the library at 3 pm to scan some pictures that were sent to me by Donald MacLeod from Aberdeen regarding project HMS Timbertown. The computer with the scanner had no chair with it, so had to conduct business standing up. Get myself a chicken korma for tonight. Watch two boats leaving port at 7.30 pm, one of which used to be run by mrs B's 3rd son. He's glad to see the back of it, it caused him no end of grief. The moon comes out, and it's not a bad evening. Just jolly cold.

Sunday 15/01/06

Awake to another grey and wet day with strong winds. Breakfast at 10.45. More gales on their way for today. Whatever there is going in terms of ferries appears to be cancelled. Uig - Lochmaddy, Sconser - Raasay and Barra - Eriskay. Quietly surprised that any of those boats were timetabled to go on a Sunday in the first place, but Scotland is smoothly gliding into the 21st century after all. It's no weather for going out at all, so do blissfully nowt all day. Mrs B. cooks me a nice spag bol.

Saturday 14/01/06

Brilliantly sunny morning to start with, hardly any wind to speak of. Cloud bubbles up as the morning progresses. The birdfeeders fell to the ground during last week, so they are being refilled and rehung. At 1 pm, the weather pulls a fast one and comes out with a few light showers. The wind increases to force 6, which makes it feel bitterly cold. Go out shopping at 2 pm, and encounter a long queue of children and parents outside the Town Hall, waiting to see the film Narnia. The Radio Times had 3 audio CD's containing the radio version of this C.S. Lewis novel. The tanker is in port to deliver supplies of fuel. She departs again at 4.40pm, at nightfall. Supper is home-made fish and chips, from frozen fish and ditto chips. A bottle of Black Tower wine washes things down nicely. A piece of cranberry tart with custard completes proceedings. As the evening progresses, the strong winds continue.

Friday 13/01/06

Today I am starting book 7 of the hand-written diary, at page 907. From October 8th, 2004, I started making daily entries on Northern Trip, or almost daily. However, when the computers in Stornoway library were down for more than a month after Christmas 2004, I decided to start taking down written notes. I caught up with the two months before October 2004 in the summer of 2005.

On with today's happenings.

After an overnight lull, the gales are back in all their ferocity in the morning. Today however, there is a good deal of sunshine around. Showers come around every now and again, but it's not cold. Winds are going at a steady force 7 to 8, with gusts up to force 10. Spume flies across the Basin, and huge waves crash behind Arnish Light. Nonetheless, the Irish fishing boat Neptune, from Sligo, decides to set forth. With tremendous difficulty, on account of the wind, she leaves port. High seas meet her off Arnish, washing over her deck and she almost looks as if she'll be going under. I dash out to the Coastguard Station to have a look, but all is well. It's binday today, so bins are strewn all over Newton Street. Have some soup for lunch, then go out to pick up my latest batch of pictures. As I'm in the library scanning them, the ferry appears on the horizon. She makes for the harbour entrance, only to make a sharp right turn and keep hovering outside until Isle of Lewis finally docks at 3.45. The fresh vegetable shelves in Somerfields are bare, and the staff are anxious for supplies. I encounter Mrs B and her sister in the supermarket. The winds are abating now. There are reports of structural damage and boats sheltering in Broad Bay. Ferry leaves for Ullapool again at 4.30. Other ferries are still cancelled. Rain moves in at 5pm. After dinner, a shower comes past which carries severe squalls. But as I return to Somerfields later in the evening, it's dry and clear. I end up in a queue of full trollies, but one lady very kindly lets me in front - I only have two items. Ferry comes back at 10.40 pm. The occasional shower keeps putting in an appearance, but no more squalls.

Thursday 12/01/06

Awake to a gale thundering through the town, but at least it's dry. The German guest heads down to Harris to conduct more interviews. Yesterday, he parked his car in Port Nis at 11.30. Six hours later, a villager rang mrs B because he was concerned. It was dark and the car was still where it had been left. He was about to call the police. I advised mrs B to tell the chap to wait until 7, by which time Holger did rematerialize. I was amazed how people had found out where he was staying. But then, he'll be the only German visitor to the island at this time. Mrs B spoke to me about Robert Burns, whose 'night' it'll be on the 25th. He wrote poems about mice, his bed, holy men, anything. He wrote in English as well as Scots. His works were translated into Japanese, Chinese and Russian. In the weather reports for 9 o'clock, the wind is blowing at gale force 8, with gusts up to force 10 or 11. North Rona has winds of 61 knots (70 mph), gusting at 80 knots (90 mph). Buoy K5 in the Atlantic has waves of 10.5m or 35 feet. The ferry has been cancelled for today. Spray blows over the causeway. It gets blown onto the windows, so I go out twice to clean off the salt. Very windy outside, but strangely enough it is a fairly steady wind. It is this windy all over the northwest. Drizzle commences at 1pm. An hour later, I go into town, with the rain increasing in intensity. It's very difficult to walk. Find seaweed lying behind the fences facing Somerfields.
Very strong gusts along South Beach nearly blow me off my feet, also on the Amity House quay. Hand in a roll of film for processing, pictures available tomorrow, Friday. On the way to Somerfields, I had big trouble walking into the wind in Kenneth Street. Newton Street has a headwind for the first part, and a tailwind in the further bit. Both make walking very difficult. Glad to be back inside, conditions are hard. The latest readings show gusts of upto 60 or 64 knots (68 to 72 mph), which is about force 12. Most ferries on the west coast are off, because everywhere is having gales. At 14.20, a gust of 67 knots was recorded, which is more than 75 mph. A very serious squall passes through at 3.20, which pours waterover the window, with extremely strong gusts. Viewers on the webcam have a front row position. After the squall passes, the wind drops to force 6. The white horses in the Basin disappear, and the rain stops. Schools in the north of the island are closed tomorrow because of a power supply problem. Supper is a concoction of macaroni, ratatouille, left-over chicken (from lunch), cranberries + custard. It's a very quiet evening, not much wind and even some moon. Watch some TV with mrs B.

Ferry cancellations - 12/01/06

This little list from local ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne should give a hint at weather conditions today. In other words: gale number 3 this week.

Islay Service
The 1300hrs sailing to Port Askaig and the 1530hrs return from Port Askaig today have been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. Service will resume as per timetable tomorrow (Friday 13th Jan) @ 0700hrs.

Ardrossan/Brodick Service
Due to adverse weather conditions the 1105 sailing ex Brodick and the 1230 ex Ardrossan have been cancelled. we aplogise for any inconvenience this may have caused. This message will be updated at 1300 hours.

Rothesay/Wemyss Bay Route
Due to adverse weather conditions the next sailing from Rothesay by MV Bute wil be at 1145 and going to Gourock. MV Bute will then leave Gourock at 1345 sailing back to Rothesay.
 
Mallaig-Small Isles service
The 1020h departure to the Small Isles today has been cancelled due to severe adverse weather, next sailing tomorrow 1020h weather permitting.

Oban - Coll/Tiree
Due to adverse weather conditions the 0645 hrs to Coll and Tiree has turned back to Oban and will arrive at approximately 1100 hrs. The next sailing to Coll and Tiree will be on Saturday 14th at 0645 hrs as scheduled.
 
Gourock - Dunoon Service
Due to adverse weather conditions the above service has been cancelled until further notice.
 
Gigha Service
Service suspended indefinately due to adverse weather conditions.
 
Ardmhor to Eriskay
The 09:25hrs sailing ex Ardmhor and the return 10:30hrs ex Eriskay have now been CANCELLED the remainder of todays sailing are still in doubt
 
Lochmaddy-Uig-Tarbert Service
Due to adverse weather conditions,the car ferry Hebrides is still presently in Lochmaddy. The situation will again be reviewed at 12.00 today.
 
Sound of Harris
Due to adverse weather 0915 ex Berneray and 1025 ex Leverburgh have been cancelled. Situation will be reviewed at 1200.

 
Mallaig-Armadale service
The 0840h ex Mallaig and the 0925h ex Armadale have been cancelled due to adverse weather. Will update later re the 1600h departure this afternoon.
 
Sconser - Raasay
Due to adverse weather these sailings have been suspended. For further information contact Uig Office on 01470 542219.
 
Fionnphort / Iona service
Due to adverse weather conditions the Iona service is currently suspended. The situation will be reviewed at 1300 hrs.
 
Oban - Craignure
Due to a technical fault there has been no sailings on this service so far this morning. There will be a passenger only service from Craignure at 1100 hrs. Normal service will resume from Oban at 12 noon, weather permitting.

Stornoway - Ullapool service
Due to adverse weather conditions M.V Isle of Lewis will not be sailing at 7:15am. The situation will be reviewed at 11:00 am

Wednesday 11/01/06

Gale subsided overnight. Central heating boiler went off overnight, so it's cold in the house. During the morning, a couple of showers pass through. The engineer calls round and fixes the boiler - by topping it up with water. A sleet shower passes at 11.30. Webcam is attracting visitors from London, Hull and Northern Ireland. There is a problem with water ingress at times of heavy wind and / or rain. This means that water almost pours into the house, dripping off window frames. Towels are required to prevent things really getting wet. It all boils down to a fault at rooflevel, which allows water to seep down the walls inside. After lunch, showers decrease in intensity and frequency. The sun comes out. Ferry is about half an hour late leaving. Go into town for some stationery and food. Have a look round the library. A boat has been hovering on the distant horizon all day. A fishing boat is sheltering in the Glumag. Beautiful view of a shower moving east over Arnish. In the Island Blogs, someone is posting very nice pictures of Molinginish and other deserted villages (e.g. Reimseabhagh in Eishken). He has quoted  the names of more lost villages: Teilisnis (W Loch Tarbert), Eileanan Dubha, Gearraidh Mhurchaidh and Gearraidh Loiteigir, north and west (respectively) of Reinigeadal. This village is 2 miles from Molinginish. Sleetshowers fade by nightfall. It's a quiet evening, until the wind picks up again by 11 pm.

Tuesday 10/01/06

Quiet night, but the rain returns shortly after breakfast. Watch MV Muirneag coming into port at 9.30. I look on as she comes to a halt just off Green Island, having taken a course very close to the island. A fishing boat passes by very slowly as Muirneag reverses, then, as a second boat comes past, she goes on. Muirneag again comes to a halt, this time just past the Goat Island jetty. She turns 180° and slowly backs into her berth at n° 1 pier. What a carry-on. Muirneag has difficulty manoeuvering in strong sidewinds. Today's weather is windy, but force 5 is not that bad. It's raining steadily by 11 a.m.. The forecast mentions gales again. Tomorrow morning we can expect severe gales. The weather worsens at midday, with lashing rain and increasing winds. The ferry will not leave Stornoway once it's back from its current crossing from Ullapool. At 2.15, a German chap calls in for a bed for the night. Spray starts to fly across the basin at 2.45. Pity it's going to be dark after 4.15. Waves begin to crash over the causeway. It's a year to the day since the big hurricane of 11 January 2005. Ferries are off again, Oban to Uist; Barra to Eriskay; Mallaig to Armadale; Tarbert to Uig. The rain continues to lash down. When I venture out to the Coastguard Station, it's difficult to tell whether it's rain- or seawater that's flying about. Hardly anyone out on the streets, except in their cars. The wind nearly blows me off my feet outside the Coastguard Station. Hear that power is off in NW Skye, after debris hits the lines. Ferries are also off in Orkney, no sailings to Shapinsay or Sanday. Skye Bridge is closed to high-sided vehicles at 5.30.

Page 900 in written diary

Police issue a warning to residents in the Western Isles to be careful because of severe weather. Busservices may be restricted, schools are closed in the southern isles. Gusts increase to 54 kts at 6pm, with Benbecula at 64. When I go to pick up logs from the backyard, the rain has stopped and the moon is out. The winds increase further. Out in the Atlantic, buoy K5 is bobbing down in waves of 21 ft (6 m), which increase to 35 ft (10.5m) later in the evening. It reports a barometric pressure of 955 mbar, which shoots up to 979 mbar by midnight. Gales are extensive, all the way down the western seaboard of the UK. The depression (shown on the satellite picture in thepreliminary entry) has a central pressure of 947 mbar. Winds are very strong at 7pm, and appear to be veering southwest, now that the initial front has passed. In the darkness, it's difficult to see the seastate, but I can see that the basin is very rough. Have a wee chat with the German guest, who is investigating the attitudes of Gaelic speakers about their language. He goes door to door to interview people. When he goes for a walk, he promptly gets dosed with a shower. Otherwise, it's a moonlit night. Gusts increase to 63 kts, force 12, by 9 pm. Sustained windspeeds 41 kts, force 9. North Rona reports 75 kts, 86 mph (force 12) sustained windspeeds, with gusts of 97 kts, 111 mph. At 11.15 pm, I go for an amble to Goat Island, but it's less windy than at 4pm. A fishbox is blown onto the access road. The moment I step back inside, a shower passes through. Nobody is out on the street. Showers and squalls continue. At midnight, the winds at North Rona are not as strong - gusts of 86 kts are still very severe.

Tuesday 10/01/06 - preliminary

Just to show two images from the British Met Office website, which should provide a taster of today's journal entry. Below is an infra red satellite image of a major Atlantic depression, at 4pm GMT today. There was no proper image in the visible spectrum, as darkness is falling across Europe at that time. Its central pressure is expected to go down to 947 mbar at midnight tonight. This is a classical image of what a depression looks like from space. Windspeeds up to 45 mph sustained, and 75 mph in gusts.

and associated with that the rainfall radar of the British Isles. The trailing edge of the front, the brighter colours, is just moving out over the Western Isles. It became dry at 6pm.

Monday 09/01/06

Disturbed night with the wind pommelling the house. Rise a bit on the late side at 10 a.m., which is actually the time the rain started. According to the Met Office, it's blowing a gale, 35 knots, gusting up to 55 knots, which is force 11. At 10.20, reports quote a sustained windspeeds of 41 kts, force 9. Two or three boats pull into port to seek shelter. The ferry did not leave Stornoway at 7.15, but a decrease in windspeed is forecast for later today. Other ferries in the Outer Isles are also cancelled. The Skye to Harris ferry is still on. Waves break over the causeway, and it looks very wild beyond the lighthouse. At midday, windspeeds remain at severe gale force 9, with gusts of 53 knots. A climber in the Cairngorms [a mountain range 30 miles south of Inverness] was left dangling by a climbing rope for 7 hours after a fall. He was unhurt, but had to be rescued together with his companions, who were holding on to the rope. Just before 1pm, a squall sends a lot of spray over the basin. The wind appears to be increasing, with gusts now approaching 60 kts, 70 mph, by 2 o'clock. Venture outside to take some pics at the Coastguard Station. Waves break over the causeway, much like November 11th. Go round to the other side of the building, where I can see the waves crashing into the dam and running parallel to the shore. Even the webcam captures the waves in the basin and the spume flying over. Visibility deteriorates after my return at 2.30. Mrs B receives a DVD from a young German couple who were very grateful for her hospitality during their stay in August. They had fled their campsite at Tolsta following an overnight gale. Workmen are repairing the pavement along the street. Extensive disruption to ferry services, now including the Uig - Harris service. We're expecting a guest from Skye. A decision will be made by Calmac when service will resume; the vessel is stormbound at Lochmaddy. Mrs B goes to town at 3.40 on the bus, with lashing rain and a howling gale. Just after 4, the wind suddenly drops away. The crests disappear from the waves in the basin, and the rain stops as well. How strange. Radar and satellite images had shown the back-end of the front to be approaching from the west. I had anticipated its arrival at 4 pm - which happened on the dot. Waves are still crashing against the causeway. The Minch will take some time to calm down. A shower drifts across at 4.15, as darkness falls. The ferry casts off, nearly 3hours late, at 4.40. Forecast for this week: three more gales, tomorrow evening; Thursday; Saturday. Sounds like a repeat of the second week of November 2005. Supper consists of a microwave meal, after which mrs B and I watch the DVD I mentioned earlier. They thanked her and myself by name. I supplied them with ideas for further trips in the islands. They left for Skye after looking round South Harris. Simon Fraser leaves a nice message about Molinginish on the VisitHebrides website. He explained the history of the village, which was deserted in 1964. There was a school there until 1935, and up to 40 people lived there in the 1880s. Our Skye guests materializes at 8.40, nearly 4 hours late.

Sunday 08/01/06

Nice sunny weather, but continuing windy, force 5 gusting 7. As before this week. Having a very lazy day, faffing about on the computer. Mrs B gave me a very nice meal at suppertime - ratatouille, beans, courgettes and rice. As the evening progresses, the wind starts to pick up. The shipping forecast at 6pm promises a gale, which duly arrives.

Saturday 07/01/06

Today, like most days before this year, starts with a glorious sunrise and strong winds. There is a bank of threatening cloud, but it's good old altocumulus again, which is blown away by the wind. The lifeboat is out on exercise in the harbour. After lunch, I head into town for a few things. I spend an hour at the library, scanning in pictures. Afterwards I nip into Somerfields for food and a lottery ticket. Food is OK, lottery ticket is the usual dud. Not much on the telly tonight.

Tropical hurricanes

I have reported on the last tropical storm of 2005, Zeta, in this blog, partially because that year was exceptional in terms of tropical hurricanes. Found a stunning picture on the Dutch Met Office website (www.knmi.nl) of Hurricane Emily, taken from space.

Tropical Depression Zeta

Tropical depression Zeta discussion number  30

NWS TPC/National Hurricane Center Miami, FL 4 PM EST, Fri Jan 06 2006

 

Shower activity has continued to decrease and is now limited to just a few skinny bands of shallow convection well to the east of the center. As such... Zeta no longer meets the criteria of a tropical cyclone... Which means that both it and the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season have ended.

 

The initial motion estimate is 285/6.  Zeta has made a jog back to the northwest... But the average motion over the past 18 hours has been west-northwesterly at about 06 kt. The remnant circulation of Zeta is forecast to move in a west-northwest or northwestward direction for the next 24-36 hours... And turn northward afterwards

As the remnant low comes under the influence of increasing southerly low-level flow ahead of a strong cold front currently moving eastward across the bahamas. By 72 hours... The skeletal remains of Zeta are expected to dissipate or be absorbed by the frontal system.

 

I suppose it is only fitting that the record-breaking 2005 atlantic hurricane season ends with a record breaking storm. Today... Zeta surpassed 1954 Alice#2 as the longest-lived tropical cyclone to form in December and cross over into the next year. Zeta was also the longest-lived January tropical cyclone. In addition...Zeta resulted in the 2005 season having the largest Accumulated Cyclone Energy...or ace... Surpassing the 1950 season. So... Until the 2006 season begins... Unless Zeta somehow makes an unlikely miracle comeback... This is the National Hurricane Center signing off for 2005... Finally

Friday 06/01/06

Mrs B's son + girlfriend leave for Glasgow early in the morning. It's a day like many before. Windy, bright and cold. There's talk of snow in southern England, after which warmer weather will sweep in from the west. Tropical Depression Zeta is dying out in the Atlantic, which heralds the end of a very lively 2005 hurricane season. This had 27 named storms, 14 hurricanes, of which Katrina was the worst - causing $80bn worth of damage to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, and taking 1,300 lives. The next decade will continue to be lively on that score. Helped mrs B pack up her Christmas trees, together with the helping hands of two of her grandchildren. The house suddenly looks very bare. The reams of Christmas cards that adorned the walls have also gone, so bleak January is here. At 5.45, I get stuck in a huge queue at Somerfields, where everybody is cashing in their lottery winnings.

Thursday 05/01/06

Fantastic colour and cloudscape at sunrise, at 9.12 a.m..  The sun rises in a blaze of orange above the powerstation. The weather is comparable to yesterday, very windy and cool. Help mrs B's son and his girlfriend book seats on the plane for tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.. As it's Thursday, I go out for the wad of papers, and put in a film for processing. Unfortunately, I put in a spare (unexposed film), which I therefore lose. The birds have a great time picking up shells from the foreshore and dropping them from a great height to smash them and eat the contents. The birds show on the webcam. As the ferry leaves, a guest calls in to stay with his 5-year old son. They had been due to come yesterday, but were fogbound at Edinburgh all day. BA could not be bothered to transfer them the 45 miles to Glasgow. Horrible news about a man at the other end of the district who was jailed for 7 years for child abuse over a period of 40 years. In the evening, we get a double meal in the shape of borscht (Russian peasant soup) and mrs B's famous pastabake. At 9 o'clock, I join mrs B's son for a drink in the company of his cousin at the An Lanntair bar. An hour later, I return to Newton.

Wednesday 04/01/06

It's been a day of little activity. The weather is pleasant, albeit cloudy, but with clear intervals. A fresh wind blows, and it's 8 degrees. Tropical storm Zeta is still going strong out in the Atlantic, but there is fog in the Forth / Clyde valleys. We have lunch at 2.45, after I sort out another entry on the Arnish Lighthouse blog, which will be published tomorrow. Lunch consists of a substantial soup with garlic bread; supper is equally simple, sausage and ham rolls.

 

Tuesday 03/01/06

Brilliantly sunny morning, this time no sore head or anything. Temperature dropped from 10 degrees yesterday to 3 degrees C today. For the first time in several days, Isles FM have a local news bulletin, but I already knew about the main things. Tropical Storm Zeta is still about in the Atlantic, but not going anywhere fast. She was 1460 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, and heading in that direction at 7 mph. She has sustained windspeeds of 65 mph, 9 mph below hurricane threshold. Just after 12 noon, I join mrs B's son and his girlfriend on a drive up to Ness. We visit the Cross war memorial, from where the roar of the Atlantic is clearly audible. We call into Port of Ness, from where I explore the harbour at low tide. After a visit to the local portaloo, we carry on to the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. Spectacular waves crash onto the rocks. Back down the road, at Eoropie Beach, the pounding of the waves is harshly interspersed with the buzzing of trailbikes, which churn up the beach, the dunes and the machair. On the way back to town, we watch the sun set behind Beinn Bragar at 3.50. It is bright yellow, up to the point of setting. In the evening, we go to a supper in the Crown Hotel. The less said about that, the better. Food was fine though.

Tropical Storm Zeta (continued)

A satellite image of Tropical Storm Zeta

TROPICAL STORM ZETA ADVISORY NUMBER  21
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 AM AST WED JAN 04 2006

...ZETA A LITTLE WEAKER...

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ZETA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 21.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE  44.0 WEST OR ABOUT 1265
MILES...2035 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS.

ZETA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 7 MPH ...11 KM/HR...AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY WITH GRADUAL TURN TO THE
WEST-NORTHWEST THEREAFTER.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH... 95 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES
...185 KM MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS  997 MB...29.44 INCHES.

REPEATING THE 11 AM AST POSITION...21.9 N... 44.0 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST NEAR  7 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 60 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 997 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 PM AST.

FORECASTER AVILA

Monday 02/01/06

Awake with a considerable hangover, worse than yesterday's. Everybody else appears to be suffering from the same effects. What do you expect after 3-4 large whiskies and 2 beers Oh god, didn't get out of bed until about 1 pm. Unheard of. Right, manage some food. During the afternoon, I gingerly waken myself up, sort through about 20 emails. The weather was nice and fairly sunny until lunchtime. After that, the wind started to gust at galeforce, and the rain began to belt down. This continued well into the evening. Mrs B's brother in law, whom we visited last night, came to join us for supper at 7.30. The gale subsided in the meantime. Dinner consisted of roast chicken, vegetables and potatoes. Minimal intake of alcohol, oh dear.

PS: Remember this boat? Found an image of her on the Net, unusually. In addition, I found out where the uniforms and the medical care kit used on board this yacht came from. She is MY (Motor Yacht) Air, which was anchored in the Glumag near Arnish in early June. At the time I wasn't sure of her name.

 

Sunday 01/01/06 - New Year's Day evening

The Coastguard helicopter had its first outing of 2006, when it was called out to Ullapool this morning. Someone had fallen 40 feet / 12 m off a cliff, and could not be reached from land. We have a magnificent New Year's Supper, consisting of roast leg of lamb, vegetables and a raspberry pavlova. The last of the Christmas crackers are pulled, and they contain more corny jokes (why can't ducks tell jokes in flight? they'll quack up). At 10 pm, we go to another ceilidh at mrs B's brother-in-law. He tells us some good yarns, well sprinkled with whisky incidentally. By 1.30, we stagger home to our beds.

Hurricane Zeta

Although 2005 has now come to a close, one of its remnants is still about. The Atlantic hurricane season was supposed to have come to a close at the end of November, but what popped up in the eastern Atlantic? Tropical Storm ZETA, the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. Although 2006 has now started, this system will continue to be called Zeta. The first storm of the 2006 hurricane season will be Alberto.

TROPICAL STORM ZETA ADVISORY NUMBER   8
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 AM AST SUN JAN 01 2006

...ZETA CONTINUING TO DRIFT SLOWLY WESTWARD OVER THE FAR EASTERN
   ATLANTIC OCEAN...
...ONLY A THREAT TO SHIPPING INTERESTS...

AT 5 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ZETA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 25.7 NORTH... LONGITUDE 38.5 WEST OR ABOUT 1085 MILES...1745 KM... SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.

ZETA IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR  2 MPH... 4 KM/HR...AND THIS
GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR  50 MPH... 85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES
...220 KM...MAINLY NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1000 MB...29.53 INCHES.

REPEATING THE 5 AM AST POSITION...25.7 N... 38.5 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST NEAR  2 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS... 50 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1000 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 AM AST.