Friday 03/03/06 - morning

About 10 cms / 4 inches of snow fell overnight, leaving a winter wonderland. The morning Highland News bulletin at 7.50 is taken up with a rundown of closed schools. Mrs B's niece calls in during the morning, as she is looking after the children of the lady who suddenly died yesterday. It's a nice sunny morning, with the odd snow shower. At lunchtime, I regress about 30 years to make a snowman. HOW OLD AM I???

Thursday 02/03/06

Nice bright morning, after a light fall of snow. News comes through that one of Mrs B's relatives has died suddenly earlier this morning. The lady concerned was only in her 50s, and was found by her teenage children. Her husband is out in the States, and obviously is flying straight home. In the afternoon, I go for a walk round the Castle Grounds. First to the Bayhead Bridge, then out to the Golf Club. After that, the path is blocked, so I cut across to the Watermill. I take a few snaps and videos of the wheel in operation. Continue my walk to the bridge where the millrace branches off the Willowglen burn. After finding the path stops under a high wall, I retrace my steps and continue across the golf course to the Marybank gate. From there, I walk back to town along the Castle and down some very icy steps to Bayhead. The Stornoway Gazette did not arrive today, although it's Thursday. When I leave Somerfields, I notice that the tide is very low, so I venture into the Newton Basin. I go as far as the outflow, but this cannot be crossed; too deep. Am about 5 metres below streetlevel. Return to mrs B's along the floor of the basin, which is covered in shells, seaweed, rocks and rubbish. A heavy hailshower overtakes me as I clamber out of the basin. Stones measure up to 1 cm, and I take a fair few inside on my coat. Hear a story of a group of people who were due to fly to Benbecula yesterday. On approach to the airport there, the pilot suddenly aborted the landing and turned back to Stornoway. The runway was a sheet of ice, and there was no chance to clear that up quickly. A very rough flight back followed, during which chunks of ice  whacked the outside of the plane as they flew off the propellors. During the evening, the snow starts again.

Wednesday 01/03/06

Calendar check: 1st of March - first day of spring? Hardly. Winter is still firmly in control. More than 300 schools are closed across north and east Scotland. The RAF helicopter which had been abandoned on the summit of Cairn Gorm is still there, two days later. The A830 Fort William to Mallaig road is not advisable for travelling on, and conditions in the north of Scotland are generally pretty awful. The overnight Sleeper train from London to Aberdeen was stuck in a snowdrift, 5 feet deep, for 5 hours. Stornoway gets peppered by frequent, heavy but short snow showers. Temperatures remain just above zero. A good layer of snow remains on the ground, about 2 inches deep. Only now is the council out gritting pavements. The sun is very warm, and any snow exposed to its rays melts. Ferry left an hour late, at 2.45. Go out into town at 3.30, and make my way through a sea of slush. The papers only arrive at 4pm, as opposed to the usual time of 10 am. The Press and Journal, my usual rag, isn't expected until 6 pm. Walk down Point Street to Amity House, then round to North Beach. Notice a yellow flare going up over the town, but haven't got the phonenumber for the Coastguard. A heavy snowshower blows by as I make my way back to Newton. Notice a fair few boats out on the horizon. Conditions do appear to be more benign today than yesterday. Overnight lows tonight -8 to -12. Cold spell is expected to last at least into the weekend. Supper is chicken curry, courtesy mrs B, neither of us hit the jackpot on the lottery. A large ship is slowly moving behind Arnish Point at 11pm, but it disappears from sight during a snow shower.

Tuesday 28/02/06

A very wintery scene presents itself at daybreak. About 2 to 5 cms of snow, a fair amount over the Arnish hills and in the backyard. The picture gallery shows what could be seen outside through the day. As the morning progresses, very heavy snow showers come through. Snow does not settle, but visibility is at times restricted to Goat Island, only ¼ mile distant across the Basin. The ferry is very late, arriving at 2.30 pm, and its second sailing of the day is cancelled. Muirneag never left for Ullapool last night. Strong winds today, force 6-7, with gusts up to force 9. Severe disruption in the Highlands and Northern Isles due to snow and ice with hundreds of schools closed. Webcam attracts about 120 visitors by 2.40pm. Have extensively publicised it on Metcheck, and everybody wants to watch falling snow. Heaven knows why. Snow penetrates further south in the UK. It's very cold outside, only 1C / 34F. The ferry from Stromness to Scrabster is cancelled. Continue to try out the new camera, which has a camcorder function on it. Odd visitors to the webcam come from South Africa, Egypt and Vietnam. The snowshowers continue unabated after dark. Total number of viewers on webcam 215 today.

Monday 27/02/06

After a night of pouring rain, things clear up by 11 am. Muirneag is late coming in at 9.30. Two French fishing boats come in for a crewchange. The brightness is soon replaced by heavy showers. In Islay, a distillery has produced a whisky with 93% alcohol. The showers turn wintry as the afternoon progresses. Go out at 4pm to purchase a plug adapter for recharging. And to collect my winnings from the National Lottery. Snowfall commences around 5pm, with frequent showers. My announcement on Metcheck that it snows on the webcam brings 80 visitors in. Supper - more of last night's lasagna. Visitor numbers to the webcam eventually reach 229 by midnight, just over 100 more than the previous daily record.

Sunday 26/02/06

Late start today (oh well, it's a Lewis Sunday). There is a ferocious and too personal debate on the VisitHebrides site about Sabbath Observance [note: this debate has now been removed due to complaints]. On another board, I was invited with my heathen friends to man the ferries, buses and shops. Just for inviting debate, dear me. Warnings in the forecast for up to 30 cm of snow. Very quiet day, also in terms of weather. Variable amounts of cloud, some sun and a little wind. In the evening, the Closing Ceremony for the Winter Olympics is screened from Turin, Italy. The next games will be at Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.

Saturday 25/02/06

Occasional sunshine this morning, after a late 11.30 start. Bird flu fright continues to grow with French turkeys now dying of the infamous H5N1 strain. Discover that the Arnish Lighthouse blog was included in the BBC Ticker on its website. At 2.40, I join mrs B on the bus for a brief visit to her sister elsewhere in Stornoway to celebrate that lady's 78th birthday. She is a dapper lady of frail health, and everybody is more than pleased she has reached 78. Her husband runs us back to Lewis Crofters for a stone (6.35 kg) of potatoes. Nearly got locked in as we forgot the time, looking at all sorts of bits and pieces in there, a lot of outdoor gear. Mrs B serves supper tonight - and I win a tenner on the lottery. Grey weather, with a bitter northeast wind.

Friday 24/02/06

It's a drizzly sort of day today, with not a lot happening. Try to print out the Iolaire lists which I received from the Stornoway Historical Society, but the fonts are illegibly small. Notice a worldwide spread of viewers to the webcam. Receive an email from the lady I partnered up with in Orkney in September 2004. She is now in Kenya, which she is leaving shortly because of food shortages.

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
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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