National Blog Posting Month 2022 - #05

Remember, remember the fifth of November. The anniversary of the gunpowder plot, a failed attempted to blow up Parliament in London. Guy Fawkes, sometimes known as Guido Fawkes, carried the can for that plot. He was executed two months after the attempted attack. Although he was due to be hanged, drawn and quartered, he spared himself the latter two pleasantries by dying through the first. 

Tonight, we'll have the usual letting off of fireworks around the country, and the burning of effigies. Please keep your pets safe.

National Blog Posting Month 2022 - #04

Today is the 4th anniversary of the death of one of my on-line friends, Donna Diggins. I first encountered her back in 2005, blogging under the AOL screenname of nightmaremom. She was all into (American ice) hockey, her family and producing so-called tags, little works of on-line art. Donna shared imagery of the savage weather that sometimes affects the Lakes, with ice-encrusted trees, cars and houses. 

Early in 2018, she confided in me regarding a recurrence of bladder cancer, and as the year progressed, her condition worsened. In the evening of November 4th, at about 10pm, word came that she had been released from suffering. I never met Donna in person, but she was as large as life, sassy and inclusive.

Donna lives on in the minds of those who knew her, whether in person or through this imperfect medium. 

National Blog Posting Month 2022 - #03

 November 3rd today, and our changeable weather continues. Today it is 4 years ago since the death of one of my local friends, Sophia. I had first met her in 2013, but lost touch. Nonetheless, she was one of those people in this life that touch you, if not physically. She left behind grieving relatives, over in her native Australia, and friends around the globe. Sophia classed herself as a mermaid, and engaged in wild swimming in the sea. Even in these cool latitudes. One of our shared interests was cats. Her little cat, Torran, was found wandering outside her house afterwards, and was kindly taken in by a local friend. She is still there, down in Uist, but will meet Sophia again beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

Swim free, friend.

National Blog Posting Month 2022 - #02

 A wild and rainy day today, with gales causing disruption on our ferry service. Typical November, and summer is but a distant memory. We've had some nice sunsets in recent days, more easily espied as the sun sets to the southwest now, and much earlier in the day. Two named storms are eye-balling us, Claudio, coming up from France, and Martin, currently a tropical cyclone. The latter will reach us as an ordinary, mid-latitude depression after the weekend. The hurricane season is in its final few weeks now. 

National Blog Posting Month 2022 - #01

Today sees the start of National Blog Posting Month. Those who feel so inclined can post on their blog each day.

1st November is Samhann, the start of winter in the Celtic calendar. The winter half-year ends on April 30th, St Walpurgis Night, when the evil spirits are banished back into darkness. But  that is still six months away. As daylight recedes, we remember those who have gone on ahead in the past twelve months. Among those is my father, who passed away in August at the age of 88. 

Here in the J-land community, we mourn the loss of six of our number:
Jackie Moore (71), 22 October
Vivian Sullivan Nwankpah (69), 29 March
Celeste N Eatherton (57), 13 March
Jan Eadie, 5 March
Barbara C Masters (61), 23 February
John E Knox, 18 February

We grieve their passing, in the sure knowledge that they will rise again, at the Breaking of the Day, when all the Shadows flee away.

Aberfan

 

A clock.

Its hands pointing at a little after 9.13.
This was in the morning
The morning of 21st October 1966

The clock looks a bit battered.
It looks grimey.
Encrusted with black soot... 

The clock stopped permanently at the above time, when it was engulfed in an avalance of coal dust, which had come crashing down from a 111 ft high spoil heap, outside the Welsh mining town of Aberfan. 

The collapse claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults.
109 of the children were killed when their primary / elementary school was engulfed.

Lest we forget

Blogoversary - 18 years of blogging

 I vividly remember this day in 2004, when I was in the then Youth Hostel in Kyleakin, 75 miles southeast of Stornoway, clattering away at the keyboard. I had set up Northern Trip whilst in Kirkwall, Orkney, about 10 days before - but started to keep a diary in earnest on October 8th. On that day, I had travelled to Strathaird for a walk towards Camus Fhionnairidh. That is a beautiful beach on the southern side of Skye, overshadowed by the awe-inspiring Cuillin mountains. These rear up to more than 3,000 feet above sealevel; not Alpine in height, but certainly Alpine from a mountaineering point of view. 

On the subject of blogging, I have kept a blog going since that day, although at the moment my posts are few and far between. After AOL pulled its blogging service in 2008, I changed to Blogger and Atlantic Lines. In 2018, I changed over to this blog, A Cobbled Road. I had satellite blogs, such as The Shell Gallery and a private blog. All these are now archived, following developments in the background. 

I hope to be able to continue to blog, whatever the future holds. 

Thank you for being there.