NaBloPoMo - day 07

A day late, but after the emotional posts from the last few days, I'll just share some images of cloudscapes.

NaBloPoMo - day 06

I am even more stunned today than I was since Sunday evening. I got word that another of my friends has died. Sophia Dale, formerly of Tigharry in North Uist, latterly living in Berneray.

I met Sophia in 2013, in North Uist. We had been chatting on-line for a couple of weeks, and decided to meet up. Our first meeting went well, I got on famously with her. Sophia was a free spirit, not bound by convention or expectation. Not averse to walking barefoot, dancing along the road and tramping the machairlands near her home in Tigharry. Also, she loved swimming in the sea. She had a beautiful singing voice, fortunately preserved on Soundcloud and through the shows on local radio station An Radio, 105.2FM in Uist. On our first meeting, I went to Lochmaddy, to play the keyboard in Taigh Chearsabhagh in an open-mike event. The second time was for Taigh Ciuil, in the same venue. Circumstances meant that we would not meet again. I met her little cat, Torran, who is now without her master. A neighbour is hopefully able to look after her.

Sophia, I was privileged to meet you, and am sad we will not meet again in this world.
I admired your free spirit.
You are now wholly free, free from the pain that you shared with me.
Mermaid, swim strong and free. 


Sophia in Lochmaddy, March 2013

Torran

NaBloPoMo - day 05

A sombre day, as the community of bloggers that I have been a part of for 13 years lost one of its most prominent members. Donna Diggins, of Buffalo NY (USA), succumbed to cancer yesterday afternoon local time. She had been ill for some time. I have written a personal tribute to Donna on the Silent Keyboards blog, and link to that.

I have never met Donna in person, and that goes for virtually all who were part of J-land (as it was called when on AOL). Yesterday's loss is a strong reminder that you can become quite attached and fond of someone you meet on-line, a phenomenon that I've been familiar with for nearly 15 years. Some people, perhaps blinded by the negative side of on-line connections, ridicule this. I think that's cruel. I have met a number of people in person that I had previously only communicated with via the WWW. My impression was correct in all of these cases. Yes, you miss the non-verbal communication, you just read words and see emojis and images. You don't see people's facial expressions, the inflections of the voice. But that actually does not matter. I have lost a friend. Her family have lost a sister, a mother and an aunt.

May she rest in peace.

NaBloPoMo - day 04

The gale that has been lashing our coasts since Friday has finally subsided. The ferry has returned, after an absence of two days, bringing replenishments to the local supermarkets. We get bare shelves when the ferry doesn't sail - because everything comes by ferry. Planes are not used for transporting goods.

Last Wednesday saw the return of our regular ferry ship, the MV Loch Seaforth. I like the Seaforth, but find it a little disconcerting that passengers insist on draping themselves across the couches, taking up space where 4 could sit. However, the Minch can be bumpy, so who am I to complain. The previous ferry, MV Isle of Lewis, put in an appearance for 10 days whilst the Seaforth underwent its annual refit in Aberdeen. She is bigger, but tends to slam down on the waves when there is a swell running. When is there ever not a swell running in the Minch. Other relief vessels have include the Clansman, and the Hebrides. In the past, the freight was carried by MV Muirneag fondly (?) remembered by its soubriquet Olympic Flame - she never went out. Muirneag did go out one day, into the teeth of a force 12 hurricane, and ended up 60 miles north of the Butt of Lewis, well on her way to the Faeroes. The crossing on that occasion took 16 hours.

NaBloPoMo - day 03

Past midnight, but here is post 3 in the National Blog Posting Month. It's been a wild day in Stornoway, with the wind not subsiding below force 7. In the night, we had gusts in excess of 70 mph. Oscar is not done with us yet, he'll stay around for Sunday as well.

I attended a commemorative event for a friend of mine who died in October last year. Chrisella Ross was a champion of Gaelic language and culture, focusing strongly on story telling. Whether that be World War II veterans telling of their experiences in the Atlantic convoys, or the writing of television plays. I came to know Chrisella as a result of my activities in the field of local history, when she gave me a lift back to Stornoway from Timsgarry - 35 miles. I found her a beautiful spirit, inclusive and kind. She inspired me, indirectly, to write my own short stories, after I attended an event in local arts centre An Lanntair (The Lantern) on the subject. The event was a discussion hosted by Agnes Rennie, with Chrisella's daughter Mairi and a number of friends and colleagues. There was an audible collective intake of breath when a video was played, showing Chrisella talking in front of a house (her own?) - the way we all knew her in life. One of the images that touched me was one taken about 20 years ago, showing Chrisella with a young child and her own parents in the background. In context, it mutely highlighted the passage of time and the transience of life.

Although I did not know Chrisella Ross all that well, her passing did affect me personally. I am pleased that a proper tribute to her life and achievement has now been made. May she continue to rest in peace.

NaBloPoMo - day 02

A day of a steady decline in the weather, and as I type this at 11.40pm, it is blowing a severe gale. What started out as a beautifully sunny morning very soon deteriorated over time. Was needing to visit someone in the town, who turned out to be away - well, that's my luck, isn't it. Will need to try again at a later time. Helped a friend with a little genealogy using the Ancestry website; if you really want to use that properly, you need a paid subscription. Not everybody is prepared to shell out £11 a month for the privilege, though. Requesting birth, marriage and death certificates also costs money. Here in Lewis, a number of areas have compiled crofting histories, detailing who occupied crofts (leased patches of land) since the 18th century. It shows that families stayed on the same piece of ground for centuries.

NaBloPoMo - day 01

The National Blog Post Month, a blogpost a day during the month of November. Something to aspire to. Well, here goes.

It was bright and sunny in Stornoway today, until the rain lashed down early this evening. We had a changeover on the ferries, with MV Loch Seaforth back from its annual refit in Aberdeen, and the MV Hebridean Isles departing for her usual run from Kintyre to Islay. The MV Isle of Lewis headed back to Castlebay to take up the run to and from Oban again.

Was saddened to learn that a J-land buddy, Donna, had been transferred to hospice care. Donna suffers from bladder cancer, and treatment has taken its toll. I hope she is comfortable during her stay in hospice, and know that everybody that knows her and cares for her will think of her at this time. Donna is an accomplished tag artist, and this is one of her creations. I have it as my Facebook profile pic for the duration of her stay in hospice.