Holiday snaps

If you care to go to Jamaica then you can see a mess of photos from our recent holiday out west.  The photos are rather higgly di piggly as the latest way of displaying photos doesn't seem to allow me to edit or order them in any way, so apologies for that.

Spectacular fireworks

Earlier in the year Oban had a fireworks display for Guy Fawkes night,
unfortunately due to a technical hitch the whole display went up in
one minute rather than the 20 that was the intention. Youtube at
http://goo.gl/hI5Xf

Tonight we were treated to another amazing display from the Northern
Lighthouse Boards quay which as well as being fantastic went on for
about 10 minutes. Well done to all those involved.

I have never seen fireworks fired into the air which then carry on
firing even when they are floating in the water.

Close call

It has been a spectacularly bad spell of weather yesterday and today.  Heavy rain with a South Westerly gale all day, fortunately the berths are sheltered at Oban and Craignure from this direction, so we have continued running. With the heavy rain the visibility is quite limited and of course at this time of year it is still dark at 8 in the morning.  We were coming into Oban Bay at about 7:30, the seas had been high and the rain was still coming down hard.  I was leaving the stabiliser fins out to the last minute before the narrow entrance.  The port one wasn't for coming in so we slowed right down and kept in to the starboard side to let the engineers sort things out.  We came into the Bay and just after turning towards the berth a small steel hulled fishing boat passed down the port side, it had broken free from its mooring and was drifting quickly across towards the North shore.  No one had seen it in the dark as it had no lights and looked low in the water.  A minute or two earlier and we would have probably hit it square on, if hadn't been for the slow down on the approach it could have been a bad start to the day.

We have continued to run all day, most of the other services are off now, not a good day for travelling anywhere though.

So much wind

Not long back and there are 3 of the shipping forecast areas with
Force 12 Hurricane winds forecast. Well we kept going today though
the last run was touch and go, always seems to be much worse when it
gets dark.

Clouds

Some concern this morning that a few clouds have appeared in the normally blue skies. Not to worry though, it is still 30 C in the shade and the water is warm.

Toilets

The hotel being all inclusive means we can drink, eat and burn ourselves to a crisp without restraint. Due to our lack of will power we are over indulging and may need a lengthy detox on return to the Dear Green Place.
When one is tired after a couple of rums it can be confusing deciding which is the Gents by the signs. Can you work out which one this is?

Out west

Day three of our visit to Jamaica, lots of sun, rum and swimming. A photo of Julie at the breakfast bar, palm trees, pool and a Trade Wind blowing in of the sea. It is an amazing place.

Off on our hols.

Bye for now folks, we are off to Jamaica for a couple of weeks. I will be making a determined effort to not watch any news or indeed go near an Internet connection.  

Democracy

Horror of horrors, the Greek Prime Minister has proposed a referendum on the bailout package that will impose severe cuts and austerity on the Greek population.  The very suggestion that the people be allowed to determine their own future through the ballot box is anathema to the Bankers and Bureaucrats of Europe.  Democracy, as demonstrated the other day in our own Parliament, is only convenient when it suits those in power.

Politicians got us into this mess, why do they think that they have the solutions to get us out of it?

Rex O'Reilly Lyons - RIP

Today was spent over on the Isle of Bute attending the funeral service of an old friend Rex Lyons.  Rex was never one to embrace the conventional and today was in keeping with his philosophy. The service was held in the Marble Hall of Mount Stuart House, a magnificent setting.  To start we were all treated to a glass of champagne on entering the Hall and were asked to toast his life by his daughter Leyla.

Music and readings finished with the Willie Nelson song, For all the Girls I loved before.  Which if you knew Rex was a very apposite song.

Later we attended at Barone Cemetery at the back of Rothesay to his final resting place.  The world is a slightly poorer place for his passing.