Shhh....Light and Dark is Sleeping

It's with a heavy heart that I have to say that Light and Dark is going into sleep mode. Perhaps temporarily, perhaps not.

Family illness takes perecedence at the moment and it is there I must divert my attention.

I just want to say that when I started this blog last Christmas, I had no idea what it was for, who it was aimed at, what it would be about or any of that stuff. It just seemed like a bit of fun at the time and allevieated the boredom of a lonely Christmas time.

Since then it has brought me a lot of pleasure and opened up a new world to me.

I've met some lovely people and consider myself lucky to have done so.

In the future, I hope to resurrect Light and Dark in this or another incarnation.

A sincere thank you to all of you who have followed and made the comments which made it all worthwhile. I shall continue to read my bloglist buddies and try to keep up to date with your worlds.

Keep on blogging ........

Neil

Leonids Meteor Shower

The above pic was my first attempt at the moon with my new camera so cut me a bit of slack....

Tuesday 17th marks the best chance of catching a glimpse of the Leonids meteor shower. I'm finding it a bit tricky to find information which pins it down to the best time, but from what I've read it seems that 21:30 on the 17th onwards offers the best chance. This of course is for the UK, other areas will differ.......duh!

This site offers some info for those in the UK

http://scienceray.com/astronomy/leonid-meteor-shower-2009-uk-forecast/

Needless to say (but I will anyways) I didn't take the pics below.....

If it's anything like the Perseids shower earlier this year it'll be pretty spectacular. I was lucky to have clear skies that night.

So fingers and toes crossed for decent weather and wrap up well........

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Horror at McDonalds Car Park

A slightly different Scenic Sunday post today. Yesterday, for reasons which can only be explained by ravenous hunger, I made the absurd decision to go to MacDonalds for a bite.
I know.....I know.......I should know better.
Upon arrival in the 'restaurant', I was greeted by a peculiar little thing which I believe is known as an 'adolescent'. I'm sure you've come across the species..... an odd conglomeration of spots and hormones. This asked me how he could help me.......?
Unfortunately this was the point when I had the alternative of merely pointing at a picture and indicating that I wanted one of those ...... or actually muttering out loud the words 'Can I have a Big Tasty please?'

Utterly humiliated I then took my seat and pretended I wasn't there. Difficult considering the surroundings. Burying my head in the Scotsman didn't help either. The racket made by assorted screaming brats discounted this possibility.




This was further enhanced by another 'adolescent' member of staff who took the executive decision to hand out balloons to the already severely psyched out mob of ankle biters.
.......genius.



I beat a hasty retreat to the car park and found the sanctuary of my car.
Sitting there ruminating upon the 'experience', I vaguely became aware of a guy acting a bit strangely at the passenger door of a 4x4.
I became more and more fascinated by his actions as time went on. He was wearing some kind of combat trousers with various pockets which he kept unzipping, pulling various items out, placing them on the passenger seat and replacing them in different pockets.
Not altogether weird at this point but a bit strange the longer it went on.
He then proceeded to weave his way over to a bin in the car park. This was the point when I realised that he was clearly not on this planet.
A similar rummaging through the pockets started at the bin, with various items being deposited in the bin and then.......retrieved!!!!!! And I mean he had his head in the bin.......!

At this point, I looked back at the car and noticed that there was someone in the driver's seat. I hadn't noticed him before because he was slumped almost double.......Sleeping, was the first thought which came to mind........Dead, was the almost instantaneous second.

So..... to summarise the situation up to now. I was witnessing this bizarre behaviour by the passenger of a vehicle who had just murdered the driver...... and clearly getting rid of the evidence.
Hmmmmm........ what do I do?
Documentary evidence I thought...... so I whipped out my camera and got out of my car.
The results as you can see speak for themselves.......
Taking the murderer's pic wasn't easy as he was constantly looking around shiftily..... as any murderer with fresh blood on his hands would!
So I'm clicking away, trying desperately to get a mugshot, when he becomes aware of me and........starts walking towards me........
Shit......I thought...... So I did what any good photo journalist would do in this situation and immediately pointed the camera up to the sky and feigned intense concentration as I waited for a tap on the shoulder.......
Fortunately my clever ruse worked and he lost interest and returned to his car.......phew!
........at which point, the driver woke up, stretched and they drove off.........

My Mum always said my over active imagination would get me into trouble one day.....

For more less dumb Scenic Sunday posts click here

Phena... Phene....Phenomenon

A selection of Lewis and Harris skies for Skywatch Friday this week. Looking at this top pic of the rainbow got me thinking about just how much I've always loved them. I think I've instilled this love in my daughter too as she gets even more excited than I do when one should appear.

I still remember the look of awe on her wee face the first time she was made aware of one.






This in turn got me thinking about my favourite sky phenomenon.

Thunder and lightning has to be up there........

Then of course there's the night sky.....

It's difficult to beat a crisp, frosty winter night when the sky is brilliant with stars........

This of course brings to mind the recent meteor shower, Perseids.

Shooting stars just really get the heart pumping.

Or the simple sight of clouds scudding by and the formations changing by the minute.....






If I could be arsed ( or rather, if I had the technowizardry skills) I'd do one of those wee polls that clever people do on their blogs.

But I can't and I don't, so tell me what your favourite sky phenomenon is when you leave a comment........ ah go on......!

Seaweed, Rocks and Ropes

Fisherman's Bride

Around us a muted din

Of fiddles and feet,

Circlings of bread and ale.

This room we are in

At the seaward side, is still.

I turn a cold sheet.

Midnight.

The shoal drifts

Like a host of souls unborn, along the shore.

The tide sets from the west.

His salt hand shifts

From tumult of thigh and breast

To the hard curve of an oar.

George MacKay Brown 1921-1996

Hushinish

During my Hebridean sojourn my 12 year old daughter and I enjoyed a delicious lunch of home made Lentil Soup and Cheese and Bacon Panini's in Tarbert before driving the beautiful road out to Hushinish and Scarp.

When we arrived there were three people and three dogs there.......

So we glowered at them till they went away.......

....... then we had the place to ourselves.....

Which is as it should be.

Nothing worse than crowds of people at a beach.

Fiona made a gigantic 'hello' in the sand with her footprints for anyone passing in a plane......

If you all behave I'll show you the beach at Scarp soon.........

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Remembrance Spean Bridge

The world famous Commando Memorial stands proudly high above Spean Bridge. The three gigantic bronze figures stand proud in battledress, woollen caps and climbing boots looking across the Great Glen. The 17 foot high Memorial was designed by Scott Sutherland from Dundee College of Art in 1949, and unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1952. Hundreds of veteran Commandos make the annual pilgrimage to attend the Service of Remembrance and Wreath Laying held at the Memorial in November.

Please click and play this vid.......




English Translation

Lay me down in the cold cold ground

Where before many more have gone

Lay me down in the cold cold ground

Where before many more have gone

When they come I will stand my ground

Stand my ground I’ll not be afraid

Thoughts of home take away my fear

Sweat and blood hide my veil of tears

Once a year say a prayer for me

Close your eyes and remember me

Never more shall I see the sun

For I fell to a Germans gun

Lay me down in the cold cold ground

Where before many more have gone

Lay me down in the cold cold ground

Where before many more have gone

Where before many more have gone

At the setting of the sun, we will remember them

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Bunabhainneadar

Driving back from Hushinish on Harris, we were approaching Bunabhainneadar when we rounded a bend to be confronted by this sight. Now I realise that these 'God's Fingers' pics are a bit of a cliche in the world of photography. The equivalent of a footballer being 'sick as a parrot'.
But I don't really care..... I love it when the sky creates shapes and colour like this.
I also realise that the following video may make you wonder 'What is he on?' But I was listening to Radcliffe and Maconie whilst downloading these pics and they played Kraftwerk, a bunch of German heroes of mine..........and it just seemed to work for me........ try it......click play and look at the pics and imagine yourself on a bike on Harris........ and crank it up real loud!

Can't you just imagine hurtling down that wee road on your 15 speed racer? Or better still......a Harley Davidson?

The chimney is part of an old whaling station....more of which later.

And a stop at the burn when you get too drouthy?


Did it work for you?........

The bottom pic is a mountain (forget the name) opposite the house where my daughter first moved to......... she calls it 'Six Fingers'.........

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Scarista? Harris

They say a picture paints a thousand words. So I'm going to let these pics speak for themselves.
I think this is Scarista on Harris, but my brains a bit fuddled. Anyone who knows better can please correct me. I know it's between Sellebost amd Leverburgh...... if that's any help!

In the Highlands


In the highlands, in the country places,
Where the old plain men have rosy faces,
And the young fair maidens
Quiet eyes;
Where essential silence cheers and blesses,
And for ever in the hill-recesses
Her more lovely music
Broods and dies.
O to mount again where erst I haunted;
Where the old red hills are bird-enchanted,
And the low green meadows
Bright with sward;
And when even dies, the million-tinted,
And the night has come, and planets glinted,
Lo, the valley hollow
Lamp-bestarred!

O to dream, O to wake and wander
There, and with delight to take and render,
Through the trance of silence
Quiet breath;
Lo! for there, among the flowers and grasses,
Only the mightier movement sounds and passes;
Only winds and river,
Life and death.


Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) (1850-1894)






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Cliasmol, Harris

Driving west on Harris on the B887 from Bunabhainneadar (and no it's not a whisky, that's Bunnahabhain). You'll come across this quaint wee building.
I won't ask you to guess what it is, it's unlikely you'd get the answer.
It's Cliasmol Primary School.




This is the road carrying on past it. Remote eh?

Sadly, it was closed about 18 months ago. The school roll was four and two of those were due to go on to high school.

There's been a school here for 84 years. There are no children under the age of five in the area, hence the decision to close it's doors.

I got to thinking how the kids who went here coped with the hustle and bustle of High School.

Culture shock or what?

The school cook worked here for 40 years.

How's that for a playground?

Sad eh?

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