UpSouth1

This image signifies regeneration. The poppy grows and flowers in fields where the ground has been worked, consequently after the Great War and Second World war the battlefields in Europe were covered in poppies. The seeds can lie dormant for hundreds or thousands of years and then seek life when given the chance.

South Uist is regenerating after centuries of hardship, homelessness, poverty, Clearances and sometimes benign ownership by others. I hope it will grow and develop in a way favourable to the majority of the peoples of these islands.

The Shucksmith Committee is researching/exploring the future of crofting and seeks views from the crofting communities on how to move forward. I read a disturbing summary of Storas Uibhists report to the Shucksmith committee in Am Paiper or Stornoway Gazette. Sorry cant remember which - old age creeping up on the remaining grey cells!

Storas Uibhist seek to have all management of crofting ie development, regulation etc transferred to the landlords. This might at first sight seem OK but analyse this further - if this idea is taken to fruition then ordinary residents will not have an objective outside body to regulate what happens in crofting areas. The Crofters Commission may not be perfect but it is a damn sight better than handing power back to the landlords who rode roughshod over the ordinary people.

It is impertive to have a group such as the Crofters Commision or similar without a vested interest in the area to regulate it fairly without bias. Storas Uibhist might consider themselves to be benign landlords but do they realise the danger of what they are proposing. We cannot let this crazy idea be taken seriously. Have your say - for the safe future of the islands - let the Shucksmith Committee hear the voice of reason from us islanders.

So the old hospital now has new residents and a name that means something. I think there are 18 beds for old people and there is a special alzheimers wing with escape proof doors. The hospital was orginally built over 100years ago in the time of Lady Cathcart who wasnt keen on the idea of a hospital on the island. She stipulated that it had to be built over the winter in the boggiest place she could find. Was it divine intervention or luck that it was the frostiest winter in living memory so the ground was workable instead of being a guagmire. So the hospital was built and run by nuns and called The Sacred Heart Hospital and the statue in the picture stood outside the front entrance. It was a great hospital, very friendly and hospitable. Anyone who married locally visited on their wedding day with their entourage and danced the wedding reel in the central reception area and gave out cake. It was great.

We were all worried that the statue wouldn't be returned when the new home was built on the site of the old hospital. The original building still remains. But it has been painted and looks great. I think Jesus hair was brown though and not white but a few years of being blasted by the wind will soon remedy that.

So Sandy didnt play in the Borrodale on Saturday night as this sign so aptly put. Who is Sandy? Well we may never know as he was cancild.

As England has been drowning in bad weather us Uisteachs have had great sunny weather, perfect peat drying, potato planting, blanket washing weather. People were out enjoying the sunny climes of Uist - even getting sun burned.
During this spell of good weather you think it will last forever and theres no need for holidays abroad as we have Caribeann conditions here. The beautiful 30 mile long white sandy beaches are difficult to rival except maybe in some of the remote pacific islands. We do have a great existence here, It would be even greater if we didn't have to work to pay the bills so we could enjoy it more but we are all in the same boat arent we......
The view on google earth of other parts of the world is amazing. I was able to trace a journey done many years ago by a retired sea farer who went up the Amazon to either Paraguay or Uraguay (can't remember which). You can even see the colour of peoples cars in the street though there werent many up the Amazon but there were in Glasgow. This could prove tricky if the satelite takes a picture of your car outside a house when you actually said you were going to the coop for some milk. It is definately a Big Brother society we are living in.

Though in Uist everyone else knows what you are doing before you do. We probably have the most efficient surrveillance systems in place already and dont need modern technology to do the job.

Google earth should help with the holiday planning as you can plan the route to the pub before you leave the island. The only worry i have is when i am in the hill and nature calls. What if i end up on Google Earth exposed. I'm sure it will be putting paid to any clandestine meetings people may have at the hay or in the sand dunes. Has modern technology banged another nail in the coffin of island passtimes?

This is the weather the poor sods had for the race a few weeks ago. Hardy souls braved the gale force winds, got sodden but triumphed by finishing. There were shorter runs also but running against that wind with the rain hitting your face was i believe an exhilerating experience. They all got medals and deserved them.

I've been thinking about getting solar panels but wondered if we had enough sun in the Outer Hebrides so i phoned a solar panel shop on the mainland. Seemingly we have the best light for getting maximum use of them. I knew we had great light as it bounces off the sea surrounding us and blinds us when we are trying to drive to the coop before it shuts after i notice i've run out of cream to have with my strawberries. I'm getting into the spirit for wimbeldon just now. It is boring to watch though.

I think i would rather play golf or bodarach - the true gaelic word for it - and not goilf as has been put on a sign at Askernish. At least you would have a real island experience trodding in the cac na beachean (cowpats) and tripping over the sheep and losing your balls down rabbit holes. Didnt Tom Morris have a great idea when he thought of sighting a bodarach course at Askernish. Was the guy really in Uist???? Is this another island myth??? Did the green welly people really take him to Uist to set out an 18 hole golf course for the locals to use??? Weell i dont know but maybe it would be nice to have a club house and golf course after all we have to move with the times. Its a good way of keeping fit since we tend to use the uist raincoat (car) so much rather than walk to Coop and our days of running after sheep and cows and making hay and collecting pewits eggs and running away from the gamekeeper are distant memories.

Found this picture of a stag i saw at Loch Skipport a while ago. They are soo tasty but not so easy to catch. A good rifle i suppose is whats needed, enticing them to your boot with some sheep nuts doesnt work as i found one hungry night. The gamekeeper wouldnt be too happy about that though.
Though i wonder if us islanders who now own South Uist have a right to the wild animals roaming the hills. Surely the new Republic of South Uist would allow the inhabitants a few deer for the freezer and maybe some salmon and trout from the lochs too. After all i believe that Norway allows its inhabitants some rights. I really will need to find out so that i can leave space in the freezer after i finish the sausages i bought in the Coop on special offer a few months ago.

I did find the novel Animal Farm insightful. It should be prescribed reading for budding politicians.

Took this picture last week. It reminded me of days spent doing the peat. The sun always shone, you sat on the back of the tractor bouncing along the moran or peat bogs to get to your bog. You had a picnic after a few hours and lay back on the grass for a rest. Hoping that not too many ticks were on your thon.
Of course the cutting was done by a gang of men. They had a cooked breakfast, packed lunch with flasks of tea, then dinner with whisky after and money too. They used a treasgair for cutting the peat and the nice row of peats at the top of the bog was called the garaidh. The treasgair isn't used much nowadays as most have converted to oil and the peat cutting tractor has replaced it.
Then they left. I always wondered about that. I always thought there was more work in lifting them to dry them and taking them home. i think the peat cutting gangs got the easy part of the job. Saying that i enjoyed the nights after school going to the peats and then helping do the peat stack. This part is when you get peat in your eye. The peat stack is an art form as people have varying styles.
Then at the end of it you had a supply of fuel to last till you did the peats next year.
I'm sitting in a centrally heated house but would love to have a real fire and tartan legs.

Here are the artistically painted rocks in South Uist i've been been telling you about. I think they should be part of the tourist trail. The serious local art trail. I really like them - the painter/artist worked as a painter (of houses, shops etc) locally for many years. He had an interesting past having been bombed 4 times.

There could be an alternative 'Spot the Tourist Trail' such as the camper van rubbish bags left by the side of the road (modern art) and trails of toilet roll left in the hills by birdwatchers (crap art). Apoligies if that word is not allowed.

The island is beginning to fill up already, I used to be excited to see them as it meant there were different cars on the road. Here you get to know everyones car and its so thrilling when you see a different one but by the end of summer you get very blase about it - "Oh yes thats a Fordsun Major fuel injection model" - saw two of them this summer, they're all the rage in Fort William".

Still on the look out for a decent car, its difficult to keep pumping up the tyres on my present model. But in the meantime i'm on the lookout for a tractor to take me to the Coop, i'm running low on potatoes and crunchies. Took a drive to the local tractor dealer and he suggested this model

What do you think?

So here is the lampost. Took ages to work out how to reduce picture to size, the scissors were no good but the wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze.

Have been looking for a new car as my old one has fallen apart a bit as you can see from the picture. I tried to get into it yesterday to go to church and the door fell off.

Anyway better head off to bed. Will try and get Father Roddys artistically painted rocks soon. The forecast isnt to good with rain due and its a new moon tomorrow so visibility will be poor.

With all the important stuff about the results of the elections and Storas Uibhist i thought i would bring to your attention a lamppost which is in a highly dangerous place.
The roads department - if there is such a thing in Uist - consist of two men who gloomily drive a yellow pickup with tar in the back. I dont think they are responsible for such a reprehensible positioning of said lamp post.

It has been concreted on the opposite side of the road to poor deceased Father Roddys house. He painted the rocks on his croft in an artistic manner and used to write poetry. This is a dangerous corner and many people have ended up in the ditch right from the days of the horse and cart to the days of lorries loaded with lobster. Most have emerged unscathed but won't in the future as the lampost is now in their path.

It is well over 500 yards from the other lamposts newly positioned in Lochboisdale. What had it done to be so isolated and placed in solitary confinement away from the warmth and comfort of the other lamposts??