I Love Volcanos

Having our beautiful Skye skies free from contrails is wonderful. I can't help thinking how much we would gain from a much reduced air travel industry. I can live without beans from Kenya (although perhaps the Kenyans need the trade, hmm), I don't wish to go to Thailand or Mexico, if I want to go to Europe I can go on a boat.

I'm sure I'm not alone.

Rubbish - on Various Levels

Don't get me wrong, the holiday makers are great. They bring in cash & create employment. I know, you can here a 'but' coming here can't you? Yes, there is a but...why is it that at Easter, just when the tourists start to fill up the roads there is a huge rise in the amount of discarded pop bottles, coffee cups and food wrappers on the sides of our roads?

Why would you come on holiday to a spectacular and beautiful place and then dump your rubbish out of the car window? I know it can't be locals because we just don't see the rubbish during the winter. OK there is a little bit, but it's very sparse. I just can't understand the mental process that must happen. I keep asking myself, is it me? Does no one else see it? But I know that cannot be true.

So, message for today, if you just happen to be reading this (though I doubt you will be) and are considering throwing your plastic bottle out of your car window as you drive round Skye - then please don't. And if there is a bald, beardy bloke in a big green pick up behind you - just don't! I'm watching, waiting.

My other rubbish gripe. Sea-bourne rubbish. The amounts of rubbish which wash ashore at Camasunarie are staggering. I hate to point fingers but most of it clearly comes from fishing boats. Yes, I know stuff gets washed off the deck, I know gear gets lost but not that much surely? Oh, and milk cartons - holy cow...how do so many milk cartons get into the sea?

Just some of the enormous pile of junk recently gathered from Camasunarie. It's heart breaking. But the good news is that now, as you come over the hill, the hillside and beach are far less littered. Let's try and keep it that way.

So, message number two. If you are at sea or near the sea, please don't chuck stuff in, make sure gear is secure and retrieve anything you happen across. The planet will be very relieved!

Rant over, thanks for reading.

Elf and Safety!

A salutory lesson in making sure your PPE is up to standard. I've been working with a rusty old chainsaw helmet visor for a while now. It's battered and slightly holey but what the heck. Yesterday, while snedding a larch I'd just felled a splinter flew off, straight through the visor and got stuck under my eye lid. Cripes I said, that jolly hurts.

After a number of abortive attempts to clean my eye I took myslef off to casualty. The larger bit had come away by the time I was seen but they washed the debris out and found that it had left an ulcer on my eye. So now I've got a patch for two days and some antibiotics.

So, lesson learned - don't take chances with your gear!

Mind you, I now have unlimited opportunities to do pirate impressions.

The Almost Conquering Heroes!

Well done the Elgol Primary quiz team. After a stiff competition with some real stinky questions our four valliant warriors have made it through to the next round! Portree A cam out as clear winners but there was a tie for second place. The tension during the sudden death tie break between Elgol and Staffin was amazing, parents all now on Beta Blockers.

So, we're all off to Dingwall soon and in the mean time, there will be no frivoloity, just reading reference books between now and then.

New Head Teacher Needed!

As the deadline for applications draws near I thought I'd give a little reminder about our need for a new head teacher. Here's the link:

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/employment/jobvacancies/mw-10-152-p.htm

And here's another view from the school:

And once again!

Well, here we are at Saturday and it's seems like we've had a penny a litre on fuel every day this week. Today it's 122.9.

I'm going to get a pony.

Yet again....

Another day, another price rise. Diesel today is 121.9.

Thank heavens for Nissan who have announced hat they are to start production of an electric car in the UK.