It's been mental here on Harris since I've returned. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. If it weren't for the ticks I'd been wearing shorts and t-shirts all the time in the field. Made that mistake early in the week and found 3 little ones crawling on my leg. No worries, they're too small to bite as it's early in the season.

We had two ceilidhs this weekend, featuring some members of the PeatBog Faeries. Friday was a little weak, too many wee ones about, but last night was solid. I had to re-neg on a promise to Emmelda (hiker here for the weekend) about climing Askival today, but it feels like something is trying to hatch out of my head.

Everyone here is gearing up for the festival, albeit at varying rates. Must be hard when the islands population spikes from 25 to 600+, but Sandy seems to have everything under control. Fliss and I decided to hold a joint birthday bash at the end of the month as our respective dates are only one day apart. May is shaping up to be a killer month.

Work related: Annie and I have moved on to another goat heft which is a little farther along the south coast. It's a lot more walking but much more entertaining, as each new goat heft has really distinct colourings. We've named the GnP goats after world cities, and the Wreck Bay ones after objects in the solar system (my favourite is Ceres, a really fluffy, white yearling). Also, after 4 months of living together, Annie and I had our first 'falling out' on Friday. It's a long story and boils down to miscommunication, but everything is all good if not better now. Suppose it had to happen sometime. And no... it wasn't all my fault.

Got two packages in the mail this week... one with a very smart Canadian flag and the other containing a bounty of Easter candy (thanks Mum and Dad ;). Kim gets quite a kick out of our faces everytime post arrives for us, but after a long week at Harris any contact with home is just about the best thing around.

Ah yes... how could I forget. The drumkit is here. Had a good whack at it Friday night, jamming some tunes with various community members, and incidently (this is for Paul), one of the best pipers in Scotland (he was playing the whistle at the time). It's not a stellar drum setup but I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth. I gave Annie a few lessons down at Harris on basic stick control so maybe we'll move up to the real deal this weekend.

Hope everything is going well for those back home. Exams are finished, stress levels should be dropping, work commencing... the cycle continues.

train was late

Got into Waverly Station on Monday just in time to see my train bound for Glasgow pulling away. With a little convincing I had the good people at ScotRail validate my ticket for today. This left me with a few more days of good eating, CD burning, movie watching and Xbox playin'.

I been surfing the net for several hours each day now, and I've come to the conclusion that I could happily spend the rest of my life reading Wikipedia. My focus has been primarily political, with special interest paid to the ongoing crisis in Iraq and some alarming new details regarding US involvement in Iran. If you're interested, check out this article in the New Yorker by respected journalist Seymour Hersh or go here for a nice review of US-Iran relations.

I'm sure everyone is almost sick of hearing about the alleged Iranian nuclear missile program, but what I didn't know was that Iran, to date, has not violated any of the guidelines set down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran has also allowed more rigorous inspections of it's facilities than is mandated by the IAEA. Surely every nation should have the right to develop alternative energy sources, and if the USA and it's Western Allies are really concerned about unfriendly (ie. not pro-western) states with the bomb, why not take action against Pakistan, which has already admitted to selling plans and materials to other 'less than credible' nations? Do a search for 'Khan-for Iran' and read some of the articles that pop up (Khan being Pakistan's go-between for the deals, now under house arrest).

I'm looking forward to being back on Rum - less stress for me.

Why do I bother thinking/worrying about this stuff? It may not effect my immediate situation (goats don't care about Christian Fundamentalists, Islamic Extremists or Peak Oil) but it certainly will when I emerge from my academic bubble. Already it's been made difficult for people of Western origin to travel through some of the most beautiful and historic places on Earth. I can see it eroding civil liberties - there are no rubbish bins in any public transport system in the UK and Washington DC was awash in security personel, making travel to these areas less enjoyable. I don't want this for my generation, and least of all for my childrens... so I sit on Rum and read, arming myself with knowledge and encourage others to do the same.

in Edinburgh for the day

For any of those who have never been, it's an absolutely beautiful city. Took a wee stroll along Princes St and through the park gardens, then headed to the Canadian Consulate office to inquire about a new passport. I'm still not 100% sure of who I was talking to as the Office was inside a law firm or something, but she handed me some official Canadian documents and walked me through the process (even recommending some places to get photos taken). Since no one knows me in Scotland, I had to get some random partner of the firm to sign my documents ensuring the good people at Passport Canada that I am indeed Ian Fraser MacDonald. Watching him read over the form made me wonder why I even considered Law School.
Met a cute woman (Sophie) working the front desk who is going to Indonesia for 5 months to study orangutans in the jungle. We chatted a bit about the trials and tribulations of field research and our respective Masters programs, and I left feeling a little jealous... I'd rather watch primates than goats.

My electronic devices have dried out, and only the camera batteries seem to be buggered. They can't hold a charge anymore. Could be worse :)

added more photos

a few more on the page linked in the previous post...

a wee inconvenience

Water... our relative position in the solar system allows for it to exist in three states of matter. The liquid form can alter landscapes, sustain life, put out fires, be shot from water guns, and is generally considered the best thing before and after sliced bread.

But there is a darker side to this miraculous substance. Here's a list of items that don't get along well with Mr. H2O:

• March issues of Scientific American
• A book on Consciousness that was actually coherent
• Wallets (and a random ten Euro note)
• Journals
• Canadian passports
• Mobile phones
• Digital cameras and batteries
  

Several of those items may survive brief exposure, but trust me, none of them particularly enjoy being completely submerged in a river for two hours... pinned under an upside down quad bike.

Million dollar question: 'How did that happen?'
Short answer: 'female drivers' (Annie's ok, she wasn't on the bike when it happened)... lol
Long answer: not entirely sure, didn't witness the event, but apparently the bike got stuck going up a steep incline near the river bank (where we turn the quad around), and when Annie got off the parking brake wasn't properly engaged and the bike literally fell into the river. Upside down. With our bags under it. Awesome :)

That unpleasantness aside, I'm happy to report that my 15 hr public transport journey (boat, bus and train) has come to an end. I am safe, warm and DRY in Musselburgh for the next week, tasting the delights of civilization. Hopefully everything will get sorted out this week.

Oh yes... go here for some photos... memory cards are suprisingly water resistant :)

odds and ends

Next weekend will feature a barrage of photos for those people back home wondering what the hell the Isle of Rum and it's varied inhabitants look like.

For all you with musical tastes leaning towards the heavier, prog rock genre... I am officially going to see TOOL in Glasgow on June 11th. Held my ticket last night. Jeff and Reza... I'll send you a picture.

I'm sticking around in the village tonight for another cooking lesson with Norman (veg curry, mushroom soup) and another episode of what is quite possibly the greatest thing to ever be broadcast on TV - BBC's Planet Earth. The latest episode is all about deserts.

thinking ahead

Been thinking about the next few months and how to fill them. I'm headed to Edinburgh for a week next Saturday, then back to Rum. We'll kill a few weeks walking back and forth to Wreck Bay (2hrs away) each day studying a new heft group. May 12-14 brings the madness of the Sound of Rum Music Festival and then a few weeks recovery time until my birthday and yet another 2 weeks in Edinburgh, Stirling and Fort William with my parents (looking forward to it). Mid June it's back on Rum for more goat action.

July/August is when it starts to get a little 'iffy'.

I would like to stay on Rum for the summer as there are several key events in the area (The Small Isles Games for example), but I'd also like to hit the European continent for several weeks since it's so close. Once my Masters starts, I'm not sure I'll have the time (I certainly won't have the money) to travel much. Either or requires a significant increase in personal income... despite my posh living conditions, goat research doesn't pay well. So, do I find a job on Rum (very limited - basically fishing of some description)? Or do I head to Edinburgh and seek employment there?

Maybe I'll purchase a lotto ticket next week...