The sound of silence

A strange thing happened today and nobody knew. We have had fog for a couple of days, the fog horn had been our constant backing sound track, and I was quite worried that I might not actually be able to see the island before we leave on Friday. The view from our kitchen door was often restricted to just the front yard.

Out to sea a boat had appeared just off Pen Cristin and we heard on the grapevine that it was a Trinity House lighthouse ship, probably delivering water and fuel to the lighthouse. Then mid morning today both the lighthouse and the ship blew their foghorns in rotation, then both fell in to an eerie silence in the white out conditions.

It was only later that someone, surfing the net, discovered that the Bardsey Light foghorn had been decommissioned permanently. Modern shipping, apparently, no longer needs a foghorn signal. Well, maybe ships don’t, but what about the rest of us?

Mel Stacey has penned a poem to mark the passing.

Elaine

Sound Silenced

A notice came through in April

And I received it two days late, too late.

The sound once intermittent, then persistent

Had been silenced.

No reason given, no consultation, or explanation.

Merely stark information.

No further notice will be given.

By Order

That evening, when news reached me,

I had strained my eyes

Through milky sea-merged Ceredigion skies

For a one-fifth flicker of the beam.

And in searching for the light

No sound came;

And now to mourn

Not being there for its passing.

On south end, west side, beyond the stack and horn

We dodged the thistles and thrust

The spectral birds out into evening’s veil.

As fog drenched down a cabin-fever day,

What option, but time trial races,

Around the tower and cottage compound

To beat the horn?

Has what we say and how we say it

No meaning anymore?

Must spoken word and soft inflexion give way?

Must we alone rely on looking, seeing, but not hearing?

You cannot tell by sight alone

So close your eyes and listen, listen, listen.

To

Chiffchaff and Blackbird’s announcing song

And solitary Redshank pipe.

As east wind brings the rumbling trundles

From Great Western trains

Holiday children clamour for steam and whistle cries.

And under night’s thick felted blanket mist

Tucked in around the cliffs

Through island sleeping

The foghorn cores its note and rhythm

Deep into my soul.

Mel Stacey

22^nd May 2010

On the silencing of the Bardsey Fog Horn 19^th May 2010.

Shiants Auk Ringing Group logo clothing

This is not another opportunity to have an excuse to get yours truly on the blog, but an attempt to save on upload time here on the island. If you’re not a member of the Shiants Auk Ringing Group, then you need read no further. If you are, then please carry on . . . .

We now have a great new Razorbill logo for SARG, designed by ringing friend Pete Leonard that can be added to clothing & other items stocked by Design Plus Ltd. You can either order direct from them by following the directions on their website: http://www.designplus.co.uk/ or for those going to the Shiants this year and/or living in Notts, I can put together a single order and bring it to the Shiants for you. This will save a fair bit on postage, which I can then apportion across the order. If you want to take up this latter option, then you must have your order with me no later than Sunday, 23 May; we can settle up when you get the gear.

As an example order, for the gear, I’m wearing in the picture above; I’d need the following information for whatever you desire:

· Polo shirt - Black XL K405 £10.95

· Baseball Cap - Sunflower BB15 £4.45

NB VAT & postage will be added to this. Logo comes in just the one colour scheme.

Cheers

Jim

Closure in the withies

Plas Withy - regrowth

Plas Withy - freshly coppiced

Cristin Withy - regrowth

Cristin Withy - freshly coppiced

Cristin centre ride - before

Cristin centre ride - during boardwalk building

Cristin centre ride - boardwalk completed (view from opposite direction)

I mentioned down the blog, that there were still the lowland withies (Plas, Cristin & Ty Pellaf) to coppice and boardwalks to fix up there. When I first offered to do this, I was probably naive about what I was taking on. Since February, I have spent more than a hundred hours coppicing, removing a lot of the resultant brash and derelict boardwalks. Then there was repairing and replacing the boardwalks in the mist net rides, this included reusing 150 posts from earlier defencing work, laying about 60 metres of boardwalk, scouring the island for bits of wood to use, adding chicken wire to potential slippy areas, and hammering in 12 kg of nails & staples – I think I may have RSI from this☺. Next was the shredding of about half the willow prunings which produced 35 sacks of chippings, which are now being used as mulch on the soft fruit in the island’s gardens.

This would have been much harder, but for all the fetching & carrying by Steve & Ben Porter with the quad & trailer. Also, things speeded up towards the end with great help from Dai & Gwyn Stacey, and Richard Else on the chipping.

Along the way I ripped my wellies and waders (puncture outfits are not just for push bikes), got more cuts and bruises than I care to remember and soggy socks most days. However, I’ll also remember coppicing in the sun & snow, watching warblers flitting about within feet of me and hearing their bills click as they took insects on the wing, and being able to put up mist nets safely and in places where they’d not been for several years.

Jim

Spring flowers

Marsh Marigold and Bluebells in Plas Withy

The 'Cristin' apple

Lady's Smock

We’ve not spent much time on the island in springtime before, so it’s great watching the latish spring unfold here. The gorses have been blooming all the time; no wonder they say “lovers can kiss when gorse is in flower”. Every couple of days we see another plant come in to flower, both in the gardens and in the fields. The yellows of Celandine, Marsh Marigold and Dandelion; the blues of Viola, Squill and Bluebell; and the pinks of the fruit trees, Lady’s Smock & Thrift.

Jim

Knit one, Make one

My winter pastime, knitting, has actually led to slightly more than the title might lead you to believe. So far I have enjoyed making the following; three jumpers, two hats, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of bootees, seven pairs of socks, four dishcloths and eleven Manxie chicks! You will have to visit the BBFO shop to see the latter!

My daughter has kept me very well supplied with gorgeous wool for all these projects; at times my wool bag has looked like a colourful collection of jewels – thanks Jen. And a friend sent me a fun poster based on the wartime exultation… Keep Calm – Carry Yarn … which has continually raised my spirits and a smile – thank you Isabel.

Elaine