The Green Isle of the Great Deep

And who do you support?, originally uploaded by ccgd.

From a recent trip to the Barrows, Glasgow.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

A rig in the afternoon light, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Looking across the Cromarty Firth towards Dingwall, from Rosskeen Church.

Not coloured BTW - just lots of contrast - giving a pleasing effect.

One of those shots that you think will never work when you take it, and the RAW image looked washed out and insoid. But that's what image sorting software is there for.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

The MV Bertora, originally uploaded by ccgd.

A very orange crude oil shuttle tanker.

And it would seem to many people in the east of Scotland, its a floating time bomb. And ship to ship oil transfer is a major threat to life as we know it in the Firth's of Forth and Tayside.

As far as I’m aware, ship to ship oil transfer is a day to day occurrence at lots of places all around the world; indeed most large ports do this on a regular basis.

Where I live on the Cromarty Firth this is a weekly occurrence. Tankers full of oil arrive, empty ones are waiting, they hook up, oil is transferred, they both head of for new jobs.

And its not just the Cromarty Firth – Scapa Flow in Orkney is a global centre for this activity, and makes lot of money from it for the island group, and Sullom Voe in Shetland is also a place where tankers load oil on a daily basis. West coast ports are pretty active in this field as well.

And all these locations have been doing this for 30 years or more.

So I’m confused as to what people are fretting about here.

Is this type of activity dangerous? Not that I’m aware of – it seems to be pretty well regulated, and there has not been a serious oil spill in Scottish waters associated with port movements since the Esso Bernicia in Shetland in 1978. Lots of lessons were learned , and have been applied in European waters since then. Any oil spill would be pretty serious, but what confuses me is the why people think that the Firth of Forth is different from other parts of Scotland where this activity takes place on a weekly basis.

It cannot be that the Firth of Forth is more important in environmental designations, wildlife interests and landscape features than places to the North and West.

No – of course not – the FoF is certainly locally important in the East of Scotland, with a few Internationally recognised sites, but the Cromarty Firth, Scapa Flow, and Sullom Voe have a shed load more SSSI’s, NNR’s and European designations to their name.

So – if ship to ship transfer of oil is so dangerous, and so threatening to local wildlife, why are the citizens of Edinburgh and Fife not up in arms to stop this terrible activity in ports outwith the East of Scotland.

Just curious………

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

Circuits and Bumps, originally uploaded by ccgd.

An RAF Nimrod MR2 in the circuit at Kinloss. 1950's airframe and engines. Noisy and smokey. And not to be seen anymore, as they were retired from service yesterday.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

The boys, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Taken a few years ago during a power cut. The colour version is popular, but I thought I'd try a B&W.

Power cuts were certainly not a feature of the winter that is now coming to an end. Cold, clear and still, for what seemed weeks and weeks. OK we did have the occasional strong Easterly, (one in fact blew off my newly installed downdraft cowl on the parlour chimney), but now that we are in late March the weather has now reverted to a more familiar patter. Wet westerly winds, low clouds and rain.

And the snow is disappearing from the hills as you watch.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

Haymarket chimney, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Not the Edinburgh one, but the London one.

From the fifth floor of an office building opposite.

Just a great expanse of yellow brick, and I wonder how those chimneys would draw in a gusty westerly wind.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments

Off to Africa, originally uploaded by ccgd.

The Tugs "Kingdom of Fife" and "Bourbon Orca" fuss around the Semi-Sub Transocean Rather as she mobilises for a contract in Angola.

Most of the town has spent the past fortnight bemused at the comings and goings of these anchor handlers as they steam up and down from Invergordon, or spend hours doing not very much drifting around the entrance to the Sutors.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Crane No 7 - River Clyde Glasgow, originally uploaded by ccgd.

A few of us used to climb to the top of this monster when students, a long time ago. A couple of tins of beer and a June evening made the climb very worthwhile.

Not allowed now...........

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments