http://www.islayblog.com/ IslayBlog.com, a blog about the Isle of Islay, an island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Links, news and pictures from Islay. en-gb Copyright 2012, Armin Grewe armin@islayblog.com (Armin Grewe) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:20:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/images/islayrss.gif http://www.islayblog.com/ 140 70 http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120204-giants-crossing-islay.shtml The things people do for a challenge and for charity... Last weekend I spotted a few reports about someone planning to paddle a surfboard across the North Channel from Ireland to Islay. As it was a Sunday which of course is booked for the Islay blogging roundup I didn't follow it up further, also Ron posted a quick entry, Paddling from Ireland to Islay. Since then I've done a bit more research and found more interesting links: [Read more about Alastair Mennie's plan to paddle a surfboard across the North Channel and watch a video of him in action in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:20:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120204-giants-crossing-islay.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120203-friday227.shtml Sorry to be rather late again with this week's Friday Islay picture, but Tom Robinson kind of sidetracked me earlier this evening with a just fantastic Now Playing @ 6 Music show this evening, featuring a Kraftwerk theme. He even played the amazing full 22 minutes version of Autobahn live on BBC 6music, reacting to listener feedback on social media. It's kind of strange to now switch over from electronic music and Autobahnen (motorways) to the raw nature and natural beauty of Saligo Bay on Islay: [View the picture of Saligo Bay in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:58:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120203-friday227.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120202-colonsay-book-festival.shtml After the music and the film over the first three day of this week I thought I should move on to another medium today: To books. Many people will be familiar with the well established excellent Islay Book Festival. Now Islay's neighbour Colonsay is going to have one as well: [Read more about Colonsay's first book festival in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:38:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120202-colonsay-book-festival.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120201-islay-high-nominated-best-film.shtml No, not for an Oscar. But for the Gaelic equivalent, the FilmG awards. You might have seen the recent entries Vote for the FilmG 2012 entry from Islay High School! and Reminder, Please Vote for Islay High at FilmG!. While I don't think there are any news about the popular vote awards yet the nominations for the various awards have been made public. Islay High Schools entry is one of the nominees for best film in the 12-17 category: [Read more about the Islay High School entry being shortlisted for the FilmG Best Film Award in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:05:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120201-islay-high-nominated-best-film.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120131-accordion-appeal-update.shtml After yesterday's reminder to vote for Islay High School at FilmG it's time to revisit another recent entry for an update, the Accordions for Islay Children Appeal. While I've tried to keep you updated in the comments of the post I thought it would be nice to revisit in more details what has happened since. To start with a tweet from Christine: [Read more about where the accordions come from (incl Mersea Island in England) and listen to some accordion music (not from Islay just yet I'm afraid) in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:38:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120131-accordion-appeal-update.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120130-reminder-islay-high-filmg.shtml With only just over 27 hours to go until the voting closes when I'm writing this I thought this would be a good time for a reminder to support Islay High School: At least some of you will hopefully remember the Vote for the FilmG 2012 entry from Islay High School! entry I wrote two weeks ago, many of you will have voted already. As a reminder, here's the film by Islay High School again for you to watch: [Watch the film and find instructions on how to vote for it in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:09:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120130-reminder-islay-high-filmg.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120129-roundup198.shtml Well, that was a mostly cloudy and dull weekend in Aldermaston Wharf from where I'm writing this, after the rather nice Winter sunrise in Aldermaston Wharf on Friday morning. Had a good play with my new toy yesterday, unfortunately something went wrong with the export of the timelapse video I had created so I haven't got anything to show yet (not the cameras fault). I think I'll have lots of fun with it, here and hopefully in particular on Islay. But before I get there I'll have to write a few more Islay blogging roundups, including what the blogs had to say about Islay and Jura this week: [Read more about Islay and Jura in the blogs in the last full week of January 2012 in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:44:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120129-roundup198.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120128-bruichladdich-laddietv.shtml Kind of a follow up to yesterday's Friday Islay Picture #226 - Filling a Bruichladdich Valinch entry. In it I mentioned I was going to take another look at the laddietv YouTube channel I came across yesterday. As a Saturday evening is a good time to enjoy a wee dram of Islay single malt I decided to pour myself a PC 9 and have another look. Starting with one of the most important releases for Bruichladdich, the first fully self distilled 10yo since the reopening: [Watch a few videos from the LaddieTV YouTube channel and read about my first impressions of it in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:04:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120128-bruichladdich-laddietv.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120127-friday226.shtml So there we are, the last Friday Islay picture. No, not for ever, just for January 2012. Because next Friday will be in February already. Earlier this evening I came across the laddietv YouTube channel of Bruichladdich (more about that some other time, as it's called Friday Islay picture, not Friday Islay video), so I decided to pick a Bruichladdich related picture: [View the picture of me filling a Bruichladdich Valinch bottle and read more about what I've been drinking tonight in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:30:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120127-friday226.shtml Armin Grewe http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120126-islay-kite-aerial-pictures-revisited.shtml When I wrote about the pictures of Oronsay last week I also mentioned the Islay Kite Aerial Pictures entry from 2008, as the aerial picture of Oronsay Garden was from someone I had mentioned before. As I very much like James' pictures I thought this would be a good opportunity to revisit his Islay pictures: [Read more about James' Islay pictures taken from a kite and find the links to them in the full entry, then leave your comments and thoughts] Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:31:00 GMT http://www.islayblog.com/2012entries/20120126-islay-kite-aerial-pictures-revisited.shtml Armin Grewe