Great waves of dark clouds rolled across the sky, bringing fast, fierce showers of snow and hail, and the sea tossed angrily against the rocks in the wind. Algy’s feathers were limp and sodden, but he could see no way to get dry in such conditions; he reflected that he must be mad to be perching out there on the cold, wet rocks when he could be tucked up warmly in a sheltered nest. As he watched the sea spray fighting the wind he thought of some verses by one of his favourite poets:

          Bolt and bar the shutter,
          For the foul winds blow:
          Our minds are at their best this night,
          And I seem to know
          That everything outside us is
          Mad as the mist and snow.

          Horace there by Homer stands,
          Plato stands below,
          And here is Tully’s open page.
          How many years ago
          Were you and I unlettered lads
          Mad as the mist and snow?

          You ask what makes me sigh, old friend,
          What makes me shudder so?
          I shudder and I sigh to think
          That even Cicero
          And many-minded Homer were
          Mad as the mist and snow.

Algy dedicates this post especially to his kind friend qbnscholar and to all those of his friends who are as mad as the mist and snow, and for whom many years have passed since they were “unlettered lads”… xoxoxo

[ Algy is quoting the poem Mad as the Mist and Snow by the late 19th/early 20th century Irish poet William Butler Yeats. ]

The West Highlands was experiencing a wee bit of inclement weather… but nevertheless, Algy decided that he would like to watch the waves rolling in up the Sound and crashing against the rocks, so he flew down to the shore and positioned himself in what he thought was a relatively sheltered spot. In the event, however, he found that it was not quite as sheltered as he had hoped, and the hail and snow showers swept in at great speed and with very little warning…

Algy thanks you all very much for your good wishes and kind comments during this stormy period, and would like to assure you that fluffy birds may occasionally get cold and drenched (!), but they can never come to any real harm :))

Stay safe and have a cosy, warm weekend, everyone xoxoxoxo

More Storms…

Very high winds with hurricane force gusts hit the north of Scotland last night and most homes across northern Scotland and the islands are without power. Algy is connecting to Tumblr very briefly just now – using an emergency power pack which was a rather unusual Christmas present from a friend leaving this storm-tossed land (!) – to apologise for the interruption to his adventues… yet again!

He will be back as soon as possible.

In the meantime, he sends lots of fluffy hugs to you all, and above all to his friends in France, especially the Paris area – Algy is thinking of you xoxoxoxo

It had been an exceedingly stormy week, owing to a phenomenon which humans were calling a weather bomb, and Algy was feeling utterly fed up. He didn’t like bombs of any kind, and this one was no exception. As he watched the angry sea surging and crashing around him in one lightning flash after another, he thought of all the Tumblr friends whose company he was sadly missing :-{{

For many days now Algy’s assistant had had no internet or phone connection in her remote home, and much of the time no electricity either. A phenomenal number of lightning strikes had blasted the West Highlands and many other parts of Scotland, causing widespread network damage on top of the disruption resulting from storm force winds and wintry weather. From time to time she was able to make brief visits to a cold, empty house which for some mysterious reason still had a working broadband connection, but there was no way that Algy could manage to keep up with all his friends until conditions improved significantly. So he huddled down on the dismal, windswept rocks, waiting for the next battering shower of hail and sleet, and wished that it would all calm down and things would return to normal…

Algy is thinking of you all, and hopes very mch that you are enjoying better conditions than he is xoxo

p.s. Algy’s Christmas market is not affected by the storms as it is situated in the virtual world… so if you are looking for unique last-minute Christmas gifts, please be sure to visit Algy’s crowdfunding campaign page at Sponsume. Purchases made over the weekend will be despatched at the beginning of next week by 1st class post (UK) or airmail (overseas).

The gales raged on, and darkness fell on the night of Halloween. As Algy gazed out at the waves dashing endlessly on the rocks, he was uncertain whether or not to believe his eyes…

Happy Halloween everyone :-))

A great wind had swept across the land in the night, howling around the mountain tops and sweeping over the moorland and peat bogs like a mighty broom, collecting up all kinds of bits and pieces, and tossing them here, there, and everywhere… And when Algy awoke the next morning, he found that he was no longer tucked up safely at home, but had been transported somewhere over the rainbow!

Poor Algy! Just as he was beginning to recover from one storm, another gale came sweeping in across the ocean. The sea birds riding on the crest of the wind told Algy that the gusts were reaching over 100 mph in places. Algy was not pleased… He quickly retreated to the nearest shelter he could find, and took cover in one of the many hollows in the sand dunes at the back of the beach. It was evidently going to be a wild night …

To all his friends in north-western Europe this evening, Algy says please take great care in this wild weather, and stay safe! There have already been several fatal accidents in this storm, and the North Sea coasts are expecting the worst tidal surge for 60 years or more.

The sea was providing Algy with an exciting rollercoaster ride – perhaps just a wee bit too exciting. But he was managing to avoid the rocks, and he could see that the storm was subsiding and the sky was beginning to clear. Ever the optimist, Algy felt confident that things would be sure to improve very soon …

Algy’s feathers were drenched and heavy with salt; he knew that it would be quite impossible for him to fly. So with a big effort he pulled himself out of the water, and on to the top of the rocking lobster pot float. The rocks were perilously close and he couldn’t risk being swept against them, so he started to paddle vigorously with his wings. Algy is a bird not easily daunted, so to keep his spirts up and block out the sound of the dangerous surf, he started to sing his favourite sea shanty, Hieland Laddie, at the top of his voice:

          Was you ever in Quebec?
          Bonny laddie, Hieland laddie,
          Stowing timber on the deck,
          Bonny Hieland laddie.
          Hey ho, and away we go,
          Bonny laddie, Hieland laddie,
          Hey ho, and away we go,
          Bonny Hieland laddie.

[Algy suggests you listen to this fine version by Matthew Vaughan. The song starts about one minute in, with an introduction by Matthew first.]

Algy tried to escape the massive wave, but it was too fast for him. It swept him high up into the air, and down again into the middle of the stormy sea. Luckily for Algy, a lobster pot float had broken loose in the gale, and was bobbing about on the waves just in front of him. He quickly grabbed hold of its broken cable with his beak, and held on as tightly as he could …