ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Saturday 3 January 2015

NA H-EILEANAN TARSAINN. (03/01/15)

This is a very presumptive title as despite having had over two years in Scotland I still cannot speak Gaelic. I have a Teach Yourself course which I delve into from time to time. Over the festive season I often stopped for a chat around about day break with a couple of Gaelic speakers. One morning I said to Ally McGruer. “What the hell did you say?” The Highlanders are very soft spoken folk so I assumed he was mumbling as usual. No. He had forgotten I wasn’t a Gaelic speaker or mumbler, jumbler or fumbler. He was apologetic. He switched back to his version of English and wrote the title of this blog……….It is Gaelic for The Small Isles. I hope it is and I’ve not written something rude; I’ll give him a slap if I have. Ally collects my Daily Telegraph for me whilst I’m parked in Foyers. I have started to say thank you in Gaelic. Just in case you are interested I say “TAFFULEEEV”. Seems to work fine but I can’t find it in my book. I’ve just heard Gaelic speakers say it so it could mean anything.

The run from Foyers to Fort Augustus was a bit slip slidey but after that it was a lovely run down the Great Glen to Fort William. After a quick provision and bunker with very expensive diesel I hit the road to the Isles. It’s the A830 but is far from an ‘A’ road as the English would recognise an ‘A’ road. It does the job and just after Arisaig I ventured onto the B8008 or whatever it is and found somewhere to park the van. Spot on this is for a winter stop. Julie the owner lets me stay for £12.00p a night.  She isn’t Scottish but is drop dead gorgeous and is from Billingham. The power house of all wealth were places like Billingham, Rotherham…well maybe that is stretching things…..Silkstone Coking Plant…..Thatcher decided bankers were the future. Look at the mess they have got us in.  What future have we got with bankers? Banking takes folk with about the same qualifications as teachers, nurses, policemen and yet we have a head of state that is barely literate it is a terrible world.

I’ll have a bit of a rant. Scotland produces most of the UK’s oil but the twats in the south of the UK can buy it at ten percent cheaper than the Scottish can. England produces lots of gas but it isn’t piped up to Scotland. Am I missing something? No doubt I am but I much prefer living up here. Just a gnats eyebrow under £130.00p a litre It cost me for Esso posh diesel. Cheap diesel is 10p cheaper but the truck won’t romp up hills on it nor will it return 27mpg. Most petrol is much the same unless one drives a Ferrari. If I bought a Ferrari in Scotland I would get fuel delivered in drums from France. The French know how to to mix fuel.

I guess by now you are fed up. Here are a couple of snaps from the beach overlooking the Isles.

_V0G7667     Two of the Small Isles. Eigg to the left and Rum to the right. Canna lies behind Rum to the right Muck is to the left also out of shot. I think these are big islands. Not to worry they are islands._V0G7666     My view looking over the peninsular towards the Cullins of Skye. It’s not good and after yesterday I am getting right royally fed up. I spend hours tweaking curves, sharpening, boosting mid tones. I even pop a three click matt on. Then Clumpy, Blogger Googley decides to piss about with what I’ve done. I know it’s free but to be honest I’d rather pay than look at it much longer. Never give up is my motto but when it isn’t working then I am quite prepared to say stuff you Google.

I’ll try a couple more months but it is hard work perhaps it’s not for me. I made a complete bollocks of working a video camera the Produceress said brilliant……I had learnt that there are push /pull stops on posh cameras. Purely mechanical. I wasn’t happy.

35 comments:

  1. It is claimed that learning a new language when you're a senior ( sorry Adrian) is one of the best things you can do. Go for it. You will learn all kinds of awesome new cuss words! Not knowing what a pound is or gallons, I'm not sure if you're getting a bargain or being ripped off. Enjoy the new place.

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  2. I'll agree. You should whilst teaching English have had the knowledge of French. Bad teachers breed terrible pupils.

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  3. I think this is "you are welcome"
    thank you would be "guh rev mah ah-gut" (spoken like this)
    I was curious and checked on the Internet
    Have a good time and keep warm! :-)

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    1. Yael, it is an impossible language for me. They speak so quietly and keep switching languages.

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    2. Adrian I would say that Yael's version is one I have never heard in 40 years living in Galedom. The most common are tapadh leat! or apadh leibh! or móran taing! However Gaelic is pronounced differently and often used differently from place to place (even from one area of Lewis to another). Móran taing! - many thanks - is probably more casual that the first two which are simply the informal and formal addresses of thank you.

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    3. Graham, I will be going back to Foyers so will try and sort it out. Ally and Donald are hard to understand as they drop into Gaelic then remember I'm there and start speaking English or mumbling English. It is difficult as I have difficulty with their version of either. Just to add to the confusion we were watching a rugby match on Alba and the commentary was in Irish. Good job it wasn't cricket I'd have been totally lost.

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  4. Stopped by to catch up--- Always good to see what you're doing. I wonder if Breton speakers in Brittany can understand the Gaidhlig speakers in Scotland at all. I wonder if anyone can understand.... well, never mind. Happy New Year and Happy Trails!

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  5. I wonder where on earth folks are happy with their government.

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  6. I can help a little here Adrian. As far as I'm aware Scotland gets it's gas from both the North Sea and Scandinavia. The North Sea crude oil is nowhere near enough to meet UK demands believe it or not, some North Sea oil does make it onto the UK markets but the equally a lot of the stuff is sold to help boost the books/gdp. However the majority of petrol in the UK comes from imported crude, some from Africa, some from the Middle East but surprisingly Norway is one of the biggest suppliers to the UK market. Another factor in Scotland's pump prices is pure geographical location of petrol station, my boss would say it's because they pay me too much :-)

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    1. Thanks Douglas. It still doesn't seem fair but then little in life is.

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  7. To get into teaching normally requires good A levels, a good degree and rather more academic ability than you will find in the lockers of nurses, bankers or God forbid - police officers who, in footballing terms, are of League Two standard. I realise that this will not sit well with your well-chiselled perceptions of the teaching profession. By the way I thought that Taffuleev was a Bulgarian goalkeeper.

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    1. YP, I suspected that was the case. I had some awful teachers.

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    2. I rather like YP's use of 'normally". If one does not teach normally is less required?

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    3. Graham, passing exams is an art. Understanding a subject a gift. There are few gifted teachers just as there are very few gifted people.

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  8. No te compliques la vida con los dialectos y habla tu idioma, si son educados te contestaran;))
    Guapas fotos.
    Un abrazo.

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    1. Laura, me gusta mantener las cosas fáciles.

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  9. Ah, but the Scots get free prescriptions and university education. Doesn't that even things out a bit?

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    1. Frances it does but fuel affects everyone whereas tuition fees and prescriptions affect a minority.

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  10. We lived in a petro town, Sarnia, for many years, but always seemed to pay more for gas than places farther away.

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  11. Farther away from the refineries, that is.

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    Replies
    1. John, I'm glad the world is strange everywhere.

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  12. Love the tow shots you left us with today. Don't know any Gaelic so that just washes over me!

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  13. Belas fotografias...Espectacular....
    Cumprimentos

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  14. It's a wonderful part of the world you are in Adrian.
    I really must make the effort to visit this year as my last trip was in 2007.

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  15. Hpla Adrian. M'agrada molt el concepte del teu bloc. Si no et sap greu em quedo per aqui.
    Una abraçada des de Catalunya!!!

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    1. Jordi, el catalán es también muy difícil, pero no tan difícil como Vasco.

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  16. At least you try to learn:) Isn't Gaelic a language created dwarves, elves and Enya? I think you're several pages ahead of me in that language book. Glad you are having fun and enjoying the cultural bit. Politics aside, I think you're in an area of the world I'd love to visit.

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    1. Chris, they are great people. Enya is Irish but I used to enjoy Ireland.

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