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Sunday, 29/Nov/2009
Islay Blogging Roundup #100
It was a dark and stormy night, eh, no, different story. It was actually an early September evening (not sure about the weather) in 2007 when I wrote some kind of Islay Blogging Roundup. It was mainly inspired by the Scottish Roundup (also still going strong) and after the initial one the second one followed soon. Just over two years and another 98 editions later the magical number 100 has arrived. In that time I've come across many many blogs mentioning Islay (or Jura, Colonsay and Gigha), some just once, others regularly. New blogs were opened, some blogs shut down, always something interesting out there. I hope you, dear Readers, have enjoyed the journey so far. With that back to this week's roundup:
One of the regular topics in the roundup is the birdwatching, something covered well by local as well as visitors blogs. Islay and Jura: Geese, swans, malts and more! is one example of the visitor side. On the local side the Islay Birds blog by Ian Brooke and his contributors is a must, this week with a large variety of bird sightings by James How. John Islay Birder Armitage is another birdblogger on Islay, blogging about life and birdwatching.
No Islay blogging roundup would be complete without at least one mention of whisky. On the local side this is usually supplied by the Bruichladdich Blog, this week announcing they were awarded Distillery of the Year and made it into the Top 50 Spirits 2009. But many other blogs from all over the world cover Islay single malts as well, like Whisky in Islay on Whisky Latin America or Off The Presses reviewing Coal Ila Goes UnPeated.
If you want to be kept informed about ship movements around Islay you can't avoid Elliott's Islay Sea Shipping, this week with pictures of the M.V Lord Of The Isles. She is not the regular Islay ferry, but covering for the Hebridean Isles currently having her annual survey on the Clyde. On Ron's Islay Weblog we often find coverage of the ferries as well, this week with Scottish Ferries Review - WHFP Editorial. Ron also regularly publishes article from The Ileach, this week for example about the Bowmore Shoreline Project. The For Argyll website/blog often has Islay mentions, also including the Public consultation on Islay’s Bowmore Shoreline Project this week.
For the teachers on Islay blogs (and Twitter) are an important tool to keep in touch with the wider education community, the (unfortunately now infrequently updated) Islay ICT blog is worth watching, as is islayian on Twitter. Then there's Andy's Frame by Frame this week with Reflections on An Tur – The FilmG Entry. Not to forget the Media Studies Islay, which has further links to blogs by his students.
Sometimes there are the little stories which make you smile, Jonna writing about A journey for example. The Islay part is in the second to last paragraph, but you might want to read the whole story.
Given the opportunity I also try spreading Islay's fame abroad with the odd guest entry like this one: Gastbeitrag: Barnacle Geese on Islay - Englisch lernen. Many German Vogelbeobachter will be visiting Islay soon?
Then there are blog entries mentioning the neighbouring islands which I also include in the roundup. This week I spotted Jura on Miscellaneous meanderings and myriad mumblings.
I'm not sure when I discovered it and if I first came across it through writing the roundup, one of my favourite blogs is Sea kayaking with SeaKayakPhoto.com. While by no means focused on Islay and Jura Douglas Wilcox is a regular visitor to the area. This week included entries with fantastic pictures of Calculating slack water in the Corryvreckan, The mystery of the goats of Reisa an t-Sruith and Back for more in the Dorus Mor! I think they illustrate why I like his blog.
Of course there are also the pictures. I launched my own dedicated Islay Pictures photoblog almost a year ago now, but of course blogs with pictures from Islay and Jura have been around all the time. One example is the Sensual Eye, this week with Bowmore Reflections. From the same blogger comes this Islay Sunrise on Photogenic Scotland and Laphraoig Light on Big Sky Photos. Another stunning day on Muasdale Holidays Reports has some nice pictures of views to Islay, Jura and Gigha from Kintyre.
Ron also has a Picture Blog with irregular Islay pictures, this week with Tree Sound of Islay and Loch Ardnahoe on the Bunnahabhain Road. Pretty much daily updates can be found on Mark Unsworth's Islay Photography Gallery, my favourites this week include Waves, Port Weymss, Cloud Burst over Laggan Point and Sunset over Lochindaal.
I hope this has been a worthy 100th Islay blogging roundup and that you found something interesting among the links. After all that's why I'm writing it, to send you away to some of the great sites out there. Of course no Islay blogging roundup would be complete without the reference to the Scottish Roundup at the end, this week with Musical chairs at the end of blogging’s first decade. Not to forget a thanks to Duncan for the inspiration.
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