Photos

1963 was the year we spent a fortnight in the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, in the days when there were very few tourists. From the lighthouse at the north end we saw a small boat in the distance. "It will be the men returning with the gugas - go down to the port, they'll be there as soon as you are." We did, as did everyone in the village.
We got talking to a lovely couple, with a daughter the same age as our son, who invited us home for an evening meal. Donald was Head of the local secondary modern school. A fine poet and a gentle but firm teacher, he had introduced learning of their own Gaelic language into the curriculum and encouraged the pupils to write in both languages about the events of the day, often with hilarious results from the clear-sighted younger children. The school magazine was called Taintean, which means Achievement. Sadly, he died of leukemia 7 years later and the school reverted to its old style.
I'll post a picture of the gugas tomorrow.


35mm slide scanned with Cannon 8800F, using 1200 dpi and saved as jpg. Resized in PS, slight adjustment with curves, edges sharpened, 25% unsharp mask. Border added.