H.M.Y. Iolaire

It is the centenary of the Iolaire which I have spoke about on this blog a few times.  Men returning from the war safe and sound only to die in the sea as the ship hit the rocks so close to the shore.  There were and still are many stories abound about the heroism and  the following years hardship of the families who had lost men in this tragedy.   There have been many services and exhibitions to honour all those who were lost.  At An Lanntair there is a display from the artist Margaret Ferguson who was commissioned to paint those lost from old photographs.

  It was heart wrenching to see these paintings, it certainly made it real and highlighted how young these men were.

Each loss of life represented by a stone around the cart.

The library also have a display, which makes for some interesting reading.

There is also a wonderful display in the Chemist window to honour and to remember this disaster.

The most striking is the memorial that has now been built .  A slate engraving and stone cairn at Carn Gardens.  

The stone cairn included stones to represent each man lost and were collected from the home villages of each of the 201 sailors lost.

What a beautiful place to sit and remember the bravery and heroism of these young men.

On a lighter note the chickens are doing really well and all are now laying.  We are getting six eggs a day which delights the neighbours as I pass them around.  They are such fun and we spend many a happy hour watching their antics from the window.

My daughter treated us to a plant depicting the talking tree from Efteling on our recent trip, it survived two ferry trips and the long drive home.

My plan for today is to now make a start on the my Christmas scrapbook before some of the little details are forgotten.  A walk also seems a possibility as the sun is shining down and enticing us outside.  What have you got planned?

As always I thank you for your visit to my humble blog and for your uplifting comments.