Out for a duck
Posted: Saturday, 06 May 2006 |
Today, I took the bus to Borve (on the West Side of Lewis) to participate in a duck race. The aim was to raise funds for the building of the Clan MacQuarrie Centre in the village. This is to be a multi-purpose community hall, where a diversity of events could be hosted. Incidentally, the name Clan MacQuarrie is derived from a ship that ran aground on rocks outside the village in a hurricane in February 1953. This was the same storm that sank a ferry in the Irish Sea, caused flooding in East Anglia and drowned 1850 people in Holland when the dykes broke. The whole crew of the Clan MacQuarrie was rescued using a breecher's buoy. One officer reputedly married a local girl.
The Lottery Fund has provided a nice contribution towards the cost of the centre, but as per normal, the sum has fallen short of the total required.
The villagers of Borve organised a charitable event to raise further funds. The event came in the shape of a duck race on the local river. The format is simple. You buy 260 plastic ducks, normally for use in baths, write a number on each one. Then you sell the numbers for a pound each. Judging by the fact that by the time I arrived, only 9 ducks were left, they must have gone like hot cakes.
Just after 1 pm, a sack containing 260 numbered ducks were chucked into the Borve River, and amidst much hilarity and laughter the poor wee things were helped down the river. The awful weather of the past few days had one benefit, in that it raised the level of the river. After a few minutes, the yellow ducks appeared from under the two bridges and the winner was announced. A small prize was awarded to whoever had subscribed to that number. All the ducks were retrieved from the river, using a barrier that had been erected across, nets and scoops. A second race was also held, but this had to be delayed for a second or two, as a lost duckling came drifting down the river all on its own. Once all the ducks had been retrieved and the barriers removed from the river, all participants were invited to the nearby Borve Pottery for a cuppa and some titbits.
After a convivial hour or so, I took myself off for a walk downriver, punctuated by a lot of mud. The day was glorious, wall-to-wall sunshine, only little wind and a temperature of about 15 C / 60 F. Very nice.
The Lottery Fund has provided a nice contribution towards the cost of the centre, but as per normal, the sum has fallen short of the total required.
The villagers of Borve organised a charitable event to raise further funds. The event came in the shape of a duck race on the local river. The format is simple. You buy 260 plastic ducks, normally for use in baths, write a number on each one. Then you sell the numbers for a pound each. Judging by the fact that by the time I arrived, only 9 ducks were left, they must have gone like hot cakes.
Just after 1 pm, a sack containing 260 numbered ducks were chucked into the Borve River, and amidst much hilarity and laughter the poor wee things were helped down the river. The awful weather of the past few days had one benefit, in that it raised the level of the river. After a few minutes, the yellow ducks appeared from under the two bridges and the winner was announced. A small prize was awarded to whoever had subscribed to that number. All the ducks were retrieved from the river, using a barrier that had been erected across, nets and scoops. A second race was also held, but this had to be delayed for a second or two, as a lost duckling came drifting down the river all on its own. Once all the ducks had been retrieved and the barriers removed from the river, all participants were invited to the nearby Borve Pottery for a cuppa and some titbits.
After a convivial hour or so, I took myself off for a walk downriver, punctuated by a lot of mud. The day was glorious, wall-to-wall sunshine, only little wind and a temperature of about 15 C / 60 F. Very nice.
Comments
A cat after my own heart, let's hear it for sunbeams...
Mia from sunny windowledge
So, what was the prize our winning ducky brought home to/for you? We do the same thing on the Rio Grande here: yes, a fund raiser. I hope they scoop the yellow ducklings before they reach Texas, some two hundred miles down river.
mjc from NM,USA
There's nothing like a picture of a very cute kitty to banish the sniffles&snuffles blues. I feel a Matthew Kelly Moment coming on - now, what's your name and where do you come from? Prrrrrrr. On second thoughts cute kitty might be a he not a she, in which case..............grrrrrrrrrrr.
Flying Cat from Perking up considerably
Flying Cat, I have it on good authority that the cat you referred to spent her life producing kittens, so many in fact, that she had hardly any teeth left. Erm, is that a valid cause for de-teethification?
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
De-teethification, like de-clawification, can never be justified and, in my opinion, neither can de-bitification, but who ever listens to me!
Flying Cat from flat out under a cloudless sky.
de-catification? Dogs rule, cats ... (kidding).
mjc from NM,USA
You folk really know how to entertain yourselves. That's hilarious. Makes me want to sell all my worldly possessions and move to the family croft. Thanks for the pictures, Arnish...keep it up. Keeps me sane.
Wannabe an Islander from urbansprawl
I have been in Lewis since late 2004 and am observing life on this fascinating island from an outsider's perspective. I look out at the lighthouse every day - as it looks out over the island and the sea. 
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