November has been a quiet month on Canna. The days are getting shorter but the sunrises and sunsets are getting more spectacular. We’ve also seen clearer skies and it has been drier than soggy October. The last couple of days have seen gorgeous sunshine and there is a crispness in the air that heralds that Winter has definitely arrived.
Although the natural world seems to be slowing down, Canna’s various projects are gathering pace. A huge hole in the ground has been appearing at the site of our new Visitor Hub next to the Pier. Speyside builders have been hard at work doing the ground works and it is great to finally see progress being made.
Canna House works continue with work now focusing on the internals now the weather has turned. It is hoped the scaffolding will soon be coming down too. The conservation team has been making progress on cleaning the ceramics too.
We had a lively night in the Cafe last weekend with John Angus from Simpsons cooking us all pizza’s, pints provided by Cafe Canna and Pete played guitar to keep us all entertained. Much mirth was had with everyone spending most of the evening in hysterics. We all need a good laugh when the winter arrives and it definitely wasn’t in short supply!
Vicki has taken on our Dark Skies application and she has written a bit about it below.
As every Island Community well knows, there is always something more to be done. The latest in a long line of projects on Canna takes form in our venture to become an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
The decision to apply for Dark Sky Status was originally made in 2019 by the Community on Canna and with the support of the National Trust for Scotland. Sadly, despite the dedicated hard work of the Canna Community, the application came to a standstill and was ultimately shelved.
Like many communities, post-covid Canna has a renewed sense of purpose and drive. Determined to see things through, we have set our course for Dark Sky Status once again. Reports are being written, plans drawn and light readings taken - perhaps this time, it is written in the stars.
On a clear night and under the right conditions all manner of cosmic phenomena can be seen from the darkness; constellations, planets, meteor showers and the Milky Way. It provides safety for wildlife like the Manx Shearwaters, celestial beauty to be captured through the lense, and has piqued the curiosity and imagination of countless humans for millennia.
The community on Canna is committed to protecting our dark skies. If you would like to support our application, follow our journey through our website, Facebook or Instagram. We will be running events and releasing articles and social media posts about our progress.
Photo credit: Simon Hird
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