Work seems to be taking up a lot of my time at the moment. But I did manage to get over to Stromness yesterday afternoon for lunch with friends and some shopping.

It was a beautiful day with blue skies, sunshine and warm too. Though in the afternoon the rain came in and I regretted my decision to work in the morning instead of cutting the grass around the house!

I got the mid-day boat from Graemsay to Stromness, known locally as the “cargo run”. Yesterday tons of “manure” were delivered – a kind of chemical concentrate in granular form that is spread on the pasture to fertilize the land. However it didn’t take long to unload so there were no delays in getting to town. But the ferry goes the scenic route at that time of day and sails round to Hoy and then to Stromness via the West of Graemsay. It was a lovely day so I enjoyed just standing out on deck.

I took a picture of one of the houses along the shore from the pier on Graemsay, known as Scarratain. It has a traditional grass thatch roof – good insulation. I visited Corrigal Farm Museum on the Orkney Mainland a few years ago when they kept some North Ronaldsay sheep (which are a primitive kind of sheep and look not unlike a goat) well the sheep were on top of the roof – I suppose that’s one way to keep it in trim!

Below is a picture of Stromness that will no doubt be familiar to those of you who have visited.