Winter returns?

Today a gale has been blowing - it's so easy to forget when the first warmth of Spring arrives, just how changeable the weather in Orkney can be. One minute planting out seeds in the garden, the next running for cover as the rain starts and the wind increases! Gusts were up to nearly 60 mph in the Flow this morning. The sea looks quieter outside now, but it still sounds breezy!

I think the broad bean seeds I planted yesterday will be burrowing further into the ground, rather than reaching for the sun at this rate! Here's a picture of the veggie patch - I've dug the full length of the stone dyke (approx 100 feet x 5 ft). OK it's a bit of an odd angle but I was trying to balance without treading on newly planted seeds or hens!

The "anti-hen" devices I've been using have stood up well - though haven't been out to see how they did in today's gale. I've also bought some hanging baskets to put upside down on the earth to create a little "dome" for lettuce so that the hens don't nip off the green shoots before *I* get a taste.

Lambs are beginning to appear in the fields on Graemsay. I love watching the wee lambs all racing around together. All the birds have been pairing up and I can see a pair of oystercatchers dangerously close to Button's hunting ground - sigh. Oh - and I think Bill the Lone Goose must have wandered off and found his/her friends as there has been no sighting for some weeks now.

One thing that takes some getting used to in Orkney is that Daffodils, Tulips, primroses and bluebells all bloom at the same time here! Though "daffs" are usually a little earlier than the others. However it's lovely to see colour appearing along the banks at the side of the road. There's a lovely display of primroses down near the pier too.