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Monday 28 February 2011

Graemsay cats are bold and fierce.....


..and adorable! Well two of them think they are anyway.  Above is Button facing down the tide..... um..... I know.... she did retreat in the end - she's not that silly!  We'd gone for a walk on the shore and I was taking photos of the Sandside Pier that had been constructed around 1850 as a way of getting all the stone and materials over to build both the Hoy High and Hoy Sound lighthouses. As you can see there is a small gap between it and the rocks and this is where the local islanders would be able to bring their yoles (a traditional Orkney small boat) ashore and pull them up into the boat "nousts" - shelters dug within the ground above high tide. Small boats still tie up at the pier - usually visitors from Stromness or visiting yachts that tie up in the bay and use small boats to come ashore.



And here we have another bold puss-cat. Not Button this time but young Squeak who is just over a year old. Squeak lives at the other end of the island but her people and I think they communicate on the web when we are out, with Button giving Squeak the benefit of experience on How To Be A Princess.  Clearly Squeak thinks she can get the better of this Big Sheep! Squeak is very clever - she even has her own blog!




Note: another blog of interest written by Fiona from the East Mainland on Orkney. Fiona is a photographer, teacher (she commutes to work by plane & ferry!), and paddles around the Orkney waters in a kayak. She has some amazing photos so do take a look at her blog.

3 comments:

  1. I'm sure that black and white female cats have that extra dose of fiestiness.

    Balck and white kitten, Bits, joined our home in late 1974 when I was 9. She soon had all the dogs in the neighbourhood put in their rightful (to her) place. Including a harmless airdale that would be walked past our home daily by his person, that is until the day that the little madam Bits dashed out, whacked the airdale on the nose while hissing and growling at it. From then on this poor doglet would drag its person right across the road before it would agree to walk past our home!

    My darling tabby, male rescue-cat - Zebby - is the complete opposite. He loves to stay at home and be safe and secure with His person (me) and is scared by any other humans visiting, the dear wussy and super affectionate Zebby Cat.

    Go Button and Squeak!

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  2. I like Button's King Canute moment!
    And that has to be one of the roundest sheep I've ever seen. It looks as if it's puffed itself up, the way a cat does when confronted by a rival. Perhaps it is a hybrid: a ceep, or a sh.. on second thoughts, perhaps not...

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  3. Mickle - I think female cats in general can be quite feisty. My dear Fitzi-cat was a complete softie and expected me to rescue him from any drama. He would explore occassionally but mostly was happy just staying close to the house. Button, on the other hand, wanders te fields around the house and down to the shore.

    Dancer - Tee hee - I love your description! Not sure what breed of sheep it was but it does look rather round! I think lambing is near hence the size - sometimes the ewes look almost square by the time they lamb! Like the old naive paintings of sheep and cattle - a corner at each end!

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