Rain, gales and...volcanic ash...

It's said that the weather in Orkney is "changeable"..... if you don't like the weather wait an hour and it will change etc etc..... Well yesterday and today we have been blown about by a gale with strong gusts battering all the poor trees and plants that dared to wear their green leaves too brightly, and the poor new lambs and calves.....sigh..... Added to that it seems that the latest Icelandic volcano to erupt is, yet again, causing disruption to flights to and from Orkney and Shetland. And last night the power went out over large parts of Scotland, including all of Orkney.  So - life is a little "turbulent" at the moment...... I'm hoping for calm skys and water very soon.... please? It's the Orkney Folk Festival this coming weekend and musicians fly in from all over the place to take part. It would be such a shame if this was disrupted by weather and ash....

Below the Orkney Mainland hidden in rain cloud, and in the bottom left the hens taking shelter outside the Henny Hoose.... It's a Westerly wind and in the gap between the left edge of the picture and the land - there's nothing between us and Canada! I, however, am taking the photo from the safety of my study window!