Graemsay Harvest Home

From October to New Year it's one round of partying on Graemsay. Hee hee!  Well it seems that way. I'm just waiting for a cake to cool so I can ice it as we have the Longhope Lifeboat and Ladies Guild visiting this afternoon.  But before they arrive I thought I ought to tell you about our Harvest Home on Friday Night.

Each year many isles and parishes in Orkney celebrate the bringing in of the harvest by having a "Harvest Home" supper and party in October or November.  Late you say?  Well the potato harvest wouldn't have been gathered in till October.

This year we were delighted to welcome Richard Shearer as our speaker, along with his wife Audrey. They run my favourite shop in Orkney - William Shearer's..... a veritable Aladdin's cave of wonderful local produce, as well as being a general merchant (kitchen stuff, garden stuff, pet stuff, loads of stuff!), fishing and shooting supplies and agricultural supplies (seeds - got my garden grass seed from Richard. I complained because it grows too much!).

Richard - not the most flattering photo - sorry Richard!

We were also pleased to welcome back John Budge, who has provided us with music for dancing for many years now.

 Some young folk also came along to support John so there was plenty of music for the dances.

As ever the folk on Graemsay put on a wonderful meal, and the ladies did a grand job of managing to serve over 40 folk and still find time to eat their own meal.

I stay well away from the kitchen, not being any good at catering for more than a couple of folk!  But I usually have the visitors stay at Sandside and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

I don't have many photos because I'd tried a different setting on my camera and I won't be using that one again! Lots of blurry photos which is disappointing.  But a few here capture the spirit of the evening.  Er - yes there was quite a lot of spirit around!

Richard had brought along a sheaf of oats which he presented to Cathy Ritch as a symbol of the harvest.  Traditionally oats would be used to decorate the hall, but they are not grown on Graemsay very often, so Cathy was delighted to receive the sheaf and it will be used next year for the hall decoration.

There was also a birthday celebration with us singing Happy Birthday and presenting a cake...no not to the wee lass on the left, but the big lad on the right!  Well everyone deserves a cake whatever age!

And then there was the dancing....... a bit of a huddle as they discuss what step comes next maybe?

And time for Grandad to have a blether with his grand-daughter about her love for her mobile phone. Hee hee!

And Granny Cathy and Great Auntie Winnie explain a dance to wee Kirsten....or maybe it's the other way round?!

And then there is the raffle.....which is also legendary for the number of prizes and the time it takes! But one wee boy was delighted and a little overwhelmed by the number of prizes HE was winning!

And yes the swede (neep) was a prize too.....it will shortly be hanging in the henny house once I can find the baler twine......

The wind got up during the evening and in the morning when I put some of the visitors back to the pier the waves were crashing over the pier.  But everyone got away OK.  My friend, G, stayed on as we had planned to go for a walk round the island.  But as the gale blew and the rain lashed down we stayed indoors and she valiantly helped (um did most of it) with washing up the crockery from the night before, and changing beds ready for next visitors.  I was hoping she'd stay longer as I'd started writing a list of chores she could do....hee hee.... but she made her escape on the late afternoon boat. And we did manage a walk to the shell and sandy beach when the weather cleared into a lovely bright calm evening....

And the light from Hoy High was shining bright as the lights of Stromness started to come on.

Another fun evening on Graemsay...... now.... onto icing the cake....