Clouds....(among other things)

With big skies in Orkney we get some great cloudscapes.  We also get a lot of low, grey looming cloud which is very depressing, particularly in Winter when it goes on for days. But recently we had some beautiful clouds, like mares tails, dancing across the sky.  So I thought I'd share a few photos of them.

Above the house...

Above the garden....

And while we are in the garden.... Button, posing.....

The new flower bed.  Still has the plastic down to keep the weeds at bay but will be dug over in autumn - too difficult stopping the plastic from flying away with all the holes in it!

The bees love the Monkshood - they disappear up into the pods for the nectar and of course gather up the pollen on the way.  Monkshood is pretty toxic but so far no one has eaten it so it's fine!

In the central pod you can just see a bee...

Ah yes, Button.... never one to be ignored!

Looking out to sea - nothing much between us and Canada!

And on the subject of the garden...... the daisies outside the house - blasted by a recent storm now, but they looked pretty for a while!

And in the evening.... Hoy High light - it has a temporary light while work is being done on rewiring etc.  It looks VERY bright from the house.  The usual light is blanked out at the back of the glass so I don't usually see the light!

And on another day with a different cloud formation.... here is the "main" road round the island.....

And the mist rolling onto the Hoy hills behind Graemsay (and The Manse).

The tall plant - Lovage, also got battered in the high winds this week, so has had to be hacked back now.  It's a lovely structural plant in the summer months though.