A trip to Stromness

I've said many times that Stromness is my favourite town. It is beautiful in any season. As well as grocery shops and a hardware shop it also has a number of galleries.  In December they all have a Christmas exhibition and an opening night on a Friday, with mulled wine and mince pies.  It's a lovely atmosphere going from gallery to gallery a mince pie here, a mulled wine there... don't mind if I do!  However this year the weather was too bad for me to go over on the Friday night. Instead I met up with a couple of friends one afternoon and took a look round. And the shops dress up in their Christmas finery too!  My favourite shop in Stromness - the Quernstone! Lots of goodies to be had!

The big exhibition is in the Pier Arts Centre which is a lovely building with history that has evolved over the years.  In the courtyard is a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, and there are several of her pieces in the main collection in the upstairs gallery.

The building has cut through views that surprise....

The Christmas exhibition is open to all in Orkney, professional artists and "amateurs".  You can exhibit for free too which is a wonderful opportunity.  This year it was one of the best I think.  Lots of pieces in different media, paintings, sculpture, mixed media art, fabrics etc.

Lots of lovely things.  My eye was particularly caught by this beautiful sculpture. An otter.  There was so much movement in the piece it was amazing.

And I loved these ceramics too..... and a view over the harbour!

Then after lunch in a nearby cafe it was time to head home.  This duck is having a map! He's very tame, it's thought it was a pet that has been abandoned. However it has been adopted by the MV Graemsay crew who feed it, and it seems very happy in the harbour. I hear it swims up to the primary school at lunch time and gets fed by the children there!

It had been a frosty, snowy day - the Hoy hills in the morning....

And in the evening..... just a light covering.....

But it was a lovely time spent in Stromness with friends old and new....