More Graemsay sunshine in July

The nights actually get dark now, but still the sun shines and the days are long. Blue skies and aquamarine blue seas....

The swallows have been busy all summer raising broods.  They flit around the skies, particularly in the evening when the insects are about.  Here are two of their rather precarious nests in one of the old buildings near the house

Fortunately this light fitting is NOT connected to electricity!

Temperatures at the front of the house, where the stone soaks up the heat have risen to 30 degrees C at times!!  Too hot for me to work in the garden that's for sure!

And my haul of "groatie buckies" (small cowrie shells) is growing slowly....

Button, of course, like any cat, loves the heat and sunbathes on the garden benches.  I, of course, rarely have time to sit on them!  Though I do take my tea breaks on a bench in the garden!

And I think she might be down to 8 lives after sitting under a neighbouring farmer's tractor wheel!!

She's always had a fascination for tractors!

Though we both gave this chap a wide berth.  A Welsh Black ram. Handsome fellow who was set to graze some of the long grass by the old buildings.  As you can see in the photos we still have green grass, unlike much of the rest of the UK.  However even in Orkney the lack of rain is causing a problem with thinner, shorter crops.

The occasional day of sea mist or night showers helps keep the grass green in the garden...

And the flowers seem to mostly be doing OK.

Folk often ask what drew me to the house, despite it being nearly derelict..... um... the views...

I wake up to this....

And watch summer sunsets....

And there's a lighthouse - erm you need to look past Madam Button, posing on a pedestal of course!

And this beach is right on my doorstep.....

So I think that answers the question.....hee hee!