Burra sound...

This stretch of water, Burra Sound, between Graemsay and Hoy can be quite treacherous due to tides and current. There are also a number of wrecks on the sea bed, ships that were deliberately sunk in WWII to help prevent submarines entering Scapa Flow, where the home fleet were anchored. Now the wrecks attract recreational divers from around the world. Stromness has several dive boats that are busy throughout the summer months.

The sun was bright when I took these photos - sorry about the glare! But it was lovely to see some sunshine as Orkney winters tend to include lots of grey skies...

Dreich day.....

And keeping it real... some days are dreich (dreary, bleak) and visibility is poor.......

The Orkney Mainland has disappeared!  The green box is the Graemsay telephone exchange, there is a microwave link on the top of that pole which receives a signal from the Stromness exchange and converts it to whatever it needs in the Big Green Box.....  we have pretty good broadband speed on the island.  I get nearly 7 mb/sec.

Big clouds.... rough water.....

Rough water out in the sound...

Safe harbour in Stromness....

Hen house taking a bit of a battering from the wind too.  Hens safely sheltered though.  The buildings of the steading actually give the hens quite a bit of shelter so they can still be rootling outdoors.  Though if it's raining they will stay in the hen house... they know they are not waterproof!

Clouds over Hoy High light....

Calm seas....

Grey, but calm seas. I'll take that!  Someone having a bonfire in Stromness?

Button likes to "take the air" too when the wind drops enough for a wander to the shore.

Waves from the Atlantic sea at the mouth of Hoy Sound...

One of the local workboats sailing out of Stromness harbour under the gaze of a watchful....cormorant?

Rockpools and seaweed.....

Anyone for a paddle by this lovely old pier?

The remains of the old wooden boat....

The Golden Marianna, our replacement ferry as the MV Graemsay is broken - a bearing on the engine gone.  We've had the GM for some weeks now and no sign of our proper ferry returning.  It's getting tiresome but these things happen... at least I can choose NOT to go on the boat if the weather is rough.

The old steading at Sandside....

Button on a hunting trip....

The girls enjoying being out and about instead of hanging around the hen house....

And on windy days when I need to "batten hatches"..... yes seriously, this is Button's cat flap which would get blasted through with the force of the wind....

Sunrise.

The last week or so has seen better weather, less of the high winds.  Though it's all relative - many days it has still be 40mph.  But the days ARE getting longer, sunrise is now at 8.35 and sunset at 16.15.  It's surprising how noticeable it is and most welcome!

So far no power cuts (most power lines are overhead in Orkney and susceptible to wind damage).  But I'm prepared with lanterns and red shoes.... "There's no place like home..... come on Toto (er Button).... there's no place like home..."

And one of the TEN hens has started laying again.  Now the light is returning I'm hoping one or two more might feel inclined to join in....

Look you can see the sun rays! Sun rising over Windbreck hill on Graemsay....

Sunrise over Windbreck

The whole sky was alight with the sunrise...

Fresh air!

The last few weeks can best be described as "windy".  A couple of gales, with winds up to 63mph (fairly normal for Orkney at this time of year), and then general windy days with wind speeds of about 42mph.  It gets boring!  It's noisy and I don't find it pleasant to be out.  I've generally done a dash to feed the hens and Charlie the barn cat, and then retreated indoors.  I've been over to Kirkwall a couple of times but even that was a challenge with rough seas and blustery showers.  Ah well... it is Winter.  However today was far less wind (still breezy mind!). 

So Button and I made the most of it.  Sorting out recycling in the shed, organising bird and cat food, putting the car battery on charge (it went flat a few days ago but too windy for me to put the bonnet up to put on charge).  A wander round the garden and then to the shore.  It was a grey day, but just lovely to be out and breathing fresh air!

These shags (or are they cormorants?) enjoying some respite from windy weather too.

The Hamnavoe ferry which sails to Scrabster on the Scottish Mainland is away for a refit (the marine version of a car's MOT) so we have this vessel instead.  It's mostly a cargo ship but takes a few passengers too.

Button enjoying the air too.....

Here she had the wind up her tail and was chasing seaweed!

There have been extremely high tides this week due to Spring tides (nothing to do with the season, a Spring tide occurs after a full moon). With the high tide and high winds the stones were piled up against the shoreline all along the beach.

Low lying cliffs!  They still take a battering and chunks of earth and grass break away.

Surprisingly little seaweed on this beach.  Made it easier to walk along I have to say!  I avoid slidy seaweed!

It amazes me that these walls are still standing after the years of battering by the seas and wind.  Though they have a distinct "lean" on them now... This used to be a workshop, thought to be used by the workers when the lighthouse was built.  Tumbling onto the shore now due to coastal erosion.

A wall hanging in the air - the rest of it fell onto the shore some years ago.  The old Sandside steading (byres) in the background.

More of the old byres.  The nearest one used to be a dwelling house, there is evidence of fireplaces inside...

The old sail house.  The sails for the yole (a small sailing boat that most households had to get to Stromness for supplies, taking things to market, or going out fishing). No sail boats on the island now.

Button heading home after our walk.  She enjoyed getting out and about too having been cooped up indoors (her choice!) during the windy days.  Though she does make forays out but they are short when the weather is poor.

Sandside beach.  Not much seaweed there either! In days gone by in Orkney apparently the seaweed would be taken off the shore and fed to the cattle - they loved it!

The "main road" round the island...

And signs of Spring!  In Orkney the growing season starts late.  About 6 weeks behind most of the UK I think. 

And as I type I can hear the wind rising again.  Ah well it was a lovely day to be out and about and there will be others.  At least we are not having to deal with huge floods or fires, nor snow storms.

Windy days....

I tend to stay indoors as much as possible on windy days as I don't HAVE to go out.  The seas around Graemsay can be rough but never look as dramatic as the Atlantic just at the mouth of Hoy Sound, or along the West Mainland of Orkney.  Jim Middlemass took these photos at the Bay of Skaill the other day and kindly let me share them.