Interlude

A brief interlude in the photos from Durness.

It was the the Graemsay Ladies Craft Sale on Friday (they call themselves "the Fat Cat's Club"). Due to the poor weather not many folk ventured over from Stromness, but most of the island folk turned out and a good afternoon was had by all, with soup, sandwiches and home bakes for lunch and a chance to browse through the "craft".

Saturday was a beautiful sunny and warm day. A reminder of summer, as Autumn had hit Orkney in the last week with a persistent wind going on for days. It only reached gale force now and again but it was very blustery - and annoying! Hey Ho - it's Autumn.......

Here are some photos taken yesterday.


Goodness knows where the butterfly had been hiding for the last few windy days!


Above you can see why Graemsay is called "the green isle" - pastoral green land with the darker Hoy Hills in the background.

And this looks like a dinosaur skeleton! It is in fact seaweed on the beach.

And the new "lawn" is looking very green too!

Primula Scotica

I took a run out across the West Mainland of Orkney on Tuesday with a friend. We started off at Yesnaby which has grand cliffs and you can see the mountains of Scotland to the South. In winter they are snow capped but in the glorious sunshine there was no snow to be seen.

We were also delighted to come across swathes of Primula Scotica (Scottish Primrose). These rare tiny primroses plants only grow in Caithness (North of Scotland) and one or two sites in Orkney. They usually flower in May and July/August, but these were either late or early as it is still June!

To give you a true impression of their size I placed a 50p coin beside one of them. They are so delightful and so easily missed. In fact I usually find I'm in the middle of them before I spot them and then am afraid to move in case I trample them!

Wild flowers

As you will see I know very little about wild flowers! However I do know that this is some kind of hybrid marsh orchid! There were a dozen or so growing along the side of the road on Graemsay, just above a ditch. The pink (or purple?) orchids grow in abundance on Graemsay, and occasionally there are white ones too.

This is a pretty flower - think it might be red campion? Again this was growing along the side of the road and in the dunes at the links.

When I was "south" the other week I was surprised how far along the cow parsley was as it was barely evident on the island. However in two weeks it seems to have sprung up everywhere. I know it's a weed and I curse it in the flower border, but I do have a fondness for it. It reminds me of my old pony, Badger. He adored cow parsley and loved this time of year when it grew mouth height (for him) and we would arrive back at the stable yard with the equivalent of half a tree hanging from his mouth! Sadly Badger didn't make it up to Orkney but died 8 years ago at the grand age of 30 - a good age for a pony. So in memory of Badger, a photo of cow parsley (hmm or is it Hogweed? Either way it would be snack-time for Badger)!

Winter returns?

Today a gale has been blowing - it's so easy to forget when the first warmth of Spring arrives, just how changeable the weather in Orkney can be. One minute planting out seeds in the garden, the next running for cover as the rain starts and the wind increases! Gusts were up to nearly 60 mph in the Flow this morning. The sea looks quieter outside now, but it still sounds breezy!

I think the broad bean seeds I planted yesterday will be burrowing further into the ground, rather than reaching for the sun at this rate! Here's a picture of the veggie patch - I've dug the full length of the stone dyke (approx 100 feet x 5 ft). OK it's a bit of an odd angle but I was trying to balance without treading on newly planted seeds or hens!

The "anti-hen" devices I've been using have stood up well - though haven't been out to see how they did in today's gale. I've also bought some hanging baskets to put upside down on the earth to create a little "dome" for lettuce so that the hens don't nip off the green shoots before *I* get a taste.

Lambs are beginning to appear in the fields on Graemsay. I love watching the wee lambs all racing around together. All the birds have been pairing up and I can see a pair of oystercatchers dangerously close to Button's hunting ground - sigh. Oh - and I think Bill the Lone Goose must have wandered off and found his/her friends as there has been no sighting for some weeks now.

One thing that takes some getting used to in Orkney is that Daffodils, Tulips, primroses and bluebells all bloom at the same time here! Though "daffs" are usually a little earlier than the others. However it's lovely to see colour appearing along the banks at the side of the road. There's a lovely display of primroses down near the pier too.

It's SPRING!

OK, so I'm slightly delusional...... but today I saw this little bulb stoically blooming in the garden border despite a freshening wind! And yes it may look a little blury - did I mention a freshening wind? But I just HAD to capture it as a reminder that Spring is on it's way even if it hasn't fully arrived. It fairly gladdens the heart.........