An absence of wind......

... no not my digestive system (well that too), but I'm referring to the glorious weather today. This morning I sat outside in the sunshine and it was too HOT! No breeze at all. Thankfully a breeze picked up in the afternoon making life more pleasant for working outdoors. Which is just as well as the island has been busy today. (Photo from South side of Graemsay looking towards Moaness and the Hoy Hills).

Farmers are sowing seed in the fields and moving livestock around. The kids next-door spent most of the day on the beach. I've been pottering in the garden again. Plus some more work has been done with the digger in the garden.


Button enjoyed the lazy sunny day today too, and the hens enjoyed a doze in the sun.

The air was filled with bird song, plus the drone of various water craft from Stromness harbour. Several yachts were out in the bay, the Lifeboat seemed to be doing extended exercises, a couple of jet-skis were around as well as a speed boat or two. Because of sea temperatures, tides, wind etc it tends to be the fairly hardy who take to "watersports" in Orkney, so the area doesn't get as busy as some shores in the South of England where jet-skis and speed boats buzz around from dawn to dusk.

So I've enjoyed a lazy Sunday watching everyone else doing some work. Well two days really as yesterday I watched Mick mow the grass around Sandside. His ride-on mower is broken so he has been using my "walk-behind" one - well he said he wanted to lose some weight....

Another sunset.....

..... I make no apology, I love sunsets. Today's was at 2205 with the sun setting just behind Black Craig over on the West Mainland of Orkney.

And Sandside Bay with the moon at 2210:

Buzz Buzz

I've neglected the flower border recently in favour of the veggie patch, but took a wander past today and the cornflowers are in full bloom. I just love the vibrant blue - as do the bees! There were at least six bees engrossed in the blooms on just one plant.


And the Forget-me-nots are looking delicate and beautiful today too.

And could someone please tell me what this very common perennial is called? A friend gave it to me last year and I've forgotten it's name (if I ever knew it!).

The border is just coming into flower - I like to remind myself of "before" and "after" as some days it doesn't feel as if I've come very far cultivating a garden - and then I look at how it was a couple of years ago and feel I'm making progress!

Tram lines on Graemsay?

No - just tractor wheel marks after the field was spread with fertilizer. Some years the field at the back of the house has been used as summer grazing, but the fence is in poor repair so this year it will be used for silage, or maybe hay for winter feed for island livestock. Once I get the fence fixed and "livestock" proof, animals could go back in there - not mine I hasten to add! I let a neighbour use the field - I get the pleasure of looking at the livestock without any of the work!

Today has been another bright sunny day. I've been out weeding in the vegetable garden. The peas and beans I sowed just before I went south are already appearing above the ground. I have to turn a "blind eye" to the rest of the garden as it will be some time before that is sorted out. As a friend said, just concentrate on what has been done, rather than looking at what needs to be done! Otherwise I get a bit despondant. However I just need a little patience and all will come together.

I see there was a cruise liner in Stromness harbour today. Orkney is visited by quite a large number of cruise liners, though most visit Kirkwall. Usually the visitors are landed in small boats and then go on coach tours around the Orkney Mainland to various historic sites such as Skara Brae or the Ring of Brodgar, with a little time to shop in the town. At least the visitors will take home good memories of Orkney in the sun this time.

And I heard seals calling today while weeding the garden. That is such a relief as I haven't seen seals around for some time. They would usually be around the rocks and skerries of the shore, but the fish must have been scarce as there were no seals to be seen for some time. However the fish must be back as the air was filled with seal calls tonight. Most of the seals around the island are grey seals. In years gone by they would haul out onto the sandy beach in May, but they've been choosing other sites on the island for their sun bathing in recent years.

Here's a photo from about 10 years ago when they would sunbathe on Sandside beach:

A Welcome Home

I've just returned from a fleeting work visit south, and was greeted by an appreciative Button and this beautiful sunset. I enjoy visits south, but I love coming home. Tonight I sat in the conservatory with Button beside me and watched the swallows scooping up the insects outside, the waves lapping the shore and the sun slowly setting at 21:58. A beautiful "welcome home" which cannot be beaten!

Graemsay Ferry

Here's a picture of the "Graemsay" ferry in dry dock - no, they didn't forget to unload the passengers...... it's a model! Brilliantly put together by Alan P. in Cumbria. I think he's made an excellent job of it. Alan contacted me last year as he had started on the model using some plans of the original ship, but had noticed on my blog photos that the back deck looked different. So I was tasked with taking photos of the back deck and fittings so Alan could make a faithful reproduction. I got some odd looks from the tourists on the boat who were busy photographing scenery while this odd woman was photographing steps, doors, ropes etc.......












And here is the "Graemsay" on it's first "sea trial" (OK it was on a pond, but given the scale of the boat, "sea trial" sounds more appropriate").

Peedie lambs......

There are new lambs appearing in the fields around Graemsay as lambing gets underway. I just love watching the peedie lambs (peedie = Orcadian for small), especially when they all start playing together like kids, racing around the field and jumping about.

The kye (cows) are also appearing in the fields after wintering indoors, and again the calves all join together to race around.

The Starlings have hatchlings in nests at the top of the byre and I can hear the cheep cheep noises as the parent birds fly in with mouthfuls of worms to feed them.

The Arctic Terns are back too - it can make walking along the shore a bit hazardous as they dive bomb, at least they scream a warning! I got pecked on the head a few years ago as I didn't think they would actually hit me!

The Bonxies (Great Skua) are around too. I was watching fight in the sky when a Bonxie was chasing a gull to get it to drop it's catch.

The Black Back gulls are around too - especially during the lambing season. I'm not keen on these as they tend to attack the ewes as they are lambing and peck out the immobile ewes eyes, or attack young lambs.

And the sun is shining again after several days of a chill east wind. Thankfully my cloches and seed coverings survived the wind and everything is beginning to burst into life in the veggie patch - yes even *I* can now tell I have potatoes growing.........

Friday was the worst day weatherwise, and of course I had several appointments in town so just had to go across to town. The ride on the boat went via Hoy and was pretty rough - a combination of an east wind and a high tide. The boat picked up school-kids who had been spending a couple of days at the Outdoor Centre on Hoy, and I did feel sorry for some of the kids as some of them looked various shades of white or green. However most of them seemed to be enjoying the roller-coaster ride on the boat.

Here's another sunset from last week (sunrise is now at 04:39 (or so they tell me) and sunset at 21:39, and the other night it was light all night! OOooh I LOVE this time of year):