Yes more snow....

Well to be honest it has thawed then snowed again, so we don't really have any deeper snow than we did before. When I went out to shut the hens in for the night a couple of hours ago it was still thawing, but who knows what the next few days will bring.  All the schools in Orkney were closed today as lots of the rural roads are tricky to travel along. Not that the island kids seemed to mind having another day off school - they were out with sledges earlier today! I think all the children throughout Orkney are hoping for more snow and all the parents are longing for a thaw!  Although Orkney isn't doing too badly with snow it is far worse south in Scotland. I think the main route (A9) has been blocked for much of the day.  Thankfully I don't need to go anyway in a hurry!

Above is sunrise this morning rising above the hill at Windbreck at about 8.45am.  Most of the fields are empty around Sandside now as a lot of the cattle have been taken indoors for the winter, and sheep moved to other fields.  So the fields are left to the curlews and lapwings, who have been a bit disconsolate the last few days.

Last night there was a bit of a breeze and I love the way the snow is clinging to the stone in the garden dyke.

 

Snow over the Orphir Hills on the Orkney Mainland

More snow....

More snow overnight. Still not very deep on Graemsay, and very crunchy so fun to walk in (unless you have paws). I'm staying nice and snug indoors most of the time, as is Button, but we both "took the air" this morning.

The young hens are somewhat bewildered as to where all the grass has gone. I cooked up some spaghetti and rice for them as a treat (they like spaghetti as they think it's a pale worm!).

Water running from a land drain is frozen on the shore.

Another snow shower coming in

Time to head home to the warm!

Snow....

We're not having as bad a time as other parts of the UK (yet), but we have snow and the occasional blizzard! I went out this morning to feed the hens and they were still roosting - the snow on the roof made the hen house dark and they thought it was night time!  They were surprised to see me with breakfast......  However I have kept them shut in for the day as there are some young birds there and I'm not convinced they understand it's better to stay indoors during a blizzard!  Charlie the barn cat was glad to have breakfast, but at least he has a lovely warm hay barn to sleep and hunt in.  I gave him "extra rations" but I suspect he's probably getting plenty of food from the mice moving out of the field into the barn! The garden birds were glad of more fat balls, seeds and peanuts, and with the hens shut in I was able to leave food on the ground for the blackbirds - though of course the sparrows and starlings were just as happy to eat it.

I was due to go over to Stromness last night as various galleries were having openings of their Christmas exhibitions. However after phoning the ferry skipper's wife to book the boat she advised me the wind was due to get up and snow to come in so I cancelled. Just as well as we have enough snow to make driving difficult and slippery!

So I'm snug indoors with a slightly grumpy Button (a bored cat is an annoying cat!) and am just watching the weather pass over. I have lots of work to be do so I'll just get my head down and get on with it and await the thaw!

Here comes the blizzard again!

A dusting of snow

Just a light dusting of snow across Brinkies Brae in Stromness but the clouds speak of more to come.  It's blooming cold too!

Beach Day....

OK I confess these photos were taken a couple of weeks ago before the gales and the extreme weather. However I enjoy looking at them when the weather is quite "challenging"! 

A memory of summer

I was trying an "artistic" photo of an old winch but Button had to get into the picture!

And again.......

Seaweed piled up after a recent gale

Sea Snake

No not a real snake, but some photos (courtesy of Irene of Breckan) of the experimental renewable energy equipment using wave power. This is being trialled just off Billia Croo on the West Mainland of Orkney, and the "sea snake" can be seen going up and down the Flow to it's base at Lyness on the island of Hoy.

Christmas Shopping....

OK I admit I fall into the "Bah Humbug!" category of Christmas grouch. I don't begrudge anyone their fun at Christmas, just don't expect me to join in. Well unless there is mulled wine on offer... Anyway even I had to concede I needed to start shopping for Christmas gifts so last week ventured into Kirkwall. My first port of call was my favourite shop - Shearer's.  This is an old family firm which sells everything from seeds for farm crops, hardware, kitchen utensils, pet food, to groceries and cake. Yes all in one shop.  In the Spring time the upstairs is full of different seeds which are mixed by hand to suit the individual farm or field.  I had my walled garden grass seed mixed here with advice from Richard Shearer himself on which grasses and what density to go for.  I'd asked for something that didn't need lots of mowing ;-)  He said he had the solution - spray the grass with beer twice a week and it will grow half-cut.  Boom Boom! (as the slightly faded Basil Brush would say, sorry that joke will be lost on anyone outside the UK...).

Anyway, at this time of year the upstairs of the shop is turned into a Christmas wonderland - as you can see in the photo above.  The fire is lit (yes real fire!), and Christmas tree and chair ready for Santa, old lamps, tins and other oddments adorn the high shelves, while tables and cupboard are laden with all sorts of food goodies from far and wide.  I managed to not dribble all over the chocolate and this time just bought some bird seed and "fat balls" from the department downstairs.  (Why is it OK to feed fat balls to birds but I can't live off chips and bacon rolls?  Don't birds suffer from high cholesterol??!)

Then it was onto a well known Supermarket for more groceries. While I was browsing along the non-food items the clothes rails caught my eye and I was drawn to a rather fine pair of pyjamas.  Now in Orkney when one is looking at anything in a shop, if there is someone else looking too, well you strike up a conversation.  So there was this other lady also looking at these rather fine pyjamas and we were commenting on style, material, quality etc.  Then I said "But I don't know how practical they will be outdoors."  Small silence in the conversation (I swear the lady took a step back....).  "Um..." she said "you do know these are pyjamas..... for wearing in bed...?"  "Yes" I replied "it's just.....um..." at this point I realised I could not go on and say what was in my head given the look on her face so far, so just finished lamely saying something about needing to put the cat out etc.... Instead what I had been about to say was "well sometimes I need to go out to let out the mice the cat has brought in. Or to take a photo of the sun rising behind the cows from the corner of the road. But it's OK cos I do often put my wellington boots (rubber boots) on over my 'jamas, and a fleece too depending on the weather..... Some things are best left unsaid.....