Clouds and light....

Hoy High Lighthouse on Graemsay

Clouds and light -  a title to loosely hang together some pictures! But I DO love the light at this time of year. The sun is low and shadows are long. Clouds hang in the sky in many guises, some light and wispy, some heavy with rain. I love the changing skyscape.... and these were all taken on the same day (two trips across the water via Hoy) at the beginning of October. That's Orkney weather for you!

Ward Hill- the sleeping dragon

Oooh look- the lighthouse is sending "smoke signals"!

Darkening skies

Rain approaching....again...

Remembrance....

Today is Remembrance Day in many countries around the world. A time to remember those fallen in wars past and sadly all to present. I may not agree politically with some conflicts, but I do honour those who are prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and fought for the freedoms I have today (and sadly I too often take for granted.).

And so these photos are kindly provided by A. who lives on Hoy. She and her daughters climbed the hills near their home in search of the remains of planes lost during WWII. Some were Allied Forces, protecting the deep water harbour of Scapa Flow. One was German. All lost their lives in this beautiful but sometimes bleak landscape.

The girls were climbing the hill as one of them is doing a school project  on the planes lost on the hill.  Apparently it is surprising what is still left there. Though the hill is slowly drawing the rusting decaying metal into a soft heathery embrace.

It's extraordinary looking at this peaceful landscape on a calm autumn day and trying to imagine the Flow full of ships. Not to mention the lookout posts at the mouth of the Flow - stationed on Hoy, Stromness (Ness Battery) and Graemsay.  Even local boats and ships needed permits to come into and out of the Flow or risk being blown out the water by defensive fire. (The wee island is Graemsay - click on the image and you can just see the lighthouse, Hoy High).

Because Scapa Flow was a natural deep harbour the "home fleet" were moored here during WWII. Imagine growing up in Orkney at that time, remote from the rest of the UK, and then hundreds of ships and service personnel descend and make this a temporary base.  Imagine living in a wee croft house and instead of only hearing the wind or the sound of the curlew, there is the noise of many ships and forces transport.  Of course this is true of many rural places. But because Orkney is a group of small islands it seems so far removed from fields of battle.  Even Mainland Scotland is in the dim distance only to be made out from the tops of hills on a clear day....

But many Orcadians went away to fight too, in distant lands.  And every year, at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, throughout Orkney, parades and services are held and wreaths laid, to remember those fallen in conflicts past and present...

The parade in Kirkwal (copyright BBC Radio Orkney).

We will remember you....

Autumn entertainment.....

Now I can't get out to do much in the garden I'm trying to get as much exercise in other ways (um no that doesn't include walking to and from the boat!).  So once a week I go up to Irene and Bobby's at Breckan to play on the Wii with Irene.  For the third time I have been beaten to a pulp by Irene, but my excuse is I rarely play while SHE plays on the Wii daily!

Anyway, their wee cat, Squeak, was fascinated when we were playing the "penguin" game as you can see in the picture above! I'm not sure whether her interest was in the penguin for dinner, or the wee fish that were leaping about. (The point of the game is that you catch the fish to win points without falling off the iceberg... it's a balance game....apparently).

Autumn days....

The sun setting behind the Hoy Hills, with the
 Hoy Low Lighthouse light in the centre of the picture.

I'm slowly settling into the Autumn days now. The clocks went back an hour a couple of weeks ago and, having had some glorious sunny, mild, still days (among the rain and wind) I can now accept that early November is indeed time for Autumn.

So I've been stocking up the freezer and store cupboard, buying in batteries and checking rechargers. MUST check the heating oil this weekend! Although I live on a wee island it's not THAT remote for getting supplies in. Most of the shops in Stromness across the water will put things to the boat and in bad weather, a neighbour will often collect stuff from the boat for me (he's a wee bit heavier than me and less likely to get blown away - tee hee!).  But it's still nice and comforting to feel that I have "supplies in".

This week though I did have to go to town to get my Orkney Mainland car MOT'd (certificate of road worthiness). So I popped into Kirkwall for the morning, taking time for coffee and a bacon sandwich breakfast at The Reel Cafe (with free wifi). I love the atmosphere in this cafe where you are surrounded by music and instruments as you sip your coffee. Great music venue too!

There wasn't a puff of wind about and Stromness harbour was glorious with reflections.

The trees in Stromness are quite bare now - you can see Hoy High lighthouse on Graemsay through the skeleton of this tree - just to the left of the kirk (church) spire.

The days are getting shorter. Sunrise is at 7.50am and sunset at 3.58pm today.  The hens are going to roost in the hen house earlier and earlier.  They sit on the doorstep in the morning demanding breakfast - despite the fact I NEVER feed them near the house and they have to follow my down to the henny hoose to get food.

They get quite impatient - if you look closely TWO of the hens have their heads in the cat flap!

But there are still some lovely sunsets to watch and enjoy.

An island wander....

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago during some lovely Autumn sunshine.  So above - some ruined crofts up above Western Horn. Across the water is the town of Stromness.

As you can see - Stromness nestles in the shelter of the hill (known as Brinkies Brae) and is largely sheltered from the worst of the West wind.  The town grew up around the shelter of the harbour. You can see the blue and white of the "Hamnavoe" ferry which runs between Stromness and Scrabster in the North of Scotland.

Here is the old school - the small white building on the right. It closed about quite a few years ago and the children now go across on the ferry to the school in Stromness. To the left of the school is the old School House where the teacher used to live.

This is looking back to Sandside and Hoy High.....

And here is the 4.15 pm ferry on it's way to the Graemsay pier....

This is the ruined croft of Dean, looking towards the Hoy Hills.....

And this is looking out West before the sun sinks behind the Hoy Hills....

The other lighthouse on Graemsay, Hoy Low, with a view towards the cairn (pile of stones) at the top  Black Craig

There's a renewable energy test centre just off Black Craig and the wave power "sea snake" (proper name Pelamis) can be seen working out just off the shore.  It's still very experimental but apparently does make some electricity!

And on the way back, out East are two naval ships. They were doing various exercises off the West coast of Scotland then came into Scapa Flow to dive the various wrecks as recreation after the exercise.

And then back down the road to Sandside Bay, looking towards Garson

Then home in time for Cake!

Roadworks on the island....

A couple of weeks ago we had "roadworks" on the island.  Roadmen came over with tar, chips and the bit of equipment needed to do the work.  As you can see above, the road is single track, and we don't have much of it - just a couple of miles around the island. But like everywhere else it does need maintaining.

Of course with only a lift on-lift off ferry everything had to be transported over and lifted off onto the pier. Te bit of equipment was then attached to an island tractor and the men set off repairing parts of the road.

They were here for a couple of days and seemed busy.  I noticed they repaired a pot hole outside my house, but I haven't been around to see what else they've done.

All the equipment was taken away after they had finished. Let's hope we don't get too many winter storms to wash away the repairs!

In search of a pea green boat....

A cat in search of a pea green boat....... oh dear, not this burned out hull.....that won't float off to the land  where the Bong Tree grows!

This looks "pea-green".....

I wonder where Owl is.....

 No sign of the honey or money wrapped up in a five pound note though.

Maybe today is not the time to sail away for a year and a day...... Sigh.....

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (by Edward Lear)

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

   And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

    What a beautiful Pussy you are,

         You are,

         You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!

   How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

   But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

   To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

   With a ring at the end of his nose,

             His nose,

             His nose,

   With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day

   By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;   

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

   They danced by the light of the moon,

             The moon,

             The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983)