And.... back in June....

Midsummer sunset... this pool is lovely for a swim at high tide....

Red admiral butterfly....  there was an "eruption" of these in June, blown in on the East wind I think.  I counted about 20 in the walled garden...

Thrift.... Hoy hills in background...

Misty day.....

Grasses, buttercups and cow parsley....

One of the beautiful things about a misty day is the bejewelled spiders webs

Back in May....

No I have no idea what I have been doing to get so behind with photos and blogging.  I haven't left the island since March.  Sigh.... Well clearly I am not a high achiever, nor an influencer (whatever one of those is).

Though to be fair Lockdown hasn't been much different for me as it hit before summer, when I probably only left the island once a week to go shopping and meet up with pals.  Summer would have seen me off island more at festivals and meeting up with fol, plus exploring more of Orkney.  But.... not this year due to COVID-19.  Hey Ho.

Lots more restrictions are being lifted in Scotland, and shielding/cocooning comes to an end on 1st August.  However, on medical advice, I am still continuing shielding.  The virus hasn't gone away, and there is as yet no effective treatment or vaccine so.....  I shall try and stay as safe as I can on Graemsay.  I'm ultra cautious not just because of my health, but because I'm also a tiny cog in the big wheel of COVID-19 research, collating evidence etc.  Many people in Orkney and the UK seem to be acting as though it is all over - well sadly that is unlikely to be true.

Anyway, back to May.... it was a lovely evening when I took a walk and snapped some pix from the old sail shed near the shore.  The sail shed would have held the sails (obviously) plus other "gubbins" used for the sailing yoles (small sail boats renowned in Orkney) which would have been pulled ashore just below the shed.  It has no roof, door or windows but is a lovely sheltered spot to watch the sunset!

The photo above is the gable end and chimney from what would have been an old dwelling house many years ago.  Just 4 walls left of it now and this one looks like it's about to end up on the shore below! Having said that it's been leaning like that for a few years now...

Below looking through the window of the sail shed along the shore.

The children of the family that lived her up until the mid 1980s carved their names on the sandstone in the shed.  Ian, Maureen..... can't read the rest....

This is an old drain that runs under the building next to the shed.  My previous cat, Fitzi, got stuck in this hole once.  It took me an hour to slowly and carefully pull him out backwards! 

What is left of the shed....

Looking over the shore to Stromness

Looking straight out to the mouth of Hoy Sound.

All the old buildings would be repurposed.  Starting out perhaps as a house, and ending up as a byre.  You can see what looks like a window blocked up int the shed from what was definitely and old house many years ago, then turned into a byre.

Cobbles laid in front of the entrance to the old house.... Imagine the work that went into finding the stones and "planting" them to make a sure footing (flagstones could get quite slippery with moss and lichens when wet).

Sunset

Mist below the Hoy hills.  Looking across Sandside Bay.  This is the "main road" round the island - single track.

The old Manse in the shadow of the Hoy hills.

Mist over Hoy, the green building is our community hall...

Sandside - you can see why it is so named!

Sunset in May

Pink glow over Stromness - the white "blob" is the ferry that sails to the Scottish Mainland. In harbour for the night.

Sunsets, garden, hens....and Button

As I said yesterday, I've lost my blogging mojo recently, but hopefully it is returning.  I think it's partly as I'm not leaving the house and environs and not taking so many photos.  Lockdown is easing in Scotland as it is in the rest of the UK, just a slightly different rate.  I am still shielding (cocooning) and have been advised by my GP to continue doing so, despite the likelihood of shielding being paused at the end of July.  I live in paradise so I won't complain. Ha!  But it does feel like I am living in a parallel universe when I hear what other people are doing around the UK.

In Orkney this week pubs and restaurants can now have customers indoors, and the tourist industry is beginning again with visitors arriving.  I'm a bit ambivalent about that to be honest.  I'd have liked Orkney to have done what Guernsey in the Channel Islands has done (I have family there).  They have kept their borders closed, with mandatory isolation for any visitors, and kept up track and trace throughout.  Then they have opened everything up on the island (well with some minor restrictions).  They have had no new cases for several week.  And for islanders life is more or less normal with schools back, folk working, shops open etc.  But Orkney is so dependent on a very short tourist season that I think that is what is driving a different approach here. 

Anyway.... back to photos!!

There have been some gorgeous skies over the last few weeks.

Sun burst!

The March of the WereRabbit.....

Hoy under a duvet....

Evening light...

Tall clouds!

Another sunset...

Amazing clouds...

And the Hamnavoe sailing into Stromness....

The garden has enjoyed the benign weather, some rain, some sun, some warmth.  It seems happy!

Knautia and Welsh poppies in the walled garden...

The shrubbery has gone feral this summer! But the hens love rootling around in there quite happily.

Weigelia doing well this summer too!

One of my fave poppies....

Malva...

This border has gone a bit frothy!

The Thalictrum has "gone over", but the Ladies Mantle and geranium are doing well, hugging the garden "sculpture".  I love the orange lichen on the wall.

A wee Robin joins me for some gardening.... a tad scruffy, maybe a juvenile? Or Lockdown hair?!

Button likes to see what I am up to in the garden....

Button.... hiding.... erm..... I think there is a flaw in her plan...

Mmmm I wondered why the seeds I planted weren't growing.... a feline chaise longue.....

Morning Button!

Ah..... a Sunday lie in...

A Yole (traditional Orkney sailing boat) sailing back to Stromness.

Hens enjoying a siesta.  I lost one of my hens last week. Pecky Hen. She was about 12 years old and had led a good life, but in recent weeks had gone into a decline.  She had a final week of sun on her back.  I do miss her as she was very cheeky!  Now I am down to 8 yens, most are elderly too, so only about 3 are laying eggs.

A daytime caller!!  I was on a work Zoom call when she popped in.... fortunately audio only not video..... Though I suspect my colleagues would have been more interested in seeing the hen than listening to me!

And finally..... yellow dots to ensure all passengers boarding the MV Graemsay (our local ferry) are social distancing....