Sandside history

Eight years ago, when the house was being renovated, the builders found a couple of items in the rafters of the house. Apparently the attic space, many years ago, had been a rudimentary bedroom for some of the children of the house. It therefore amused me to find that one of the "finds" was a cigarette packet! (The other side of the packet bears the name "Mitchell's Prize Crop Cigarettes" - and of course no health warning!) A painted metal button was also found, presumably from a cardigan, or jacket.

Sandside has quite a history - around 1830 Henry and Betsy Sutherland moved to Graemsay from Walls on Hoy. Henry was a tenant farmer, the island of Graemsay being owned by the local "laird". The couple had ten children, and at the time lived in the house which is now a byre. Two of the sons took over the farm at some point. Alexander and Samuel ran the farm for some years, and it was at that time that the laird built the current house (around 1860). The style was unusual for Orkney, more fitting to a large town, as it was an early "maisonnette" complete with external staircase. Sadly the external staircase was lost around 1910. Other changes were made to the house about then, converting it into one home as it is today.

While the house was split into two "flats" Alexander and his wife Margaret lived in one part of the house and Samuel and his wife Mary lived in the other part. Over the years Alexander & Margaret had ten surviving children and Samuel and Mary had twelve children, including a set of twins. And no the house isn't that big! I have no idea where they all lived, although maybe the older ones were away from home by the time the youngest were born?!

In fact the entire Sutherland family of that time equates to the current island population! Though in the late 1800s the Graemsay island population was about 200, with families living in small croft houses, most of which are derelict now. Currently there are 14 habitable properties on the island. How times change!

At some point there was a parting of the ways and Samuel and Mary took over the house and the farm themselves. Alexander and his family moving to Orphir. The descendants of the Sutherland family are spread far and wide across the globe, as well as several living in Orkney. In the summer months each year I hear a knock at the door, and it's a descendant of Samuel and Mary. I love placing the visitors on the family tree. I know more about the Sutherland family history than I do of my own! Bryce Wilson, who used to be the Custodian of the Orkney Museum, and is a descendant of the Sutherland family, has provided me with a copy of the family tree and various photos over the years. And occasionally other members of the family provide information or photos. (Photo left has Samuel and Mary centre, surrounded by their children, taken circa 1905. Full list of folk in the photo from left to right: Standing: Catherine, Samuel Agnes, James, Hughina, Daniel, Henrietta. Sitting: Isabella Ann, Samuel, Mary (nee Lyon), Mary. Front: Clara, Betsy, Jane-Anne.

Daniel (John Daniel) took over the running of the farm after his father's death. John Daniel and his family remained living at Sandside, till Daniel died in 1951. I think the family left for "south" after that period. The house was then let to Jock and Gertie Seatter who stayed in the house till 1985. After that the house was left empty until work started on our renovations.

I was fortunate enough to be given a plate from the dinner service which was a wedding present to Sam and his wife Mary in 1877 and this now has pride of place on the dresser in the kitchen. I like to think it has come home again!

Charlie Boy update

You may remember my story of the grey and white rescue cat escaping a couple of weeks ago. Well I spotted him early this past week! He was sitting on the windowsill of the kitchen (outdoors) at 11.30 one night. I got some food and quietly went outside, he ran off a way but not completely. I put some food down for him and he wolfed it down once I retreated to a safe distance. I then saw him the next day in the barn so have been leaving food there, although I haven't seen him since. He may be eating it, or the hens, or Button or one of Ethel's cats - there's no way of knowing really. He's a very shy boy so I may not see him often!

In fact he was so shy when he stayed here that I never really saw him fully, he was always hiding in or behind something. So when I saw a grey and white cat on the windowsill I had to run and check my photos of Charlie Boy to see if it WAS him. But the cat on the window had the same facial markings so I thought it was a pretty good bet!

Anyway he will be nice and snug in the hay barn, and have lots of live food to hunt (mice) as well as regular cat food if he wishes!

Let it snow, let it snow....

.... to quote an old song. Finally we have a proper covering of snow on the island! The photo above is looking across to the Orkney Mainland with Black Craig now brightly lit as "White Craig"!

Last night the view from my bedroom window across the bay to the Hoy hills was just magical, lit up by the moon and stars in the sky, reflecting off the bright snow. No camera could capture the magic of that scene. The snow just seemed to glow, with the gentle dark waves lapping along the shore-line.

This morning I woke to more snow, probably only about an inch or inch and a half but wonderfully crunchy underfoot! I wandered about outside taking some photos but didn't go too far. Fragile bones and slippery surfaces aren't a good combination!

Button also came out to explore though, understandably, she objected to getting her paws too cold and surveyed my progress from the safety of the window ledge.

The hens were eager for their breakfast scraps this morning and were a little bewildered by the snow. This will be their first year of life so won't have seen snow before. But, although they seem to have little brains (just look at the size of their heads...) they certainly worked out where the barn was easily enough and went foraging among the silage bales put there for the young stock kept in the barn.

I do feel sorry for the sheep out in the field - they too get fed silage and other feed but look a bit disconsolate not being able to get to the grass. They have very thick warm fleeces so their bodies are nice and toasty, but I do wonder if I should get my friend D to knit them some socks.....?


This is a picture of the "main road" on Graemsay this morning. I love the snow when it is fresh and crisp. But it will soon get churned up with the various vehicles going back and forth to feed livestock and to the pier. The Graemsay snow plough was out this morning - a tractor with snow plough one end, gritter t'other!

More snow looks as though it is on the way. That will please the kids on the island - I could hear voices and shrieks when I was out taking photographs so the kids must have been out with sledges making the most of the snow while it lasts!

Winter Wonderland!

(Photo: Left is Hoy, right is Graemsay - optical illusion that they are almost touching!)

After a week of lots of sleety-rainy-haily stuff we get the real deal with overnight snow. I was staying in Stromness last night as it was our monthly film club night and laid in bed watching snow falling on the town reflected in the street lights. It was so pretty! This morning snow is still around though I was impressed to see the snow plough had been through the main street in Stromness, and I followed the gritter down the road.

I bought a few essential supplies and headed for the 9.30am boat home. The weekend boat goes via Hoy so I had a chance to take some snaps of snow on the Hoy Hills. Graemsay doesn't have that much snow, though the road was home from the pier did have a covering of snow which had frozen and that made driving - er - interesting.

More words later but for now will leave you with some images of Orkney in the snow! (click on the picture to see a larger image)

S'no snow

No snow as yet, though some is forecast for later in the week. It did seem odd watching the chaos of London in the snow on TV yesterday with not a flake on the ground up here in the North! The countryside does look as pretty as a picture when it is covered in snow but I do feel sorry for any animals out in it and it's not much fun for people a lot of the time either!

Anyway I was glad there was no snow on the ground today as I had my monthly acupuncture appointment in deepest Orphir on the Orkney Mainland and there is no chance of getting there if it's icy. I had a chance to do a bit of shopping in Stromness and stock up in case the weather turns bad again. I also took some quick snaps with my new camera but it was *so* cold I didn't hang about much.

The photo at the top of the page is taken in Stromness Harbour today, a very cold grey wintry day. The pier by the bright red shed where the school kids learn to handle small boats in the safety of the harbour. Sometimes in the summer you can see them out in yoles (old style of Orkney boat - bit like a rowing boat but with a sail and small motor) or in canoes or regular rowing boats. I just love the red tones of the shed against the Orkney stone. To the right of the red building is a black metal building and a stone building, both of which house the Pier Arts Centre. The church spire in the background is part of the Stromness Town Hall, a converted church now run by the local council as a community space. That's where we have our film club nights, and concerts and drama productions also take place there. Almost all the properties along the shore side of the town will have their own piers and some have boatsheds running down to the water.

Harumph!

A friend phoned me tonight and when we got to the bit about "what have you been up to today?" I replied I'd spent the day doing various domestic things, clearing out cupboards, washing floors etc, made a loaf (in breadmaker), some mushroom soup and baked a date & raisin cake. Then I had to lie down on the sofa for two hours to recover. She laughed and said "It all sounded very WI (Women's Institute) for a moment there, then it descended into Victorian Melodrama!" I wonder if I should find a chaise-longue on eBay to complete the picture.........harumph......

Time and Thyme......

Though winter is still with us at least the days are getting longer. Today sunrise was at 08:23 and sunset at 16:29. This compares with 21st December (shortest day) of 09:04 and 15:15. Amazing the difference six weeks makes!

The wind finally dropped this afternoon. Button was getting a little stir crazy! She did come out to feed the hens with me and whizzed around the barns but it was too windy for her to want to stay out long and in she came again. She's been grumping around the house all day. Then this afternoon I did some cooking and discovered that the herb, Thyme, seems to have the same effect on her as catnip! I'd put some in a soup (more of that later) and while sitting having a cup of tea waiting for it to finish cooking, Button came up to say hi - then she went completely bonkers after she'd sniffed my hand - racing around, pouncing on things, yowling, she rolled OFF the sofa TWICE! Well - I'm assuming it WAS Thyme I put into the soup........

Anyway here is a recipe for what I would call a "workaday" mushroom soup. Not an extravagent recipe with cream, just basic ingrediants but ooooooh it is delicious. I adapted the recipe from one I already had and thankfully it turned out OK. So here's the recipe

Mushroom Soup
(makes about 1 and a half pints)

(Different mushrooms will give different flavours so I just use whatever I can get!)

4 cups button mushrooms, peeled and chopped (10 oz)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
black pepper
Thyme (fresh or dried)
1 and half pints vegetable stock

Heat oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion gently until transparent.
Add mushrooms and cook until soft but do not brown.
Add the chopped potatoes.
Add the stock and Thyme and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and seaon.
Blend.
Reheat and serve.

Options: Swap the Thyme for garlic and add with the onion. Or use Parsley instead of Thyme.

If anyone has any soup recipes they want to share then please DO email me!