A lovely Spring morning!

The sun is shining and the sea is calm. It's a little chilly outdoors and still very squelchy underfoot, but I just love the brightness. Button is also enjoying the warming of the sun and spends hours outdoors each day. When she greeted me this morning as I emerged from sleep I thought - she smells like "Comfort" fabric conditioner, hmmm weird.... and then dismissed the thought as being the ramblings of a half-awake women. However I've just sorted the laundry and realise that dear Button has been asleep among the towels and freshly washed fleeces in the basket! I must remember to explain that to anyone who comments in case they think I stick her into the washing machine at regular intervals!

On a more sombre note, today is the 40th Anniversary of the Longhope Lifeboat disaster. The lifeboat was stationed on Hoy among a small community at Brims, and on the night of the 17th March 1969, the boat was lost with all eight crew including two fathers, each with their two sons on board. You can read about it here. The memorial in the Osmandwall Kirkyard in Longhope is one of the most poignant I have ever seen. It is a bronze statue of a lifeboatman gazing forever out to sea, sculpted by Ian Scott, an artist from North Ronaldsay in Orkney.

It's so easy to forget on a beautiful calm Spring day today that there are men and women around our shores who put their lives at risk to rescue people from all sorts of sea craft in the foulest of weather. Only last year a local doctor was winched onto a large ship in the Pentland Firth in the most appalling conditions to assist some injured crewman. The Lifeboat Guild in Orkney is very strong, with lots of fundraisers and events to support the service which is run by volunteers, "ordinary" people doing extraordinary deeds to rescue anyone at sea needing help.

Picture from the Orcadian website of the memorial:

The meaning of free range.....

Seaweed flavoured eggs anyone?! The hens have been loving the recent Spring weather and I found them rootling around on the beach one day last week. The weekend weather has returned to grey skies and a breeze, but Friday was glorious reminding me that the sun can warm the land again. Just this last couple of weeks there has been real warmth when the sun has shone. I have even been out without my hat and gloves! Though this is Britain and snow has been known to fall in June so I'm not getting too excited yet.

I thought I'd lost two of my hens (I should have four and as you can see, there are only two in the picture). However on Saturday the other two emerged again. One was making a low "chook-chook" kind of sound which I've heard broody hens make, so I suspect she has got a clutch of eggs somewhere. I had intended following her back to her nest but she outwitted me and snuck off when I wasn't looking. I am trying to search the byres to find her, without success so far. Hens will sit on a nest for days sometimes without coming out for food or water. They will only leave the nest briefly even then and lost a lot of weight during this time. As I don't have a cockeral there is no hope of the poor hen hatching anything so she could sit in vain for some time! The other hen must also have been broody somewhere but she's given up and has joined the other two hens now.

This has been a busy week. Thursday evening we had someone come and give a talk in Graemsay as part of a programme set up by the University of Aberdeen. Neil Curtis gave us a talk on "Northern Connections". Neil is an anthropologist and curator of a museum in Aberdeen and spoke about the connections between the North of Scotland, the Northern isles and also Scandinavia and Russia to the East, and Canada to th West. It was an interesting talk, and was well attended by folk on the island. Neil was staying at Sandside so I did my "B&B hostess" bit, which always amuses my neighbours as they know I am not a morning person. I did manage to cook Neil breakfast and fortunately he was happy to forgo the sparkling conversation ;-)

Friday afternoon I had some friends visit. M&R live over in Orphir - we can send smoke signals to each other across the Sound! It was their first visit to Graemsay and I was delighted that the sun shone. We went for a walk on both the beaches near the house. There is an old pier which separates them and it just fascinates me as on the right of the pier is the "shell" beach with lots of shells and coral mixed in with the sand, while to the left is the sandy beach with NO shells or coral. I *know* it must be to do with tides and currents, but it still feels like there is some sort of traffic control underwater with the marine equivalent of a traffic cop - "Sand to the left please, shells and coral to the right. Move along there please, you're causing a jam...."

So, having had visitors this week I opened up the conservatory and will use that as my sitting room most of the time now. Button really likes the room, underfloor heating to keep her paws forever warm (that stays on till about May), a long expanse of windows to gaze out and plan her strategy for hunting, and a nice sofa to curl up upon. Hmmmm think I might go and join her.....

Creel boat run aground

There was quite a bit of activity off the East of the island this afternoon as a creel boat ran aground on the skerries (creels are used to catch lobsters, skerries - rocks that run out from the shore and only emerge at low tide). Nobody was hurt though our island ferry was out to assist, along with two barges, the coastguard and lifeboat. I think the plan was to wait till high tide and hope that the vessel would float again. There have been some very low Spring tides lately so areas that are normally OK may be dangerously shallow at low tide.

Cruelty to plants.....

This winter I decided to shut off the heating in the conservatory to save energy and money. The plan has worked in those respects, but unfortunately my dear plants have suffered. Some to the point of no return. I should have kept a closer eye on them apart from occasional watering – sigh. I shall be more careful next year.

The really hardy plants like cyclamen are doing well, and the geraniums don’t mind the cold as long as protected from frost so they are doing OK too. However others have needed resuscitating and moving into a warmer environment. I *did* manage to rescue the “Money Plant” (Crassula Ovata) – a lovely large specimen which has been suffering in the same way as our money markets and dropped most of it’s leaves. I think I have stabilised the shedding now that I’ve moved it into the sitting room. I started to get slightly superstitious about it’s fate and whether this would be reflected in my bank balance!! Fortunately I have several “offspring” from the main plant which seem to be healthy and growing!


Ironically my Umbrella plants (schefflera arboricola) are doing extremely well despite one leaning up against the window. They usually like temperatures over 60 degrees F and it’s certainly been well below THAT out there! The Dragon's Tongue no longer has any fire and as for the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina, plain and variegated) – well they’ve been sobbing their hearts out…..

However now that the days are getting longer and I shall be spending more time in the conservatory I have put the heating back on low – it’s underfloor heating so very efficient – as long as it’s not a northerly wind in which case most of the heat goes out through the windows – even though they are double glazed. But I love the view and light in this room and use it as my main sitting room from mid-March to end of September. Spring is here I feel ……… Button is yet to be acquainted with this room. I suspect she will enjoy sitting on the window sills, watching the birdies and planning her strategy for entrapment – sigh.

This is the panoramic view I have from the conservatory. THIS is one of the reasons I bought the house!

Chilly again.....

It's been very blustery since the middle of the night. Back to warm socks again - tenuous link to the attached photo! D very kindly hand-knitted me some socks. I chose the wool and I just love the pattern. It's "magic" wool that just allows the pattern to develop as you knit. Well I'm sure experienced knitters know all about this but it's magic to me! Anyway I'm jolly pleased with my new socks - not only do they look good but are nice and cosy too! Thanks D!

The ferry sailings across the Pentland Firth to North Scotland were cancelled earlier today due to weather. The wind feels like it has dropped a bit now so later sailings may go. Our wee Graemsay ferry has sailed through it all - though to be fair the Hoy Sound is more protected than the Pentland Firth!

I was over in town (Stromness) on Friday night as it was our monthly Film Night. This month we showed "The Italian Job" - the original (the ONLY one worth watching) with Michael Caine et al. We had a good turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves, staying a while at the end to discuss just HOW the boys might have got away with the gold. I just loved the cars - I weep every time I see the two "jags" and the Aston Martin getting crushed! But the "mini" is the star! My first car was a mini and I just loved it. I'd like another one as an island car, but they are a bit "low slung" and probably wouldn't do well on the farm tracks.

Last week I had a chance to go and look at the two new art exhibitions in Stromness. The Waterfront Gallery had an exhibiton of drawings from the local "Life" class. But for those artists among my readers - this is Orkney in the Winter. Nobody gets their kit off for the life class! Instead the artists content themselves with folds of scarves and fleeces, or weatherbeaten faces. Though my favourite was of a child sleeping under a pile of blankets. It was interesting though seeing how different people interpreted the same models. A number of the artists are "professionals" whose work I have seen around town, and others are gifted amateurs who draw or paint for a hobby. Some of the faces in the portraits I recognised too. So it was fun going round the exhibition.

I then went along to the Pier Art Gallery - one of my favourite spaces in Orkney. The gallery is as much of an art exhibit as it's contents. I just love the vistas of the town spied through different shaped windows. Anyway - this new exhibition was showing work from local artists who had graduated with an Arts Degre during the last eight years or so. Lots of different media were used. Some photographs, others were big bold oils, or fragile glass bubbles. There were also animations, textiles and a couple of "installations". A very vibrant mix and well worth going to see.

Well now the wind seems to have dropped a little I'd better go out and feed the hens. I noticed that one has been missing for a few days. I fear the worst though I have found no evidence or remains - sigh. And Bill the Lone Goose is still in the field!

I'm ready for my close up.....

.... Mr de Mille.... or at least I think that's what Button would say. Today is a beautiful bright sunny day and I thought I'd go for a short walk and take some photos. Though bright sunlight wasn't probably going to produce the best conditions for some close up photography, but it was a good enough excuse to be outdoors. However, it's Spring, the sun is shining and Button wants to come for a walk too. She managed to get into practically every shot I took. What is it about cats and their nosiness?

So, above, we have "Landscape with Cat"............. and (right) we have "Crocus with Cat" - er I'm not sure if she was drinking the dew off the grass or making a comment on my photography!

And here we have "Cat doing Owl Impression". If Mick's out without his specs he'll be taking photos and sending them off to the RSPB declaring an unusual siting....!

And finally, this was supposed to be a fine example of shell sand, coral and pebbles among the grass.......


But I *did* manage to get a shot of some green shoots in the garden without Button - but oooh look there she is in the background.....



AhA! One without Button......

Button on the beach

(Photo: click to enlarge - Button on the lookout for??? fish maybe??).

Button is also enjoying the signs of Spring. There may be a bit of a breeze today but the sun feels like it's beginning to warm up a little now (OK I'm not listening to the forecasts for snow this week.....). Anyway I went for a walk along the shore this morning, and Button, who had once again been hunting in the outbuildings, joined me. I've had cats accompany me on walks along the shore before, but Button actually likes to PLAY in the sand! She rolled around and played with seaweed then rushed about pouncing on things. It was difficult to get pictures of her as she moves so fast!


Seaweed rub anyone?