Pastoral landscapes

Before the heavy rain of the last couple of days grass was still being cut for hay/silage on the island. This has been a good year for crops in Orkney as the weather has been mainly dry. So lots of silage and hay bales being piled up around in byres and corners of fields.



And on the sea, the "Hamnavoe" plies her trade back and forth several times a day between Stromness and Scrabster on the Scottish Mainland.

Walk on the wild side....

The South side of Graemsay faces Hoy and, to me, has a wilder feel to it than the North side of the island which faces Stromness. Maybe the brooding Hoy Hills add to the mood, and the fact that it's less inhabited than the South side (although "less inhabited" is relative on Graemsay as we only have 10 inhabited houses on the island anyway!!). But - I enjoy a wander round the "wild side" of Graemsay.......

I saw a sea shell on the sea shore.....

Lots of sea shells........ these are photos taken from the "shell" beach just below Sandside. It's my favourite beach with cold water coral mixing with the shells along the tide line and above.

Sailing ship...

Now this is one ship I would love to have had a ride on. The vessel was in Stromness harbour yesterday and sailed off down Scapa Flow this afternoon. She only partially had her sails raised but still looked magnificent. The small blob in the foreground of the picture is a seal also watching the ship sailing pastl.

Croft houses

Yesterday a friend visited (she's from "south" but now lives on Shapinsay - one of the islands north of Orkney Mainland). Her Grandfather was born on Graemsay in the 1800s and she wanted to visit the croft where he was born, known as "Crookshouse" which used to be the home of the Johnston family during the 19th Century. So after I'd given her a "whistle-stop" tour of the island and a short walk on both Sandside beaches, Mick from the lighthouse very kindly took us up to the croft in his jeep. His family work the croft with sheep, though the houses are long derelict with fallen in roofs. However S was delighted to visit the home of her forebears and, with dry weather and the sun in the sky, she could wander among the old stone buildings.

It seems to be quite traditional for the old crofts to be built close together with a small "lane" running between them. The building would provide some shelter for the crofter to leave the house and tend to the beasts in the byres. Though I bet the wind could whistle down the lanes, and rattle about the houses.

Scarratain is a house by the shore on Graemsay and still has a traditional turf roof (the turf would have been laid on top of stone slabs, acting as extra insulation). With continued coastal erosion it is probably yards closer to the shore than when it was first built.










The view above looks across to another wee croft house in the middle distance, with the Hoy cliffs across the water.

September already......

........ like many of you, I've no idea where the summer months went. Fortunately, in Orkney, we have had glorious weather, with just a few wet days in August (sorry those of you who have suffered the weather for the last few months....). But just remember when Winter comes along in Orkney, we only have about six hours of daylight (if we're lucky).

And there was almost certainly a whisper of Winter at the weekend. A friend had let me stay in her cottage in "the country" on the Orkney Mainland at the weekend. It was in a beautiful spot in Stenness, with cows (and the bull) staring at me through the windows - I think they wanted to come in out of the howling wind and rain. Saturday was so miserable. However Sunday dawned bright and sunny again, and the shadow of Winter was banished for a time.

The cottage I stayed in on the Orkney Mainland was opposite the Graemsay Hoy High lighthouse - and I lay in bed and watched the reflection of the light flashing on and off on the bedroom wall. That did feel strange!

The weather has remained glorious this week too. (Sorry I have the British obsession with the weather...).

My vegetable garden has been delivering bountiful supplies for the last few weeks. I am like any new convert and am to be found haranguing anybody with a bit of ground to plant some veggies - "Peas are easy, you could get a good crop - use that bucket over there"...... oh dear...... This picture shows the latest crop of broad beans, peas and my FIRST courgette! I did a happy dance when I saw the courgette.

At the weekend I visited several folk who have successfully grown fruit and veggies in exposed locations or near to the shore. A friend in Evie (Orkney Mainland) has a lovely crop of apples (as seen in the photo) , pears, and plums. I'm inspired to try espaliers for apples in my walled garden next year.

I also discovered a wonderful new taste in something called "crumpled cress". It's full name is "wrinkled crinkled crumple cress" apparently! It has a very tangy taste, even better than water cress. So that is on the list for next year. As is spinach - though not sure how it will do outdoors, but I can but try.

The hens are also laying well, they have forgiven me for shutting them out of the garden, and seem to live in the willow trees outside the walled garden for most of the day. Today they were hunting for grubs and insects - they have clearly been taking lessons from Police Forensic TV programmes with the "searching in a line" tactic!

The dreaded "midge".....

Unlike the West of Scotland and the highlands, Orkney doesn't have too much bother with midges...... until August that is. Midges are tiny biting, flying insects, the size of a pin head. Thankfully, as I live near to the shore there is usually a breeze so the horrid beasts are kept at bay. But the walled garden is proving a haven for them. And they love hiding in the vegetation where it's damp and then swarm about me when I'm trying to weed or pick the veggies. In theory they don't like too much direct sunlight and are worse at dusk or dawn...... but nobody has told the midges this. Sigh.

"Avon Skin So Soft" moisturising body oil is supposed to be a good repellent. But in reality the midges continue to swarm around finding any spare bit of flesh to bite into and draw blood whatever one is doused in. It's only the females that bite - apparently they need the blood before they can lay their eggs. They were so bad at the weekend even poor Button got fed up with them around her eyes, nose and ears that she abandoned supervision of my weeding and retreated into the barn for a nap.

And I just discovered there is a Scottish Midge Forecast website! Orkney is in the top right of the picture. OK we only merit a "1" hmmmmm well it felt more like FIVE when I was in the garden......... and *that* is why on Sunday I was out in the pouring rain and breezy weather trying to earth up the tatties in the hope the midges would be otherwise occupied.....