Gardening on the edge.....

 

I thought gardening at Sandside was tough enough but there I at least had the shelter of the old stone dyke, and some shrubs. In my new house and "garden" life is a little tougher for any plant!  I had wanted to move to a smaller house and tiny garden.  Well I got the small house, but it sits in an acre plot.  This is mainly a VERY rough meadow - with vole tunnels through it, long clumpy grass, and a variety of tough wildflowers!

The previous inhabitants made a gravel garden around the house - inspired no doubt by Derek Jarman's garden at Dungeness   It has sedums and succulents, as well as sea campion, self heal, Welsh Poppies, columbines, teazels, and lots of plantain!  It actually needs quite a bit of weeding which has got a bit beyond me but it seems happy enough!

Across from the gravel garden is a small patch of mown grass - I had 7 Northern Marsh Orchids blooming this season which I was delighted with.  Then there are two beds of wildness, and the rest is truly feral!  In a more sheltered spot I have some pots of perennials and alpines.  Some more alpines and sedums on top of the gabions too.

I planted lots of wildflower seeds in the Spring, but it was a very cold spring and then a period of very dry weather so very little has germinated.  I am hopeful for next year!  Anyway, here are a few photos of the "garden". Suggestions for plants that withstand wind and very sandy soil welcome!

This is one of the wilder beds - as well as the ubiquitous daisies it also has cranesbill, some achillea/yarrow and I've planted more, also planted some verbascum.

The forget-me-nots have finished flowering as has the red campion.

The two feral beds are by the garden cabin. I am loving the teazels springing up everywhere.

Self seeded into the gravel garden too.  Sedums filling the gabions...

There are paths cut through the meadow, and cranesbill and daisies spill into these areas, along with hogweed (not the giant kind!)

Wildflower "self heal" is growing in abundance too.

Among the many grasses in the meadow there are damper bits and here grow clumps of flag iris.

And then there is a small seating area with pots and a feral border....

And pots with alpines...

And Reggie and the Alpines (good name for a rock group maybe?)

Then there are the alpines on the gabions....

And water in the garden - a pool for the insects and birds, plus any passing hedgehog

And the start of a tiny pond...

And finally!  Button in the catio!!

Skyscape from the other evening from the house

 

Just a few snaps through from the house the other night.  There has been some magnificent evening light and sunsets recently.  I am so fortunate to still be able to view these from my window just as I could on Graemsay!  

A trip to the past....

 

It's said of Orkney, scratch the surface and it bleeds archaeology.  Which is pretty much true - as agriculture has been the mainstay of the islands, with no heaving industrialisation, the landscape has been pretty much undisturbed.  Sometimes farmers plough up some stones and find treasures, or they quietly cover them over again! But there's lots of archaeology already excavated (Skara Brae etc) and newer ones being excavated around the isles.  The "biggie" is the Ness of Brodgar which opened this week.  I haven't been for a visit yet.  But one dig that finished this week was of The Cairns in South Ronaldsay, a broch or round house.  This is quite near me (compared to when I was ots (a woman's jawbone in the skull of a fin whale among the most memorable to me).  But lots of information re everyday lifte of the folk who lived and farmed in the area.  The soil that has been dug out of the broch has been bagged and will be analysed, along with lots of other artefacts.

I'm no archaeologist so here is a link to their blog, and below are some pretty random photos I took on the day!

You can make out the curve in the walls in the photos

Animal bone finds...

Tools of the trade

You can make out a midden of shells middle left.  These are being carefully excavated, counted and assessed.  It's in this corner, I think that the whale skull and human jaw bone were found.

A post hole - this is probably from a later settlement outside the broch, robbing or using stone from the broch itself.

A clearer view showing the roundness of the walls

A saddle quernstone for grinding of grain

And here is a link to the 2023 excavation at the Ness of Brodgar in Stenness.

A visit to Graemsay

 

Hoy Hight lighthouse

Although I paid a brief visit a few weeks ago I didn't have a chance to have a proper wander around the island.  So last week I went back with a friend, borrowed a car and set about exploring the wee island that was my home for 22 years.  I also popped in on the new owners of Sandside, who love living on the island and are taking good care of the house and garden.  I firmly believe those of us who live in old houses are simply custodians, and now it's onto the next generation.  Anyway here are some photos of my visit.

Sailing from Stromness via Hoy to Graemsay

The old kirk, now under new ownership.

It's a quiet neighbourhood.  

The view from the kirk.....

Sadly a dead Fin whale  was washed up on the shore not far from the kirk in the Winter of 2023.  Some of the skeleton is now visible and being removed.....

After the kirk we took a run down to Hoy Low.... I love this lighthouse - short and dumpy! The reason for two lighthouses on the island was to guide the herring fleet through a narrow passage into Stromness harbour.  There is quite shallow water around the island, so for deeper water the ships had to light up Hoy High and Hoy Low lights to white and keep on that course.  If one showed red they were off course.

Looking down to Hoy Low and the accommodation around it, and across the mouth of Hoy Sound to the outskirts of Stromness on the Orkney Mainland.

Down the road is the island Community Hall.  This was refurbished using EU and local grants just before the pandemic.  It's now back in use for parties, quizzes and games evenings.  There is also a defibrilator on the wall - many of these are now publically available around Orkney.

And in a field across from the hall are some belted galloway cattle.  Love the stripey coos! They are a hardy breed and can live out year round.  They also calve themselves easily outdoors.

And of course, Sandside Bay!

And lovely Sandside, my former home!  I was made most welcome and delighted to see it looking so good.

Meanwhile the old School is being brought back to life.  A lovely renovation taking place there.

Hoy High ever visible, this time just round the corner from the old School

And a bit further along the road is the old Quarry.  We were fortunate enough to see a blue-tailed damselfly here.  It was a bit breezy so not much visible activity - they were hiding in the long grass and rushes.

A lovely view of Hoy from the top road....

The old croft house of Dean with a new corrugated iron room....

And that is the end of the tour!  We had a lovely day and I  caught up with quite a few folk too.

Testing mobile editor…

Midsummer over St Peter’s Pool, Deerness….

OK - I'm back..... yes really.... I think!

 

Madam Button demands adulation

So.... I didn't get on with Instagram either and I had so many lovely emails and comments from folk sad about me stopping my blog that I thought - oh folk ARE still interested.... maybe I will continue and see how it goes.  Part of the reason I stopped was I felt it was all a bit repetitive!  And I will probably blog a bit less often and not beat myself up about that..... 

I will try and find a way to do a mobile upload from my phone or ipad as that might be easier too - I rarely use my laptop now I'm retired.....

Coming up - last week I went back to Graemsay (to misquote the first line of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier!).