More of the same....

 

Hoy Hills wearing a hat

I'm still keeping to myself on Graemsay.  I'm meeting friends in the garden, socially distanced but that's it. I've not left the island since mid March.  Unfortunately we have a cluster of new COVID-19 cases in Orkney this last week.  We had only had 9 reported up till May (I think), but another 7 have been reported this week linked to a fishing boat which was in Aberdeen.  Aberdeen is back in lockdown due to a sudden spike in cases, and the fishing boat was there just prior to the lockdown, hence the infections.  The crew sailed back to Orkney with no symptoms but it became apparent recently that there were some who were infected.  Test, Track and Trace in action in Orkney so hopefully this cluster will remain small and contained.

I did have friends visit last week.  The weather was warm, though not very sunny.  We managed to have te and cake in the garden, and then lunch in the shed, with tea outside afterwards.  They brought goodies.... a cool box full of frozen food (some things I can't get through usual routes) AND..... MAGNUM ICE CREAM LOLLIES!!  Three boxes of 4...... one box has been consumed already....

The weather the last few weeks has been largely dry, and warm. With a few grey skies but little or no rain.  Though as ever we do get the sea mists....

But lovely blue skies and bluer seas too.... looking across the bay to Garson. Old winch on the lighthouse pier...

And of course there were sunsets - the sun moving slowly back towards the Hoy hills where it will snuggle down for winter...  But not just yet!

And my neighbour carting the bales away to store for Winter...

Button rather likes sitting here.... not handy if I want to watch a TV programme!

Of course on a warm day she enjoys being in the garden... um... not great on the camouflage front!

And on a warm day after a spot of gardening.... a Magnum of course!

Two of the girls heading off to the garden....

Garden with Gimpy Hen....

And without Gimpy Hen...

And one of the girls has gone broody. Some years since she even laid an egg....doesn't stop her!

And while I have been typing this blog post as Sparrowhawk has just flown over the field in front of the window..... did the same when I had visitors last week.  Love seeing it in flight - though it often means bad news for my sparrow - though tonight I think it was heading for the terns that are breeding along the shore...

Around the house and garden...

 

A wonderful old tractor trundling off to turn the hay at the bottom of my field.

The Hamnavoe ferry sailing into Stromness from the Scottish mainland (Scrabster) - the Viking pointing the way!  

From one of the old buildings, looking across the bay to the old croft of Quoys where the silage has been cut and taken off the fields...

Sorry another sunset!

Hoy High lighthouse among the clouds...

Button and Gimpy Hen wanting to come for a walk...

While this elderly hen was happy to just rest and sunbathe....

And Tallulah hoping for a second breakfast...

Sigh - no wonder my salad leaves didn't grow so well.  Button among the broad beans...

She likes to check out my gardening skills (or lack of them!)....

Malva - one of the perennial mallows.  The flowers are so delicate and beautiful and cover the whole plant, lasting for weeks.  One of my favourites in the garden.

Daisies, evening primrose (yellow) and I can't remember the pink one!!  Love the way they mix to gether.

Daisies and Inula doing well as they are protected from the worst of the West winds by the old buildings.

Berries on the Rowan tree already...

Hoy High peering over the garden wall....

And this magnificent vessel was anchored just outside Stromness harbour opposite my house for a couple of days the other week.  I looked it up online - it has a helipad.  Plus a garage for the power boats - and what I thought was a mark on my camera lens turned out to be orange "kite" as there were two people kite surfing from the power boat!!  Not something you see in Orkney very often...  I had boat envy...

Of cats and hens... oh and sunsets...

 

I love watching the sun set in the summer from the conservatory.....

And the sky is always changing....

Looking across to Stromness...

Charlie, the barn cat awaiting breakfast.  He's a very shy boy...

Button loves to snooze in the sun...

Though she retreats indoors when it gets too warm... she's also less likely to be bothered by pesky hens..

One of the aforementioned pesky hens!  Gimpy hen (she limps) in a nesting box. Um... she's not laid an egg for many a year as she's 9 now.  But she still likes to spend an hour or two in a nest box each morning...

Meanwhile someone has been busy in one of the other nests... (well several someone's as they only lay one egg a day...)

And these two decided to go broody together! Though only one is laying eggs....

And the Blackbird parents have been busy - four fledglings to tend to.  All 4 now behaving like teenagers!!

Summer is a busy time (unless you are a well cared for feline....).