Well that was interesting!

 

The last few posts were "scheduled" after I had a burst of blogging mojo.  Just as well as for the last 10 days I've had Covid.  Fortunately for me a fairly mild dose, and my GP was on the ball with extra meds in case my asthma deteroirated (it didn't).  Just left with the feeling of fatigue but taking things slowly.

During my incarceration (because a) I didn't feel well enough to go out and about and b) when I did I am aware there are many clinically vulnerable folk in the community and didn't want to spread the virus) I sat and read, listened to music and did a jigsaw puzzle.  Mostly I sat in what I euphemistically call "The Sea Room" as it overlooks St Peter's Pool.  I took daily photos as the weather was mostly lovely (typical when I couldn't get out!) and the cloudscapes and sunsets were amazing.  Summer is coming to a close now and the sun is moving round towards it's autumnal/winter position.  But for now I enjoy watching the evening light from the comfy sofa in the Sea Room.  So here are a few photos of the last week.  

First the sunsets....

Cloudscapes.... smoke signals? Space ships?  Nah - Lenticular clouds...

And yes, of course Button was "looking after me" ahem....  

A walk to the shore....

 

Not quite like walking to the shore on Graemsay and I miss my little Sea Cat who prefers to snooze on the sofa in her old age.  But it is a lovely short walk just a few 100 yards from my house to this gorgeous beach.  And I am very thankful for that!  It is also a popular area for camper vans and campers in tents so I choose the quiet times.

A nice spot to contemplate life or just sit and listen to the waves (Option 2 preferred).

And it's Teasel-tastic time at the moment!

And the Angelica looking good too.

Summer days part 2

 

We have been fortunate in Orkney to have a reasonable summer.  Pleasantly warm (if you are acclimatised to Orkney!), very dry, few high winds, and lots of sunshine.  And as August progresses so does the farming year with silage being cut, hay being made, and vegetables being harvested.

This year I decided not to grow any vegetables.  I just enjoyed the flowers in my new garden, created by the previous owners.  The sedums were glorious when in flower, they were like snow on top of the gabions.

Bright yellow stars on this sedum....

Malva and scabious growing in pots...

A Scottish thistle!

Not forgetting this precious flower!  Button, I think is showing us the literal translation of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Hee hee!  My little heat seeking cat absorbs warmth wherever she can...

And when awake she ensures she gets my full attention.....

Or sits on the windowsill contemplating life, the universe, and dinner time...

Talking of dinner time.   Ronnie and Reggie guard the door, so I can't slip out without feeding them!

Ronnie

Reggie

The Boys... bless them!

Summer days....

 

A selection of Big Sky photos.....

Low mist over the water...

Sadly the sun has moved more to the left since this photo was taken, tracking back to it's winter position... arrrgh not quite yet though!  

Looking out over the island of Rousay on the horizon.

Early evening....

On another evening...

Button's favourite position on the outside windowsill, watching the sun set, and the world go by..

Ness of Bodgar dig....

 

As summer in Orkney draws to a close, so do the archaeological digs.  A couple of weeks ago I went to see the extraordinary dig at the Ness of Brodgar.  Yet again my photos do not do the site justice so do take a look at their website here

The site is huge and interpretation is ongoing as new areas come to light.  The walls of the buildings (well remains of them) are clear even to a novice like me.  Some rudimentary art has been found, animal bones, pottery and lots of interesting artefacts.  Next year will be the final year of digging.  Those who have supervised the dig since the beginning feel it is a suitable time to stop.  Partly to leave something for future generations to investigate with new techniques and ideas etc, and partly so they can write up all their findings before (in the words of one senior archaeologist) we are all to old to do it! 

So here are some of my photos - it was a grey day with drizzle but that didn't dampen the interest of the tourists, even if the archaeologists would have preferred something a little drier!

Click on these (as with others) to enlarge.  This helps position and orientate the dig....

An Orthostat (standing stone), the remains are in a corner of one of the structures.

You can clearly see the curve in the wall of this structure.

And the landscape around the dig...

Looking back to the Standing Stones of Stenness, over to the left (out of shot) is the chambered tomb of Maes Howe.

Looking across the loch to the hills of Hoy, hiding in the cloud.

And one of the finds when I was there.  It had just come out the ground, and was believed to be an anvil used for knapping flint arrow heads.  OK I know it looks like a Neolithic baked potato, but I can assure you it was hard stone.... but then so are some of my baked potatoes. Ha!