Sunday 27th November 2011
Well, winter has arrived with a vengence. This video was taken last Wednesday of The Varagen, one of the ferries that go to the outer north isles. She is a reasonably large boat about 160 feet long and weights 321 tons although the video makes her look small.
After that the weather started to get worse and we have had gales and hailstones which tend to sting a bit when they hit you. This morning it excelled itself and the wind was classed as class 1 hurricane.
It was about 100 mph with us at about 7 this morning although in other parts of Orkney it got up to 133 mph so I suppose we are lucky.
Everything up here is built to survive the wind and we had no damage, even the chicken sheds were still standing where I left them.
I did notice this morning though that on the road to the village some big round straw bales have been blown out of the fields and across the road. It looked quite puzzling at first as the bales must have run over the fences out of the field and broken the fence posts but the fence had then sprung back and I couldn't see how the bales had got out.
I had to go to "The Balfour" last week to see the anaesthtist before they have a go at straightening my finger.
Once again I was impressed by the efficiency of the health service up here. If you have an appointment to see a doctor at 09:30 then you see the doctor at 09:30, something that seems to be unheard of down south. I was in, checked and booked in for the operation within 15 minutes. They would have booked me in for the operation in December but I said that I was going south for christmas so it had to be delayed until January. None of the 18 month waiting lists being the baseline.
All this was in spite of me offering my urine sample to a consultant surgeon thinking that she was a nursing assistant.
I have just seen a graph from EMEC at Billia Croo that shows wave height this morning. It is running along nicely at about 12 metres then it registers one huge wave at about 42 metres. I have heard of rogue waves big enough to sink tankers but this seems a bit extreme. Perhaps the wave recorder made a mistake. No doubt we shall hear in time.
Successful chicken show but no prizes
Thursday 17th November 2011
We got the chickens into the show last week OK but we were forced to rebel a little. Apparently the rules say that you can not leave food or water containers in the cages from thursday evening until after judging on Friday afternoon. This is supposed to avoid the risk of the judges recognising individual food containers and this affecting their decisions.
This may or may not be OK for the cage birds but to my mind it is not OK for poultry, so we left food and water in the cages with our birds as did several of the other poultry exhibitors.
We didn't win anything although the dorking pullet got a fourth but as our chickens were all only part grown, we did not even expect that.
After we were all let back into the show room, we collared the judge who was very obliging and was spending time with all the exhibitors who wanted to see him.
He was very obliging and went over each of our birds with us saying what was right and what was wrong about each one of them. Basically he thought that all our birds were very good but to young for tis year. He would have liked a bit more silver on the hackles of the dorking and a few of the feathers on the neck of the andalusian had slight smudges in the pencilling but that was all the faults that he could find so we were very pleased.
Yesterday I went on a Birdie walk from the airport to Scapa pier and then back round to Kirkwall for butties at David and Liz's.
A very pleasant morning. Plenty of birds about and Liz even briefly spotted a water rail before it dived off and hid from the rest of us.
There was however a little auk just off Scapa pier, quite close in to the pier along with several long tailed ducks, guillemots and assorted other birds along with a seal feeding on shoals of baby herring in the bay.
We got the chickens into the show last week OK but we were forced to rebel a little. Apparently the rules say that you can not leave food or water containers in the cages from thursday evening until after judging on Friday afternoon. This is supposed to avoid the risk of the judges recognising individual food containers and this affecting their decisions.
This may or may not be OK for the cage birds but to my mind it is not OK for poultry, so we left food and water in the cages with our birds as did several of the other poultry exhibitors.
We didn't win anything although the dorking pullet got a fourth but as our chickens were all only part grown, we did not even expect that.
After we were all let back into the show room, we collared the judge who was very obliging and was spending time with all the exhibitors who wanted to see him.
He was very obliging and went over each of our birds with us saying what was right and what was wrong about each one of them. Basically he thought that all our birds were very good but to young for tis year. He would have liked a bit more silver on the hackles of the dorking and a few of the feathers on the neck of the andalusian had slight smudges in the pencilling but that was all the faults that he could find so we were very pleased.
A very pleasant morning. Plenty of birds about and Liz even briefly spotted a water rail before it dived off and hid from the rest of us.
There was however a little auk just off Scapa pier, quite close in to the pier along with several long tailed ducks, guillemots and assorted other birds along with a seal feeding on shoals of baby herring in the bay.
I missed the sunshine.
Thursday 10th November 2011
We have had lovely weather for the past week but I have been sweating over a hot computer trying to get Gareth's figures and plans all calculated and typed up. Now that I have finished (I think), the sun has run off somewhere else and it is breezy and overcast.
Not only have I not been able to get out for the past week but I even had to miss my keyboard lesson yesterday (and believe me, I need the lessons). Ah such is the dedication that we parents lavish on our children. Gareth must owe me several pints when we get down at Christmas.
We did manage to get one afternoon out. It was a nice, if somewhat windy day so we decided to take the opportunity and get off tto South Ronaldsay to bother some seals. The grey seals are pupping at the moment. They seem to be a bit later this year and there were not so many about although some of the pups were quite well grown and were big enough to venture into the sea for a try at swimming.
Maybe a lot of them have just moved round to other bays a bit further orund the coast.
It was a nice break to get out and see them, they always bring a smile to my face.
To complete the day there was a lovely sunset in the evening and a clear sky right over to Scotland.
It is the cagebird show on Friday and Saturday and we have to get the birds in tonight before 8PM. It's a bit unusual. Normally the shows are only for one day and we take the birds in early on the morning of the show. For some reason though the cagebird society want the birds in tonight and as it is a two day show, the birds will be away for 2 full days and no chance to give them a quick brush up before the judging as we are not allowed in before the judging is finished at about 2PM.
We have had lovely weather for the past week but I have been sweating over a hot computer trying to get Gareth's figures and plans all calculated and typed up. Now that I have finished (I think), the sun has run off somewhere else and it is breezy and overcast.
Not only have I not been able to get out for the past week but I even had to miss my keyboard lesson yesterday (and believe me, I need the lessons). Ah such is the dedication that we parents lavish on our children. Gareth must owe me several pints when we get down at Christmas.
We did manage to get one afternoon out. It was a nice, if somewhat windy day so we decided to take the opportunity and get off tto South Ronaldsay to bother some seals. The grey seals are pupping at the moment. They seem to be a bit later this year and there were not so many about although some of the pups were quite well grown and were big enough to venture into the sea for a try at swimming.
Maybe a lot of them have just moved round to other bays a bit further orund the coast.
It was a nice break to get out and see them, they always bring a smile to my face.
To complete the day there was a lovely sunset in the evening and a clear sky right over to Scotland.
It is the cagebird show on Friday and Saturday and we have to get the birds in tonight before 8PM. It's a bit unusual. Normally the shows are only for one day and we take the birds in early on the morning of the show. For some reason though the cagebird society want the birds in tonight and as it is a two day show, the birds will be away for 2 full days and no chance to give them a quick brush up before the judging as we are not allowed in before the judging is finished at about 2PM.
It's the man with the trophies.
Tuesday 1st November 2011
It's been a beautiful, sunny, calm day today but since Sunday, when the clocks went back, we are on our way to winter with darker nights or even dark late afternoons up here.
We had to catch some chickens and fetch them in today to get them ready for showing.
I had thought that the only shows for poultry, or anything else come to that, were during the one "show week" in August. Last friday however we went to the "Harvest Home" in "The Hope" where the trophies were presented for the show last August.
Now we have a handsome shield, a cup and a little trophy to put in the display cabinet.
I also got to have a few beers, so it was a good night.
You may notice that my hair and beard are much shorter and tidier than normal and that I am all dressed up. This is due to a massive deception played on me by Pam and her friend Helen. (Helen's son is the chairman of the agricultural society). They told me that I had to get all tidied and dressed up as everyone else there would be made presentable for the photos in the paper and that it would be frowned on if I let the side down. When I got there half the people were in jeans and pullovers but at least it gave Pam and Helen a good laugh.
Partly as I haven't had a photo of Pam up on the blog for a long time but mainly because she really, really hates having her photo taken, never mind published, I thought that I would add a photo of her also at the harvest home supper.
So here she is in all her dressed up glory.
When we were there we were told that we "must" enter some poultry in the Orkney cage bird society show later this month.
I was not even aware of the existence of the Orkney cage bird society, let alone their show, and anyway I would not expect poultry to be in a cage bird show.
Just to keep everybody happy, and because, as good incomers, we support local events, we decided to enter some chickens.
Almost all our chickens are moulting so that all we can muster that are even half decent to send to the show are youngsters, some of them very young. The Dorking hen is quite well grown but everything else is very much on the small side. Still it shows willing.
On Monday Gareth rang to ask if I could help him with his application for the tenancy of a county council farm. Having his own farm has always been his dream so how could I refuse. Surely giving a little help with a bit of paperwork can not be that difficult or time consuming can it?
It's been a beautiful, sunny, calm day today but since Sunday, when the clocks went back, we are on our way to winter with darker nights or even dark late afternoons up here.
We had to catch some chickens and fetch them in today to get them ready for showing.
I had thought that the only shows for poultry, or anything else come to that, were during the one "show week" in August. Last friday however we went to the "Harvest Home" in "The Hope" where the trophies were presented for the show last August.
I also got to have a few beers, so it was a good night.
You may notice that my hair and beard are much shorter and tidier than normal and that I am all dressed up. This is due to a massive deception played on me by Pam and her friend Helen. (Helen's son is the chairman of the agricultural society). They told me that I had to get all tidied and dressed up as everyone else there would be made presentable for the photos in the paper and that it would be frowned on if I let the side down. When I got there half the people were in jeans and pullovers but at least it gave Pam and Helen a good laugh.
Partly as I haven't had a photo of Pam up on the blog for a long time but mainly because she really, really hates having her photo taken, never mind published, I thought that I would add a photo of her also at the harvest home supper.
So here she is in all her dressed up glory.
When we were there we were told that we "must" enter some poultry in the Orkney cage bird society show later this month.
I was not even aware of the existence of the Orkney cage bird society, let alone their show, and anyway I would not expect poultry to be in a cage bird show.
Just to keep everybody happy, and because, as good incomers, we support local events, we decided to enter some chickens.
Almost all our chickens are moulting so that all we can muster that are even half decent to send to the show are youngsters, some of them very young. The Dorking hen is quite well grown but everything else is very much on the small side. Still it shows willing.
On Monday Gareth rang to ask if I could help him with his application for the tenancy of a county council farm. Having his own farm has always been his dream so how could I refuse. Surely giving a little help with a bit of paperwork can not be that difficult or time consuming can it?
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