Seals, Cormorants and a Woodcock

Saturday 22nd January 2011
I had to go down to Stromness to pick up the book that I have ordered from Tim Wooton. Tim wasn't due to be at his shop until 2PM so we decided that we would drop into Finstown first.
There was a house furniture sale at the Manse in Finstown and we thought there may be some decent cupboards or bookshelves. Unfortunately there were no good cupboards and the vicar was taking the book cases with him.

We then proceeded in a northerly direction (For Andy) until we came to Stromness. It was still to early to go to Tim's so we parked up at The Ness car park.

There were several seals bobbing about just off the car park and it was really pleasant.







I left Pam in the car to read her E-book and went for a stroll for a couple of miles towards The Black Craig.

There were loads of seals and cormorants, a few redshanks, a really cheeky hooded crow that sat on a wall until I was very close and a female Eider duck who looked as if she was injured and certainly let me get closer than is normal.
I probably went further than I should have and half way back I got a phone call from Pam asking where I was so I had to get a hurry on.
I then got a phone call from Babs. She was shopping at Tesco's in Longton and sounded stressed. I tried to make things better by pointing out that I was walking by the seashore and there were about a dozen seals sunning themselves on a rock just in front of me and The Hamnavoe coming in round the north end of Hoy behind me.
For some reason, this did not seem to make her feel any better but at least I tried.

When I got back to the car we drove up to Tim,s shop and were still a bit early but Tim had also arrived early so it was OK.
Tim asked if I wanted the book signing or anything on the flyleaf so I rather cheekily suggested a drawing of a woodcock, thinking that he would do a quick outline of a woodcock's head with a few strokes of a pencil. Tim went the whole hog though and I have a lovely pencil drawing of the whole bird.
Pam suggested facetiously (I hope) that we cut out the drawing and sell it as we would get more for the sketch than we paid for the book. Needless to say, this will not happen.