Wednesday 27th July 2011
It is show week in about twenty days or so. All the shows in Orkney are within a period of about 10 days. We have got a couple of chickens entered in the Burray and South Ronaldsay show and in the County show.
You are supposed to have them all nice and clean for the shows and I have never tried cleaning a chicken up. (I dont suppose that I am the only one. When did you last bath a chicken?)
Anyway I thought that before I tried washing one of the chickens that we are entering in the shows, I had better test my chicken washing technique. We therefore picked out the worst scruffiest chicken and decided to clean her up as a test.
I was even allowed to do this in the bath. (Don't worry Barbara. Mum made me clean the bath out later so there are not to many feathers in it now.)
You are supposed to use Lux flakes but I have not been able to get any so we grated up some pure soap. Robertson's store in The Hope said that they didn't normally sell Lux except at show season for washing cows and the like. I thought "well it is show season now, so where are the flakes" but I was much to polite to point this out to them.
The scruffy chicken did not seem to be delighted at having been selected for a good clean but we managed to give her a good scrubbing up and several rinses so she was at least a bit cleaner. She was then put in a cage with a heat light to dry her off for a day before being put out again. It seems to have worked OK and she does not look so bad but I think that I may just give the show birds a little rinse instead of being quite so thorough.
We also got all the chickens wormed with vastly expensive cattle wormer (At a lower dose) and the show birds are now getting eggs and cod liver oil in with their feed.
We are not getting a lot of eggs off them at the moment as many are to young so if this continues we will have no eggs left for ourselves as the chickens will have eaten them all. ( There seems to be something slightly wrong with my method of keeping chickens.)
Visitors gone. Weather turned yeukky
Sunday 24 july 2011
It has now turned overcast and a bit breezy, Monday and Tuesday were not much better so it was a "stay indoors" sort of few days. Barbara and Harry are due up next Sunday so we had a bit of tidying up to do anyway. I finally got round tomtaking a load of baby clo0thes out of the shed and took them down to Jimmy and Helens. Theirngrandchildren are haveing some of them and the rest are going for sale in The Blue Door to help raise money for the playpark in The Hope. A good use for sapre baby clothes.
I think that Jimmy and Helen were a bit surprised by the quantity. We had told them that there were a lot but there must have been 6 or 7 big bags full and 3 big plastic tubs. So they are now cluttering Jimmy's garage instead of my shed.
Wednesday turned out to be a better day and I found that had an overwhelming desire to mow all the lawns. (Well Pam said that I wanted to so she must be right) Pam topped the fields so outside is all neat and tidy. The strimmer refused to start properly so there are still a few unkempt edges but this is Orkney, not Surrey so I do not think it matters.
It has now turned overcast and a bit breezy, Monday and Tuesday were not much better so it was a "stay indoors" sort of few days. Barbara and Harry are due up next Sunday so we had a bit of tidying up to do anyway. I finally got round tomtaking a load of baby clo0thes out of the shed and took them down to Jimmy and Helens. Theirngrandchildren are haveing some of them and the rest are going for sale in The Blue Door to help raise money for the playpark in The Hope. A good use for sapre baby clothes.
I think that Jimmy and Helen were a bit surprised by the quantity. We had told them that there were a lot but there must have been 6 or 7 big bags full and 3 big plastic tubs. So they are now cluttering Jimmy's garage instead of my shed.
Wednesday turned out to be a better day and I found that had an overwhelming desire to mow all the lawns. (Well Pam said that I wanted to so she must be right) Pam topped the fields so outside is all neat and tidy. The strimmer refused to start properly so there are still a few unkempt edges but this is Orkney, not Surrey so I do not think it matters.
A day round the big city
Friday 22nd July 2011
John and Alex are going back tomorrow and they wanted to have a look round the museum so I thought that we had better get down there today. We went there the other day but no sooner had we got inside than we had to come out to go and pick Pam up from home. The museum is very good and very well laid out. Obviously there is a lot on the early prehistory of Orkney but the galleries with exhibits from later periods are equally good and perhaps all the more interesting because you do not hear about the more recent history of Orkney. Normally everything seems to end with the vikings.
We had arranged to meet Pam in the Reel after we had been round the museum but were apparently about an hour late. (You can not go round an interesting series of collections with one eye on the clock.) Anyway we finally got there and had a quick coffee before looking round St Magnus Cathedral.
Saturday was a bit overcast and windy but at least John and Alex have had a good week, not to hot but good weather.
Pam had a WI trip to the Hoxa tapestry gallery, the dolls house exhibition and a meal (Once again at The Skerries) so I had to see John and Alex off myself.
I followed them down to the ferry at The Hope and waited with them until they started loading the ferry and then returned home.
I was out in the field feeding the chickens when the ferry went out. I could not help but think that in a few hours they would be back where I was born and raised.
A poem of uncle Jack's came to mind. It is one that I have always liked because I have the same feeling for the same place. I shall therefore quote it to you.
My Birthright
This is my patch,
Here I was born.
Four lanes forming a square.
I toddled round them
Holding my mum's hand.
Boundaries of my world.
Little has changed,
I am still here.
The fabric, more mellow,
Fits like an old coat.
I hold no deeds,
I have laid my scent,
I belong.
I know that it is just nostalgia and I am more contented and happy here than I would be anywhere else but there is something about the place where you were born and raised. Many of my ancestors for hundreds of years lived within a few hundred yards of where I was born. I shall always belong there, wherever I happen to live. I have a claim on the place and the place has a claim on me.
My old friend is part of that and I shall miss him.
Still, it will soon be Christmas.
John and Alex are going back tomorrow and they wanted to have a look round the museum so I thought that we had better get down there today. We went there the other day but no sooner had we got inside than we had to come out to go and pick Pam up from home. The museum is very good and very well laid out. Obviously there is a lot on the early prehistory of Orkney but the galleries with exhibits from later periods are equally good and perhaps all the more interesting because you do not hear about the more recent history of Orkney. Normally everything seems to end with the vikings.
We had arranged to meet Pam in the Reel after we had been round the museum but were apparently about an hour late. (You can not go round an interesting series of collections with one eye on the clock.) Anyway we finally got there and had a quick coffee before looking round St Magnus Cathedral.
Saturday was a bit overcast and windy but at least John and Alex have had a good week, not to hot but good weather.
Pam had a WI trip to the Hoxa tapestry gallery, the dolls house exhibition and a meal (Once again at The Skerries) so I had to see John and Alex off myself.
I followed them down to the ferry at The Hope and waited with them until they started loading the ferry and then returned home.
I was out in the field feeding the chickens when the ferry went out. I could not help but think that in a few hours they would be back where I was born and raised.
A poem of uncle Jack's came to mind. It is one that I have always liked because I have the same feeling for the same place. I shall therefore quote it to you.
My Birthright
This is my patch,
Here I was born.
Four lanes forming a square.
I toddled round them
Holding my mum's hand.
Boundaries of my world.
Little has changed,
I am still here.
The fabric, more mellow,
Fits like an old coat.
I hold no deeds,
I have laid my scent,
I belong.
I know that it is just nostalgia and I am more contented and happy here than I would be anywhere else but there is something about the place where you were born and raised. Many of my ancestors for hundreds of years lived within a few hundred yards of where I was born. I shall always belong there, wherever I happen to live. I have a claim on the place and the place has a claim on me.
My old friend is part of that and I shall miss him.
Still, it will soon be Christmas.
What, No archeology ?
Thursday 21st July 2011
Just for a change we had a day with no archeology. This may have been partly due to my not checking the tide times before we went to The Brough of Birsay so that we could not go over tot the viking site. The causeway across is only passable for 2 hours either side of low tide.
It is a nice place anyway and we have seen plenty of ruins so it doesn't matter if we miss one. Instead we had a stroll from The Brough to Skipi Geo just down the coast a bit.
I had never been down there before. I knew that the fishermans hut which is in the background of the photo, was there and the whale bone that is on so many postcards but I had no idea about the boat nousts. These are the boathaped trenches that have additionally been built up to form safe places for boats even in winter storms. It must have been a hell of a job dragging them right up there though but I suppose that it was easier than building a new boat if your old one got smashed in the storms.
John and Alex somehow insinuated themselves into the photo but the camera is still OK.
Today's title is a bit of a lie as we did stop at the Earls Palace in Birsay on the way back but really only because thay have a toilet there and except for Alex, we are of that age. Then we went to Barony Mills, another place that I have been promising myself that I would go to but have never got to yet. I like water mills and have visited a few but this one was one of the best. The enjoyment was made so much better by the miller who was so obviously totally engrosed by his job. He was an ex salesman but had started his apprentiship at the mill almost 5 years ago and had almost finished his training. It has kept it in the family as I think that his father and grandfather were also millers at this mill.
He was very enthusiastic about his mill and even let Alex start the wheel and machinery going.
The mill is not just a tourist attraction but works commercially producing flour that is sold at shops throughout Orkney, even I think in the dreaded Tesco's. I have used one of their flours, made from Bere, an early type of barley. It adds a beautiful taste to bread but as it is a bit heavy it makes the bread not rise as well as normal. I found that if st used a maximum of 20% bere meal then I got a nice tasting loaf and it was not to heavy.
Baking lesson over.
On the way back home we stopped off at The Loons RSPB hide. There was nothing except the normal birds around but as I have said before, I like it and it was pleasant just sitting there for half an hour doing nothing except looking about.
In the evening John and Alex treated us to a meal at The Skerries. we are getting to be regulars there as visitors who offer to take us for a meal always get taken there. Mainly because it is nice and informal and they do really good seafood. Apparently the cook was off sick and Hamish was doing the cooking. I was impressed. The food was as good as usual so 10 out of 10 to Hamish. There was apparently a bit of friction in the kitchen though and Carol said that although they never argue they had a good row. It just goes to show that you shouldn't make men do the cooking.
On the way down to The Skerries we saw a stoat run accross the road in front of us. There are not supposed to be stoats in Orkney but over the past year or so a few have been seen. The RSPB has trapped some and where we saw one was only a mile or so from where thay have been trapped previously. Thgeneral consensus is that they have come over in bales of imported hay or something like that. Anyway I have reported it to the RSPB and they are going to set more traps. With all the ground nexting birds up here stoats would be a real threat. We have hedgehogs but it is probably to late to do much about them as they are everywhere.
Just for a change we had a day with no archeology. This may have been partly due to my not checking the tide times before we went to The Brough of Birsay so that we could not go over tot the viking site. The causeway across is only passable for 2 hours either side of low tide.
It is a nice place anyway and we have seen plenty of ruins so it doesn't matter if we miss one. Instead we had a stroll from The Brough to Skipi Geo just down the coast a bit.
I had never been down there before. I knew that the fishermans hut which is in the background of the photo, was there and the whale bone that is on so many postcards but I had no idea about the boat nousts. These are the boathaped trenches that have additionally been built up to form safe places for boats even in winter storms. It must have been a hell of a job dragging them right up there though but I suppose that it was easier than building a new boat if your old one got smashed in the storms.
John and Alex somehow insinuated themselves into the photo but the camera is still OK.
Today's title is a bit of a lie as we did stop at the Earls Palace in Birsay on the way back but really only because thay have a toilet there and except for Alex, we are of that age. Then we went to Barony Mills, another place that I have been promising myself that I would go to but have never got to yet. I like water mills and have visited a few but this one was one of the best. The enjoyment was made so much better by the miller who was so obviously totally engrosed by his job. He was an ex salesman but had started his apprentiship at the mill almost 5 years ago and had almost finished his training. It has kept it in the family as I think that his father and grandfather were also millers at this mill.
He was very enthusiastic about his mill and even let Alex start the wheel and machinery going.
The mill is not just a tourist attraction but works commercially producing flour that is sold at shops throughout Orkney, even I think in the dreaded Tesco's. I have used one of their flours, made from Bere, an early type of barley. It adds a beautiful taste to bread but as it is a bit heavy it makes the bread not rise as well as normal. I found that if st used a maximum of 20% bere meal then I got a nice tasting loaf and it was not to heavy.
Baking lesson over.
On the way back home we stopped off at The Loons RSPB hide. There was nothing except the normal birds around but as I have said before, I like it and it was pleasant just sitting there for half an hour doing nothing except looking about.
In the evening John and Alex treated us to a meal at The Skerries. we are getting to be regulars there as visitors who offer to take us for a meal always get taken there. Mainly because it is nice and informal and they do really good seafood. Apparently the cook was off sick and Hamish was doing the cooking. I was impressed. The food was as good as usual so 10 out of 10 to Hamish. There was apparently a bit of friction in the kitchen though and Carol said that although they never argue they had a good row. It just goes to show that you shouldn't make men do the cooking.
On the way down to The Skerries we saw a stoat run accross the road in front of us. There are not supposed to be stoats in Orkney but over the past year or so a few have been seen. The RSPB has trapped some and where we saw one was only a mile or so from where thay have been trapped previously. Thgeneral consensus is that they have come over in bales of imported hay or something like that. Anyway I have reported it to the RSPB and they are going to set more traps. With all the ground nexting birds up here stoats would be a real threat. We have hedgehogs but it is probably to late to do much about them as they are everywhere.
It's "Do" the archeology Day
Wednesday 20th July 2011
When you have visitors up here it is compulsory to "do" some of the famous archeological sites. To fulfil our obligations in this respect we managed to fit The Stones of Stennes, The Ness of Brodgar, Scara Brae, Barnhouse and Maeshowe all into one day.
This is slightly worse than it sounds as with the exception of Scara Brae, they are all within sight of each other.
Scara Brae is the one that everybody wants to see and it is indeed remarkable but now I think that it is over manicured and seems almost like an artificial garden folly for some large mansion.
When John and I first came here about 45 years ago there was nothing at Scara Brae and no tourists so you could just walk in and sit inside the houses alone getting a feel for the scale and comfort that the inhabitants would have had. It seemed real and it was easy to imagine the inhabitants from 5000 years ago living there.
Now however there is a massive visitor centre and cafe and the houses are all "no go" areas so you just walk round carefully mown paths round the top and look down into them. Not really magical at all.
Maeshowe however still lives up to expectations even though it is now also very organised. It is very impressive and remarkably well built and the runic inscriptions from the vikings who broke into it are interesting and witty. Just like any modern soldier putting graffitti on a wall while sheltering from the weather.
The Ness of Brodgar is a new excavation just to the south of the ring and is really unusual. Some have called it a neolithic cathedral although the archeologists have not decided what it is, apart from the usual "ritual or ceremonial".
The stonework on some of it is very fine, both inside and out so it would seem that it is obviously very important for so much effort to be lavished on it.They have also found painted stones in the walls of some of the buildings. Apparently this is the first time that coloured decoration has been found on buildings of this age.
When you have visitors up here it is compulsory to "do" some of the famous archeological sites. To fulfil our obligations in this respect we managed to fit The Stones of Stennes, The Ness of Brodgar, Scara Brae, Barnhouse and Maeshowe all into one day.
This is slightly worse than it sounds as with the exception of Scara Brae, they are all within sight of each other.
Scara Brae is the one that everybody wants to see and it is indeed remarkable but now I think that it is over manicured and seems almost like an artificial garden folly for some large mansion.
When John and I first came here about 45 years ago there was nothing at Scara Brae and no tourists so you could just walk in and sit inside the houses alone getting a feel for the scale and comfort that the inhabitants would have had. It seemed real and it was easy to imagine the inhabitants from 5000 years ago living there.
Now however there is a massive visitor centre and cafe and the houses are all "no go" areas so you just walk round carefully mown paths round the top and look down into them. Not really magical at all.
Maeshowe however still lives up to expectations even though it is now also very organised. It is very impressive and remarkably well built and the runic inscriptions from the vikings who broke into it are interesting and witty. Just like any modern soldier putting graffitti on a wall while sheltering from the weather.
The Ness of Brodgar is a new excavation just to the south of the ring and is really unusual. Some have called it a neolithic cathedral although the archeologists have not decided what it is, apart from the usual "ritual or ceremonial".
The stonework on some of it is very fine, both inside and out so it would seem that it is obviously very important for so much effort to be lavished on it.They have also found painted stones in the walls of some of the buildings. Apparently this is the first time that coloured decoration has been found on buildings of this age.
A nice relaxing day and another cruise
Tuesday 19th July 2011
The U3A here have an ambling group that I have been promising to join for the last few months but have always had something else to do on the days when they were going out. Today hover was a beautiful day and as John and Alex also fancied a wander round we decided to go.
There is an Orkney Ramblers group but they do walks of 20 miles or more and I thought that this may be a bit ambitious for my poor aged body so the amblers seemed a good idea as they only do a few miles.
Today they had a walk round Deerness but unfortunately it wa a bit of a disappointment. We met up at Newark bay, walked for about half a mile round the coast and then walked back. Hardly enough to blow away the cobwebs.
It was easily fixed though. After the others had gone, we had a stroll the other way. Nice and leisurely including a long period of lying on the grass at the new Deerness jetty.
After leaving Deerness we went up to Hoxa Head on South Ronaldsay. We had our butties in the shade of the scenic concrete second world war gun emplacements where lookouts kept watch for anything trying to enter Scapa Flow. We just watched for whales while we had our butties but once again No Whales.
In the evening we were booked on one of the tall ships, The Wylde Swan, for a cruise round the flow that had been organised by the Okney Folk Festival. This time it was nice and calm with a lovely flat sea and I felt that I cold take full advantage of the bar while listening to the music. It was a real good cruise and I am sure that John and Alex enjoyed it aswell.
On our return to Stromness the harbour looked magnificent with several of the tall ships moored there with all their masts and rigging standing out against the sky.
On our way back home after the cruise we were going to take a stroll round the ring of brodgar. It was about 11PM and going dusky. Brodgar always looks better in the dawn or dusk or when the sky is sullen and overcast. In the sunshine the Ring of Brodgar just looks like a load of stones stuck in the ground. With the right light though, it is very atmospheric and impressive.
On this occassion though we decided not to go out even if it looked good. On the road to the ring we ran into clouds of midges thicker than I have ever seen. Great clumps of them were smacking into the windscreen. We therefore decided that it may not have been a good idea to get out of the car so we will have to come back again sometime.
The U3A here have an ambling group that I have been promising to join for the last few months but have always had something else to do on the days when they were going out. Today hover was a beautiful day and as John and Alex also fancied a wander round we decided to go.
There is an Orkney Ramblers group but they do walks of 20 miles or more and I thought that this may be a bit ambitious for my poor aged body so the amblers seemed a good idea as they only do a few miles.
Today they had a walk round Deerness but unfortunately it wa a bit of a disappointment. We met up at Newark bay, walked for about half a mile round the coast and then walked back. Hardly enough to blow away the cobwebs.
It was easily fixed though. After the others had gone, we had a stroll the other way. Nice and leisurely including a long period of lying on the grass at the new Deerness jetty.
After leaving Deerness we went up to Hoxa Head on South Ronaldsay. We had our butties in the shade of the scenic concrete second world war gun emplacements where lookouts kept watch for anything trying to enter Scapa Flow. We just watched for whales while we had our butties but once again No Whales.
In the evening we were booked on one of the tall ships, The Wylde Swan, for a cruise round the flow that had been organised by the Okney Folk Festival. This time it was nice and calm with a lovely flat sea and I felt that I cold take full advantage of the bar while listening to the music. It was a real good cruise and I am sure that John and Alex enjoyed it aswell.
On our return to Stromness the harbour looked magnificent with several of the tall ships moored there with all their masts and rigging standing out against the sky.
On our way back home after the cruise we were going to take a stroll round the ring of brodgar. It was about 11PM and going dusky. Brodgar always looks better in the dawn or dusk or when the sky is sullen and overcast. In the sunshine the Ring of Brodgar just looks like a load of stones stuck in the ground. With the right light though, it is very atmospheric and impressive.
On this occassion though we decided not to go out even if it looked good. On the road to the ring we ran into clouds of midges thicker than I have ever seen. Great clumps of them were smacking into the windscreen. We therefore decided that it may not have been a good idea to get out of the car so we will have to come back again sometime.
Big ships and a yellow submarine
Monday 18th July 2011
On Monday morning The "Mir", a russian tall ship was docked at Hatston in Kirkwall and open to the public. It is the biggest of all the tall ships. A huge ship but not really as pretty as some of the others. Size isn't everything after all.
The crew were obviously very keen to give the tourists something to watch and even appeared to be showing off the local custom of betting on anything by having a race between a whelk and a crab across the deck.
Also at Hatston was a new Scot Renewable tidal turbine. Apparently this one is anchored by just one point to the seabed. This is supposed to allow it to swing so that it will face into the tide at all times. Good luck to them and I hope it succeeds. They do need to change the colour though if they do not want to be the butt of endless jokes.
More interesting than the Mir, was The "Pharos" which was moored on Kirkwall pier and was also open to the public. She is the boat belonging to The Northern Lighthouse Board and services all the bouys and lighthouses around the scottish coast. She is a very sophisticated ship, a complete change from the sailing ships also in the harbour and complete with helicopter.
The bridge wa a mass of high tech positioning equipment along with controls for ROV's, winches and cranes. There were desks for about six other operators in addition to the positions for the normal crew just steering the ship.
Pam had not come with us as she had a U3A committee meeting so we had agreed that we would go and see the Mir and then go round Kirkwall museum and then go back and pick Pam up. We went into the museum and I thought that I would just phone Pam and let her know where we were. She told me that not a single person had turned up to the meeting. Even the chairman had phoned to say he could not make it at the last minute. I therefore dragged John and Alex out of the museum after they had got as far as the first room and we went back to pick up Pam.
In the afternoon we all went to Stromness. There were several of the tall ships in the harbour and they looked really at home there. Stromness is more of an old fashioned traditional port than Kirkwall and they seemed to fit in well there.
We then had an amble through the town. It is Stromness Shopping Week this week. This is a kind of carnival week and the shops have special displays. I don't think that it is normally very good but with the tall ships being in port along with all the associated events there was quite a lot going on.
On Monday morning The "Mir", a russian tall ship was docked at Hatston in Kirkwall and open to the public. It is the biggest of all the tall ships. A huge ship but not really as pretty as some of the others. Size isn't everything after all.
The crew were obviously very keen to give the tourists something to watch and even appeared to be showing off the local custom of betting on anything by having a race between a whelk and a crab across the deck.
Also at Hatston was a new Scot Renewable tidal turbine. Apparently this one is anchored by just one point to the seabed. This is supposed to allow it to swing so that it will face into the tide at all times. Good luck to them and I hope it succeeds. They do need to change the colour though if they do not want to be the butt of endless jokes.
More interesting than the Mir, was The "Pharos" which was moored on Kirkwall pier and was also open to the public. She is the boat belonging to The Northern Lighthouse Board and services all the bouys and lighthouses around the scottish coast. She is a very sophisticated ship, a complete change from the sailing ships also in the harbour and complete with helicopter.
The bridge wa a mass of high tech positioning equipment along with controls for ROV's, winches and cranes. There were desks for about six other operators in addition to the positions for the normal crew just steering the ship.
Pam had not come with us as she had a U3A committee meeting so we had agreed that we would go and see the Mir and then go round Kirkwall museum and then go back and pick Pam up. We went into the museum and I thought that I would just phone Pam and let her know where we were. She told me that not a single person had turned up to the meeting. Even the chairman had phoned to say he could not make it at the last minute. I therefore dragged John and Alex out of the museum after they had got as far as the first room and we went back to pick up Pam.
In the afternoon we all went to Stromness. There were several of the tall ships in the harbour and they looked really at home there. Stromness is more of an old fashioned traditional port than Kirkwall and they seemed to fit in well there.
We then had an amble through the town. It is Stromness Shopping Week this week. This is a kind of carnival week and the shops have special displays. I don't think that it is normally very good but with the tall ships being in port along with all the associated events there was quite a lot going on.
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