The Fairick's Fotos

I've Been Asked (er... Ordered By Viki) To Apologise...

2009-09-18T08:50:00.000Z

...to this one of the cats on my sister & brother-in-law's farm.

Why? Because I keep pointing out that it's got one leg that doesn't look like it belongs... it's a dark cat, with just this one light-coloured leg... and it always reminds me of these people who drive around in cars with one door a different colour because the original one got dented and had to be replaced, and they've not got around to painting the new one yet!

So, I apologise unreservedly for laughing at you, puss... you are very pretty and not at all strange looking...

(lalala)

Hunclett Cat In Mouse-Catching Shock!

2009-09-17T08:46:00.000Z

Peedie Ginge actually doing what (s)he's meant to!

Spot The Difference

2009-09-17T08:35:00.000Z

See if you can tell what's different about these two photos of my sister's tomato plants...

*whistles innocently*

Keeping Things In Perspective...

2009-09-13T15:06:00.001Z

Here are 2 of the semi-feral cats that live on my sister's farm, christened by my brother as "Peedie Ginge" and "Peedie Peedie Ginge"...

Their father is a ginger tom that has visited a few of the farms in the area, and I think has possibly been persuaded on his way with the aid of a rifle a few times, so I suspect that there might be one or two of his nine lives missing... and my brother has christened him... can you guess....?

Big Ginge, of course!

As you can see, I didn't quite manage to get the perspective right in this photo, as Peedie Peedie was further forward than Peedie, so looks about the same size... In reality, he(?)'s about half the size of his / her half brother / sister (it's not easy to discover the sex of a feral... unless they're pregnant! However, I have helpfully labelled them so you can tell the difference).

In the time my sister & brother-in-law have been away on holiday, and my brother has been out looking after their elderly dog, those cats have been living a life of luxury... going from a diet of cat food, bread and munchies to having cooked chicken and mussels! Is it any wonder they're not that motivated to catch the rats that they are meant to!?

Leia & Gizmo

2009-09-05T15:39:00.001Z

Gizmo tries to get the video recorder working while his mummy looks on with trepidation:

Aww... mummy & "baby" having a cuddly sleep:

Poor Jeannie...

2009-09-05T15:28:00.000Z

Jeannie is a ragdoll that used to belong to Mum... it was made for her (when she was grown-up and married) by the mother of a guy that was friends with one of my sisters... and then I inherited her.

She'd been through the wars a bit when I got her, and a friend of Mum's had to make new arms for her as both of hers were gone... and she needed a hair transplant... and she'd also lost her shoes, but I bought new socks and pretty shoes for her.

Now she sits on a chair in the living room by the TV. But every so often we come through and poor Jeannie has been interfered with! This time she was brutally knocked off her chair and her hat sent flying.

We do have a suspect... one ginger and white cat who answers (when he feels like it) to the name of Gizmo...

This Is Maurice... Feeling The Wind Through His Fur...

2009-09-05T15:20:00.003Z

Don't ask... but I assure you, both Viki & I ARE mature, sensible, grown women...

(Viki took the photo... my brother stuck our monkey out the sunroof... I was an innocent bystander - er, sitter)

Self Portrait by Viki...

2009-09-05T15:17:00.001Z

(photo by Viki... obviously, or it wouldn't be a SELF portrait)

Riding Of The Marches, August 2009

2009-09-04T15:02:00.003Z

The Riding Of The Marches is a recently-revived tradition in Kirkwall, where horses and riders ride around the boundaries of Kirkwall, celebrating the time when Kirkwall was granted the Royal Charter, giving it the status of City...

The parade lining up in Broad Street before setting off:

Lol... an Emohorse:

(Photos by Viki)

Happy Valley, Stenness...

2009-09-04T14:48:00.004Z

Wikipedia: Happy Valley, Stenness, Orkney

As you approach, you wouldn't think there's much there except a bunch of trees:

Then you get to the gateway, and it's like you're going into Fairyland:

Imagine... the man who created this garden / wood actually lived in this little house:

An archway over the stream he created:

(Photos taken by Viki... Thanks, Viki)

(Nearly) A Seagull

2009-09-04T14:44:00.001Z

I am determined that SOMEDAY I will get a good photo of a bird!

Until then, I can only offer photos like this... the seagull having just exited stage left...

Be Vewwy, Vewwy Quiet...

2009-09-04T14:35:00.002Z

... we is photogwaphing wabbits...

My brother took a photo of this bunny on the path in front of us on the Brough o' Birsay earlier this year...

Gizmo Comes Visiting With Us

2009-07-05T13:40:00.003Z

As is our usual Sunday routine, this afternoon, we wandered around the corner to my brother's house to go for a run...

But this time we had company... Gizmo decided he didn't want to be left at home... he wanted to come visiting his uncle David... so he followed us all the way down our road, and along the front, past the oil tanks and in through the gate to David's.

First he spotted the hole that had been cut into the bottom of the door through to the yard for my auntie's cat (both auntie and cat now deceased), and he disappeared through it, pausing to peep back out at us just to check where we were...

before reluctantly coming back to us...

We rang the doorbell, David answered, and in wandered Gizmo, cool as you like... making a beeline for up the stairs!

After a wee while, we went out to the yard to feed the gulls, and you can see Gizmo exploring and meeting the birds here.

After his visit, we walked back round the corner and he followed us all the way home like a peedie dog. Gave him some cat food and, while he was distracted, we legged it back to David's so we could go for a run... although I'm sure Gizmo would have happily got in the car with us and come too!

Dozy mog!

Whites? Delicates? Boil Wash?

2009-06-28T13:42:00.003Z

Lol... daft cat...

I took in the washing, folded it all, and we went to put it away, leaving the empty washing basket on the sitting room floor...

Came back a bit later, and there was Gizmo in the basket, poking his paws out the sides to putter at the pink fluffy thing you can see on the floor...

And then Leia, his mum, appeared to see what the hell he was doing...

Welcome To...

2009-05-03T22:11:00.003Z

Leia and Gizmo

As you can see from the post below, my beloved Minnie had to be put to sleep on 16th April, leaving me catless for the first time in about 7 or 8 years... and that left a very big hole. Every time I heard a seagull outside, I thought it was her meowing for in, and I kept expecting to see her peedie face peeping up at me when I was working with any kind of food.

And then I saw an appeal on the Cats Protection Orkney website looking for homes for a mother cat and her grown-up son. They were to be rehomed together, as even though the "baby" was 2 and a half, he was described as "very much a mummy's boy" and she was very attached to him as well. And it had been my intention to have another cat anyway, ever since Minnie's mum, Harriet, had gone missing last August... just I wasn't sure it would have been fair to Minnie to try to get her used to sharing her house with a stranger.

So we've now adopted the 2 cats... Leia, the mummy, is 3 and a half, and is lovely... very calm and friendly... white, with a few tortie markings. And Gizmo... Gizmo is 2 and a half, bigger than his mummy, and daft as a brush! He's ginger & white, and very playful, but the website was right... he's definitely a sook!

My Beautiful Baby...

2009-04-18T08:21:00.003Z

Minnie, who became an angel cat on 16th April 2009...

This was probably her cheekiest sleeping place - we went out and left the airing cupboard open... and there was no sign of Minnie when we came home... until we peeped in the door!

There she was, fast asleep on the top of the towels.... and she just gave us a "Go away, would you?" look...

Minnie... thank you for being my cat for a few years... for all the cute and cheeky things you did... for always being there with a cuddle when I needed one... for all the happiness you and your mummy brought me (I hope you've found each other again)... and never forget that me and your Auntie Viki loved you very, very, very much...

xxxx

Minnie Has No Concept Of Floor - 11, 12 & 13

2009-02-23T22:03:00.004Z

Part of an occasional series, here are some of the latest places my daffy mog has claimed as her own private sleeping areas...

Under the clothes screen in the bathroom:

Sitting on top of her food on the shelf in the kitchen (I think it may have been a hint that feeding time was due):

And the latest one, taken last night... on the ruddy chopping board where I'd just been chopping onions!:

Pass the Domestos, please!

Infantile, But I Bet You Snigger...

2009-01-09T19:04:00.004Z

... at this carrot we bought in Tesco tonight.

We just had to!

Kirkwall Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2008

2008-12-07T18:22:00.005Z

Viki & I were at this last night and she took a few bits of video.

Except I took the first one, which is Kirkwall City Pipe Band playing on Broad Street prior to everyone going into the Cathedral:

So, after the service in the Cathedral, the local & Norwegian dignatories and school children portraying St Lucy and her attendants head back outside again for the switching on of the lights on the tree that our twin region of Hordaland in Norway donated to Orkney, as they have done for the last 25 years...

And finally, the Hordaland convenor gives the countdown, and the lights are switched on!

Scottish Sun's St Andrew's Night Street Party 2008

2008-12-02T19:20:00.005Z

Last Saturday night, the Scottish Sun newspaper hosted a street party in Kirkwall's Broad Street to finish off their campaign to get Scotland celebrating St Andrew's Day...

Read about it here.

There was a fireworks display, and local bands playing from 7pm - Midnight... all watched by about 3,000 folk who braved the freezing temperatures.

And local band, Shoot The Piper, playing on Broad Street...

Silly Videos...

2008-11-15T00:28:00.003Z

My daft cat, Minnie, playing with one of those laser pointer things...

See her a bit less interested here on my main blog...

In Remembrance...

2008-11-11T20:50:00.004Z

2 photos of my dearly-missed Dad, taken in the early '80's, both connected with Armistice Day parades of the past.

First one was taken in the yard at our old house, before a Remembrance Sunday parade (wasn't taken by me, probably by one of my brothers or sisters)... He looks so proud standing there in his medals:

And then a photo taken at the parade (not sure if this was the same year or not) - This time an official photo, taken by a local photographer, probably for the paper... Dad is second from the right in the front row:

I'm very proud of my Dad's wartime service... He was a dispatch rider with the T.A., and saw active service in the jungles of Burma with the 226 battery of the 101st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (forgive me if I've not got that exactly right... Dad didn't really talk that much about his time there, and I don't blame him)...

Both his and my uncle's names are listed here, amongst men who served as part of the regiment (with thanks to Orkney Communities Image Library and contributor Peter Burges for use of the link).

Gadgetry!

2008-11-10T21:13:00.003Z

My Dear Blog Readers,

I have a new gadget!

If you look down the right of this blog (and my others in a minute, once I've got this set up on them), you'll see a bit called "Followers"... You can click on it, and you'll become a member of an elite crack commando unit - no, wait... that's The A-Team... You can click on it, and you'll be exposed as a reader of my blog (or, you can choose to remain incognito and follow me secretly - although I might have you arrested for stalking)...

Please click!

Fireworks... We Have Video...

2008-11-10T19:13:00.003Z

Yes, we have the technology!

I thought I'd have a go with the video facility on my digital camera and, (if you ignore the fact it's kind of shaky coz my hands were cold... and the fact I didn't edit it, or add "mood music" or anything like that), I don't think it's too bad for a first time with just a digital camera:

Video 2
Video 3
Video 4

Fireworks... The Photos...

2008-11-10T18:56:00.005Z

It was the annual Rotary Club organised fireworks display in Kirkwall on Saturday night.

Took my camera along, not really expecting to get anything worthwhile, but I was quite pleased in the end...

This one I think is my favourite...

It's funny, but I think the fact that my hands were shaking coz of the cold has added to the effects of the photos!

See the rest of the photos, and the ones Viki took, here. (Viki's start "PICT" and mine "HPIM" or whatever).

The Viking Invasion Of Orkney, 2008 - Part 3

2008-11-08T23:47:00.000Z

Last lot, I promise!

And now we're down at the Peedie Sea, and the galley is burning:

The Viking Invasion Of Orkney - Part 2(c)

2008-11-08T22:41:00.000Z

Yep, still the galley burning... hope you're not getting too bored...

But I took lots of photos, and I'm quite proud of how some of them came out, so I'm showing them off!

The Pipe Band passing through the "Vikings":

Isn't he a lovely jolly Viking? I can't imagine him pillaging anybody! (Okay, he's one of the Pipe Band on loan to the Guizers):

And I didn't know Vikings wore such stylish spectacles!

The Viking Invasion Of Orkney 2008 - Part 2(b)

2008-11-08T22:00:00.001Z

More from the galley burning, just to get these out of the way so I can move on to tonight's bonfire and fireworks display:

Still on Broad Street, and concentrating on the "Vikings" this time:

The Viking Invasion Of Orkney, 2008 - Part 2(a)

2008-11-08T13:28:00.000Z

Ooops... been neglecting this blog a bit again... I meant to post these ages ago.

More from the Pipe Band / Up Helly Aa replica Viking galley burning last month:

The first appearance of the Guizers... Including the Guizer Jarl (with the winged helmet):

Aargh - lock up your daughters!

Lighting up the torches - you can't see much detail, but I like the dramatic red and black:

The Viking Invasion Of Orkney, 2008 - Part 1

2008-10-20T13:24:00.000Z

On Saturday night, during a miraculous brief break amid the bad weather, Kirkwall City Pipe Band were joined by the 2008 Lerwick Up Helly Aa squad as a "thank you" for the Pipe Band playing during the Up Helly Aa festivities in Lerwick earlier this year (the connection being that the daughter of the Guiser Jarl for the year is a member of our Pipe Band)...

The Pipe Band and modern-day "Vikings" paraded on Broad Street, the Up Helly Aa squad with flaming torches and a replica Viking galley... before the galley was taken to the Peedie Sea and ceremoniously burnt.

The first installment of photos shows the Pipe Band on Broad Street:

The girl at the left in the front row of this photo is the Guiser Jarl's daughter, I think.

I'll be posting more photos, showing the "Vikings" and the burning of the galley over the next few days... but if you can't wait, you can check out my Flickr photostream here, where all the photos are.

Counting Sheep

2008-09-20T08:38:00.001Z

See if you can count them all without falling asleep!

First photo my brother took at the top of Burgar Hill...

Second, Viki took - the window of a local shop, and I think she would have loved to have him...

Third, I took a while ago to show Viki what fresh haggis looks like...

So, how many then?

An Apple A Day

2008-09-17T20:34:00.001Z

At the old house we had a horrible apple tree that was there when we arrived, and which I would have loved to have got at with a flame thrower.

Why did I hate it so much? If you are Orcadian, do you remember the days when schoolkids used to get a tree to take home and plant?

Well, I got a lovely rowan tree that was planted in the corner of the garden, beside the apple tree... Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for the rowan tree, and the apple tree's roots strangled its roots so that my poor wee rowan never grew very big.

However, I've got to begrudgingly admit that the apple tree was bonny when covered in blossom (I've got a photo somewhere... I'll try to find it sometime). And it did manage to produce the occasional apple... not that you would have eaten them!

I think what makes this photo so bonny (imho) is the fact it's taken at night. The flash makes the tree look so green against the dark blue of the sky.

Ever Feel You're Being Watched?

2008-09-16T16:00:00.000Z

If you happen to be walking round the outside of the Cathedral in Kirkwall, look up, and you will see these wonderful carvings dotted around the walls and edges of the roof...

Now, I've usually referred to these as gargoyles, but I'm beginning to think that at least some of them would be more correctly referred to as grotesques (see the links for the difference)...

But whatever they're called, I think they're great!

Seeing Red

2008-09-16T14:25:00.000Z

Tulips from Amster... Tankerness House Gardens, actually...

Looking back at these, the reds are really, really RED!

An Old-Fashioned Pink Rose...

2008-09-15T20:07:00.000Z

Hmm... I don't know what it is about flowers, but I can never seem to capture them right. I don't know why, but the camera doesn't seem to get the real beauty of them when I take photos.

This was an old-fashioned pink rose that used to grow on a bush next to the gate at the old house, and Mum was really proud of it. How she smiled everytime someone went past and stopped to have a sniff, or if she was outside, they'd say "I'm going to pinch one of these next time I come past and you're not here".

Not My Cross To Bear

2008-09-12T11:00:00.000Z

This is just kind of propped up against the side of the Cathedral...

Outside In

2008-09-09T20:59:00.000Z

Isn't it funny how something can look so ordinary from one side, and so lovely from the other?

For example, the window at the back of St Magnus Cathedral from outside:

and from inside:

Minnie Has No Concept Of Floor - 10

2008-09-06T11:00:00.000Z

Finally found this photo!

This was Minnie's favourite place when I first moved house... on top of my stereo speaker in the bedroom!

She loved to curl up and sleep there...

(Apologies for the quality, but it was taken with my cameraphone).

Spot The Difference

2008-09-04T15:42:00.000Z

On one of my Sunday wanders around the Cathedral and grounds, I was up the back and spotted something just below the big window that was glinting in the sun... and there was this tiny plaque (just a couple of inches long, and maybe just over an inch high) stuck in at a slightly recessed stone.

I couldn't really read what was written on it, but I zoomed in with my camera (in the days before I upgraded to my current camera), and posted the photo on the Orkney Communities Photo Library to see if anyone else could make it out:

OC Photo Library: 11752

The question was answered, and I thought no more about it until I got my new camera.

I thought I would try it out by going back and taking another photo of the plaque, and see how good the detail was... But, imagine my shock when I discovered the plaque was gone!

So I took a photo, posted it on the OC Photo Library, and asked "Where's it gone!?"

OC Photo Library: Number 13177

Well, as you can see by the comment I posted after, it appears that the powers-that-be at the Cathedral hadn't known the poor little plaque was there, and they took umbrage at its existence... and took it down!

It wasn't hurting anyone, and I now feel guilty that me bringing it to their attention might have been the cause of its demise!

Monkey Food...

2008-09-04T13:03:00.000Z

Well, I guess bananas get boring after a while!

Minnie

2008-09-03T13:02:00.002Z

Taken in bed, in the half-dark, with a cameraphone, as Minnie settled down to sleep... on me!

I love the fact it's just her cheeky wee face illuminated in the dark!

Corn Slip & Basin

2008-09-03T13:00:00.000Z

Kirkwall harbour area, taken from the top of the West Pier:

More Grafitti

2008-09-02T11:55:00.000Z

Tiny set of initials somewhere up the side of the Cathedral (they're about an inch tall):

I wonder who "J.W." is and when they were put there?

War Memorial

2008-09-02T11:10:00.001Z

Side view of the statue on the top of Kirkwall War Memorial:

There's A Pier Around Here Somewhere!

2008-09-02T11:00:00.000Z

LOL... A foggy day near the harbour in Kirkwall.

In the middle of this photo you can just see a slightly darker area... that's the pier!

A bit more to see here, but not much!

Drunky Monkey

2008-09-01T11:00:00.002Z

Poor monkey can't even handle a can of shandy, never mind anything stronger!

KCPB - Men In Skirts...

2008-08-31T22:50:00.000Z

Last night I spent 2 and a bit very pleasant hours at "Ivan On The Apron" - an open-air concert with Kirkwall City Pipe Band and special guest, Orkney-born musician, Ivan Drever (former member of Wolfstone).

The "Apron" in question is a paved area with 3 steps around the edge, leading up to the front door of St Magnus Cathedral.

It had been a lovely day yesterday, so I decided I would go along... and it was a fantastic couple of hours! I got quite close to the railings at the side of the steps, but there was no pushing or jostling anyway... Just a couple of hundred people, aged from mere babes in arms up to grannies and granddads in wheelchairs, enjoying the music... some standing, some sitting on the Kirk Green as the sun went down (and the midges eventually buggered off)...

The first photo was taken just after the performance started at 8pm, so it was still reasonably light then:

This was a bit later, and you can see Ivan Drever at the mic, accompanied by one or two of the Pipe Band members:

This was a lot later, nearer 10pm, and it was dark by that time... although that didn't detract from the performance at all:

If you happen to have been there, and have stumbled upon this... Wasn't it a brilliant night?

Possibly One Of The Saddest Things...

2008-08-31T21:00:00.001Z

in St Magnus Cathedral is this... The memorial to the 833 servicemen lost during WWII when the Revenge-class destroyer, HMS Royal Oak was torpedoed during a daring attack by Günther Prien, in command of German submarine U-47:

It happened in the early hours of 14th October, 1939, on what is described as a moonless night, with an impressive display of the Northern Lights, and most of the Royal Oak's crew of 1,234 men would have been asleep... Günther Prien quietly guided his submarine into the safe harbour of Scapa Flow, negotiating a way between the blockships that had been sunk there to stop infiltration, and torpedoed the ship.

It took 1 hour, 2 minutes from Prien entering the Flow until Royal Oak sank, rendering her the first of the five battleships and battlecruisers of the Royal Navy sunk in the Second World War, only about a month after War had been declared.

Today HMS Royal Oak is a protected war grave, lying in comparatively shallow water in Scapa Flow, her hull barely 5m from the surface.

The memorial consists of a plaque dedicated to those that lost their lives, a book with the names of all the dead, and the bell from the ship, recovered in the 1970's and restored.

This memorial ties in with photos I've posted already of The Italian Chapel, because it was the sinking of HMS Royal Oak that led Winston Churchill to order the construction of The Churchill Barriers, to completely cut off access between the small islands. The contract for building the Barriers was awarded to Balfour Beatty, but much of the labour was done by the Italian Prisoners Of War held in Orkney... and it was some of those men that built and decorated The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm.

Tankerness House Museum From The Gardens

2008-08-31T16:00:00.000Z

The back of Tankerness House Museum, from near the bottom of the gardens.

It's a beautiful building, dating back to the 16th century, when it would have been a quite outstanding town house... and it's still one of Scotland's best-preserved town houses of that period:

Sailing Boats

2008-08-30T11:25:00.001Z

Some yachts out near Hatston on a bonny evening... Look how blue the sky and the sea is:

Same yachts (with an extra red one) and a visiting cruise liner just leaving from the pier at Hatston:

Grave Humour

2008-08-30T11:14:00.001Z

Okay, I posted this photo on another website once, and it got me one or two "That's not funny" comments... But I'm prepared to risk more wrath ("Publish and be damned!" I say... Besides which, I have to approve any comments on here, and angry diatribes just won't be published!) by putting it here:

I saw this photo in the graveyard of St Magnus Cathedral, and it made me smile... just the "(By Accident)" bit... I know it probably means "as the result of an accident", but I read it and thought "Well, he probably didn't mean to die, right enough!"

(I've obscured the name on the gravestone just in case).

Monkey Chills Out With A Good Book

2008-08-30T11:00:00.000Z

Another "monkey" photo... This time he's reading up on the finer points of Somerset cider-making!

Up The Moosie Tooer

2008-08-29T11:10:00.000Z

Looking up the inside of The Moosie Tooer at Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall:

That's a Historic Scotland flag that you can see at the top... and that was the closest I saw it from - I don't do heights!

Through The Round Window

2008-08-29T11:05:00.000Z

I love looking at things around our St Magnus Cathedral from odd angles...

Like this photo, looking up at the Rose Window:

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 9

2008-08-29T10:00:00.000Z

Last one of these for the moment...

Behind my monitor... Viki took these with her cameraphone:

Good job I've got a flatscreen, or that would be a very tight fit!

Sorry, Viki!

2008-08-28T16:15:00.000Z

But I have to share these photos with the world (or at least the portion of the world that looks at my blogs)...

During a visit to local shop, We Frame It, Viki found the perfect souvenir... whisky-flavoured condoms! And when we got home, she couldn't resist checking them out with the aid of a handy bananananana!

I love the facial expressions...

"Mmmmmmmmmmm"

*Sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiff* (lol... she's almost cock-eyed (if you'll pardon the pun) coz she's sniffing so hard)...

LOL... There's really nothing I can say to caption this one! This is a family blog!

Oh, dear... I'm in trouble now!

Funky Monkey

2008-08-28T16:10:00.000Z

As a change from my views and the like, today we start an occasional series of fun photos...

I got this monkey from a friend once, and it was great for posing and taking photos of. This is "Funky Monkey"...

(The shades and headphones are off of one of those dancing Coca-Cola cans that were all the rage way back in the day).

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 8

2008-08-28T16:00:00.000Z

On top of the cupboard where I keep my shoes!

David - Coo-Eee!

2008-08-27T11:15:00.000Z

Think this was in Birsay, but I can't remember... It was one David took of a cow inside her front door just saying "cheerio" to a visitor!

Broad Street by Viki

2008-08-27T11:00:00.001Z

One Viki took of Broad Street... looking down from just outside the Cathedral.

Broad Street is kind of the main street of Kirkwall... bit like Aberdeen's Union Street, but without so many shops!

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 7

2008-08-27T10:43:00.001Z

On top of the shelf unit in my bedroom!

She's the reason I can't put any ornaments up... she'd just bowl them off so she could take their place... *rolls eyes*

Italian Chapel 2

2008-08-26T11:10:00.000Z

Last few for the moment from the Italian Chapel, starting with the mural behind the altar:

Candles burning at the altar:

Statue of George & The Dragon, with the moon rising behind:

Why St George? It was a symbol of the prisoners' triumph over separation and loneliness.

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 6

2008-08-26T11:00:00.000Z

Back of the couch...

(Er... I'd only just moved in, that's why the boxes are still there).

Viki - Earl's Palace

2008-08-25T12:56:00.000Z

Viki took this one in Earl's Palace, Kirkwall - Doesn't it look spooky? Like something out of an old horror film... I keep expecting to see a little hunchback called "Igor" peering out, going "Yeth, mathter"...

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 5

2008-08-25T08:00:00.001Z

Minnie also doesn't understand the concepts of "Personal Space", "RSI Prevention" or "Move, Furball, Or I'll Iron You And Use You As A Mousemat!"

It's really not easy to use a computer when you have no room!

View From Burgar Hill by David

2008-08-24T11:11:00.000Z

Here's one my brother took from the top of Burgar Hill on that misty Sunday when we went to see the windmills...

It's possibly another Old Man Of Hoy in the making. At some stage, the top of the arch may erode to the point of collapse, creating another sea stack, of which there are several dotted around Orkney...

Sistine Chapel...

2008-08-24T11:05:00.001Z

Okay, so really it's the Italian Chapel,on Lamb Holm in Orkney, but it's still beautiful artwork.

I promised you some more photos, and there are one or two more to come yet. These focus on the mural painted above the altar.

On the right side as you face the altar...

Above you...

And to the left...

There has been some restoration carried out since the war time (in the 60's, the late Domenico Chiocchetti, who was responsible for most of the internal decoration, and who had stayed behind when the prisoners were released to complete his vision, came over to help with the restoration), but nothing has really been changed since the 1940's.

It's a very beautiful and peaceful place, and well worth a visit.

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 4

2008-08-24T11:00:00.000Z

This one just about took the biscuit!

On top of the bloody microwave... and the clock you see was just one of the things that she kicked off the top of the microwave so she could get on!

I grabbed her (her straining against me all the way) and unceremoniously dumped her back on the floor, declaring "No! That is not on! That's WAY off limits!"...

And when I came home the next night, everything was kicked off again, and she was back!

Thankfully, she's forgotten about there for the moment...

Lo-Budget Remake Of "The Birds"

2008-08-23T08:10:00.001Z

LOL... I was on the computer a few nights ago, and something outside caught my attention...

I looked out to see a row of starlings along the rooftops of the terrace of 4 houses across the road from me! They were evenly spaced out, all the way along... even on the chimney cans!

Just got this photo taken (didn't want to move in case I scared them) before they flew away to roost...

It was like something out of Hitchcock!

The Gloup

2008-08-23T08:05:00.001Z

As promised, more about The Gloup, Deerness...

The Gloup is basically a big hole in the cliffs. It's a collapsed sea cave, with a land-bridge across it at the cliff edge, and is navigable by small boat. I've never done that, but it must be amazing!

It's "best" seen in an Easterly swell, because the sea rushes in and sprays up the cliffs... but wear a cagoul if you're going to go then!

Looking from the cliff side back inland...

Looking out towards the cliff edge and the sea (in fact, you can JUST see a light dot in the centre of the photo... this is the light coming in the entrance to The Gloup)...

Looking down into The Gloup...

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 3

2008-08-23T08:00:00.000Z

Slightly comfier than on top of the printer... BESIDE the printer!

Gloup Wildlife

2008-08-22T11:40:00.001Z

First photo by me, geese in a field next to the car park at The Gloup, Deerness (more on the Gloup later or tomorrow)... Typical for me, only one of the geese has got his head out!

And a photo my brother took of a chick in a nest in the Gloup... we weren't sure what kind of bird (s)he was, and thought it was a bit late in the year to be still sitting there, but we're no experts...

Hey, if Blackbike from Orkney Forums comes along here for a look, he'll be able to tell us!

Bloody Grafitti!

2008-08-22T11:10:00.000Z

Grafitti's not a new problem, as you can see from this stone at Ring Of Brodgar, Stenness - Some of the names carved into the stones date from the 1800's (you can see better if you click on the image for the enlarged version)!

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 2

2008-08-22T11:00:00.000Z

On the kitchen worktop beside my vase of flowers...

LOL... I was about to clean the cats' litter tray, hence the kitchen roll, latex gloves and litter tray deodriser (just in case you think there's anything perverse goes on in my kitchen!).

Highland Park

2008-08-21T12:45:00.000Z

A couple of photos from our trip to Highland Park Distillery when Viki was over...

Both photos are outside, because you aren't allowed to take pictures inside on the tour (I guess in case you sell them to the rival whisky distilleries)...

First, one I took of the gateway into the distillery:

Then Viki's photo of the Tasting Room (mmm... wouldn't mind staying there for a while)...

I didn't think I liked whisky... the smell even made me feel queasy, but we got a taste of a 12 year old, and a 15 year old whisky, and the 15 year old was really rather nice...

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 1

2008-08-21T12:28:00.000Z

Really!

If there's somewhere she's not meant to sit... that's precisely where she'll plant herself!

This is part one of a series, just to demonstrate some of her favourite spots around the house.

My printer... which is up on top of a shelf above my monitor...

Er... this was before she broke off the paper tray that sticks (stuck) out of the front of the printer by trying to sit on it!

The Big Tree

2008-08-20T10:15:00.000Z

The Big Tree, Albert Street, Kirkwall.

Yep, we've got a tree in the middle of what is a fairly narrow main shopping street!

It's been there a loooooooooooooooooong time, and is surviving by the skin of its teeth (not that trees have skin, or teeth, but you know what I mean!) - It's probably not the healthiest tree in the world, but there would be outcry if it was taken away!

Harriet

2008-08-20T10:05:00.000Z

This is my soppy moggy, Harriet (so called because she came to me from the Cat Shelter which, at the time, was based in Harray). She's Minnie's mummy.

I'm getting kind of worried because I've not seen her since Friday last week!

Aberdeen

2008-08-20T10:00:00.001Z

Just as a change from Orkney photos, here's a few from Aberdeen in December 2006 (taken with cameraphone, so the quality is only fair)...

Queen's Cross roundabout...

Rubislaw Church (a friend of mine got married here a few years previously, and I was staying not too far away from it this visit)...

Robert Gordon's University gate...

Men In Skirts!

2008-08-19T10:15:00.001Z

LOL... on County Show Day here, we were "lucky" enough to come out of my house door just in time to see the Pipe Band go past!

Viki was very excited over the men in skirts... even if they were wearing their wet-weather gear over the tartan!

She took this photo, amongst others:

It was a real struggle to keep her from running away with them!

Italian Chapel 1

2008-08-19T10:00:00.002Z

Photos taken at Italian Chapel, Lamb Holm last Monday night.

Front view... doesn't it look like a beautiful, fancy building?

If you didn't know, you would hardly believe that from side on, it looks like this...

... being made of 2 nissen huts joined end to end...

Here's the altar...

You would hardly believe that the Italian PoW's that created this chapel used concrete left over from manufacture of The Churchill Barriers (although they weren't allowed to be called "barriers" because the Geneva Convention prohibited the use of prisoner labour to build defensive structures... so they were classed as "causeways" to join the some of the south islands and improve communications), scrap materials lying around, and even corned beef tins to make some of the light fittings!

More photos of it will follow...

Viki's Photos From On Top O' The Moosie Tooer

2008-08-18T10:00:00.000Z

A couple of photos that Viki took from the top of the tower of Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall because I wasn't brave enough to go up that high!

Firstly, looking down into the palace... Eww - I've come over all peculiar just looking at the photo!

Then, a view down into the Cathedral graveyard...

On Top Of The World!

2008-08-18T09:00:00.000Z

I'm probably going to get these directions totally wrong and make a fool of myself, but here goes!

Three photos taken from the top of Wideford Hill, just outside Kirkwall, last Monday... First, looking Northwards, with a partial rainbow...

Next. looking sort of Easterly, over Kirkwall...

Finally, looking a bit more South-East, over the other side of Kirkwall and Scapa beach...

Burgar Hill Windmill

2008-08-17T17:00:00.001Z

One of the wind turbines on top of Burgar Hill, Evie, taken in the mist last Sunday.

There are complaints at the moment because of more proposed windmill sites up here, because people think they're an eyesore, and that they have a detrimental effect on wildlife, etc, etc... but I don't see the problem with them. If they're a clean way to produce electricity (much better than nuclear or fossil fuels), which they are so far as I can see, then they should be encouraged.

Burgar Hill - Viki

2008-08-17T14:13:00.000Z

This was Viki on top of Burgar Hill a week ago today...

Ring Of Brodgar

2008-08-16T10:05:00.001Z

Part of the Ring Of Brodgar, Stenness, taken on a cold, dull evening this last Sunday.

And my pal Viki standing at what's probably the tallest of the stones still standing... Now, she's about 5' 3" (JUST taller than me... ideg), so you can take a stab at what sort of height that stone is... and that was raised without the use of modern JCBs, scaffolding, or the like about 2000 - 2500 years BC! I'd like to see some of our building firms do that now!

Something's Growing In The Rhubarb

2008-08-16T10:00:00.001Z

This "weed" is my cat, Minnie, getting a bit of shade at the old house!

Taken At Highland Park Distillery By Viki

2008-08-15T10:00:00.000Z

As you can see by the title, I didn't take this photo, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

Viki took this when we visited Highland Park Distillery, in the courtyard, and I don't think the effect was deliberate, but I think it's a beautiful photo.

Scarfie

2008-08-15T09:30:00.000Z

A Shag, or "Scarfie", taken at Kirkwall pier last year.

The Only Thing I Miss About The Old House...

2008-08-02T14:00:00.000Z

is this beautiful bush that Dad "planted" (his usual method of planting was to take a cutting, no rooting powder, and stick it in the earth... if it grew, it grew... if not, he pulled it out and tried something else) in our front garden.

It was huge... must have been nearly 7ft tall, and was even wider (you get some idea by the fact I had to point the camera upwards to take this photo of about the highest flower on it last year)...

And it never needed trimmed to maintain its shape... it just stayed in a lovely, neat kind of ball shape...

And in summer (about now, for example) it was a absolute mass of these gorgeous pale lilac flowers!

Now, I'm sure someone with green fingers will be able to tell me what this was called because, frankly, I don't have a scooby... and I don't think Dad did either.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...

2008-08-02T13:00:00.000Z

Taken outside the old house again, at sunset, which explains the odd colour on the house in the photo...

Was pointing the camera down the road to take photos of the sunset, when I happened to turn around to see this rainbow just starting to fade.

Any Prizes For Guessing....

2008-08-01T10:30:00.001Z

... what this started life as?

This was taken the same day as the fish photo, in the Peerie Sea again. It makes for an unusual reef, and I dare say any wee fishes would have been swimming in it quite happily, but it angers me that people litter up the place with things like this that could end up harming the wildlife.

Like The Sun On The.... er... Pillar

2008-07-31T11:20:00.001Z

If you time it right, and get the sun coming through the stained-glass windows of St Magnus Cathedral, you get the most beautiful reflection effects on the red sandstone pillars...

I love how the blue reflections in this photo can make the normally warm-coloured pillars look so cold, almost ice-like.

I think I turned the flash off in this photo... the cathedral lighting is quite subdued and and not "in yer face" anyway, but I wanted to minimise the background detail so the photo wasn't too "busy".

D'Yer Want Chips Wi' That?

2008-07-31T11:00:00.000Z

There's a wee lake / model boat pond in Kirkwall called The Peerie Sea (or Peedie, there's some "healthy debate" about the correct spelling, because "Peerie" is the Shetland word for little, and "Peedie" would be the Orkney version, but it does appear on old maps as "Peerie", and that's what I've always called it), and it has a path around it so you can cross at low tide...

At one bit, just by the sluice gates that can drain it into the sea if the water level gets too high, it's very shallow. When I was a kid, there used to be peedie (lol... peerie?) fishes in that bit, and you could watch them swimming.

Well, one day I was walking on the path, by this shallow bit, and I thought "I wonder if there are still any wee fishes in here?" - And just about wet myself laughing when I looked down at my side, and saw this:

He wasn't quite what I had in mind!

Gow's Folly, or The Groattie Hoose

2008-07-30T16:30:00.001Z

This gazebo stands in the gardens of Tankerness House Museum, Kirkwall.

It hasn't always stood here... up until 2005, it was hidden away in the yard of a local store... formerly the private garden of a house which had belonged to James Traill, prominent businessman and Provost, where it was built in 1730. In 2005 it was painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt where it now stands.

And how did it get its name? Well, Gow's Folly is due to the fact that the volcanic stones that make up its roof were originally used as ballast on board The Revenge... the ship belonging to John Gow, an Orcadian pirate (well, born in Caithness, but brought up in Stromness) with a short but successful career lasting only a few months. He had returned incognito from the Iberian Peninsula and, after he was discovered, an attack was attempted on Carrick House in Eday. However, he ran aground on the nearby Calf Of Eday, where he was captured and transported to London for execution.

Provost Traill reclaimed the ballast from the ship and used it for the roof of his summerhouse.

And The Groattie Hoose comes from the Groattie Buckie shells that decorate the roof.

The weather vane that you can see in the second photo hasn't always been there... it's a new addition.

Read more about John Gow here:

Wikipedia: John Gow
Orkneyjar: John Gow, The Orkney Pirate (© Sigurd Towrie)

There's a link between this structure and the memorial to John Rae which there are photos of here too... Before John Gow made his ill-fated attempt to attack Carrick House, he had made a successful raid on the Hall Of Clestrain, which would later be the birthplace of John Rae.

Gravestone 2

2008-07-30T12:00:00.000Z

Up the back of the graveyard at the Cathedral is this stone... See if you can spot the mistake (you can click on the image to get a bigger version):

(Answers on a comment)

Gravestone 1

2008-07-29T16:00:00.000Z

(Click on the image to enlarge it)...

A broken gravestone in the graveyard at St Magnus Cathedral... Read here for whatever significance (or maybe not) it has for me: Fairick Fae Hether Blether: Spooky!

I Saw A Ship In Sight

2008-07-29T14:31:00.000Z

Actually, I see this one quite often!

This is the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a training ship belonging to a Norwegian foundation of the same name, and used primarily as a sail training ship for the Royal Norwegian Navy.

It visits Orkney a few times every year, helping to foster the close links that we still have with our Scandinavian neighbours.

Technical data

Sparred Length: 98,00 m
L.o.a. (Length of hull): 84,60 m
L.b.p. (Length of waterline): 73,00 m
Width: 12,60 m
Max. Height: 48,00 m
Max. Draft: 5,20 m
Gross tonnage: 1516 t
Sails: 22
Sail area: 2026 m2
Speed: 11 knots (machine) / 17 knots (sails)

What A Difference A Couple Of Hours Makes!

2008-07-28T09:13:00.000Z

This was the view from my office window Friday morning (or maybe Saturday, I can't actually remember which):

Anyway, this was the same view a couple of hours later, with the fog lifted:

It's amazing how much prettier Kirkwall looks like in the sun... look at the colour of the water in The Basin - it's so BLUE!

Pier Plaque

2008-07-28T07:20:00.001Z

A lovely series of stone plaques down Kirkwall's West Pier, just near to the Lifeboat station.

(Click for a larger image)

The wording says:

WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE NORTH, THE SKILFUL (SIC) FISHER GOES NOT FORTH
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE SOUTH, IT BLOWS THE BAIT IN THE FISHES MOUTH
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE EAST, TIS NEITHER GOOD FOR MAN NOR BEAST
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE WEST, THEN IT IS AT ITS VERY BEST