We grow flowers too

Although we have 3 raised beds and several other areas dedicated to vegetables, we also have shrubs, perennials and bedding plants to add a splash of colour to the garden.  I took some photos today, and the garden is looking good.

I'm hopeful that in a couple of weeks' time, there will be a lot more colour in the garden!

The non-veggie plants tend to be my responsibility.  I have grown some of the perennials from seed (veronica, echinacea, aquilegia and coreopsis), some have grown from cuttings I have successfully taken (the lavenders and the stachys).  Last year I managed to split, divide and replant the heuchera and coreopsis, although several coreopsis clumps rotted during the winter - it was very wet here. N sowed some antirrhinum seeds and every one germinated!  They are now planted out around the garden along with other bedding plants - geranium, verbena, marigold and salvia.  We also have a few alpines growing in a rockery area, but not all survived the wet winter.

I went round the garden today with pen and paper, trying to find the original plant labels, so that I could keep a record of what we had planted.  I try to learn the Latin name - species and variety - as well as the popular name.  Some of the labels had become embedded in the plant, some had worn off, and some were missing altogether, so I shall have to rely on my plant books.  I also want to try some more propagation.  Taking cutting and getting them to root successfully is so rewarding, and a great way to renew the beds.  

BTW, N planted 4 sunflower seeds along the side fence last week.  We noticed all 4 had germinated yesterday; by today the slugs had been feasting :(

It rained last night and on and off through today, so unfortunately the grandkids' sports day was cancelled until next week, but I think the plants probably benefitted from the watering.

This morning, we drew up a 'pros and cons' list for the flat.  One side is considerably longer than the other.  

Being content with what we have

On our walk yesterday N and I were mulling over, yet again, the 'do we/don't we' move question.  Is it the right thing to do at this point in our lives?  We can't move without selling the flat, so any property we look at and like is sold before we can make an offer, and the fact is that there has been so little interest in this property, which we both agree is not something we had expected.  Perhaps we are meant to stay put.

Yesterday evening I checked out the Down to Earth blog, as I do most evenings.  It still makes me smile that I read tomorrow's post today, due to the time difference - Rhonda's up and about and we haven't even been to bed the previous day!  Well, I was gobsmacked when I read her latest post - I think she must have been listening into the conversation N and I had that afternoon.  It was quite spooky, really.  She spoke about being making the most of what you have, right now, where you are.  The phrase she used was 'bloom where you are planted', and for me that has created a very powerful image.  I was so amazed that she chose to write about the very issue that is causing us such uncertainty right now, that I left a comment on her blog which she kindly published.  Looking at the blog this afternoon, Rhonda has clearly hit a chord with this post, as there were many other comments from readers in a similar vein.

N and I talked more about this dilemma again this afternoon, sitting out in the garden with a cuppa.  We both acknowledge that we have changed so much since we left work 18-20 months ago.  We certainly didn't foresee these changes, but we have slowed down, and embraced (without really realising) a simpler lifestyle that seems to suit us.  We have stepped away from the 'got to have, need to have' lifestyle that society seems to expect of us; that the ad-man urges us to have.  We don't look to have the latest, the newest, fastest, biggest and shiniest gadgets around. We have become content with what we have.  So why are we looking for a bigger house and a bigger garden that we will need to fill with more stuff than we have and cost us more to maintain?

We looked at our little garden.  We measured it out (28 foot square, including with greenhouse and potting shed).  We looked at ways we could optimise it's potential, move beds around, open up bits of ground not currently being used.  Could we insulate the shed to make greater use of it in the colder months?  Could we have pots of perennials on the path leading to the garden?  

We looked at the flat.  We have always impressed upon everyone who visits the many positive aspects of it - in fact we have struggled to find many negative things about it, and any niggles can usually be worked around.  As we've pointed out the many features to prospective buyers, they usually end up saying that they're surprised we want to move because we sing the praises of the flat so much.  So, just as we did with the garden, we looked at each 'negative' point in the flat to see if we could work out a compromise.  Could we lose some furniture in our bedroom, move the sofa around, and fit a desk into the window to be used as a workbench?  How many times, realistically and honestly, was the spare bedroom actually going to be used as a bedroom?  If the bed was folded away (it's quite a neat design) would that provide adequate room for sewing or model-making?  Could we re-do part of the kitchen to accommodate a new full-width oven instead of the slimline version which is old and not very efficient, and struggles to cook more than one thing at a time? 

The real question is, can we be content with what we have?  Have we actually got everything we need, and could we, with a little vision and creativity, transform what we have to satisfy our wants?  And that would cost a lot less than a new house!

It will be another six years before I am in receipt of my (very small) works pensions, and then another few years before either of us gets a state pension.  At the moment we get by on N's work pension, and savings/interest.  We make a little go a long way.  It's possibly not the right time to be moving house.

The discussion will continue.  Having talked ourselves into moving, we are now talking ourselves out of it.  Here's hoping for a swift resolution - we don't like uncertainty!

A new name!

How pleased am I feeling - I managed to change the blog name!    

We had another visit from the boiler engineer yesterday to flush the system through with special fluid that cleans all the internal pipework.  It took nearly 3 hours, and for a lot of that time the hot water was running full blast as the cleaning solution was run through the system.  N and I almost wept!  That's a lot of water, and a lot of gas used to heat it up.  On the final check, we managed to run water into the bath, and then used that to flush the loo for the rest of the day, but I hardly dare think how many cubic litres went down the drain - quite literally.  As N said after, we'll try to claw some of that back.

Back in the garden, we like to grow herbs as well as vegetables.  Fresh herbs in cooking add so much to the flavour.

I love coriander - it is my favourite herb.  Such a fresh zingy taste.

Parsley - always useful

Basil - great with tomatoes and anything Italian

We also grow rosemary, thyme and oregano.

The first cucumber harvested today.  

N spends a lot of time pottering around in the garden and shed.  Yesterday he took the broken handle off an old trowel and replaced it with a spare broom handle to make himself a long-handled hoe to work around the veg beds.

We went our for a lovely walk at lunch-time, up to Quarr, and treated ourselves to a pot of tea and a piece of cake each.  Sitting in the beautiful gardens, enjoying our little meal, it was just so peaceful.  And the cake was delicious!

Back in the driving seat

If you look ever so closely, you can just see the first tomato forming.  Green, and a bit on the small side, but I have every hope that it will be the first of a bumper  crop this year.  I am nothing if not optimistic! 

I seem to have got a little behind in recording our daily happenings here, so I'm trying to have a quick re-cap on what we've done. 

The gloss painting in the hallway is finished - phew!  It might have taken a lot longer than I expected (I just did the upstairs doorframes and the stairs/bannisters - one of our neighbours has done the downstairs bits) but it really has made the entrance area so much brighter.  It was worth it.

We had a wonderful surprise on Friday when N quite literally bumped into an old friend we had lost contact with - we thought they were still in America but they actually moved back to England some time ago.  Phone numbers had got lost when mobiles had been changed and they had not known we had also moved.  Anyway, to cut a long story short, N met up with his mate the following afternoon, and they were both over the moon to have made contact again.  We have arranged to visit their family this coming weekend, and are so looking forward to being able to catch up properly.  It's strange, because we have so often thought of them and wondered what they were doing (as we thought, in US), and all the time they have been just a few miles from us.  I think there will be some plans made for the summer.  It is great news.

This morning, whilst I was having breakfast, I recorded no fewer than 12 different bird species in the garden.  It was just one of those days where they all seemed to be out and about at the same time.  For the record, I saw: pigeon, magpie, robin, greenfinch, goldfinch, house sparrow, blue tit, great tit, startling, blackbird, dunnock and jackdaw.  I haven't seen goldfinch for some time, so I was really pleased to see the flash of white, gold and red catch my attention as several flew across the garden, then a couple came back onto some shrubs.  

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had been wrestling with a problem and was looking at a way of moving forward with it.  So this weekend I have been trying to do just that.  I have made some decisions, and taken some practical steps.  Sometimes it is better to try to do something rather than do nothing.  

And I have decided to make some changes to this blog, too.  Some things have been deleted - they have no place here - and I think a new name is in order, too.  So from tomorrow, this will be Simply Pottering Along, which is what N and I do here.  We potter through our days, taking life slowly and simply, and we are happy with the lifestyle we have chosen.  I am enjoying recording our ups and downs through the seasons, watching the garden grow, and the little changes we make to our lives.  Personal and private stuff is just that, and won't be found here.

Onward and upward.

Chambered tombs

Here is the final selection of photos taken on our recent trip to Orkney.  The place has a wealth of fascinating archeological sites and we were able to visit quite a few.

First up was Maeshowe chambered tomb, previously mentioned (with guide book).  Although photography is not allowed inside the tomb, this is what greets you on the approach.  The tomb looks like a big grassy mound, and the entrance is through the little stone passageway in the middle.  We had to crouch down to get through the passage which is several metres long, but once inside there was enough room for about a dozen people to stand up and walk around.  Our guide pointed out the very sophisticated construction method, a mixture of huge sandstone slabs and stones, and the four large chambers built off the main space.  We were also shown the wonderful runes - Norse graffiti - inscribed on the inside of the tomb by Norsemen who broke in after it had been abandoned by the original builders.  Maeshowe is part of the UNESCO World Heritge Site of Neolithic Orkney, together with Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.

Maeshowe is a big, impressive chambered tomb, but we discovered another little one close to where we were staying.  Cuween is a small version, and we thought it was every bit as interesting.  No entrance fee here, just climb the hill, and there it is.  We were amazed to find a working torch provided for visitors, as there is no lighting inside.  The entrance passage is smaller and required a crawl on hands and knees, but inside it was perfectly formed, with four little chambers built off the four sides of the main chamber.  Quite amazing.

This is the MV Eynhallow, which is one of the fleet of inter-island ferries taking passengers, vehicles and in some cases cargo to the out-lying islands. Eynhallow plies the route between Tingwall on Orkney Mainland, and Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre.  We had a day trip to Rousay, and enjoyed a guided tour around the island.

Stone dresser in the Midhowe Broch

The Broch

We spent some time at Midhowe cairn, a Neolithic stalled tomb built about 3500BC where about 25 skeletons were discovered when the tomb was excavated last century.  Again the size and scale of the construction was rally surprising.  Close by is the Midhowe Broch, a wonderfully preserved Bronze Age dwelling-place on the edge of the sea.

We were also shown a two-storey chambered tomb, Taversoe Tuick, and we were again struck at the ingenuity of the tomb builders.

What impresses us every time we visit Orkney is the accessibility of these amazing archeological sites.  Although some have an entrance fee, many do not.  They are not supervised yet we have never seen any graffiti, damage or vandalism at any site.  There is always an information board or similar and visitors can simply walk up to them, and around them.  It is something that we really appreciate.  

Orkney continues to provide us with surprises, and we love visiting.  It's a very special place.

Fabric, birds and some decisions made

I've had a very positive day, and managed to tick everything off my 'to do' list.  The painting in the hallway is almost finished - I just want to put a second coat on the bannister and a bit of touching up on one of the doorframes where it was caught before it had properly dried.  I'll get that done tomorrow.

I've also made real progress with the latest sewing project.  It was a case of just getting on with it and not stopping until I had finished.  Yet again I have re-learned the lesson that nothing gets done just by looking at it!  We are giving one of the girls a lift to the hospital tomorrow for an X-ray, so I can nip down to the shops to buy the extra 25cm of fabric I still need - again, that will be washed and cut up tomorrow.  N made me smile this afternoon as I was to-ing and fro-ing with piles of cut squares.  He asked if he was going to 'lose' me to a quilt all summer.  It did make me stop and think, though, as I know that once I get going with a sewing project, it can be to the exclusion of everything else, so I wondered if it would be sensible to set time aside, maybe an hour every evening, when we both know I shall sew.  Just an idea, and obviously it would be flexible.  I mean, if it's pouring with rain (and given recent British summers, that's quite likely!) then a bit of stitching might be just the thing to pass the hours.

The peony in full flower

We've added another bird to a garden list this week - we watched several swifts darting across the sky, easily recognisable with their crescent-shaped wings in flight, and v-shaped tail.  On our walk to Quarr earlier this week we heard a woodpecker drilling a tree trunk, but we didn't catch sight of it.  We are seeing quite a few fledglings in the garden at the moment, and to begin with, I kept getting confused between the young brown starlings and the female blackbirds, but I think the starlings have stubbier tail feathers.  The magpies have obviously raised a brood locally, and it is amazing just what bullies they are.  They dive-bomb any bird that dares to infringe on 'their' territory, no matter what species.  Today they were chasing off some rooks, and they're pretty big birds themselves.  

Yesterday we spotted a crow with a deformed foot, and checking it out through the binoculars, we saw that it had somehow managed to get what looked like thin plastic twine caught around it claws and digging into the skin.  The whole foot was looking infected, and the bird was unable to put much weight on it.  There is no way we would be able to get close enough to catch it to take it for treatment, and it was a sad reminder of how easily discarded rubbish can be bad news for wildlife.

I've been mulling a problem over for the last few days, and in the wee small hours of this morning a moment of clarity suddenly hit me.  Decisive action is needed, and after a little more thought, a plan of campaign emerged.  Why all this has to happen at night when I really want to be fast asleep, I don't know, but that's the way it seems to work for me.  Anyway, this weekend will see some positive and practical steps being taken, and taking control of the situation will hopefully make my way forward clearer and brighter. 

  

We have pea-pods!

I've been meaning to provide some photographic evidence to prove we have some little pods on the peas.  And here they are:

These are actually the plants that the grandchildren started off in jam-jars.  We're very excited by the appearance of these pods, as we've not tried growing peas before.  We will wait with fingers crossed for some peas to form.

We've been cropping lettuce for some time now, together with rocket, which has a lovely peppery taste to perk up a green salad, but another few weeks should bring in a few more goodies.

We always seem to do quite well with courgettes, and we have a few forming already.  We usually freeze most of them for use through the winter in veg stews and curries.

Two cucumber plants on the go, both with fruit forming.  I really should look up the variety; that's something I'm not very good with.

Some of the tomato plants in the greenhouse, we also have some cherry tomatos growing in the garden.  A little early for these to be fruiting, but we look forward to a good crop.  Again, we freeze quite a lot of tomatoes for winter use.

The boiler requires a second visit.  Not good news, although we are able to use the shower again.  It turned out not to be anything to do with limescale or hard water, but some of the filters have got gunged-up and despite the engineer cleaning bits out yesterday, the boiler is still struggling (and making some rather inappropriate noises, too - never good).  Apparently it requires a 'power-flush' to clear it properly.  N has been shown how to clean one of the filters, so we can add that to the maintenance list.  The hot water heater was turned down a few degrees to ease the pressure on the boiler when it heats the water, and as the water temperature seems quite acceptable with this change, we'll keep it turned down and save a bit on the gas.  It may need turning up in the winter, but we'll monitor it and see how we go.

It was a lovely evening yesterday and we went for a walk to the Abbey to see the pigs again.  It really was such a pleasant stroll, and sitting watching the pigs - parents and 11 piglets of varying colours - was very peaceful.  

Three of the piglets being lazy in the dappled sunlight - it's a tough life!

The sunset last night was one of the best for quite some time.

The photo doesn't really do the colours justice, but it was quite dramatic (although I think Orkney sunsets take the prize!)

The forecast for the rest of the week is rain, which will save watering the garden if nothing else!

Lots of lovely wool

The plumber is coming to look at our poorly hot-water boiler tomorrow morning - I think the bank account may be poorly by tomorrow afternoon!  I must admit it will be good to have the shower working again.  It's made us think how much we take a hot shower on demand for granted nowadays - N and I both remember the days of a bath once a week.

Our holiday in Orkney seems to be such a long time ago, even though it's less than 2 weeks since we came home.  I think I mentioned that we bought one or two 'souvenirs' back with us this time; very practical reminders of a special place.

I promised myself an Orkney mug, and am delighted with this one made at the Fursbreck Pottery in Harray.  I bought the coaster on our last trip; it just needed a mug to sit on it!

Look at all this yummy wool!  Oh, I can't wait till the autumn and I can start knitting it up.  This was also something that we promised ourselves this trip.  n has been yearning for a jumper made from genuine North Ronaldsay sheep wool, and after a bit of research, we had a drive out to The Woolshed in Evie. What a gem of a place.  Wool, fleeces, jumpers, gifts, and the owner was happy to spend a lot of time with us, making sure we had just what we wanted.  N is delighted with the North Ronaldsay wool he bought, which I will make up into a gansey-style jumper for him.  The skeins of gorgeous multi-coloured dyed wool are for me - a jumper or tunic from the DK, and a cosy pull-on hat from the aran weight.  Really I could have bought all the wool, the colours were so wonderful.

N also treated himself to another beautiful jumper, made by a local knitter, but the photo I took doesn't do the colours justice - it's the most lovely blend of navy and deep heather, and it looks very well on N.  

One of the many places we visited this time was the chambered tomb at Maeshowe (photos to follow in a later post) and I bought a guidebook mainly because Orkney has such a wealth of Neolithic history, it does pay to have a little knowledge and understanding of it.  There is quite a lot to learn, so I thought I'd start somewhere.

Finally, we bought a couple of CDs to remind us of the wonderful Folk Festival music we enjoyed so much.  First, a recording made at the 2011 'Gathering' concert, and the second is a great CD of music by the Kirkwall City Pipe Band - lots of bagpipes a-swirling, and a good selection of songs, too.  Both are good listening.

I've been busy all day, either painting (I shall be so glad when I finish) or cutting out the latest project.  Fabric everywhere.

While we were in Orkney, we saw a house for sale that we really liked.  We found out today that it is now under offer.  I'm not surprised - if we liked it, then I imagine a lot of other people did, too.  I guess it just wasn't the house for us.    I'm having to remember that I have so much to be very grateful for.  Perhaps I need to learn the lesson again. 

End of the week musings

I can't believe it's Saturday already!  What happened to the week?  As someone pointed out to me today, we're almost half-way through the year.  I'm sure time goes faster, the older you are.  All the more reason to make the most of every day we have.

We cropped the last of the spinach this morning, and that's now in the freezer.  N has planted some more 'living lettuce' in it's place, so that should keep us in salad leaves for quite some time.  There are flowers on the peas, beans and potatoes - all looking good.

It has been incredibly windy again all day today, really gusty at times, and fence panels have wobbled.  Nothing blown away, thankfully.

We have a problem with the boiler, which is not such good news.  Things like this usually end up expensive, in our experience :o(.  We suspect it may have something to do with limescale deposits, as the water where we live is very hard due to chalk bedrock.  Limescale causes problems with all sorts of appliances - washing machines, dishwashers (not that we have one of those), irons, showers and the like.  We have put a call in to have the boiler serviced, as that was due anyway, but we have a nasty feeling that the bill will be bigger than we would like.

I have started to use my 'daily to do list', smartly laminated, and it certainly gives the impression that I'm trying to be efficient ;).  I've managed to shred some of those pesky scraps of paper I'd accumulated, so that's definitely a step in the right direction.

I've started the 'big project' at long last - lots of mathematical scribblings involved - and now I need to really focus on this as the time-frame is a bit tight, to say the least.  I will have to focus and apply myself strictly with this if it is to be finished in time.  I think it will feature on my 'to do' list every day!

Screen-free Sunday, and Fathers' Day, tomorrow, so no excuse not to apply myself to the task in hand.  It's already on tomorrow's list.

Organising the lists!

The first peony flower of the year.  It looks fabulous.

I always have a list on the go, and am forever writing myself notes on scraps of paper, but this morning I realised that I have no fewer than 7 lists of various sorts attached to my clip-board.  It's time to take action!  

Earlier this week I took a deep breath and joined the Down to Earth forum.  This is new territory for me, but I have already seen that there's a wealth of information, advice, support and general discussions and I shall find plenty to browse through.  One of the things I was particularly interested in were some downloads for a household journal.  I've downloaded a few of the pages that seem especially relevant to me, and hopefully these may replace the scrappy lists I seem to accumulate.  Having said that, I have ticked off 10 of the 13 items on today's list, so I feel I've achieved quite a bit.  Tomorrow I'll have a go at transferring some of my notes onto the printed planners - I may need to come up with a new one for 'notes to self' - reminders I need to jot down as and when I remember them, because the chances are that I will have forgotten them by tomorrow, or sooner ;).

We walked to the plant nursery this morning to buy another tomato plant to replace the one we bought a few days ago, which snapped off in the very high winds yesterday.  We also bought a box of bedding plants for a small trough, so that's all the planting in the garden finished now.  It should look very colourful later in the summer.

I came across an interesting site here whilst looking into water consumption.  This suggests annual water consumption for a 2-person household to be on average 110 cubic litres; a low figure of 55 cubic litres, and a high figure of 136 cubic litres.  A quick calculation on our water bill bring us in at about 61 cubic litres, so we seem to be doing pretty well with water usage.  I appreciate that's just based on figures from one particular site, but we certainly don't seem to be wasting water, and hopefully we're trying to use it sensibly and mindfully.  I do wonder how some people manage to use so much water, but I guess things like dishwashers, washing the car, watering the lawn and so on all add up.  It's been an interesting exercise working our usage out.

The garden' s growing

It seems to have been all go since we returned from Orkney, and I'm playing 'catch-up' with the blog, so I'll try to do a quick round-up now.

The garden is really benefitting from the recent rain and sun, and the veggies have  grown on well.

This first bed has potatoes, with chives (flowering) and thyme.

Next are peas climbing, courgettes at the front, and under the netting are carrots just beginning to germinate.

The runner beans are twining their way up the trellis.

This little box has more carrots, sown earlier, and two rogue potato plants - we'll let them grow and see if they produce any spuds.

The salad bed - the spinach has been cropped twice since this photo, and we've also had lots of lettuce and rocket leaves for salads.

In the greenhouse are cucumbers (we have one ready for eating), and tomatoes.  We also bought some cherry tomatoes at the weekend, now dotted around the garden, but decided against pepper plants.  Several of the nurseries have had problems with their pepper seedings, and the only plants available have been quite small.  We're not always very successful with peppers, so we will give them a miss this year.

N's hard work in the garden is certainly paying off - it's always so satisfying to see healthy plants growing well.  Fingers crossed for a good crop.  Whilst  it may not be the biggest garden allotment, it always amazes me just how much we manage to produce, and knowing how it has been grown, together with a far superior taste than shop-bought, it's more than worth the effort.

I'm still plodding on with the gloss painting in the hallway.  I'm afraid it's become a bit of a chore - it's a quick-dry paint so seems to get tacky almost as soon as it is applied - but having got halfway, I can't really abandon it now.  I just have to set myself the task of painting a bit every day, and simply get on with it.

We're having a bit of a move-around in the spare room, and I need to get to grips with my fabric stash, once and for all.  My fabric is actually all folded and sorted neatly into plastic drawers, but whenever I start a new project, I never know which  fabric has been washed, so it all ends up being washed again, regardless.  the sensible thing, of course, it to only store pre-washed fabric, so this is what I'm doping now, again a little at a time.  

Here's the first batch of fat quarters and larger scraps all neatly hanging on the fold-out clothes drier, which I have found is ideal for the task.  I have a big sewing project which I need to get started on as soon as possible, but now I have begun with the pre-washing of fabric, I need to finish that, too.  

Also just to mention I phoned the car insurance company and have got a reduction of £15 on what was already the most competitive quote I could find, so I'm pleased with that result.   

Back to housekeeping basics

A couple of things have happened since we got back that makes me think our small steps are beginning to make some sense.

The water bill arrived yesterday, and we took the time to compare the reading for the half-year just gone to the same period last year.  We're on a water meter, so we do try to be careful of our water usage anyway.  Last year we used 32.00 cubic metres; this year we've used 28.00 cubic metres.  So that's definitely going in the right direction.  We think that must be due mainly to the fact we shower on alternate days instead of every day.  We also try to remember to use the 'short flush' on the loo, and not to run taps unnecessarily.  Only little steps, but lots of little things add up to something more tangible, in this case, a reduction of £5 in our monthly direct debit to the water company!  

I have no idea if this is average water consumption, or excessive.  I may do some investigating.  Living in a first floor flat means we can't really recycle our waste-water which is a shame because the charge for waste water is much higher than for water supplied.  Anyway, we've made a start at monitoring our water consumption, and it's gratifying that it is paying off.

The second thing we looked into was the car insurance.  Usually, when it's due for renewal, we simply accept the new premium.  This year, however, I've been on the comparison sites to see if we can get a better deal.  It seems that the figure from our existing insurer is actually quite competitive, but I noticed that the figure quoted on the comparison site by the same company is £11 cheaper!  I shall be on the phone to them in the next day or so.

Finally, we've stocked up on shopping.  We shopped when we got back from Orkney, with a money-off voucher and several discount vouchers as well, and received another money-off voucher.  Often, in the past, we've bought rather more than we really needed to, but today we went with the calculator, and bought the bill in at £40.86, adding up as we went.  We used the '£4 off a £40 shop' voucher, plus another for 60p, and bought as many things as we normally buy that we on offer.  The freezer is now well stocked with trout on offer (we often cook just one trout and share it, served with salad); chicken pieces that were reduced for their 'sell-by' date - 9 servings out of 6; peppers on offer, sliced up and frozen.  We couldn't believe how much food we had in our trolley, how many meals that would make, and all for just over £35.  All we did was take our time, stick with our shopping list of things we needed, and take advantage of good buys.

As I said, small steps, but they all make a difference.  And we feel quite good about them, too.

Orkney images - wildlife

I tried to post this yesterday evening, but had a problem with the photo format so I'll have another go now.


What a glorious day today.  We spent most of the afternoon in the garden, pottering and reading, and listening to music.  Very relaxing indeed.

This morning we had another viewing.  We're getting ourselves into a bit of a state over this moving business.  We can't find anything locally that interests us, and whilst Orkney has a real pull for both of us, there are one or two factors we have to consider.  We also don't really want to put ourselves into the position of having to rent.  We don't usually have this problem making decisions so there's a bit of consternation on the home-front at present!

Anyway, back to Orkney.  One of the many things we really enjoy up there is the abundance of wildlife.  N has always been quite an amateur ornithologist, but my knowledge of birds has been limited to sparrows, blackbirds and generic 'seagulls', though I now know there is more than one gull to be seen in Orkney.  However, armed with binoculars, camera and bird identification books, we managed to identify no less than 50 different birds in our two-week stay.  I have a feeling there were probably plenty we missed, but we were more than happy with our tally.

This Shag has obviously gone in for a bit of  interior design - the dandelion  is a  colourful touch!

Newark Bay at Deerness had a wealth of seabirds on the shore

A Black-Backed Gull - I think it may be 'greater' rather than 'lesser'.  We certainly saw one take out an Eider duckling in one swoop.

Great Skua.  These two were feasting on something, we think it may have been a seal carcass

Black Guillemot - the inside of their bills is the same bright red as their feet

Here's the full list of our sightings:

1. curlew
2. shag
3. cormorant
4. oyster catcher
5. starling
6. fulmar
7. black-backed gull
8. herring gull
9. guillemot
10. puffin
11. arctic tern
12. rook
13. jackdaw
14. blackbird
15. house sparrow
16. razorbill
17. gannet
18. short-eared owl
19. reed bunting
20. hen harrier
21. great skua
22. ringed plover
23. little stint
24. coot
25. mute swan
26. eider duck
27. mallard
28. shelduck
29. lapwing
30. swift
31. greylag goose
32. great crested grebe
33. hooded crow
34. meadow pipet
35. pheasant
36. wren
37. pied wagtail
38. greenfinch
39. stonechat
40. willow warbler
41. merlin
42. common tern
43. chaffinch
44. skylark
45. black guillemot
46. manx shearwater
47. collared dove
48. canadian goose
49. black-headed gull
50. pigeon - rock dove and and woodpigeon

The gulls did confuse us - we would have benefitted from the knowledge of an RSPB warden to help with identification!  However, we are pretty happy with the other identities.  We spotted lots of seabirds nesting on the cliffs at Marwick, along the shore at Newark Bay and Point of Ayre, and several 'new' birds to us at the RSPB nature reserve at Hobbister which was a real treat - it was a lovely walk, just birdsong to accompany us.

Apart from such a wealth of birds, we also saw many more seals than we have previously, especially at Saviskaill Bay on a daytrip to Rousay.  There was a group of about fifteen seals, and every so often they would all shuffle themselves rather ungainly a little further up onto the rocks to avoid the in-coming tide.

This last photo is a little blurry as it was taken through the car windscreen.  We happened across this chap and his friend, and he obligingly stopped for just long enough for N to snap his picture before racing off up the road.  We were surprised how many hares we spotted, mostly in fields, but one of two taking their chances on the roads.

We were told by several different people we met that just a couple of weeks' previously a pod of Orcas had been seen in Scapa Flow, and we have also been told that some of the North Isles are good places to see them, too.  Now that would be a sight to see.  Perhaps next time.

Orkney images - music

This morning we were entertained by a thunderstorm which flashed and rumbled, so to speak, for about 3 hours, with torrential rain-bursts.  All quite exciting and very different from yesterday's beautiful sunshine.  


Our trip to Orkney coincided with the annual Orkney Folk Festival, and we had tickets to two concerts.  The first was a ceilidh at Finstown Community Centre, and although we were a little bemused as to what to expect before we arrived, we were in for a real treat.

The hall was packed out, long trestle tables the full length and not a spare seat available, in fact they were quite a few people standing at the back.  We were entertained by a selection of Orkney's finest musicians and guest artistes, performing a range of traditional and contemporary folk music.  The artistes were: Hullion, a local group (and something of an institution) whose repertoire of traditional music and songs and a good helping of banter had us all foot-tapping enthusiastically; Rachel Sermanni from Scotland, a young singer-songwriter with a quite incredible voice (she reminded me of Katie Melua); Three of Bu, 3 very talented local siblings who successfully combine modern technology (they had laptops on stage!) with traditional music, and finally the New Rope String Band.

This group is described in the FF programme as ' a truly unique trio', and they certainly were.  A fantastic mixture of perfectly-timed slaptick, truly amazing facial expressions and wonderful, sometimes quite bizarre musical entertainment that had the audience in stitches.  They were so funny I was crying with laughter.  There was a brilliant sketch about morris dancing, and another involving the very clever use of a video camera onstage, where the audience was transported into the dreamworld of Tim, the accordian player.  He disappeared behind the projection screen as we watched his 'dream' of finding stardom, and eventually reappeared on stage wearing just a pair of pink underpants and a lilo strapped to his back!  It had to be seen to be believed.  In between all this tomfoolery, the musicanship of these three did not go unappreciated.  The sheer energy and pace of the performance was awesome, and the audience was quite exhausted by the end, and I imagine they must have been, too.  

After all that entertainment, N and I were then amazed to find we were then fed and watered, and the community centre committee and helpers suddenly appeared with trays full of sandwiches and homebakes, and tea or coffee.  It was just wonderful, and typified for us the wonderful welcome Orkney folk extend.

By now it was 11 pm, and not being used to late nights, we were ready for our bed.  That meant we missed the dancing which was probably quite a good thing as Finstown is possibly not ready for N's dancing quite yet ;).  I have a feeling a very good time was had by all, courtesy of the Ronald Anderson Dance Band, and I am determined that on our next visit I shall stay for the dancing.

The following evening we attended 'The Isles Gathering' at the very impressive Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall.  From the Folk Festival programme:

"This year the house band of Orkney Folk: The Gathering are joining forces with 12 musicians from Shetland ina fully collaborative gala project, stages at both the Orkney and Shetland Folk Festivals - The Isles Gathering! . . . the 24-strong house band - that, in itself, showcases several generations of these islands' richly distinctive folk culture - will be joined by special guests including the Kirkwall City Pipe band and Song Shop Choir."

As the pipers began their first notes, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I knew we were in for a real treat.

I managed to capture this image of a piper silhouetted on the theatre wall

The evening was absolutely wonderful, the rich music filled the hall and lifted the spirit.  The sheer quality and depth of musical talent from Orkney and Shetland was amazing.  How do people play the fiddle like that?  And not a sheet of music in sight.  The Song Shop Choir sang unaccompanied, and one memorable song was sung with so many rounds I lost track, but the sound was breathtaking.  And the audience really appreciated Billy Jolly (who also performed with Hullion at Finstown, and is clearly a leading light in passing on Orkney musical heritage and traditions) singing 'Picky by the Sea' by Allie Windwick, which incorporated a very interesting selection of props, including chamber-pots, bits of tractors and lots of rats!!  

Judging by the lengthy standing ovation the audience gave the performers, everyone appreciated what we had been treated to.  It was great.

I always try to pick up a copy of the 'Orcadian' newspaper when I'm up there, and whilst browsing through, I came across a notice that the Kirkwall City Pipe Band ( who had been at the Gathering) were playing in Kirkwall on Saturday evening.  It seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, so we went along.

It rained on and off, and was so cold you could see your breath, but the band entertained us for over half and hour in the street just outside St Magnus' Cathedral.  It was wonderful and we gladly donated to their bucket.  We were so pleased to see many enthusiastic supporters enjoying the music, lots were visitors like ourselves.  Again, no music, it is all played from memory.  

I understand that all school-children in Orkney are given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument at school, and I believe it is free tuition.  There is clearly a huge emphasis placed on encouraging youngsters into music, and of supporting talent all through the age groups.  Stromness also has a pipe band, and there are regular ceilidhs across the islands.  It's a wonderful musical heritage, being kept alive across the generations.