91热爆

Margareth, one of the island's nurses, keeps goats and also has two kittens - Tiger and Oxo. Margareth took a photograph of the kittens and entered it for a competition in "Cat" magazine. She had forgotten all about it until a telephone call informed her that the photograph had won a prize of a months supply of Felix catfood and a box of assorted kitty goodies. Margeth's continue to flourish; the flock now consists of Lara, Frivolous and Naomi with her kids Aphrodite and Bryony. Frivolous is taking her Auntie role very seriously and often baby sits them when Mum (Naomi) and Great Aunt Lara go walk about. Margareth tells me that Frivolous is now a goatling and is growing into a real beauty. I'd never heard the term "goatling" before so I asked Margreth to explain. It seems that goats from birth to 1 year are kids (males are billy kids), from 1 to 2 years they are goatlings (males are bucklings) and after they reach 2 years of age they become nannies or billies (or, depending which country you live in, does and bucks). Writing this Saga is proving to be quite an educational experience.
On Saturday 10 June a tractor passed the house a couple of times. Behind the tractor was a trailer packed with youngsters covered in mud, sludge (possibly slurry!) and other unmentionables. They were all singing, blowing whistles and banging a drum - it was another blackening. If you don't know what one of those is see the description on Sigurd Towrie's excellent website. Although blackenings are supposed to be for the males we have seen several where the bride-to-be gets her very own blackening, another triumph for women's liberation (although some brides-to-be might think rather differently after the event).
Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) is a charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service around the UK and Republic of Ireland, the lifeboat service in the UK receives no government funding. Orkney has three RNLI lifeboats which are based at Kirkwall , Stromness and Longhope . Stronsay used to have its own lifeboat but it was withdrawn thirty years ago, the framework of the slipway is still clearly visible at the end of Lower Whitehall. This year Sunday 11 June was the day on which Stronsay set out to raise money for the RNLI. A group of people from mainland brought a bus over on the morning ferry and the Kirkwall lifeboat spent the day on Stronsay. After a short lunchtime service on the quay lead by Rev Dr Jennifer George, the Stronsay kirk minister, everyone headed for the Community Centre where there were raffles, tombolas etc. There was also the most enormous buffet lunch. I started to count the number of different hot and cold savoury dishes but, as I did last year, lost count somewhere in the mid thirties. The weather was perfect with bright sun and a gentle, mild breeze. In the afternoon a crowd watched as a helicopter from Her Majesty's Coastguard , based in Shetland, put on a display of winching crewmen from the Kirkwall lifeboat and back onto it again as the lifeboat sailed at 10 knots in and around Mill Bay. Bill Miller, secretary of the Stronsay RNLI committee, estimates that the day will have cleared over 拢1,600 for RNLI funds, not a bad effort for an island with a total population of less than 400.
The environmentally friendly, four-legged lawnmowers, Rosie & Nessie, have now ceased their spring blitz in Bob Tateson's garden and have resumed operations at their home base of Helmsley. It is amazing how quickly crops and plants (and weeds!) grow during these long summer days especially when the sun puts in an appearance and the temperature rises by just a few degrees. It will soon be the summer solstice or longest day, June 21, when the sun will "officially" rise at 3:59 am BST and "officially" set at 10:29 pm BST; to an observer on Stronsay the sun will appear to just dip below the horizon and then re-appear within a very short space of time.