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Our minister, Jennifer, is the minister of Stronsay and of Eday. Her Sunday routine is to take the 11 am service in Stronsay kirk and then, weather permitting take the 2 pm service in the kirk on Eday. This means leaving Stronsay at 1 pm in John Stevenson's fishing boat, together with Albert & Raymond from Stronsay kirk, and getting back to Stronsay just after 4 pm. On Christmass Eve 2006 Jennifer took 2 pm Christmass Eve service on Eday but this time she, Albert & Raymond were accompanied by myself, Viv from the shop and her two sons Jude (5) & Amos (9). It was very calm, no wind or rain and almost clear skies. As we neared Eday, always a less-than-calm area of water even for the big ferries, Jude remarked that it was "a bit wobbly" and it was but, fortunately, not for very long. The return journey was in a flat calm sea with the new moon shining in a quite clear sky and by the time we got back to Stronsay at 5 pm it was dark. However, John knows these waters like the back of his hand, having been at sea hereabouts since childhood. This was my first visit to Eday and I found that the kirk was surprisingly large with closely spaced pews and a large gallery at the back of the kirk. Illumination was provided by gas lamps and the much appreciated heat came from several gas-powered heaters. There is an harmonium just in front of the altar table but the instrument is of uncertain vintage and almost unplayable, especially as a small Christmass tree was balanced on top of it and threatened to tumble off as I pedalled the harmonium. I was quite glad that I'd brought my electronic keyboard and a handfull of batteries. The church will probably seat upwards of 200 people (including the gallery) but the Christmass Eve attendance was around 30 who sang all the well-known carols with gusto and feeling. The service sheet was quite an interesting concept - a new take on the Nativity Play involving children as innkeepers, angels, wise men, shepherds, Joseph & Mary (with some doubling of parts) whilst members of the congregation being given nuimbered parcels at the start of the service. As the service progressed Jennifer asked that parcel number X be unwrapped and its contents displayed and/or described. If you want more details of the service please email me - "ricardian" at "btinternet.com" - and I'll provide them. After the service we remained in our seats and were served with delicious home-made mince pies, home-made cake & copious quantities of hot tea; this was not as easy as it sounds because Eday kirk has no electricity and no running water. There is a photo of Eday kirk on the Eday school website at http://www.orkney.com/edayschool/photoalbum/midsized/kirk.htm

Jennifer had found some new words to the tune of "Jingle Bells" and we used them at the 11 am service on Christmass Day - it went down very well and was sung with great gusto. I was sent a new carol for children - "The Bad-Tempered Camel" - with words & music by a music teacher & church organist from the Yorkshire Wolds. I forwarded this to the wife of a friend in Tadley, near Reading, who used the words as a poem during their pre-Christmas services and reports that the item was well-received.

John, the father of Sue, our postmistress, died just before Christmass. He was a charming old gentleman, around 90 years of age, and had been unwell for a while. The funeral was on 29 Dec and I attended the Requiem Mass (all in Latin) in the tiny RC chapel on the Stronsay quay whilst Maureen went over and sat with John's widow, Mary, and Eileen, a family friend. The chapel was packed to capacity with John's family & friends together with many Stronsay inhabitants; not everyone there was of the Roman faith, several folk from the kirk were there including Jennifer, the minister, but we all wished to pay our respects. There was a lot of incense, bells and genuflections galore; the Transalpine Redemptorists really do things in style. It was a wonderful sight to see the coffin being carried down the pier preceded by a monk bearing an elaborately decorated cross on a six foot tall pole and accompanied by Fr Clement (who officiated at the Mass) along with several other monks, cloaks and cottas flapping in the very strong wind. I did not go over to the burial on Papa Stronsay in the Santa Maria, the monk's large boat normally used to ferry heavy building materials over to the monastery, as the weather was quite bad and worsening; I was a bit worried about getting back afterwards!

In the week before Christmass I saw a heron in the harbour, quite close to the road through Whitehall Village which fronts the harbour. Apparently it has been in the area for several days. More wildlife sightings over Christmass included seals, clearly visible from the road, basking on the rocks at low water in Mill Bay close to the Ayre of Myres; and in the fresh water area of the Ayre of Myres were two fully-grown cygnets who were in the process of losing their cygnet colouring and acquiring the beautiful pure white of an adult swan.

Timber, the cat of Jack & Simone, has had some dental problems but a visit to the vet in Kirkwall to remove some bad teeth and a follow-up course of anti-biotics has soon restored her to good health. Only the other week Jack & Simone told us that Timber is hale & hearty and that she has now fallen in love with a recently purchased feather duster.

Gonzo, one of Malcolm & Sue's cats, died on Christmass Eve and was buried on Christmass Day. The cat was no great age, in fact his mother still lives at Ha' Breck. However, Malcolm & Sue have had a new kitten, Tigger II, for several weeks now. Malcolm is quite convinced that the kitten has its very own, built-in pogo stick as it is continually bouncing around the kitchen and living room at Ha' Breck, regardless of what lies in its path. Malcolm has (jokingly!) threatened to superglue the cat the ceiling. When Tigger II is not bouncing it is either scaling the heights of the back of the settee, using its tiny claws like crampons, or chewing off the end of the tail belonging to Rex, one of Malcolm's collie dogs. Just before Christmas Malcolm & Sue received the good news that in June 2007 they will become grandparents for the second time.

This will be the last Fletcher Saga for 2006. Thankyou for taking the time to read my ramblings and thankyou to those who have sent me some very nice emails. I wish all the readers of the Saga a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.