Fletcher Saga 28 August 2007
Posted: Tuesday, 28 August 2007 |
Regular readers of the Fletcher Saga may remember that the previous owners of Claremont had a pet sheep, Rocky, who kept the grass in Bob Tateson's garden neat & tidy. Earlier this month we had a letter from the previous owners of Claremont giving us the sad news that Rocky had died in his sleep in July at the grand old age of eight.
The crews of the ferries serving the Northern Isles have been working to rule for several weeks. Talks between the ferry company and the unions have failed to resolve the dispute over pay so the crews have voted to take strike action. So far the only effect of this is that there will be no sailings at all to the Outer North Isles on Wednesday, August 29, Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31. Fortunately Orkney Islands Council has arranged for Loganair to put on extra flights for those three days in order to carry freight (about 500 kg or 1100 lbs) for local shops in the Northern Isles; these will also be able to take one or two people who have to fly to/from Kirkwall for medical appointments. I am sure we can all cope with short strikes like this but if the strikes are more frequent and/or for longer durations then it will pose quite a problem.
We are so accustomed to the comparative lack of crime up here that it was all the more shocking to read of some recent vandalism in the form of at Skara Brae. However, on a brighter note there have been during archeological excavations on the Ness o' Brodgar in Stenness.
Over the last week or two I've been suffering from intermittent back pain and was resigned to just taking more painkillers. However, Stronsay is fortunate in that Dr George McKay, the island's genial GP, is an enthusiastic practitioner of acupuncture and after one or two treatments at Dr McKay's regular Thursday afternoon acupuncture clinics my back pain is much improved. This has meant that I no longer had any excuse for not cutting the grass in our large back garden so the other week I got out the new petrol-driven mower and set to work trimming the lawns. After a while I had the distinct and somewhat errie feeling that I was being watched even though I knew that Maureen was in the kitchen and that nobody else was around. It was only when I turned around that I realised that an inquisitive cow from the herd grazing in the field that backs onto our house appeared to be taking a very keen interest in my grass-cutting activities, even the quite loud noise of the mower caused not a flicker of the cow's eyelid. The cow watched me for several minutes then it appeared to lose interest in grass-cutting and went in search of its own supply of grass. Since that small incident we've noticed that anything up to half a dozen cows will gather along the wall and peer over to see if anything interesting is taking place.
On the way from Claremont to Olivebank, one of the two shops on Stronsay, we pass a field that always contains a pedigree bull with his "harem" of two or three cows and some tiny calves. The other day it was amusing to see the bull standing proudly in the middle of his field whilst being admired by a herd of non-pedigree cows who were crowded, shoulder to shoulder, along the wall dividing the bull's field from theirs.
This morning (Tuesday) Maureen had set to and attacked a large pile of ironing. After ironing the last item she decided that before putting the iron and ironing board away she would run the hot iron over some of her needlework (blackwork & cross stitch) after applying a squirt of starch from an aerosol can. Maureen was quite perplexed by the apparent ineffectiveness of the starch until she realised that she had just ironed all her needlework after carefully spraying it with an aerosol can of air freshener.
Last week I had occasion to fly over to Kirkwall for the day. It was a lovely, bright, clear day and as we flew over the tiny island of Linga Holm, a Scottish Wild Life Trust sanctuary, I could see numerous grey seals coming ashore for breeding.
Those readers with a broadband internet connection may be interested in some of the old black & white films of Orkney on the
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
The crews of the ferries serving the Northern Isles have been working to rule for several weeks. Talks between the ferry company and the unions have failed to resolve the dispute over pay so the crews have voted to take strike action. So far the only effect of this is that there will be no sailings at all to the Outer North Isles on Wednesday, August 29, Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31. Fortunately Orkney Islands Council has arranged for Loganair to put on extra flights for those three days in order to carry freight (about 500 kg or 1100 lbs) for local shops in the Northern Isles; these will also be able to take one or two people who have to fly to/from Kirkwall for medical appointments. I am sure we can all cope with short strikes like this but if the strikes are more frequent and/or for longer durations then it will pose quite a problem.
We are so accustomed to the comparative lack of crime up here that it was all the more shocking to read of some recent vandalism in the form of at Skara Brae. However, on a brighter note there have been during archeological excavations on the Ness o' Brodgar in Stenness.
Over the last week or two I've been suffering from intermittent back pain and was resigned to just taking more painkillers. However, Stronsay is fortunate in that Dr George McKay, the island's genial GP, is an enthusiastic practitioner of acupuncture and after one or two treatments at Dr McKay's regular Thursday afternoon acupuncture clinics my back pain is much improved. This has meant that I no longer had any excuse for not cutting the grass in our large back garden so the other week I got out the new petrol-driven mower and set to work trimming the lawns. After a while I had the distinct and somewhat errie feeling that I was being watched even though I knew that Maureen was in the kitchen and that nobody else was around. It was only when I turned around that I realised that an inquisitive cow from the herd grazing in the field that backs onto our house appeared to be taking a very keen interest in my grass-cutting activities, even the quite loud noise of the mower caused not a flicker of the cow's eyelid. The cow watched me for several minutes then it appeared to lose interest in grass-cutting and went in search of its own supply of grass. Since that small incident we've noticed that anything up to half a dozen cows will gather along the wall and peer over to see if anything interesting is taking place.
On the way from Claremont to Olivebank, one of the two shops on Stronsay, we pass a field that always contains a pedigree bull with his "harem" of two or three cows and some tiny calves. The other day it was amusing to see the bull standing proudly in the middle of his field whilst being admired by a herd of non-pedigree cows who were crowded, shoulder to shoulder, along the wall dividing the bull's field from theirs.
This morning (Tuesday) Maureen had set to and attacked a large pile of ironing. After ironing the last item she decided that before putting the iron and ironing board away she would run the hot iron over some of her needlework (blackwork & cross stitch) after applying a squirt of starch from an aerosol can. Maureen was quite perplexed by the apparent ineffectiveness of the starch until she realised that she had just ironed all her needlework after carefully spraying it with an aerosol can of air freshener.
Last week I had occasion to fly over to Kirkwall for the day. It was a lovely, bright, clear day and as we flew over the tiny island of Linga Holm, a Scottish Wild Life Trust sanctuary, I could see numerous grey seals coming ashore for breeding.
Those readers with a broadband internet connection may be interested in some of the old black & white films of Orkney on the
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
Comments
I find the graffitti in Maeshowe deeply upsetting...
Flying Cat from Ingibjorg's Fanclub
Good to hear your back is better. # Sorry about the vandalism at Skara Brae, or is it Maeshowe, or both?!! Rewards for clues as to perpetrators might help (apprehension or prevention).
mjc from NM,USA
The graffiti is at Skara Brae and not Maeshowe.
Bruce Fletcher from Stronsay
Just a quick follow-up, there IS some graffiti at Maeshowe but it's Viking graffiti and it's been there for nearly a thousand years <g>
Bruce Fletcher from Stronsay
I well remember the stormy night some seven springs ago when Rocky the sheep was born on the windswept hills above Lambs Head. His late mother, Yvonne, had unexpectedly fallen pregnant after a night at the Fish Mart Gala, and her circumstances were such that she just couldn't support Rocky. Mike Abrahams stepped forward and took responsibility for Rocky, and for many years we saw him munching away in the garden as you turn into the village.At first it seemed very odd to keep a sheep in your garden, but gradually we all grew to love him, and three years later Rocky was elected to the Parish Council. It is sad to learn of his demise in this forum, too late to attend the funeral. God rest his soul!
Barney Flett from Middleton Falls, Stronsay
Yes, I KNOW it's viking graffitti....but it's still graffitti: I was trying to make a subtle point...*sigh*
Flying Cat from a hard stare
i'm gob smacked to hear about the grafitti at skara brae,its so supid,i thought the scottish isles didn't have these kind of problems. sorry to hear about the sheep!
the weather girl from waiting for the thunderstorm
We're all human weathergirl...oh no, wait a minute...
Flying Cat from The Sunroom of Eternity
FC:lay off the fpu's top pepe!!
weather girl from in a thunderstorm
I am truly sorry to hear about the loss of our beloved friend rocky. He was a great guy. We know most of the community loved him and he lived in Bob Tatesons garden. We are also deeply sorry for Bob who has lost a great friend and companion. R.I.P Rocky.
Steven Davidson and Roy Brown from Orkney
I'm sorry to hear about the grafitti at skara brae. I have visited Stronsay several times and I personally can never get enough of this beautiful peaceful place. All the best for the future.
Denis from Liverpool
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