91热爆

Well, even though it chucked it doon at the Sanday Show on Friday (properly, Frigga`s Day, from the Norse goddess Frigga, see noo I`m a mine o` useless information I will insist on forcing on folks..) we a` had a guid time nonetheless.
I hae some photos I will put on, would hae liked tae put them intae one o` thon picture gallery thingies but couldnae figure oot how tae dae it...it`s a blonde thing, sorry...*blushes* so they`re just a` lumped ontae here insteid. Pride o` place must go tae the bull wha` won the Best Pure Breed, I think (though I`m no` a hundred percent sure so somebody will nae doubt correct me if wrong) it`s a Belgian Blue, a bonny big beast he is wi` a bellow fit tae rupture your eardrums. I ken because he did bellow as I was taking his photo, maybe he`s just camera shy. And the pic o` the twa fluffy looking things are actually chickens..aye, I had tae look twice as weel! But bonny wee things they are, I tried tae get them tae smile for the camera but couldnae figure oot whar the heids were....indoors, the tables were laden and groaning wi` a` kinds of crafty and clever makes, and wi` the prize vegetables, flowers, and cakes (and oh boy ye should hae seen some o` the cakes...fine, moothwatering creations they war)
So along wi` me daughter, son-in-law, grandbairns, himself and friends, we braved the wind and lashing rain and enjoyed the show immensely, then at night went tae the dance. I wish I had taken me camera wi` me, there were some right fine pictures tae be had there, but I forgot...
maybe no such a bad thing after a`....yours truly imbibed o` the ale a peedie bit ower much, so the pictures would likely hae been a wee bit on the wobbly side onyway....
man, though, the islanders fair ken how tae dance! Strip the Willow is a sight tae behold, so it is, and the longer the night goes on, the wilder the dancing gets. The band were terrific, couldnae fault them, played nivver a wrong note and kept going a` night, fantastic stuff, grand music, just grand. Mind you, the last time I saw sae mony folks packed intae a building was at me daughters wedding....the dance was standing room only and I was right thankful I hae lost weight, for it was a bit o` a squash at times...
So, aye, the isle o` Sanday kens how tae host a `do`, and a right fine job we mak` o` it tae. Grand times indeed. :-)
But it wasnae unmarked by the bad news o` the Foot and Mouth ootbreak doon sooth. As things stand the noo, there`s a nationwide ban on the movement o` livestock. I am wondering how it will affect the County Show on the 11th, and if that will still go aheid, only wi`oot the beasts, or if it will be banned, hopefully Mondays Radio Orkney will tell. Yours truly is tae hae a stall there, so I`m hoping it goes aheid, but mair than that am hoping the Foot and Mouth will be controlled and stopped in its tracks and no` mak it`s way up here, whar, I think, it would be devastating.


In atween getting ready for the County Show, I hae new stane weights for me warp weighted loom tae mak, and himself will soon be off intae toon tae pick oot the coohide for the big drum I will be making. A cartwheel rim will serve as the rim o` the drum itself, wi` the soundbox being built aroond it. I am looking forward tae properly getting started on it, and cannae wait tae hear what it`ll soond like.

A` oor ducks are noo almost adults and so there`s nae danger frae the gulls and crows, the chickens though are still wee, they tak an awfy much longer time tae grow up than the ducklings. Sheep is growing mair wool already! Which, given oor recent weather is probably a guid thing....and the nan wha` lost the kid is still giving us a guid amount o` milk, and is fat and happy. So a` is weel in oor hoosehold. The mandarin wha` used tae be a merganser though, has gone ontae pastures new...we dinnae think he has died or onything, just flown off tae find a mate maybe, or tae try oot somewhar else. I am hoping we see him again ane day, maybe wi` a missus in tow and a brood o` wee mandarin/merganser type birds, dropping by tae say hullo.
And the one legged oystercatcher is still alive and still in the vicinity, still thriving, so that is guid. Driving doon tae the ferry the other day, we watched an owl match the speed o` the car for a guidly time, a barn owl it was, wi` the creamy underbelly and big wings. Been seeing a lot o` owls lately, why dae folks think they are just night birds though? We always see them during the day. Plenty o` thon `rare` Orkney voles for them tae eat, ye see.... ;-)
And the herons that fish in the pond, six or seven o` them, are usually there early in the morning and late in the evening. They obviously dinnae get bothered by the midges! I cannae gaun oot doors in the evening withoot being bitten tae hell by the wee b*ggers! Yet I ken some folks wha dinnae ever get touched by them. Ye have tae wonder, what does me blood taste like, that midges like it sae much...
Weel that`s aboot it for noo, best post the pics, sorry this is sic a short blog, life is just coasting along and aside frae work I havenae thon much tae write aboot the noo!
Mind you, the year is fleeing past is it no!? Soon be Halloween...I am maybe thinking on a themed party....

Well, the guid news is that the County Show looks set tae gaun aheid, maybe withoot the kye and sheep, but wi` horses and dogs, although, according tae the Grampian news this morning there might be livestock movement restrictions lifted by Friday, so am no` too sure whether or no` there`ll be kye and sheep at the show.
Either way, yours truly has tae tak a few days off tae get ready for it, for I hae a stall there so am working flat oot tae be ready tae gaun on the ferry wi` me stuff on Friday, so this`ll be the last blog til next week. (Wha`s that cheering at the back there! I can hear ye!!)
I will tak me camera and tak pics of the show though nae doubt others wi` better cameras will be taking some fine pics tae.

Interesting, is it no, that after a` the floods doon sooth, and the news coverage o` any place flooded nearby London, a village in the north o` Scotland got evacuated due tae mud slides and it never got the national news sae far as I`m aware....methinks the powers that be doon sooth think everywhar above the Border just doesnae exist until it comes tae collecting taxes time..... ;-)
Onyway, that`s me off, I hope a`body has a grand week/end, if ye get tae the show mind keep an eye oot for me and feel free tae stop by and say Hullo! I dinnae bite! :-D
Just keeping me fingers crossed noo for a flat ferry crossing...it`s been awfy windy the past few days! And whit a thunderstorm thon was! Fair rattled the windows, it did.

Here are a few pics o` this years County Show, which, despite haeing nae sheep, coos, goats or other cloven hoofed beasties, was still a crackin` guid show!
There were horses...muckle big shires, gentle giants o` beasts, and peedie Shetlands going through their paces. There were dogs o` a` shapes and sizes, me favourites being the working collies, and poultry...I mind when hens were generally Scots Dumpies or Rhode Islands Reds, nooadays they seem tae come in wierd and wonderful plumage noo, as ye will see frae a couple o` the photos...there were a pair o` hens there that looked liked they`d been electrocuted, I`m no` entirely sure they were meant tae look like that mind you.....
and the stalls were plentiful. At first, in the morning, it was gey slow, no` mony folks there. But then the sun came oot! And what a bonny, bright and hot day it was! Then the crowds came in and at one point, yours truly in the craft tent felt like she was in a greenhoose...I might just book a stall ootdoors next year and risk the rain.
It didnae rain this year though. The only one peedie thing I would complain aboot was this...some bright spark thought tae sell, tae bairns, hooters...wee horn toy things that made THE maist tremendous racket...so whae ever thought tae sell them so that wee boys could run riot aroond the show blasting these ruddy horns near the ears o` a` body should, in my humble opinion, be well and truly hung, drawn and quartered.
Aside frae that a great day was had by all. Me other half even got interviewed for Radio Orkney`s live broadcast o` the show day! (If anybody heard it, he`s a doon soother Sassenach, which cannae be helped though I am attempting tae get him tae put a peedie bit o` guid Scots burr in his speech every noo and again...and I think on 91热爆 Scotland online, ye can hear the show broadcast on their Listen Again service)
Then on Sunday we went roond the Vintage Rally, during which the skies opened and it poured doon fine style.....
Oh, the viking tent and the Pirate, medieval wench and Viking fella are Orkney`s History club, I think they are fairly newly formed but they put on a grand show on Saturday, and if I could I would hae walked off wi` the viking bed complete wi` furs!
Then there were the shows, the funfair rides, there is a pic o` one o` them and no, I did not go on it. Nae way would I. Ever. No sir. Nope.

Noo I am back hame and recovering and getting ready for this Sunday`s Sanday Sunday, where I`ll be demonstrating the Viking warp weighted loom.

P.S Thanks Carol, by the way, for the sunny show day *big grin*

We hae a` sorts o` wild bunnies here on Sanday. Well, I say `wild` but some o` their ancestors were onything but! At some point in time, tame bunnies got oot o` their hutches or were let loose by departing `failed` islanders, and in spite o` the gales and the snow and the cauld, they survived and bred. So noo we hae a variety o` wild bunnies o` a` sorts o` colours.
There are the pure black ones, the equally pure white ones, and those in atween, patchy bunnies they are, piebalds that look like they hae just landed oot o` the pet shop.
We even hae some bright ginger ones!
But me favourites are the silver ones, they look, in the twilight o` an evening, like wee ghost rabbits, coming right up tae the hoose tae clip awa` at the grass and docks, silver fur flashing in the gloom.
I`m nae sentimentalist...I see bunnies, I think meat and furs.
But they DO look awfy bonny, just the same.....
I do like this time o` year tae. Even though the best o` summer has undoubtedly gone, and the gales hae hit early again and the nights are drawing in, there`s a bonny mellow feel tae the air and in the light, which has a special way o` pouring itself ower the barley fields o` an evening, like liquid gold ower silk. Until the fairmer cut the barley I could look oot ower the fields and watch the wind play them, and for a` the world they looked like seas o` gold, and ye could almost expect tae see an auld ship wi` fu` sails glide across them.
But noo the big roond bales sit quietly plump ower the stubble, and the fields look no` sae romantic and mair prosperous, a testimony tae man`s toil on the landscape that hae fed generations o` folks on this wee isle.
Sometimes, when it`s a quiet and still night, I sit ootside and watch the sun kiss the land and watch the sea shift in the dying light and wonder if the wife o` a viking settler once did the same thing. And I wonder what her thoughts were...did she see peedie fields wi` the crop cut and ready, and thank her gods for their prosperity? Did she watch her bairns traipse up frae the beach wi` a catch o` fish and feel pride at their skill?
I would like very much tae hae had the chance tae ask her. For I`m thinking, she would no` hae been sae very different frae ony other woman we ken today.

Well, the day was oor Sanday Sunday, and yours truly and her himself hauled the warp weighted loom at tae the school hall. Thanks tae Beth for the lift, for the puir woman had tae offload her ain gear first afore she could come back doon tae oor hoose and load up the loom, which is gey long and only just fit intae the four by four. Beth, you`re an awfy kind and patient woman! *big grin*
So there`s a couple o` photos here, one o` an Orkney vole I rescued frae the cat, one o` the hall being set up afore folks started coming in, a couple o` (hoping I get the name right here!) Mr Sean Brassfield-Thorpe who teaches Stav and who was also patient showing weapons o` various kinds tae yours truly...well, ye a` ken what I`m like wi` sharp, pointed and lethal weapons! *another big grin*....if I could hae come hame wi` the axes, I would....
Oh aye, the other pic is o` me and himself stringing the heddle. Nae matter what it looks like. It also shows how trusting the other half is.....*wink*

Then in the afternoon, Mr and Mrs Sanday Housewife came wi` us tae the beach, we a` took oor bows and had great fun at archery! Thon target was one hundred yards away. Did yours truly hit it? Well, no...but I`d guid fun trying! Archery is a grand way tae spend a Sunday afternoon. I hope ye a` had a grand weekend tae and that the sun shines on us a` for the rest o` the week.

I looked at these pictures and wished I lived in Norway! Isn`t it right bonny? Many thanks to Dag for letting me post these here. :-)
(betting that Massey Fergusson is a familiar sight to farmers in Orkney)

I bumped me head...it`s a talent I have, being clumsy. So noo I hae a sore heid and decided tae tak the day off...well, wi` himself oot working, the son awa` tae mainland, what better than grab some painkillers, sit aside the fire, and pop a dvd on tae watch.
I probably watch too many movies..but I dinnae get ower fussed aboot them ye see...I watch films for entertainment, I dinnae get sae serious aboot them as some folks dae....me favourite film o` late is The 13th Warrior, see, and oh but the number o` history buffs complaining aboot the `inaccuracy` o` the finer details o` the costumes etc blah blah...fer cryin` oot loud, it`s a FILM! It`s for entertainment, it is no` a documentary, see you...
so onyway, today I popped Pathfinder on, it has the rather hot Karl Urban in it, playing a viking who, as a boy, is left ahind in American after a raid, and is brought up wi` native Americans (wha` used tae be ca`ed Indians when I was wee, but that is apparently no` pc nooadays) and I`ll no` spoil the film plot for onyone wha` hasnae seen it yet, but it was cracking guid tae watch!
Terrific fight scenes, glorious scenery, did I mention Karl Urban by the way ladies? *winks*
So that was half me day sorted, and enjoyed, but still nursing a sair heid I thought tae feed meself. And being sair, and lazy, tried tae microwave one o` thon baguette thingies wi` ham and cheese. I did follow the instructions tae the letter. So am puzzled as tae why the cheese kind o` exploded a` ower the microwave and then disintegrated!!
Was this a hint I ask mesel`...? "eat healthily, woman!" or similar type omens?
I dinnae ken, but no` being one to gie up, I ate the ruddy thing onyway.
Which accounts for the sair puggie (that is belly tae non Orcadians btw) tae match the sair heid.

Ever had one o` thae days.....?
Noo tae pick another film tae watch, tae cheer me up. *Eyeing up 13th Warrior again*

Wasn`t yesterday fantastic! Sun, heat, mair sun.....so yours truly got her work finished in record time, then Mrs Sanday Housewife and her hubby came up to visit....Mr Sanday Housewife was sorting me laptop, it is `ill` and will hae tae go back tae be repaired, groan...so meself and Mrs Sanday Housewife forewent the beach and put the target oot in the garden and spent the entire afternoon at archery, woohoo!
There are some pics attached, nane o` Mrs SH who is shy (though she has nae need tae be for I`m sure we`re a` friendly enough wee community on here!) but one o` me and my himself, and one o` the target just tae prove I CAN hit it on occasion (we were naewhar near the car, that`d be why though)
and one o` a peedie hedgehog which we found in the field, a` curled up in a ball, so himself lifted it and put it safely in aside oor auld drying green whar it could get oot and gaun wharever it wanted tae withoot getting in the way o` the shooting. (Besides, there wasnae enough on it tae mak a decent meal......*winks* )
So by the time we finished shooting for the day, we traipsed back indoors tae get drinks and cool doon....and noo yours truly is beetroot red again, sunburned pretty badly but cheery (sorry tws, can I borrow cheery for a peedie while please?) because a day spent on archery is a happy day indeed, and twice as nice when the sun shone.
Well, in typical Orkney fashion, since we had thon nice day yesterday, we`ll pay for it today....at least there`s nae wind, but it`s foggy and damp.
Back tae the grindstone it is then....*eyes up the pile o` sheepskins...groans...see ye later guys....*

Or a boat, seemingly...frae next Wednesday, Orkney ferries are on strike until Friday, wi` nae boats tae the Outer North Isles. That`s us lot folks.
Noo, I hae some ideas aboot what tae dae if ye are desperate tae get offisle and intae toon....
we could kidnap ony fishing boats we come across. One o` the drawbacks o` that is, I hae nae idea aboot steering one so if onybody in the Sooth Isles, Spain or even France see a wee fishing boat wi` some seasick and thirsty passengers on it, please stop us and gie aid.
Or we could work on building a bridge, that might keep some isles builders and blacksmiths in work for some guidly amount o` time. Designs on postcards please. No` tae me though!
Or we could apply tae hae mair planes put on, for the peedie one we hae the noo just will no` dae if, say, mair than twelve islanders need tae get off Sanday!
So mebbe some three or four new wee planes would be guid, eh?

Of course, in the event that naebody thinks tae actually DAE ony o` the above, here are some mair tips....
stockpile supplies, for wha kens when we`ll see fresh milk and breid next week.
Get in a guid store o` dvd`s tae watch.
Ask the pubs if they hae in enough of the liquid refreshments tae cheer up the stranded.
Pretend it`s no wet and cauld Sanday, but a desert island we will be stranded on, wear grass skirts, play auld LP`s and find some coconuts tae tap oot a tune wi......

To the Norse heathens, the August full moon was called a double moon. Don`t ask me why, havenae a clue, except they had some fantastic names for their moon months, including Wolf moon, Frost moon....
haven`t we gotten boring, ower the years eh? At some point in the year there`s also a Blood moon, which we can still see when the moon turns red like blood, usually aroond October, and is sometimes, in some places, still ca`d a Hunters moon.
All sorts o` myths revolve aroond the moon, and the Lord of the Moon in Norse lore is called Manni (companion to Sunna, the Lady of the Sun).
In times past it was also believed folks would go crazy (or get crazier) aroond the full moon. Nooadays ye can hardly tell there are sae mony crazy folks aboot....and I`m sure they cannae blame it a` on the moon...
How and ever, yours truly does hae trouble sleeping at the time o` the fu` moon, no` because o` being mad....though some folks would argue wi` that...but because it`s too light, and I`m one o` they annoying folks that likes the dark, tae sleep.

I like the auld myths and stories. I think we live in a world noo, whar the magic has been taken oot o` it and left nae guid thing in it`s place. Science? Well, that`s a grand thing its ain self, but even science cannae explain everything.
I hae a feeling oor ancestors had the right o` it when they told the auld stories tae an audience that didnae hae a jaded palate replete wi` tv and cinema and CGI....back then ye`d tae use a wee thing ca`d the imagination......ye`d tae work for your blockbuster, seeing the tale unfold in your mind`s eye...
noo though it`s a` laid on a platter for ye, and whilst yours truly loves a guid film as much as the next biddy, I like a guid story better....
so will keep reading aboot the folks o` the past wha` told stories o` heroes and dragon slaying, treasure hunting and battles whar gods walked among the victors and cast great brutes o` spears above the opposing army tae ensure defeat for them (that was Odin did that, in case you`re wondering).
But I`ll still draw the blind against the fu` moon tae block oot the light....

No, no` the tv programme which should be abolished in my humble opinion....
but today I had a surprise visit frae oor nearest neighbours, and right grand folks they are tae! So Mr and Mrs Nearest neighbour, if ye read this, it was great tae meet ye baith and ye are baith welcome here anytime. :-)
(It was also really nice tae meet folks who didnae walk in, spot the crossbows on the wa` and try their hardest tae run back oot the door again! :-D )
Yesterday I had a fab day at the archery. I even hit the target! And as proof am posting pics.
Have tae say, it`s awfy addictive.....
The son is awa` in tae toon on the boat today, it`ll be the last time this week, as they go on strike a minute after midnight the night. At least the weather is behaving itself, so he is no` likely tae be stranded at his big sisters til the boats start up again at the weekend.
And did I hear somewhar, there may be a postal strike soon up here?
Sigh..what`s the world coming tae I ask mesel...it just reminds me o` the 70`s, when it seemed back then that a`body and his wife were on strike...aye folks, I`m that auld.....
I mind the strikes o` the 70`s, the drought in 76, the winters back then wi` proper snow, and the pop music...in fact I still hae quite a few LP`s frae back then in the hoose...no` that I`m allowed tae play them, seeing as the young bairns nooadays reckon they hae `better taste` in music than their auld mam...
but I hae ELO, remember them? The Eagles...Thin Lizzy...Procul Harum...Led Zepelin...David Bowie frae the early days when he`d bright pink hair and wore glitter on his face....early Fleetwood Mac...
och, thinking on it, the music wasnae a` bad back then, and ower the years I hae heard mony a `new` band cover an auld song.....
So I`ll be dusting doon my auld LP`s at some point and remembering what `disco`s` were like, and the original platform shoes, and proper flares.....

We moved the geese frae the back o` the hoose tae the front, we had let the grass grow there (see? there was reason for it, just in case a`body thought we were just being lazy, like...) and now they are there for the winter, hopefully fattening up fine, because they only have one mair year tae prove they are fertile, then if no`, they`ll be gracing the platters o` us and a few friends!
In the meantime, they strut their stuff along the front o` the hoose, sorting oot the pecking order wi` the puir ducks and hens, the only ones no` feared o` them are the four new wee chicks (half grown noo) wha run full tilt toward them...it is awfy funny tae see fully grown, hard as nails geese running fast awa frae four peedie hens....
A` o` this, of course, means I hae tae plan ony archery carefully...the other day oot I went wi` the bow and quiver fu` o` arrows, ready tae shoot, lined up wi` the target, drawn the string then sighted tae the bullseye...then realised that, sitting tied up next tae the target was Lassie, oor dog...I had forgotten tae tak her indoors and there she was, cheerfully watching me, thinking "ooh, is it playtime then?" or mebbe something ruder...she did look like she was grinning at me!

So after that peedie fright, I ran up tae untie her and made sic a fuss o` her, that is what guilt does tae a biddy.....

Auld age is me excuse, the mind goes, ye ken.....

So noo, I double check...are the geese herded roond the back and shut in? Is Lassie indoors (and peeking oot the bedroom window at what I`m daein)? and is there ony beastie at a` within shooting range?
THEN I hae fun!

Yours truly has a cauld, so am hibernating indoors the day. I will run a nice hot bath wi` bubbles and nice girly smelly things (no that I can smell onything, wi` a bunged up dose!!) and then settle doon aside the stove and put on the dvd and wallow in favourite auld films....sigh..haein a cauld has its guid points I guess....

I see frae the news that there is a whole day o memorial stuff for Diana. Withoot wishing tae offend folks, this isnae something I personally buy intae. I mind one friend being quite upset when she died and aghast as tae why I wasnae greeting ower it!
But look at it this way....I`m Scots...so dinnae really view ony royals as MY royals onyway..and I didnae ken the woman at a`!! It`s fine and natural tae grieve ower folks wha meant something tae ye, but tae dae it ower folks that didnae? Just seems wrong tae me. I appreciate there are those folks wha are royal supporters, but seriously, greeting for one ten years deid seems, tae me, a bit excessive.

Well, that`s me pleep ower for this day, blame the cauld. :-)
Off tae run the hot bath and look oot the films. A` I need tae complete the day noo, is a box o` chocolates frae me man. I`ll no haud me breath though, lol....