No excuses - it's just Orkney!

Whatever will you do up there?!

I feel humbled that those of you who have stayed with me since my early days on Susbstack are still here - and that others of you are still signing up! Thank you all. It’s somewhat reminiscent of my days giving cookery demonstrations - some would come year after year (a challenge: had I done one or two of the chosen recipes before?) and others would pitch up and see what I was up to. Fresh faces, a new audience for jokes the others might have heard before…

The thing is, life on Orkney is Incredibly Busy. People keep visiting us. We love having them and catching up but I’m in the middle of trying to reclaim the garden after doing precisely zilch during June. A month which anyone remotely interested in gardening knows is when growth really kicks off and any progress made in the spring can be lost if you are not Out There often (No) Everyday (No) Once a week at the very least (No). Thank heavens for tatties - plant early, earth up once or twice, dig up and eat - and the globe artichokes, which really just get on with it by themselves. We love a globe artichoke and have eaten a lot of them this week, with garlic mayo for dipping with our own garlic. The violet kind, extra yummy, bulbs supplied by horticultural wizard friend Jill. And for those who still worry about garlic breath, be it when kissing or at any other time, do remember that the fresher and juicier the garlic, the less time it lingers. Yes, I do need to get that bench painted and yes, it is meant to be blue all over! Love a blue bench.

Competition was hot at The Hup Show

Show week has been and gone. I was a bit last minute with my entries for the Hope Show but still came home with a full podium of 1, 2 and 3, the red card (gold medal, first place) for my broad beans. I always love the goats. The baking and floristry are amazing. It’s a fabulous day out and this year friend Sue was here from Sussex to share it all with us. Islands or parishes have their local shows and then the winners go forward to the County Show on the Saturday of Show Week. It’s a really full on time and then the day after the County Show is the Riding of the Marches around the boundaries of Kirkwall.

Almost as soon as the Cathedral service was over the Kirkwall City Pipe Band powered up and then the horses and riders arrived to be entrusted with the town banner and sent off to check for anyone invading our boundaries. There was a large cruise ship in and so the Council Convenor welcomed its passengers and assured them that no harm would come to them! They must have been delighted to witness this annual spectacle. In the dry and almost in sunshine. Thanks to Anne Flint for her Scapa Beach photos.

The riders - and Convenor travelling in style - at Scapa Beach

People are drawn to Orkney for all sorts of reasons but to start a walk to Durham Cathedral might not be considered a logical one. Unless you are a church enthusiast, like the poet Jay Hulme and his friend Anna. They had resolved to walk from St Magnus Cathedral to Durham Cathedral - I suppose for something to do in the summer holidays, inspired by some masons having worked on both buildings. Jay and Anna joined us at St Magnus on Sunday 7th July and, as I write this, they have probably arrived at Durham. It was great to send them on their way. You can follow their adventures here on Substack in their blog Kirkwall to Durham. It’s a super read and I thoroughly recommend Jay’s poetry collection The Vanishing Song.

Now the excitement on the Islands, well our island of South Ronaldsay, revolves around this.

Until next time - which won’t be so long.