March 2025

 Hi everyone, welcome 😊, hope you enjoy this month's selection of island pastimes.

The roadways of North Ronaldsay at the moment are fringed with daffodils and look fabulous

and the waves have been great,

here it comes....

get ready.....

whooshhh....

swans taking in the sunshine by the lighthouse

the fulmars are back on Nouster Beach ready for the breeding season

and a lone seal coming into the shallow water

a calm, sun lit day on Nouster Beach

You are never alone on a walk on North Ronaldsay 

~~~~~~

This month North Ronaldsay hosted it's own three day Science Festival

an amazing three days filled with fab activities and talks for every age group ~

thank you Alex and everyone involved for making this event such a success 😊

~~~~~~~

This is another rather lovely exhibition starting this month, in Stromness at the Pier Arts Centre, featuring some of the hundreds of photographs taken by Dr Beatrice Garvie during her time on North Ronaldsay in 1940's

Thank you Fiona for all your wonderful work bringing this together 😊

~~~~~~~

A recent visitor to the island, Ed Bollom, took some amazing drone photographs over our croft,

it was fabulous to see our cottage and croft in a whole new light !

it highlighted that some things are still a work in progress, like putting a roof on the newly built pony shelter when the wind drops !

beyond the garden wall you can make out some of the pony tracks to their favourite spots and you can just make them out near the far wall sunbathing 😋

in the next photo, these round stone structures about 200 yards from our cottage are called "crues" and were originally allocated to the crofting families to grow their vegetables, the 4 foot high walls kept the  crops from the wind and away from the sheep !

there are 21 crues in all along the shore of the north coast

Thank you so much Ed, brilliant ! 😊

looking forward to seeing you again later this year

~~~~~~~

Book of the month

(from 1000 Libraries's Facebook page)

and this one certainly does !

having watched the latest series of The Great Pottery Throw Down ( I didn't know about the previous seven series !!!! ) I feel drawn again to pick up some clay and make things !

buying the clay is the cheap part, buying the kiln is the bit that makes the purse strings squeak !!

~~~~~

Pause for thought

(from Happy Home Facebook page)

~~~~~~

Wilma says "let sleeping dogs lie "

Tilly cat says "do not disturb, I'm sunbathing ! "

and Mr Blonde and Zara are being too busy with each other

so from me and 'im in the greenhouse it's

(from Mermaid Musings Facebook page)

wishing you all a lovely happy, sunny April and Easter weekend

🐣  🐣  🐣  🐣  🐣

Malcolm and June

💙     💜

February 2025

 Welcome to the colourful and wild February days on North Ronaldsay

this evening sky was a real treat

a day for staying indoors

~~~~~~

A little poem

(from Poetry Lovers Facebook page)

Another sunny, Saturday, social stroll by the sea

this time at Westness, a great way to catch up on the week's happenings and gossip

~~~~~

Quote of the month

(from Facebook Page : Wild Woman Sisterhood)

~~~~~~

Book of the month

~~~~~

Just for fun

Are you a librocubicularist ?

(from Language Nerds Facebook page)

~~~~~~

Occasionally Wilma and Tilly do move from the warmth of the fire to the warmth in the greenhouse

~~~~~

Having some selfie fun on a sunny afternoon with my chunky guy, Mr Blonde

who needs a padded sun lounger when you've got a pony ?

ooh, love those whiskers 💛

and the punk hair

and eyes reflecting the blue sky

this next photo is for Pauline K, 

Pauline's and my favourite unicorn !

and not forgetting Zara who is the boss around here

~~~~~~

Thank you for all my birthday wishes 😊

I had a lovely day with the sun shining all day and had a bracing swim at my favourite beach,

oh and red wine with my supper 🍷

the age I feel is 35,

the age I act is 5,

my soul age is a few billion years plus 1

my planet earth age 70

but who's counting ?

just don't look too closely at the wrinkles !

~~~~~

One of my birthday cards congratulated me on another trip around the sun ! I like that.

~~~

Given that the circumference of the earth is

🌍 24,901 miles

and it spins on it's own axis 365 days a year

and the perimeter of the Sun's orbit is

🌞 584,000,000 miles

I have travelled 593,088,865 miles in the past year !

(24,901 x 365 = 9,088,865 plus 584,000,000 = 593,088,865)

who says I don't go anywhere ?!

~~~~~~~

I have never known a dog like Wilma that can rearrange their ears into so many positions !

~~~~~~

We were privileged to have Ed Bollom come over to give us a great workshop, 

there's always something new to learn !

check out Ed's website to find out more about him and his new business

www.bollomgardens.com

Thank you Ed for a great day, looking forward to seeing you again in September 😊

Those of us at the workshop are going to take part in a carrot growing trial using volcanic rock and Orkney quarry-dust.

All relevant information and blind tasting results will be posted on the Orkney Islands Science Festival website in September.

The Science Festival is fantastic !

www.oisf.org

~~~~~~

The blossom on our peach tree has just started to appear, this will be it's second year, roll on the sunshine

~~~~~

Pause for thought

(from Peace, Love and Smiles Facebook page)

~~~~~

but until then

 from all of us,

 still standing after all the winds, we wish you a happy March,

 with warmer and longer days

 just around the corner

🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼