seaside crofting

1 January 2025

December 2024

Hello everyone,

hoping that the festive season brought you all the blessings that you wished for and with the days beginning to get longer looking forward to letting more light into our lives.

Christmas morning sunrise

Poem for Christmas Morning

The birds don't know it's Christmas

as they fly across the sky.

The hedgehogs are just sleeping

and waiting for the spring.

Rabbits are a plenty,

as usual having fun.

It's just another day

after all is said and done.

But whatever you may, or may not, believe

behind the lights and glitter,

the tinsel and the tree,

there is a magic in the air

if we just stop and feel and stare.

Miracles all around

if we become aware.

june purvis

~~~~~

Thich Naht Hanh

I bet you're smiling 😀

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For Elaine, some extra photos of the ponies

this one needs a caption, any suggestions ?

for a little December colour the fallen leaves from the grape vine

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Books of the month

You might want to save this one for after the winter's festivities

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2 Recommendations this month

If you love all things moon-related

and beautiful calendars, journals and notebooks

check out

Moon Phase Studio

a six person company in Cornwall who look like they have some fun working together

meet part of the team

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Meet too our delightful friend Kathryn from our Suffolk days

Kathryn has recently launched her new business that she runs from her Suffolk barn home,

bringing together her many skills

take a look :

www.bookrhymeandsinker.com

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The wild December winds have brought plenty of seaweed up on to the beaches, a plentiful supply of food for the island's rare breed sheep

the old Fish Store by Bewan Pier may soon be taken by the sea, not one to be restored.

I found a mermaid to swim with on a lovely sunny, wind free day !!!

Ria-mermaid was inspired by the recent Orkney- based film, "The Outrun", to spend Christmas on a remote island, a far cry from her Glasgow home.

Ria is a poet and performs her poetry at Glasgow venues and will shortly be publishing some of her work.

You can meet her on YouTube : Ria Bronte

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To all my Ewe Wild Swimming mermaid-friends

in Aultbea and Mellon Charles

and mermaids everywhere

Happy New Year you lovely crazy bunch !!!

🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️

~~~~~

A new year message from our Tilly cat :

" In the here, in the now,

no worries, only meow"

(photo from Tao and Zen Facebook page - Zen Cat Wisdom)

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for Colin,

our favourite Christmas mice and candle holder from our childhood,

still making an appearance every year

so from our Tilly

and our Wilma

and us

we wish you a

Happy New Year

and an amazing

2025

have fun

Malcolm and June

💖 💖 💖 💖 💖

🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆

30 November 2024

November 2024

Welcome everyone to our photos of November life on North Ronaldsay

Folk often ask me what I have been doing,

and sometimes I often wonder myself 😊

and then remember that one of my favourite pastimes is wave and sky watching,

not sure if there is a name for that ?

As you see, lately the sea has been truly too rough for wild swimming,

or am I just getting soft ?

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New skills ~

A wonderful day was had at the Community Centre learning a traditional Orcadian skill

A cubbie is a traditional Orcadian straw work basket made from oat straw

Thank you so much to Neil and Alex for organising such a fantastic day.

If you want to see Neil demonstrating how to make a cubbie you can watch his video,

in partnership with the

North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme:

🧺 "Cubbie making with Neil Leask" 🧺

a twenty one minute video, well worth watching if only to listen to Neil's divine, mesmerising Orcadian accent !!

Neil is custodian of Kirbuster and Corrigall Museums, Orkney Mainland

and through his work, hobbies and interests strives to celebrate Orcadian culture and heritage

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The island has received a lot of funding in recent months and £2 million is being spent on what is known as "Trebb".

The Trebb site will house the new Woollen Mill, with shop, office, meat larder, together with a gym, wellbeing centre, offices and a flat.

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This month we've also seen two beautiful bird hides erected

and the Old Kirk, which houses the island's archive photographs and documents, was awarded £300,000 and is currently being restored.

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Book of the month

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Around the croft

a lot of stones needed to be moved to make a level site for the field shelter for the ponies,

now what to do with this lot ?

well, I have a plan, it may take some time,

but I have a plan 😊

~~~

rustic doors

and

tiny daisies still hanging on in there against the wall

the gentle, wild one 💛 Mr Blonde

the old Beacon

On a bright day we can look across from the croft and see Fair Isle, twenty eight miles away, you can almost see the ladies knitting their Fair Isle sweaters !