June 2022

Welcome to this month's images of our new life on our North Ronaldsay croft, a four minute read enjoyed best with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Tilly continues to enjoy life indoors and loves sitting in the deep window sills.

Zara enjoys her lush new paddock

and this one is especially for Wilma's fan club, just too tired to lay down.

Malcolm has been repairing the walls on a stone shelter and made a good job,

the stone roof will be going back on soon

and Malc, a lone figure, gathering seaweed for the veg patch

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This month's flora on the island

any crack will do

and the island's birds and sheep make for beautiful evening walks

spot the nesting birds at the base of the stone wall

the colours and caves of the island

  

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A bit of fun

from Orkney Farmers Facebook page

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North Ronaldsay lighthouse at 42 metres high is the highest land-based light house in the UK and is remarkable.

Billy Muir the lighthouse keeper gives tours on most days throughout the summer months, Malcolm and I help with these tours and take people to the top, saves going to the gym !

On the left in the next photo the stone wall enclosures are called "punds", used for gathering the seaweed-eating sheep and the round, stone wall enclosures are called "crues", originally used for growing vegetables, each cottage on the island would have had one.

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Poem of the month

Billy is the lighthouse keeper,

he's got his O.B.E,

for over fifty years now

he's safe-guarded men at sea.

I am just the lighthouse girl,

I'll take you to the top

and if you need a breather

then halfway up just stop.

You'll climb those stairs until

you're forty meters high

and on the windswept balcony

you'll almost touch the sky.

You'll look south along North Ronaldsay

and see the punds and crues

and if you're very lucky

an orca or two.

You'll look across the North Sea

 and maybe see Fair Isle

but if it's very cloudy

you'll need to wait a while.

Looking north to Norway

it's four hundred miles away

and if you're sailing westwards

you'll come to Hudson Bay.

Billy will tell the story

and all the reasons why

but I am just the lighthouse girl

and I'll take you to the sky.

June Purvis

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North Ronaldsay has a lovely exhibition of old photographs in the old kirk that was set up as a millennium project

well worth a visit if you are on the island

Notice the size of these stone slabs being heaved up onto the roof, they are huge !!

It wasn't until 1983 when electricity was first installed on the island

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This is a lovely idea  ~

North Ronaldsay Community Garden

The community garden has seed available for anyone interested in growing a 1m x1m plot of a Scandinavian wheat mix.

There will be a harvest event in September where you can learn to thresh, winnow, milk and bake with the grains you have grown.

Please get in touch if you would like a packet of seed.

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Malcolm and I have both had a go at sheep shearing, our first attempt and very slow but I think there will be plenty of opportunity to do more in a few weeks time if we want to.

The goat in the background knows that it's safe from the shears and us.

I thought that having a trailer to take Wilma to the beach would help my cycling but it didn't help at all.

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Quote of the month

from Charlie Mackesy on Istagram,

from his book "The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse"

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The weather here has been mixed but on a windy day last week one of our neighbours put out a plea on What's app:

"we lost a grey bed sheet to the wind today. Let us know if you find it in your garden ! "

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At this time of year it doesn't really get dark at all here, so this seems to be an appropriate parting 

from Tao & Zen Facebook page

Until next month, we wish you peaceful, happy days,

Malcolm & June

💛💜💛💜💛

May 2022

 

Welcome to our second blog from our new home on the island of North Ronaldsay.

We have been here for just one month now and gradually settling in to the island way of life and getting to know it's lovely people.

Hope you enjoy these images.

When you look at the coastline it is easy to see...

why most of the houses on the island are made of stone and many with stone roofs. This stone roof on our small barn is one of the first jobs for us to tackle to make it into a watertight workspace.

The weather has been very good since our arrival, even being able to make the most of eating our breakfast and lunch outside, something we weren't expecting to do .

Our new view from the kitchen window looking out across the North Sea

Wilma enjoying the sunshine

Tilly cat still thinks the outside world is a bit scary and using it as an excuse to hide under my pillow

I'm very pleased that our cottage is near the lighthouse because it means that wherever I am on the island I can find my way home, day or night !

With a lot of redundant cardboard packing boxes and a lot of pony poo from Zara it's time to prepare growing beds for next years potato patch.

and Malc has dug over part of this year's potato patch in a nice walled, sheltered part of the croft

On Saturday mornings we go on a health walk for folk to meet up and get up close to the local livestock;

 fresh air, companionship and exercise, lovely.

When you need provisions of any kind you just 'phone a shop on mainland Orkney, pay by card and they take your order to the pier to be put on the next ferry and you collect it from the island pier when the ferry comes in. 

No hassle, no parking problems, no queueing, easy.

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If at any time you feel unwell on the island there is a rather delightful surgery and no waiting time.

Views from around the cottage...

looking towards the other end of the island

Sparkling clear waters

Bewan pier

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North Ronaldsay has a fabulous woollen mill to process the wool from the island's seaweed-eating sheep into yarn and we were very lucky to have a  tour, thank you Helen.

an industrial washing machine

a felting table that will produce a rug-size piece of felt in one hour (I'm very envious)

along with carding, spinning and plying machines

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During an hour's walk we came across just two cars but many more seals, they seem to be all around the island

Around the island are some derelict cottages and inside some of them it is fascinating to see some of the old relics and imagine the life and times of bygone eras.

An old threshing machine and furniture

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There are many visitors who come to the island for bird spotting and make their base at the fine

 Bird Observatory 

offering guest house, hostel and camping area and a shop for groceries and other goods,

 have a look at their website

www.nrbo.org.uk

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Pause for thought

Wild geese do not intend to cast their reflection, 

the water has no mind to receive their image.

Zenrin

(from Tao & Zen Facebook page)

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Books of the month

We have been sent two beautiful books from friends this month that we'd like to share with you.

thank you Lorna & Stan for our perfect gift.

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Thank you June H for sending us this next delightful book of poems, much appreciated

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Tilly is gradually getting braver, I can now reclaim my pillow.

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Hope you've enjoyed seeing a little bit of North Ronaldsay and so until next month I'll leave you with this lovely Apache blessing

(from Tao & Zen Facebook page)

Stay safe and happy, keep smiling

June & Malcolm

💙💛💙💛💙