Welcome to our April blog, a glorious month of sunshine and daffodils
April has seen a momentous occasion for
North Ronaldsay !!
The scaffolding that has shrouded the Old Beacon for nearly twenty years has come down !!!
It was erected as part of a tv program renovation bid that unfortunately didn't come to fruition
Starting early each morning it took them just four days to reveal the beacon once more.
all the wood and scaffolding has been neatly stacked
Two very happy guys and very happy islanders
Thank you Chris and Craig for a fantastic job !
A little bit of history of the Beacon
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Poem of the month
The Beacon she is shining
as the scaffold's coming down
and the islanders are smiling
as the scaffold hits the ground.
The stonemasons that built her
in seventeen eighty nine,
how pleased they'd be to see her
still standing strong and fine.
An icon of North Ronaldsay,
she's stood the test of time,
her stones held tight together,
with mortar of shells and lime.
Sailors saw her static light
and thought "a ship at anchor",
soon to realise that
she was not a welcome harbour.
Too many ships had floundered
and lives lost along these shores,
after twenty years a burning
the light it shone no more.
But, the Beacon she is shining
as the scaffold's coming down
and the islanders are smiling
as the scaffold hits the ground.
June Purvis
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The verges across the island have been staggeringly beautiful this month with an abundance of daffodils
and new life has been appearing
April skies
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Something to look forward to in May on North Ronaldsay
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Pause for thought
"All around us, life bursts forth with miracles -
a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops.
If you live in awareness it is easy to see miracles everywhere."
Thich Nhat Hanh
(from Tao & Zen Facebook page)
~~~~~~~
We have had a delightful young man visit us for a few days, not only did he cook us supper...
exercised Zara
and put Malcolm through his paces !
People often ask how we get our shopping, well, we order online from the Coop in mainland Orkney and then it arrives on the Tuesday freight plane with the orders for the whole island.
No traffic jams, no parking, no queues, just a wee social event on the runway.
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Golden stones in the sunshine at the south end of the island
.HEIC)
Always like to include some lighthouse photos,
176 steps to the top
The walls at the bottom of the lighthouse are about 8 feet deep, gradually getting shorter to the top
the top most window
the beams at night
The National Geographic Resolution ship moored just off of North Ronaldsay and 90 of the 125 passengers aboard came on to the island at Bewan Pier right by our cottage
more than doubling the population of the island !!!!
some were interested in the wildlife, some in the Viking burial site, the old Beacon and the lighthouse
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When the sun stops shining and it feels like winter again, a lovely fire is very welcome
~~~~~~~
India Bradshaw
If you enjoy music have a listen to this young lady !
India Bradshaw / Jack
you can find her on YouTube / Spotify and on her website : www.indiabradshaw.com
and this month she married a young friend of ours, Vincent
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So from Little Wilma, all cosy waiting while I have my swim
