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 😊

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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 !

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Quote of the month

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Wilma will be celebrating her 16th birthday in 

December !

I think it might be a quiet celebration 💖

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Wilma says

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Pause for thought

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🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

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Tilly says "take it easy"

Wishing you all a healthy, relaxed December 

and may you find warmth and comfort in simple joys

and a time to remember those no longer with us who used to make the  Season's celebrations so special 💖

🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Malcolm and June

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October 2024

 

Hello everyone, welcome to our October blog photographs giving you a glimpse of the colours and daily life on our small island, enjoy

Golden sunsets and red sunrises

           and who says there's no such colour 

as sky-blue- pink ?

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The many days of winds and rain this month have hampered the building of the pony shelter

but steady progress is being made

and the ponies can at least get some respite from the  multi-directional winds

although they're not overly impressed with the weather

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Quote of the month

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Book of the month

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With there being less than 70 people on our island there are not always enough people to do all the jobs ! So when they needed extra staff at the airfield Malcolm volunteered.

The job is more involved than he thought ! training has been quite extensive, from clearing the runway of geese and sheep, handling baggage, looking after passengers to first aid training and "hot training" putting out fires on mock aircraft,  never a dull moment !

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At night after checking on the ponies I love watching the lighthouse or sometimes walking up to it and standing under it's beams

and on a foggy night the foghorn looks quite eerie in the distance

and feels like you are in the middle of a watercolour painting

        

the rotating beams never cease to amaze me

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Today the weather is well blustery, with 56 mph winds and fierce, horizontal rain. So a day to mimic Tilly cat 

and Wilma

and to appreciate some indoor beauty

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Pause for thought

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Just love this

"And, they say

Life is an adventure

Full of mystery

So let's go... "

from Facebook Page : Tales of the Forest Faeries ( a delightful page to follow)

Words by Athey Thompson

Art by Lavender & Lark

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We hope you have found many moments this month to enjoy some simple pleasures and we wish you cosy, relaxed  November days wherever you happen to be

Malcolm and June

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