December 2022

Happy New Year everyone !

 apologies for being late with the December blog but had computer hitches.

Hope you've all had a lovely peaceful time.

Christmas morning started with a swim followed by sandy champagne and cake, what better way to start the day !

Malcolm kindly offered to be waiter

thank you fellow mermaids !

Wilma just looked on but wanted to be carried back by Frank

and Wilma looks on admiringly as Frank comes to cook our Christmas lunch in true glitzy style, complete with diamonte shoes and sequins.

thank you Frank for our fabulous lunch !!!

Frank has been North Ronaldsay's medic for the past month and looked after us all extremely well but now he is returning home, so here's a little song especially for Frank ...

Chorus

Frankie's going to Colchester, he's leaving on the plane,

Frankie's going to Colchester, hope he's coming back again.

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He bought himself a wetsuit and threw himself into the sea,

singing to the seals and shrieking with such glee !

Chorus

He fed the islanders, fifty more, with such a gourmet feast

we've all put on an inch or two at the very least.

Chorus

He brought colour to our island with scrubs of vivid pink,

diamonte shoes and sequins, you really had to blink !

Chorus

Never a nurse like Frankie has the island ever seen,

Oh, so very Prada ! he's our dancing queen.

Chorus

A man of many talents, he's made us laugh and laugh,

Oh, do we love our Frankie?

Oh, yes we do, not half !

Chorus

June Purvis 

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Around the island in December ....

                                          

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Quote and artwork by Judith Haron

artist and advocate for endangered species

"Let there be peace on Earth and

 let it begin with me"

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Books of the month

Three great Christmas books that we were delighted to receive ......

thank you Helen and Malcolm, look out for the results !

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Thank you Olly and Sian for these next two great books 

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think they knew that I'd ordered a trike !

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I have bought myself a trike to get around the island instead of always using the car, and I find difficulty in trying to ride a two wheel bike.

When I look back at my previous cycling experiences it is perhaps no wonder !!

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Three or four wheels seemed so much more sensible and so much more fun.

Just need to strengthen up my thigh muscles against the Orkney winds !

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Pause for thought

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So from us,  snuggly Wilma

and sleepy Tilly

We wish you all the very best of everything for 2023

Malcolm and June

💛💛💛💛💛

November 2022

Welcome to our November blog 

photograph offerings, hope you enjoy them

Work on the stone roof of the barn has been completed !!!!

 all is now wind and watertight .

The next job (of many) is to point the stone walls on the inside

Wilma likes to be with us and involved in what we're doing even if she does sleep through it all, any old cardboard box will do.

November has brought some wild winds and a lonely swan made it's way to our temporarily swampy croft.

The wind has also brought plenty of seaweed ashore giving the North Ronaldsay sheep an abundance of food

but even these tough sheep enjoy a bit of shelter now and again

There's always one that wants to go it alone

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Pause for thought

(from Tao & Zen Facebook page)

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Rainbows and a lighthouse, lovely

Where there's a lighthouse there's always plenty of rocks and waves

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As part of the island's dark sky status a group of us do regular night time walks to take and record darkness readings, our latest walk was amazing with a beautiful clear night and an aurora.

The North Ronaldsay Astronomy Group has a Facebook page with some photographs you may enjoy.

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Books of the month

With the longer darker evenings you can't have too many books to read !

Thank you Janet and Peter for this lovely book with it's beautiful illustrations, 

it's got all the things we are interested in, 

well found !!

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recommended by "Out Of Doors" Saturday morning radio programme on Radio Scotland

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watch this space, haha

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Written by Christine Muir who lives on North Ronaldsay this is a delightful read.

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Quote of the month

(from Tao & Zen Facebook page)

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So from Tilly cat,

Zara pony

and Miss Wilma 

and us,

 we wish you all a peaceful December

 and send you winter blessings

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