Look To The Right...

... and down a peedie bit, and you will see a bright, shiny new link in among the Orkney stuff.

All About Orkney is a new website that does exactly what it says on the tin - It's All About Orkney!

Well worth a look...

Orkney In The News...

This from the BBC News Website today:

Scotland's "Earliest Face" Found In Orkney

lol... A bored Neolithic man's doodle of the wife?

Urgh...

*Whispers* Morning...

It's 20 to 10, I've been at work 40 minutes, and already I've got a coffee beside me, and I've eaten the slice of fresh cream sponge I bought yesterday to have as a treat last night... but more of why it wasn't eaten last night in a bit.

I'm so sleepy, but it was worth it! Last night from 10pm til almost 2o'clock this morning, Viki & I were at one of the concerts that are part of the Orkney Folk Festival that's on this weekend. It started with Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller, who were very good, but (and this is just a personal thing) I don't know if they really got the crowd "going" enough... their performance was very melodic, and featured ballads strongly.

Then there was the reason we went... The Jani Lang Band. Jani is Hungarian and, after hearing on Radio Scotland that they were going to be playing, I came straight home and booked tickets. Viki got the chance to speak to Jani (I think it surprised him slightly to be greeted in Hungarian while in Orkney!), and also was given a CD by Aly Salam, their Egyptian percussionist, when she met him outside as she sloped off for a smoke after they'd finished playing (I guess sometimes smoking isn't entirely bad... lol). They were brilliant, and really got the crowd dancing (albeit with some spectacular displays of "dad dancing"... I don't think Orcadians know how to dance to traditional Hungarian gypsy music!). They've promised they'll be back in Orkney... and we'll be there if they are!

Then the main act... local band, The Chair. What can I say? Loud, energetic, funny, and sooooo good. They even got Jani and his band back on stage again with them for a bit of Hungarian / Orcadian fusion music.

Came out of there at nearly 2am, and straight to the burger van that was standing outside. A hot dog and chips were purchased each (we hadn't really eaten before going out, but more of that in a minute), and then my brother (who had kindly taken us to Stromness, and come back for us) drove us to a lovely spot beside the Standing Stones of Stenness to eat them... as we could look out to the North on a still-half light sky, with hardly any clouds, and coloured a sublime shade of orange and pinky-purple. On a bonny night, there truly is no more beautiful place than Orkney in midsummer. And, to think, there's about a month to go before the longest day, when it's possible to read a newspaper outside at midnight, and to play golf.

Came home and fell into bed... tired but happy. Until I woke up this morning, that is... now I'm just tired.



There was a time yesterday though that we thought we weren't going to get to the thing in Stromness... and now to recount the sorry tale...

After work we had to go to Tescos for some shopping, including something quick to eat before we went out. Came home with plenty of time to get ready, and that's when we made the wrong decision...

We decided, as it was only just after 7pm, and the thing didn't start until half past 10, that we had time for a short sleep before having food and getting ready. And that would have been okay... except we didn't waken up until half past 8! And we still had to get ready, eat, and get through to Stromness (a half-hour or so drive away)! Didn't really manage to eat... certainly not the relaxed affair that our tea was going to be. But we made it down to my brother's and then to Stromness in time (albeit not looking as beautiful (lol) as we intended... had to forego the make-up and hair-straightening, for example).

The moral of this tale: Time Is Short... especially when you're getting ready to go out.

Oh, and a message to those of you who left a message on my Facebook... there was not an aran jumper in sight last night! Maybe there might have been one or two weirdy-beardies, however...

Attention, Parents!

Just wanted to plug this website:

Enhance-Me: Personalised Enhanced Photos

This is an Orkney-based site, where you can submit a photo of your child(ren), and they can be digitally enhanced to make your little girl a fairy, or little boy a pirate, or whatever...

I don't have kids, but I've seen some of the images produced, and they are lovely... Would make a charming and unusual gift for Grandparents, or you can have party invitations printed... and, because it's all done via email, you don't even have to be in Orkney to have it done!

Galleries here.

Abandon (The) Hup All Ye Who Enter Here

It was a lovely day today, so we (Viki & I) decided that my brother was going to take us for a run to show Viki some bits of the mainland that she's not seen yet, and we'd make some sandwiches and coffee... and have a nice picnic.

So, shopping was done... sandwiches were made... and between 6 and 7pm we set off, headed Eastwards. Crossed the Churchill Barriers down to South Ronaldsay, and then down to the most southerly point of mainland Orkney... Burwick.

Parked the car there, and my brother & Viki walked along the rocky shore for a while, while I (not wearing the best shoes for scrabbling over slippery rocks, and being a bit wary in case I would fall and hurt my leg again) opted for a leisurely saunter along the road and down the little pier, before coming back up to meet them as they arrived at the pier.

We all came back via the road, and got in the car to find some loos and head somewhere to eat our sandwiches (it being close to 9pm by now, and getting near to sunset). Brother started the engine and we drove off with a horrible "dunka, dunka, dunka" sound - yup, a flat tyre! Now, South Ronaldsay and the village of St Margarets Hope kind of gets the pi$$ taken in a "Deliverance / they're all rednecks / meet my sister and my cousin... here she is" type way... and we'd been humming "Duelling Banjos" a few times. Saw the hole in the tyre, but no sign of what caused it... but my brother remarked, "It could even be a .22 shot". Maybe one of the yokels... sorry, locals... decided to teach these strangers a lesson? After all, there is a bit of seal shooting goes on down there... allegedly.

Brother changed the wheel while Viki and laughed at him doing his best "me man, you woman" caveman act, trying to impress us with his skills as hunter / gatherer.

Got it all fixed, then set off to St Margarets Hope to find the public toilets that we were assured by the sign at Burwick were "open 24/7"... except they were shut. Apparently they are open 24/7, but only for 8 hours a day. Yep, that's the way things work in The Hup!

On the way back, we stopped at the sandy beach bit at the 3rd Barrier, where a seal was watching us as we walked along the sand. And then on to some public toilets that WERE open, and to the kirkyard on the shore in Holm to (finally) eat our sandwiches and drink our coffee, before coming home.

A lovely Sunday... and we survived our trip into Redneck country!





*Disclaimer: Er... this post is intended to gently take the mick... I'm not really suggesting that one of the fine upstanding citizens of South Ronaldsay took a pot shot at my brother's tyre... It was probably a stone or a nail or something... and could have done its damage in Holm or Burray!

Nice Rednecks... er... call off the dogs, please? Pretty please?

Kirkwall Christmas Tree Lighting 2008

Viki & I were at this on Saturday night.

Every year for the last 25 years, Hordaland in Norway (which has been our twin region for the same length of time) has donated a Christmas tree to Orkney, and it stands outside St Magnus Cathedral on the Kirk Green.

And usually the convenor of Hordaland region comes over for the tree-lighting ceremony, part of which features local school children portraying the part of St Lucy and her attendants.

So here are some bits of video Viki took...

Kirkwall City Pipe Band playing prior to the Cathedral service:

Local & Norwegian dignatories, and local children leaving the Cathedral
The countdown and the tree is lit!

1, 2, 3, 4....

I declare a cheese war!

It's been a long time since I've had a cheesey music battle with Julie... so let's see if she'll bite...

From 1982 (and, my god, it shows), The Mobiles (whoooooooooooooooo?) and "Drowning In Berlin"...

I don't think I knew this song before, but I was introduced to it this morning in the office... and apparently, there's an Orkney connection here - I say "apparently", because I don't know if this is right or not... It was flunky who told me, and I usually don't believe a word he tells me - So, APPARENTLY, one of the ex-members of this band is now a councillor in Orkney!

Oh, my god - I just checked it out, and it's true! He kept that quiet - well, you would, wouldn't you?

A Shameless Plug...

For my photo blog: The Fairick's Fotos

Go and have a look... See how pretty Orkney is!

Holy Shit! - Update...

If you follow the link that I put in the original post now, you'll find it takes you to an "error"... and yesterday The Orcadian website had taken all reference to the story off... so I can only presume there's been some kind of news blackout at that stage...

However, today The Orcadian website had this to say...

Man charged with possessing weapons

Michael Ross, 29, has been charged with possessing a cache of weapons found in a car parked outside a Glasgow supermarket.

Ross made no plea when he appeared from custody on Tuesday, at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

The discovery was made near to a branch of Tesco in the city’s Springburn area, last Friday evening. Ross, of Inverness, has been held in custody and no further date for the case has been set yet.

Basically, the story was that a car that he hired and didn't return was found in a car park only a mile away from the court he made his escape attempt from... The hire company recognised him as the person who had hired it, and when they went to collect the car they found the following in the car:

- A Czech-made Scorpion sub-machine gun
- A rifle
- 4 grenades (4!!!)
- Several knives
- An axe
- Bullets
- Army camouflage clothing
- Binoculars

Bomb disposal had to evacuate some 1,000 shoppers from the store, and spent an hour searching the car for booby traps!

That's scary! The damage that could have been done if he'd managed to get to the car with that arsenal of weapons is just unthinkable.

I'm finding it harder to believe he's innocent now, I must admit... There's no way this can be a fit-up, surely? And he's a trained sniper... and apparently a bloody good one at that! He's a trained killer... trained to kill without being seen...!

I wonder if those who set up the Bebo page proclaiming his innocence of the murder are still so sure? There was a quote there not mentioning the weapons, saying with all he had been through as a suspect for so many years, and what he'd seen in the army in Kosovo, etc. it was "no wonder he'd flipped out a bit" or words to that effect...

Surely crying, struggling a little bit, and shouting out that you're innocent would constitute "a little flip out"? I would say calmly and, with pre-meditation, hiring a car and filling it with the weapons arsenal of a 3rd world dictatorship for your escape from court is a tad more serious than that! Would you not agree?

I'll be interested to see what the local papers are saying about this tomorrow... wonder if they'll have interviews with any of those who were declaring his innocence last week?

Holy Shit!

What was going on in his head?

Daily Record: Orkney Convicted Murderer Had Weapons Arsenal In Car

No Prizes For Guessing...

... what the hot topic in Orkney is today.

BBC Scotland: Killer Runs After Guilty Verdict

14 years after the murder of Indian waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood in a busy Kirkwall restaurant, the main suspect at the time has been found guilty. Nothing too odd there, you might think... except the suspect was only 15 at the time of the killing.

I remember hearing the news the night of the murder, how a male in a balaclava had walked calmly into the restaurant, pulled out a gun, and shot the waiter in the head from about 2 foot away... before walking out again and running off down the lane at the side of the restaurant. There were all sorts of rumours and theories at the time... Was it a love triangle? Was it a gangland "hit"? But it appears it was simply a hate crime.

It's never really been forgotten in Orkney, and people have long held opinions as to whether or not Michael Ross was/is guilty. Me? I don't know... The evidence does seem to be mainly circumstantial, but it is compelling... how he had an interest in guns, the racist doodles in his notebook from the time... but could a 15-year-old boy really have killed someone so coolly and not broken under police questioning? Have kept his mouth shut for 14 years? He denies the charges, so I guess we'll never really know.

If he did do it, then I'm glad he's finally been taken to justice and will pay for his crime... But if he didn't... that's an innocent man who could be going to jail for life...

Orkney In The News

For a horrible, horrible reason...

The Scotsman: Scottish Backpacker Murdered

I didn't know Karen personally, as she was a few years younger than me - but Orkney's a close-knit community, and something like this impacts heavily on the population. It's so tragic that this bonny girl with so much ahead of her, and clearly living her life to the full, should be robbed of her future in such a callous manner.

I hope they find the coward(s) who did this to her and that they get what is coming to them.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends - here in Orkney, and further afield... It's clear she was a popular girl, and touched many lives during her time on the earth. May your memories of her sustain you...

R.I.P. Karen...

Not-So-Tinpot Local Radio...

About 3 - 4 years ago, Orkney got its own commercial radio station for a while - granted a temporary licence, kind of as a test, and The Super Station Orkney was born... operating from a boat tied up at a local pier...

Well, finally they've got their permanent licence, and premises on land - and, as of today, The Super Station Orkney is once more!

And it's great - because they play music from 60's to current, and not just what's "in", like Radio 1. So today I've been in heaven in the shop, listening to 80's music, 90's music... even Meat Loaf & Cher with "Dead Ringer For Love"!

Aside from that, today's been average... Work (God, the shop was quiet and boring today), a visit to my brother, and then home.

And that's pretty much it, my friends - Catch ya later!

The Rest Of Saturday And Sunday...

Don't worry, Nev... once again, your computer's not borked - I'm playing catch-up again.

Well, Saturday night after I left here, I decided against watching "Hairspray", instead opting for the DVD of "xXx", starring Vin Diesel (I've not watched it for ages, and I fancied an ogle at his muscles) - just as well I didn't opt for "Hairspray", because I was asleep about halfway through "xXx".

And then was Sunday - my friend and I went ahead with our balloon release.... which wasn't the best success, unfortunately - but I can imagine our friend having a good laugh at our efforts! It was raining when we went out to the beach, and there was a little bit of wind... so we wrote our messages on parcel tags, tied them to the balloon, and let it go...

... and it blew up over the wall of the beach, and scudded across the car park.

So, we retrieved the balloon, removed the labels (in case they were weighing the balloon down) and let it go again...

... and this time it didn't even make it over the wall - it just scudded along the beach a bit!

Third time lucky, we thought - So we let it go...

... and it set off (slowly) along the beach a few feet... before the ribbon snagged on a pile of seaweed and stayed there!

At this point, we gave up and went home again - noting as we left that a family had just arrived with a dog - so probably one of two things happened after we left...

1. The kids decided to either rescue the balloon and take it home, or burst it.
2. The dog decided to play with it, burst it, and ended up with a high-pitched, squeaky bark!

Made dinner after I came home, and then watched telly. Did anyone see Orkney on "Songs Of Praise"? Isn't my home island beautiful?

Watched "Dancing On Ice" after - Now, own up... who voted for that bloody Aggie woman? You know, the harridan who comes and tells you how dirty your house is? Come on... she was TERRIBLE! Poor Sarah Greene was better than her! Comedy value is no reason to keep someone in - nor is the crinklies sympathy vote... GET RID OF HER NEXT WEEK!

Well, that's it for my weekend...

Embarrassment Killed The Radio Star...

This all started yesterday... I was working in the shop, minding my own business, when in walked a guy with a microphone... which should immediately have raised the alarm.

Anyway, he explained that our tinpot local radio station, Radio Orkney (part of BBC Radio Scotland) was going to be having a quiz programme tonight, and they were going along shops on the street asking staff to record questions for it... and would I mind asking one!?

What could I do? I was the only person in the shop!

So, a microphone was thrust in my face, and I had to recite the following...

"Hello... I'm Alison from *Shop Name Deleted to Retain an Air of Mystery* and my question is... How many rows of Christmas lights are there between here and the harbour?"

Then a dramatic pause... Then...

"And the answer is... Four"

Well, last night I listened... and with about 10 minutes before the end of the programme, I thought I'd escaped and they hadn't had time for me...

No such luck! Mine was about the last question used!

Cringe!

It's probably somewhere on a "listen again" thing on the net, but I'm not sticking any links to it here... No way!

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

Today focusing on a local business, and my favourite jeweller (apologies to my brother-in-law (who is a silversmith... an incredibly good silversmith, says she, backpedalling furiously) if he ever reads this) - Sheila Fleet Jewellery.

Her jewellery is beautiful, inspired by what she sees all around Orkney - the sea, the rocks, the patterns the tides make on a sandy beach; prehistoric runes and oghams; animals and birds; dolphins; and much more.

In most cases you can choose from silver, yellow gold or white gold, with or without enamelling in some beautiful colours which serve to enhance the detail of the pieces.

5 of the 7 items of jewellery I wear are by her, and I own pieces from a couple of her collections. The ones I wear at the moment are from her Rainbow collection, including the necklace below:

If I won the lottery, I'd buy up pretty much all of her collections, in as many colours of enamel as I could! As it is, I have to close my eyes every time I go past her shop!

You can see her website here with the collections available: Sheila Fleet Jewellery

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

Today's monument is very unassuming from outside... a little hillock standing in the middle of a field by the main road from Kirkwall to Stromness, not far from the Standing Stones O' Stenness...

But this is Maeshowe, and that simple hillock is no mere hillock... it's a prehistoric burial cairn, dating from around 2700BC. And inside, it looks like this (photo looking back up entrance passage):

When you come up the 36ft long entrance passage (bent double), you find yourself in a domed space some 4.7 square metres in size, with 3 "L" shaped burial chambers in the walls - 1 straight ahead, and one each left and right.

When the tomb was excavated, it was discovered that it had been disturbed before - Viking Runic "graffiti" was found etched on the walls, including a picture of what is now known as "The Maeshowe Dragon" (below):

Perhaps the most interesting fact about Maeshowe occurs once a year, on the winter solstice... as the sun sets, it's dying rays bisect the nearby Stones O' Stenness, and shine directly down the passage of the tomb, illuminating the chamber inside.

It's amazing to think that prehistoric man achieved this, and we can only wonder at the rituals and ceremonies that would have occurred in those times.

See my bible Orkneyjar: Maeshowe for more information on the wonder that is Maeshowe, including what it looked like originally, before excavations took place and a concrete "roof" was put on to give it the domed appearance it has now - and also the part that acoustics play in the tomb.

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

The rich, fertile land of Orkney, and the seas surrounding, produce food that's exported all over the world and enjoyed in top restaurants in the UK and much wider afield.

I'll deal with others yet, but start with possibly the oddest - the North Ronaldsay Sheep, which live on the northernmost of Orkney's islands.

"Sheep?" I hear you say, "What can possibly be odd or prized about mutton?"

Well, these sheep are not normal run-of-the-mill, wandering about in fields, sheep... for at least part of the year, they live on the shore around the island, kept there by a 6-foot-high drystane dyke (or wall, for the benefit of those of you who wouldn't know what a drystane dyke was if you tripped over one), and they live on seaweed... which (so I'm told, coz I've never eaten North Ronaldsay lamb or mutton) gives their meat a very distinctive, and much sought after, flavour.

And why do the sheep get shunted on to the shore? Quite simply, North Ronaldsay's not a big island, and good grazing land is at a premium.

The sheep have evolved in several ways to cope with their environment... for instance, instead of eating during the day and ruminating at night, these woolly beasts eat twice a day, at low tide, and digest in between.

Their wool is also highly prized, and lots of products knitted in North Ronaldsay wool are available.

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

A piece of Orkney folklore, or a Famous Orcadian... you decide...

Janet Forsyth - The Storm Witch

The story of Janet Forsyth dates from the 17th Century and whether the tale is fact or fiction is up for question. However, we begin in 1627 in Westray, when Janet was a young girl and in love with a local lad, Benjamin Garrioch.

Benjamin and some friends set off one fine day on a fishing trip going against Janet's wishes. In fact she had had a dream the night before that there was to be a mishap at sea and begged Benjamin not to set to sea.

Shortly after the men had set sail a thick fog engulfed the island and the Westray Firth, and Benjamin and his friends never returned. The local islanders pinned the blame on Janet and branded her a witch, saying that through her magical powers she had made the fog descend. Janet was heart-broken that she had lost Benjamin and shut herself away from the community.

All subsequent storms were blamed on Janet, and the suspicion grew so much that if there was any misfortune at all in Westray, Janet was the culprit.

A few years later, there was a ship spotted off the coast of Westray struggling in the bad weather. Janet without any help from the rest of the islanders set sail to try and help the ship. She managed to board the vessel and guide it through the waters into Pierowall Bay.

The islanders considered her actions to be those of an enchantress and she was put on trial in Kirkwall two weeks later. The judge ruled that she was indeed in a witch and sentenced her to death.

Throughout the trial a crowd had gathered to watch the proceedings, and once the judge had passed his verdict Janet turned and saw Benjamin standing there in a naval uniform. She reportedly screamed, "Save me, Ben!" as she was taken from the court.

The next day when she was sent for, she was no-where to be seen and it appeared she had escaped.

She was never heard from again until a few years later a local who was in Manchester saw a shop with the name "Benjamin Garrioch", upon further investigation he found that the women serving behind the counter was Janet!

What had happened was that on the day the fog came down, Benjamin and his friends had met a man, who press-ganged them into joining the navy. The day that Janet had been on trial, their ship was sheltering in Kirkwall from bad weather and they had gone to see the witch trial.

Benjamin upon realising it was actually Janet on trial, got the jailers drunk, freed her and they both fled to England.

Story taken directly from www.ancestralorkney.com/ - Go and take a look... Who knows - you might discover Orkney connections you never knew you had!?

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

Two of our ancient monuments again tonight (Don't worry, it'll be a while before I run out of them to show you!) - a couple of circles of standing stones, or henges...

It's believed that they would have been used by ancient druids for rituals, probably linked with the summer and winter solstices, or would have certainly had some ceremonial uses - animal bones have been found around the rings, giving evidence of ancient sacrifices.

Standing Stones O' Stenness

The older of the 2 circles (although it's actually more sort of elliptical), now consisting of only 4 upright stones, but these are considerably taller than those of the nearby Ring O' Brodgar - up to 19 feet!

More information here, courtesy of Orkneyjar: Orkneyjar: Standing Stones O' Stenness

(Credit to www.allfivesenses.com/ for the image - come to Orkney and learn the ancient stone age survival skills of making fires, etc).

Ring O' Brodgar

More complete than the Standing Stones, this consists of a true circle, 104 metres wide, and originally contained 60 megaliths. Today, only around about 30 of these stones remain. The stones vary in height from about 7ft to just over 15ft - imagine trying to put those into place without the assistance of a JCB!

More information from my bible here: Orkneyjar: Ring O' Brodgar