The Viking Invasion Of Orkney!

Last night, Kirkwall City Pipe Band and over 40 members of Shetland's 2008 Up Helly Aa squad held a torchlight parade and burning of a replica viking galley as a "thank you" from the Guizers for the part the Pipe Band played during their Up Helly Aa celebrations in Lerwick in January of this year, where KCPB were invited to join with the Lerwick Pipe Band to play during the festivities.

It had been a cold, miserable, rainy day, but that amazingly held off during the parade (which lasted a good couple of hours)... and the parade was amazing! Here's a few photos that Viki & I took (I think it's fair to say she enjoyed it!)...

The Pipe Band...

The Vikings have come! Lock up your daughters!


The torches are lit in a darkened Broad Street:




The galley burning at The Peedie Sea:


More pictures will be appearing soon on my Photo Blog, and the full set (or at least the ones that came out) are on my Flickr photostream.

My Weekend...

Has been pretty damn good, thank you very much!

It's amazing the difference just having 2 days off can make!

Yesterday morning I had a nice lie-in... getting up around about 11o'clock... and then kicked about the house for a bit. Blogged, pottered on the computer, listened to music... Bliss!

Then in the afternoon, I had a wander round the shops, not really buying anything. At 5o'clock, I went to get coffee for me and my brother (as I usually do on a Saturday, but it's normally after I've had a shit day at work) - Americano for him, and a nice latte for me. And I got chips for myself, since I hadn't really eaten yet. Stayed with him until he went out about 7pm, and I headed up to Broad Street for an open-air concert by Kirkwall City Pipe Band and Orkney-born musician, Ivan Drever - "Ivan On The Apron" (The Apron is the raised, paved area in front of the Cathedral, from which you go down the steps onto the Kirk Green).

Here is a photo of Ivan with a few members of the pipe band helping him out:

It lasted from 8pm til just after 10, and was fantastic... A lovely evening (with the exception of the midges hanging around), standing outside the majesty of the Cathedral, as the sun went down, with hundreds of people, from toddlers up to grannies and granddads in wheelchairs, and no trouble at all... no pushing, no drunken louts, no swearing or heckling... Just the best way to spend a Saturday evening.

Then home, via my brother's to pick up the bags I had left there, and a nuked chicken korma while I watched a DVD - "Stardust", which was brilliant, even if I'll never be able to take Robert De Niro seriously in a gangster film again (if you've seen "Stardust", you'll know what I'm getting at). Wandered off to bed, not at all shattered like I usually am on a Saturday, at about 2o'clock this morning, after the film was done.

Another nice long lie-in today. Got up, changed the dressing on my leg (which the nurses seem to think is slowly getting a peedie bit better) and did the same as yesterday... listened to music and pottered around on the computer.

But then came my first disappointment of the weekend (unless you count not winning the lottery last night)... I went a wander round the corner to the street, thinking I would get a coffee from Starbucks - only to find that they've decided it's "winter", and they aren't opening on a Sunday any more! Not til next summer! So I had to come home and make my own latte... and - let's face it - a spoon of Nescafé Gold Blend in a mug of milk just isn't the same!

So now, here I am, pottering on the computer again. In a sec I'm going to cook the spring rolls I've got for my tea, and then a bit later I'll have a chat with Viki on MSN, if she's around.

All in all, it's been a good weekend!