Weather report: Wear Jumpers

The lady on the Radio today, when asked for the forecast simply stated 'Wear jumpers and something waterproof'. Enough said really. After a series of rather blustery days, its reassurring to know that these will be continuing. Now, those of you whom are not strangers to my ramblings will know a high degree of weather related moaning generally accompaines photographs. So, you'll be glad to know today is no exception.

Having been awake for what seemed like the entire night with the roof rattling like something out of the Wizard of Oz, feeling a bit more like Dorothy, again. it seemed that wrapping up did seem in order today. With an afternoon free, despite the warnings of jumpers being required and waterproofs, I decided it was only fair to do a bit of wave hunting, between the squalls. So I wrapped up!

The west side of the island is notoriously rugged and is peppered with a series of large sea cliffs and bays nestled between. Whilst if I'm honest I'd have preferred to go to my favourite spot at Yesnaby and walk along the cliffs watching waves, I'm not supposed to be walking 'off road'. I promised the Dr. So I headed out the the Bay of Skaill, which is where Skara Brae lurks at the south side of this bay.

Given its rocky too I can't walk there either, but it was fine to sit a while a look at the waves crashing about.

Big seas, excuse those more out of focus photographs, I am firmly blaming the wind and the optical digital zoom on the camera being maxed out, but you get the idea. The sea is big today, well worth a look.

I carried on up the northern west coast towards Birsay Bay, where Bob grows his tomatoes under a fine array of glasshouses, nested safely behind sand dunes by the shore. And, its up for sale.......details here.  Unfortunately I went past a house where the fence had been ripped from the ground, wind netting and all. Poor chap, I hope he doesn't lose heart. The winds unkind to gardeners here. But still we try.

A favourite place to wave watch is out by the northwest just passed the tiny village of Birsay, overlooking the Brough of Birsay.

Now we've been here many times, but its always breathtaking to see a stormy sea here whatever the time of year - it can be stormy here in summer too.

So we had a bit of a wander and were watching waves crashing over cliffs.

The footpath. whilst very wet, was flat and kind to those with a dodgy leg, here she is, that dodgy-legged person who's seeing the surgeon tomorrow.  She's also wearing Mr Flowers hat and the longest scarf in the universe. But shh, don't tell him.

And, we watched the waves a while until our cheeks stung with the rain and our fingers went numb and we could hardly stand up against the wind any more. Time for home I think! And what's better than a nice warm sit in front of the fire? Well there's room for all of us..if only Peedie would move over and stop thinking about last time we had adventures with puffins on the same cliffs.

Or perhaps a snuggle on the sofa........Haggis is a fan of the flowery cushions, there's a promising career ahead of him I think.

And as the wind whistles down the chimney, the doors whistle and the windows rattle. We're nice and cosy inside, you see all that free wood in the shape of square logs I chop comes in handy!

Keep warm if you've got bad weather and until next time - remember heed the advice of the lady on the Radio 'Wear jumpers and something waterproof'!

 

And if you'd like to visit another local blog, often besieged with our local weather. Please pop over and visit Sian who's currently most likely, like the rest of us, hibernating, due to bad weather!

And a hearty hello to those extra followers we've picked up along the way. Nice for you to pop along and see us. Don't be shy leave a comment and introduce yourself and your blogs - for those of you who do partake in blogging, thanks for linking in here your blogs are really interesting! Tell us more about yourself..........Whilst the page views are great - be nice to hear from more of you when you've time! x

 

Its a hard life for a Peedie dog

The wind and the weather are back to being utterly vile again, deep joy. However, they don't appear to be bothering Peedie the cairn too much today, I tried to find him for a walk............ I have no idea how he got that cover (my nice one) over him!

I get the feeling (gale force mix)

Its still *sigh* gusting at over 50mph - deep joy - ventured out this morning to survey the scene and see if anything was damaged. Hmm, we might need a new gate, the one which was made in the summer has got battered and bruised and methinks, might just not be chicken proof anymore after last night/todays gales - the spar is hanging outwards, dancing around in the wind. Oh dear looks like the BRB got left out and got a free wash too.

Thank goodness I cut the hedge  back - its fine, but the marigolds, well, I'm  getting the feeling they might have had it eh? Time to think about digging a nice low pond I think. Bye bye marigolds thank goodness I've dried all I need. I must lift whats left of the raspberry canes. 3/10 dead at the moment, better get on with that soon.

I also get the feeling kale must be bloody hard man material. Its bobbling about there like a daft beast, but its still there. Well mostly.  We don't mind a bit a wind damage, just as well eh? I also get the feeling that I'm glad I can't see the garden right now, its breaking my heart (*and my gate*) and the windaes (windows) appear to be getting a really good dight (wash).

Pondering the wind........and coffee



A brilliant cartoon by Alex Leonard of The Giddy Limit,
(Thank you Alex for your permission to include a few brilliant cartoons on here, now and again!)

Now, we've got a weather 'alert' like many folk in the UK for bad weather gales and severe gales from the south west (the end of a hurricane Katia, approaching from America), although does look like it may be worse on the mainland than it will be here. But, with weather who knows what will happen it might arrive, it might not, doesn't hurt to be a bit prepared. It can of course get a bit windy here, just a tad, I do wibble on about that alot! And, our house is not unlike the one in the cartoon - brilliant view, but quite exposed and by the sea. Orkney is a relatively flat landscape, which allows the wind to do its best! We had a 50MPH recently a real rocks in the pocket kinda day and that did a fair bit of damage outside to the garden, but we're due something similar again, deep joy. With that in mind, I may hang the laundry indoors today...............or be brave and put it out in the manner of an extreme weather outdoor laundy expert? Might end up over the fence or with me a like that though............ I've added a weather widget - looked like the wind might not get bad at all.....however you never know!



A brilliant view of extreme laundry in Orkney, a cartoon by Alex Leonard of The Giddy Limit



In our main town (Kirkwall) I've noticed lately alot of leaves lying on the ground, battered and brown, the sycamores are beginning to shed thier leaves. This isn't a colourful autumnal frenzy here - the cycle goes, big wind in septmember, some leaves blown off, others brown, going crispy, bigger wind later in the month, more leaves off, all leaves brown and crispy, bigger wind..............repeat as necessary until no leaves remain. I main sound cynical, but its generally a bit like that. Occasional things do get to go a bit 'autumnal', alot of the Rosaceae shurbs and trees appear to manage it up here (Rowan, Rosa rugosa, Whitebeam, etc). I might get a peek at a bit of 'autumn' then, normally I'll head away for a bit 'sooth' to peek at a bit more!

With that in mind, I'm pondering, we did the big 'clear up' yesterday and battoned down most of outside (just in case). But, I'm pondering the willow hedge and whilst I don't want to cut it back at this time of year, cutting back at this time of year aint great here, the wind does alot of damage to undormant shoots - I'm thinking that maybe to save more of it blowing over (5 over so far) therefore I might have to? I'm really undecided, but I might 'need' to do it, if I do I'll cut it down by 1/3 now and then more next April after the wind damage and new undamaged regrowth become apparant. I might sound a bit reticent about this but it happens every year, its horrible, die-back induced by the wind can be 10cm to over 1m on a shoot, but you bite your lip and deal with it.

Ponder, ponder, more coffee ponder.



A brilliant windy view out the windae by Alex Leonard of The Giddy Limit,



If I'm out there - I'm pondering lifting the rosemary, sage and the thyme - or at least lifting the first two and  harvesting the thyme. If my choice is lift them and perhaps keep them going indoors or let the wind 'harvest them' and send a bundle of my home grown pot pourri of herbs garni to Iceland or Norway (depandant on the wind direction?!). Whilst I've no issue with sending herbs to those kind folk in those regions, I'd rather harvest and use them myself! And, if I'm out there then the caldendula flowers probably need to be cut and put on the big wooden platter in the downstairs sunny room to dry on the table in the warmth of the house. When dry these are great as a saffron substitute and recently I've read of a way to infuse oil with their petals and make salves (a great hand cream) and a rather natty gardening hand scrub which I'd like to try.

Ponder, ponder, more coffee.

Finally, if it gets really bad I'll have to figure a plan for the chickens, don't want them flying away do I? I had wondered of adopting a strategy similar to this hilarious one (!?) lets hope it doesn't get that bad......for me and any folk affected. Keep tied down and a few rocks in your pockets if its windy with you!



A brilliant extreme hardy farming in the wind cartoon by Alex Leonard of The Giddy Limit,

 As for me I'm off to tog up and go out there and lift/chop a few things, coffees drunk!

More from the brilliant Alex and the Giddy Limit, a brilliant Orkney cartoon about life up here...... at http://www.giddy-limit.com/

Blowing the cobwebs away, and the chickens, and the hedge...........an odd 'summer' week

Big sea at Birsay, Orkney, August 28th 2011

Now, what would you expect from a blog with 'wind and wellies' in the title, more wind and more rain! To say its been a tad windy this weekend, would in part be expected, perhaps, but its been very very windy? This weekend we've had a couple of real 'rocks in your pockets' kind of days, with winds gusting over 40mph and almost 50, thankfully its calmed down today. Ok, we do get this kind of weather regularly, in winter, but in 'summer' to be honest, I don't think its very fair although looking back a windy month indeed! Now, I don't yet know what carnage its caused in the garden, aside being flooded for most of the weekend and very very windy! Although, whilst wind in the garden is NOT fun,  it does make for an exciting sea, doesn't it? And to make the most of that we often go on real windy, blow-the-cob-webs-away kind of a walk..................we dragged along our visitors, the trusty dog and I.

Waves at Birsay, August 28th 2011

Poor visitors got stuck, stormbound for an extra day up here, which for us was a bonus, for them having got up early to get home, perhaps more than a bit frustrating, but a nice windy walk and an ice-cream later, back home to a lovely 'roastless' roast dinner, was enough to cheer up the spirits! To be honest its been a bit of a strange week, full of the delightfully unexpected, adventures galore and a few changes/discoveries. First of all, I slowly but surely watched the sunflowers 'Baby Face' F1, safely undercover in their fabulous recycled fishboxes, inside the polytunnel, begin to bloom.....

Orkney grown, dwarf sunflower (Helianthus annuus) 'Baby Face' F1

I've not grown dwarf branched sunflowers before, but they are a real robust, strong little chap, nice flowers (pollen free) and they have several buds in each leaf axil, so I've let a few have a main flower and disbudded a few main buds from others to work out which way is the best for  a good spread of flowers for cutting, I'll let you know.  There were 20 in the packet, (Johnstons) and 20 dutifully came up, at £2.25 they are good value for money indeed.

Recycled fishboxes, tunnels and sunflowers - perfect!

Now as painful as it might sound,  but disbudding the main flower bud its not painful. But, by taking it out carefully (before it form a proper flower), this appears to be quicker in allowing the branched flowers to grow on to a decent cutting size. However, the single main flower buds if left unchecked, bloom earlier than the branches, so I'll figure what works well, in the mean time, I'm enjoying seeing their nodding faces as I get into the tunnel. And, the bee's appear to be enjoying them too! How very lovely, it never surprises me at my joy when seeing the bloom of a flower, from a tiny little seed. My spirits are utterly uplifted from any deep dark mood when I happen across one, I can't help but be moved by them. I've no idea why, but I'm so grateful for it.

Sunflower and bumble bee, Orkney

So, I've been having fun, looking at flowers and picking a few and talking to people about the little experiment we've got going on in the 'spare' work tunnel. Aside that, this weeks been a bit strange, I've slowly but surely cleared my own office. As my project is finished, I'm at the very final stage of corrections and our office has been redeployed into another subject area, so I'm now 'desk sharing' in the room next door to mine - very strange to finally get the place cleared.  The list of corrections are almost well and truly done - I'm sending this off this week for approval, fingers crossed.

One chapter closes and another opens..............But, onwards to new adentures me thinks, which I'm sure will be exciting......I've even began to need to rifle around the bowels of many of my own books, such as this great herb book, rather than reading purely academic papers and other exciting books on producing a cutting garden...........

Deni Bown, The RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and thier uses, the definitve A-Z guide to herbs.

All in all whilst a strange week, crazy weather, moving on in life but nevertheless a good one, in which we even made our own hand made soap, with the help of our lovely visitors! To keep going with embracing new things, I've got some vegetarian rennet (I'm going to make cheese this week), I've got a book out about local seasonal eating in Orkney and I've got a book about practical 'self sufficency'. That lot should keep me very busy and finding new things to do. I'm enjoying going into a library again and borrowing books, rather than buying them, I'm trying to be more efficient myself in my 'local' good lifing exploits. Bit like trying to go flowers for cutting instead of buying them, small steps and changes will hopefully make my 'good lifing' a bit more viable.

And of course having visitors for the week means also we've been off exploring a few things together, like the local garden at Happy Valley, which until I took my visitors to explore it, I hadn't realised was such a genuine secret garden, unsignposted but locally very well known! Of course peedie was just delighted to be going back there again! I'll post my own pictures from that particular adventure another time, its an amazing little haven!

Peedie at the wonderful secret garden of Happy Valley, Stenness, Orkney

More about Happy Valley and its extraordinary creator in these links if you fancy a neb (look):

^{http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-13529344}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Valley_(garden)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/blogs/005592/0000012620.shtml

Just goes to show what alot of hard work and a bit of shelter can acheive, enriching folks lives, even in the blustery north! Visitors safely away enroute home, no longer strombound, its time to get the sleeves up here, best get on with that tunnel then eh? Until next time...................

Aint nobody here but us [frozen] chickens...............

A funny old week here, my daughter birthday, but she's away (that's my favourite photo of her age 4, dressed in her own unique way, blowing me a kiss, on way to a gardening open day and now age 15! wow I remember that photo like it was yesterday!), we've had family visitors too and gone from full on house to empty nest, in the space of 5 days, freezing weather, as I type my nose is cold and I'm wearing a jumper and a fleece! The 24th of July and its 11 degrees with wind speed of 27 mph and gusting at nearly 40 mph! Bah, so much for summer, we've been out exploring in hats and scarves and jumpers and fleeces. We've also been doing some indoor exploring, where we found a lovely painted butterfly -  so that cheered me up, the cellist loves butterflies, so it also reminded me of her!

The weather on the other hand, did NOT claim to be so cheery - the met office told me:

Sun 24 Jul - Orkney Weather

Time Weather Temp Wind Visibility Dir Speed Gust

1300 13 °C NNW 27 mph 37 mph Very Good

1600 12 °C NNW 24 mph 36 mph Good

1900 11 °C NNW 22 mph 36 mph Good

2200 11 °C NNW 19 mph 30 mph Moderate

Although on Monday it will be a bit warmer................ nearly 14 degree not really very warm, but better!

Mon 25 Jul

0700 11 °C NNW 15 mph 25 mph Good

1000 12 °C NNW 15 mph Very Good

1300 13 °C NNW 16 mph Very Good

1600 14 °C NNW 17 mph Very Good

1900 13 °C NW 14 mph 24 mph Very Good

Bah!

However, can't grumble too much, its also been full of visiting tall ships and lots of elderflower coridal being made as our elderflowers are flowering like crazy at the moment, a great recipe here from a kind fellow blogger, thank you! And, I got to go to a garden with the lovely purple cut leaved elder - very pretty, more about that later..............

The beginning of the week was full of vibrant life and visitors, and a wonderful energetic toddler, driving on the mower (the tiddler called it a tractor, who am I to argue?), vigorously collecting eggs (we didn't break many!) and  alot of walking and exploring, both indoors (at a play place, full of shiny balls and fun) and also outdoors, including  wearing wellies, spashing in puddles and at the beach after fish and chips for tea!

I don't have many photos of these, as, um, I was very busy, um, driving tractors and making silly noises and splashing and silly stuff as an Aunty, its my duty to splash and do silly stuff and beep beep when driving the tractor, for no real reason up the drive and down again. OK, we did need to give the mower a drive to keep it running (right?!) and to get a bit wet at the beach, and OK it was cold, but at the beach, splashing is compulsary, right?

This week was also the15th birthday for the absent cellist who's 1000's of miles away in France, Happy birthday to my favourite girl, we'll make you a cake when home, 2 week in France gone, 4 week to go til they come home (not that I'm counting you understand)! Yay! Being a single parent sometimes means you miss out on many birthdays and often many christmas's too, it sucks but then again, I get all the everyday good bits too, and they do need time with their other family. I do miss them though! Happy Birthday girlie, more adventures again soon when you're home xx

Age 5, waving in the Orkney sunshine.....and now age nearly 15 on a trip to Hoy.

Now, all the visitors went home yesterday on to empty life for a few days with folk away home and new folk arriving on Monday night. But, I'll keep busy with a house to tidy up again and chores to do. Its very, very cold, if the garden wasn't in leaf, I'd swear it was November, bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

And, of course at the end of the week, the news of a very horrible tragedy for our near neighbours and close friends in Norway, what a horrible thing to happen, I thought the way Sian thoughtfully put up a few words  here was very poingnant. Thank you to her for that, I've lit a candle too and am thinking of those poor folk in Norway.

Wonder what the next week will bring, hopefully more peace in the world and perhaps, selfishly a little more warmth here!

A mixed week...

I'm having a bit of a funny week, its been warm, misty, down right freezing and almost every type of weather in between. And, chickens have been more than a bit cheeky in both coming into the house, hopping into the car when you fancy getting on with something and generally just being menaces - their summer free range days are over (soon).

They are now driving me crazy - can't turn around but you find 5 'mountian-goat-like-chickens' on top of the piano looking very innocently on. Waiting for a tune, no doubt? And the second photo is a chicken LEAVING the house - lol. Pesky chickens and thier adventuring, but they do make me giggle.

I managed to get the tomato window boxes filled at the weekend, prior to planting, for our great 2011 tomato growing adventure. We've planted 10, another 10 to go - 2-3 in each box and they will be planted for growing upstairs in the living room. But, whilst filling them with chicken looking on, of course, it wasn't long before 6 of them had a pad about in the compost, before we got it inside, just to check it was OK you understand, very pernickly chickens it would seem!

The sun at the weekend brought out alot of things quickly, which meant a walk at lunchtime in town around the normal route - with el hound. Peedie - trotting down the path quite the thing whilst I nosied into folks gardens to see whats up and growing well.

The spirea has just burst out into flower, this does well here, early, suckering and pretty robust and a scent to die for.....

Of course, the star of shrub land at the moment here is flowering currant - looking gorgeous and everywhere around the island - very beautiful and a great early flowering shrub - hardy where we are.......

Another flowering beauty at this time of year are Primula denticulata (or Kirrie dumplings as I know them from central scotland) - they are all over the place, purple, through to white and almost blue in some cases - gorgeous - here's a look over a garden near the college where my desk is......

Aren't they wondeful? I love them! One thing that grows well here, and is cut back to the ground in mainland scotland is Fushia magellanica - buds up and growing about to go bonkers..........

And I've been tidying up my veggie plot at work  during teaching at the weekend, (in the sun! wierd weather here) - and lifted alot of a gorgeous alpine strawberry - white fruits, taste like bubblegum - yummy collected the seed from fife but it didn't come true red, it came white and they are all like that - and really prolific - so I listed them on eBay and as if by magic they've mostly sold. Yay for flowers helping to pay the bills in our little homestead!

Next, of course I've a hedge to plant - 1000 mixed species of willow (salix) cuttings (hard wood) about to go into the ground, you'll be hearing my salix symphony quite soon - or should I be asking for some salix sympathy?

After I'm done? I'll be achey thats for sure!!!! But aren't they gorgeous? About 100 cutting in each pot of water! A forest on my table, well at least a 150 m, 1m wide hedge..........! They are being soaked for 24 hours prior to planting to get the stems ready for planting - helps to active the preformed roots inside the stem which this species has - quite unlike other shrubs - clever little willows! By this time at the end of the summer, each of them will have grown into lovely little shrubs about 1m tall.

All in all, a productive, chicken infected, mix of a week!

Hope your week been good!