Six months since our last update, and summer is easing into autumn. Darlington autumns were characterised by leaves, collecting leaves, transporting leaves and dumping leaves. Our lives here barely connect with leaves at all, as the few trees shed their leaves in stronger winds. We are noticing the shorter days, but are still to turn on the heating or change from our thinnest duvet. The first gales were earlier this week, though, and took our shed roofing felt.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I've not kept notes, so instead here is a photo diary. Jenny finally went digital in the spring, and almost all the photos are hers, ordered more or less as taken.

We were given a pair of orphaned lambs in the spring, named Roast and Curried. Initially extremely cute, very demanding and tiny. Curried didn't survive, but Roast is now a fine young ewe. Failed to keep all the grass down, though, so next year we may try to get a few more.

Bottle feeding for the first few weeks did mean we had many children visit us to help. Some of the children were in their twenties.

 

When she'd owned the camera a few weeks, Jen joined a weekend course in digital photography. Returned with hundreds of photos, so a small sample is here. Certainly, it gave her a confidence to muck about with settings more than I do. Many were taken in a local wood, but then they travelled out to coast and a derelict house. She gave me a framed and signed set of photos for my birthday. They all look much better larger and with higher definition, so give a click on any of them.

Our last news page told of visits from several people, family and friends, and the summer has been busy too. Our first "summer season" visitors were Keith and Rhian, who towed a boat up here and had loads of oak strapped to the trailer. Gradually the gallows Keith built became a serious garden swing.

Other visitors included Jenny's parents, some friends of friends from Warwick, Jane and Catherine, (who spent days laying concrete for us); Alison from Darlington (who also sorted my office out, in addition to concreting and painting); Guy and Sarah from Darlington, with Katherine, Robert and Edward; Margaret and Geoff; then, at the end of August, Dave and Gill from Darlington, with Robert and Helen.

We've also had several trips south, meeting up with friends in Glasgow, golden wedding anniversary, two weddings and, just this weekend, a funeral, more of which later.

Here we go, then, a whole bunch of photos which give a totally unbalanced view of our first Orkney Summer.

Still cute - shortly after this Curried (darker lamb) died.	Rainbow at the bottom of the garden.
Neighbour's grandchildren.
Digging the shed base...	...Jenny in the cab...	...and pretty good.
	Used the digger to put a load of fence posts in, too.
Skara Brae	Skaill Bay	Yesnaby
	Bonxie (Gt. Skua)
J's dad	growing....
Punk Roast - after treatment for orf.
Looks like Swaldale.		Catherine and Jane
		Alison
		Cottongrass
Mull Head
	The Gloup
	Bridesmaid peg bag - made for the golden wedding.	Our house top left.
	Stromness
The Subliminals		Wingates
	Seals cramming the skerries off Wyre	Ferry to Rousay
Couldn't have constructed the shed without Guy.	The photo's leaning, not the shed!	Roast always wanted to help
Air pump in bath was highlight of visit		I threw in many rocks before getting the timing right!
Sandi Sand
Sands of Evie
Fine figures of men...
	Andrew's wedding
Laura and Andrew		Geoff and Steve - not actually holding hands!

 

Postscript to the Summer
When Margaret and Geoff visited only a few weeks ago, my brother-in-law Geoff was on absolutely top form. He loved the history and landscape, and immediately started looking for a job to move here! Margaret was trying to be a little more realistic, but we all enjoyed a great time together.
It was a massive shock and sadness to hear of his death weeks after seeing him so happy. His funeral, last Friday, was a most moving event and the memories shared by so many people gave more smiles and laughter than we'd expected. Thanks, brother, for those memories.

September 24th 2006