Island Girl

So after Andy departed from this grand island--to return to the drudgery of work (yep, rubbing it in a little), I continued with my October Holiday, with a visit to another island, Orkney.
--in case you did not appreciate the intensity of my feeling--October Holiday ROCKS!  really.  It ranks up there with the 20-minute coffee break and one-hour lunch break of my daily life.  Return to normalcy does not sound appealing from this perspective.

I learned today, that the October holiday used to be called the Tatie Holiday.  (Tatie is the local word for potato).
In days not that long gone by, this was a holiday from school so that pupils could earn a few shillings by helping to bring in the potato crop.

Okay, back to Orkney...which, according to my friend Dewitt, is a funny sounding name.  I will blog another time on the delights of the town names in Scotland. . .

Orkney is an island north of Scotland.  It is actually made up of some 70 islands.  The "mainland," confusing, I know, is Orkney.  Seventeen islands, I think, are uninhabited.  There is some 5500 years of history on these islands--living and farming!  They were once a Norwegian colony.  The Vikings played a huge role in their history.  The neolithic sights are amazing...but here the histories overlap so beautifully.  There is Viking graffiti marks left in some of the neolithic sites..

People have not changed much, by the way...some of the graffiti is just about a beautiful women left behind, another was a quick picture of a dragon, another is bragging about being the best ruin writer!  The fact that I got to see these markings with my own eyes, was pretty amazing...even more so, that I was standing in a neolithic tomb at the time.  

So, yea, Orkney...I loved every moment.

Lots of water and boating history associated with an
island, not surprisingly.  This is from a small dock in

Stromness.

I really liked the use of tiny yard space...plus this
reminded me of my Babka's back yard, a terraced,
childhood wonderland.  It had a tall retaining wall,
too, but MUCH narrower stairs--and flowers, a riot
of flowers.  I imagine this garden has flowers, too,
in the spring.

I found that the constant of the water was very appealing to me.  I feel

a contentment and peace looking out over the surf.

This is a doorway to the inner "street" of the neolithic
village of Skara Brae.  All the houses open off of the

covered street to help cut the wind and the chill.  The 

people in 3100 BC were not tiny, the low ceilings also 

reduced the space for the elements to get in.  Average 

heights?  5'2" and 5'7".  

Every house had the exact same layout, suggesting that these people

     shared a believe in community harmony through sameness.  The 

     cubbyhole structure is a dresser, possibly for displaying one's best 

     possessions or for easy access to the items one needed in every day life.

     Left and right there are two bed spaces. These people used stones to create

     either a bedframe or a sense of privacy.  The central hearth is in the middle

     of the room, located in the bottom middle of the picture.  I am standing 

     above the door way.  Interesting point:  there are three stone boxes and

     one stone seat in front of the dresser.  The boxes are waterproof and 

     used to keep fish or shellfish alive before preparing or to use as bait.  

Thistle and field grass near the Ring of Brodgar

One of the standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar, a large and impressive

henge.

These are standing stones at the Ring of Stenness.

This is a similar, but less developed site than the one at Skara Brae.
This is site is called Barnhouse.

This is the front view of the Italian Chapel.  It is on the Island of Lamb Holm and was built by Italian prisoners of war.  The POWs were made to build the Churchill Barriers--to block the water passage of the Scapa Flow.  The church was constructed out of two Nissen huts joined end-to-end and is charmingly painted inside to resemble an old church.

Closer

Interior

Exterior

Deliberately sunken ships in Scapa Flow

Building Materials and the foundation of the Churchill Barriers.  The signs

before you cross warn that you do so at your own danger.

Tomb of the Eagles.  You can either crawl in (knee
pads provided in container at left) or lie on the big
skateboard and pull yourself through using the rope.
Pretty cool, eh?  I used the board and rope pulling entry.

Close up

This is a neolithic dove cot (pronounced doo coh).  There are still doves

living inside.  

Closer

Interior

The Cairn of Unstan

Interior looking out

I had to walk with my butt on my heels to get through

the low passage. I am inside the close passage here.

This was once a famed Viking hall (the Earl's Hall or Bu) near Orphir. Drinking,

singing, and playing, both foul and fair, occurred here according to the sagas.  This 

is a view cross the bu, a long view.  

I was introduced to the writer and poet George MacKay Brown.
Here is one of his poems: 

A Work for Poets 

---

To have carved on the days of our vanity A sun A ship A star A cornstalk Also a few marks From an ancient forgotten time A child may read That not far from the stone A well Might open for wayfarers Here is a work for poets - Carve the runes Then be content with silence.

Other random Orkney facts.
North Ronaldsay sheep only eat seaweed.  They are virtually fat free.  I ate lamb while on island--and it was delicious--but I do not know if it was of the seaweed variety.

On the mainland Island (love the irony of this) of Orkney there is a parish named Harray.  In this parish there is a man who creates pottery.  Wait for it...

He calls his shop Harray Potter.

Orkney shares some similarities in burials and structures with Caitness in northern Scotland, just across the water.  It is said the ancient people sailed from Caithness with their cattle to avail themselves of the excellent farmland in Orkney.  The must have been very good sailors, as well.  The weather was 2 degrees (Celsius) warmer in the neolithic age...making for productive and enticing farming conditions on Orkney.

I was surveyed at the dock before my ferry departed.  In the pleasant conversation, I was informed that Orkney has two seasons:  9 months of winter and three months of severe weather.  But I think he was exaggerating a bit.

I think that I am a bit enamored of the island and will return, at the very least to see the puffins who nest there in the early part of summer.

And I treated myself to this little gift.  The colors and shapes reminds me of the light and water of my holiday in Orkney.

When Love Comes to Town

My husband came to visit me!
On October 13, he arrived just in time to celebrate our 12th anniversary of wedded bliss.  Aw.
We did a little of all things we love to do, but mostly and especially, we spent time together.  Holding hands is seriously sexy stuff.
Here is a bit of the run-down of our time together.
We left "Oldenshire" for parts west on Sunday, our anniversary.  Oldenshire is what Andy jokingly called Oldmeldrum, and it stuck!
En route, we visited Strathisla Distillery.  (pronounced Strath-EYE-lah).  The tour was through a beautiful old building.  The whisky was quiet tasty.

The still house...happily the warmest and cheeriest place

I can just picture him as a master distiller, can't you?
Perhaps his calling in another life!

Lovely cupolas stretching into a sky that looks warmer than it was.

N and A at Strathisla

Note the lovely sun...it snowed the next day

Then we drove on to the town of Elgin. (pronounced like el GUN, but with an IN sound in place of the u).  This was a place of monastic study and learning.  The cathedral was elaborate and extensive.  I have since learned that there was also a Bishopric less than 10 miles away.  There was a bit of political discomfort created due to their proximity.  

We are in what would be the music loft on one end of
the cathedral.  We are looking down
at the interior of the main church and across to the alter piece (note
the circle-space for the stained glass).  The burial stones would have been
inset into the floor.  The pillar ruins, I can seen nine (four about three
feet high on the right side and five almost flush with the floor on the left
side) aligning what would be the main portion of the cathedral--or the area where
pews would be in most church-spaces.

I just love this "haunting" image!  Scottish ghosts are hot!

A different view, higher up from the viewing platform, atop the tower.

Side wall of the cathedral separating the building from the bone yard

Many of the graves had the skull and cross bones

This one has a groovy skeleton. I am not sure what the squares

     and rectangles represent.

Then we drove to Lossiemouth a sea-side town along the North Sea.  It was a sunny afternoon and we marveled about the following: 1.  People were swimming (yes they were young but come on now).  You might be relieved to know they wore wet suits, but only 1/2 wet suits.  These people have tougher skin than we.

2.  Almost everyone we saw was eating ice cream. I was wearing my woolen gloves!   

Along the stony beach at Lossiemouth--looking out at the North Sea

Happy Anniversary, my love!
Love, aged a perfectly tasty twelve years...

This was pretty cool--a cart being powered by high winds and a parachute.

The quality of light is stunning in this country

I am not sure if the light makes my man look better or the other way around.

Note the wind in my hair...and my bundled-up-ed-ness
No ice cream for me!

 We drove into Dufftown that evening to stay at a cosy and welcoming Tannochbrae bed and breakfast.  Then dinner at La Faisanderie for delicious French food and wine.  The next day, we visited a cooperage to see how casks are made.  We call them barrels, but that is the name of a specific size of cask.  Other common cask sizes for whisky production include butt and hogshead.  We enjoyed a lucky timing, as our trip coincided with the 150 anniversary of a steam train line between Dufftown and Keith.  We got to ride on a train pulled by an ancient steam engine!

All aboard!

Can't you image the chug a chug sound just looking at this wheel?

I was one of two lucky gals who got to climb in and see
the inner workings of the coal-driven engine.

As a heat-whore, I was content to linger here by the fire.

I loved the steam.  It was hard to see at times due to
the chilly, steam-filled air--a scene from out of a
steam punk novel!

I don't know if the video will work...but give it a try.

The rest of the day was spent in whisky soaked bliss (and in trying to warm up).  We had a special tour at Balvenie (pronounced bal-VEN-ie) at 2:00 p.m.  It lasted for over three hours.  We got a very personal tour of the distillery; Andy bottled his own cask strength whisky; and we tasted and tasted and tasted.  So much fun.
Later, we were treated to a superb meal at Tannochbrae and gifted a dram each for toasting our 12 years together.  Thanks owners Alan and Susie!  Our dram was called A'Bunadh (means the original) from the Abelour distillers.  It was some potent stuff, but we learned that you add water until the nosing no longer stings your nose.  The amount of water is different for every drinker!  It was one of the best things I have ever tasted--and paired with sticky toffee pudding?  TO DIE FOR!

A satisfied man with his dram!

My hairy coos--and evidence of snow

Our final days took up to Inverness and down to Loch Ness and (for the obligatory, not-surprisingly cheesy) Loch Ness Monster visitor center tour.  The best part of this day was the beauty of the Loch and of Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle on the Loch Ness

The Urquhart Castle was one of the largest strong holds in Scotland
during its time.

EVERYONE loves Andy, even little birdies!  In the Gardens at Brodie Castle.

This was a magical week for me--full of all the things I love to do with the man that I love.  We toured castles, tasted new delights, explored and enjoyed new surroundings.  But, the best part of the week, was how much fun we had.  I have not laughed as much in all the ten weeks I have been here than in this one week with Andy.

I thought I would be sad when he left.  That the house would feel empty without him.  That I would be desperately missing him.   What I feel instead is a deep and meaningful joy for the love he gives to me.  Instead of feeling lonely, I fill full up.  Unexpected lesson of the Fulbright?  I have the best husband in the world.