Norq From Ork

Orkney is currently going through a teenage phase, at least weather speaking anyway. We are having to deal with daily mood swings at the moment and the occasional slam of the bedroom door.

The title is an old proverb basically meaning ‘don’t take your coat off until end of May’ Yesterday we woke up to snow. Not enough to stop traffic and cancel school as Tech Support son was rather hoping; but enough to cover the ground for the merest of moments. By the time I’d rushed out and taken a photograph or two it was pretty much gone again but the cold remained.  Orkney people talk about ‘lambing snow’ and they are of course absolutely right.  Many a year I’ve taken the hood of my anorak down and declared Spring season open before I’m quickly corrected and told ‘it’ll snow yet’ Orcadians have endured enough winters to know their stuff.  Lambing snow is a wet snow that tends to arrive mid to end of April just to remind us who is in charge. Thankfully the views remain beautiful in all things. I would listen with the sound on for this one to catch the birds.

Later on the sun came out and it was a beautiful warm, Spring afternoon.  We took a drive up Brinkies Brae which enables you to get a panoramic view of Stromness. It’s fantastic and I took this wee film clip.  Apologies that I sound like I’m in a wind tunnel, we were quite high up so it was breezy. Turn the sound off this time!

Miss Lashes went back to her uni life and not before the weather changed, and we dropped her off at the airport in snow again! The weather can be hugely varied in various parts of the mainland and pictured is a postcard by Alex Leonard who does weekly cartoons  called the Giddy Limit for the local newspaper. He sums up  Orkney life perfectly.  Have a great weekend and I hope wherever you are, the sun shines longer than the dash from the house to the car.