Norq From Ork

Sunrise, sunset

The sun rose and set for another week in Orkney but this time I’m pretty sure I noticed it took the tiniest bit longer to go down as the nights are beginning to draw out. No matter the time of year, the Orkney skies never cease to bring beauty.

Domestic Bliss

It’s been a busy week of organising for the funeral of Orkney Beef’s mother (see Saying Goodbye) and on Friday Orkney Beef took a break from meetings and planning to text me at work to say he would be picking me up for lunch.

‘where shall we go for lunch?’

‘I don’t want to go out for lunch’

‘Why not?!”

‘I’ve just  joined Scottish Slimmers’

‘what, AGAIN?’

‘I’ve been really ‘good’ and don’t want to spoil it’

We agreed on getting a packed lunch and driving out somewhere to eat it in the car.  Like the good Darby and Joans that we are, we sat staring through the windscreen of the car whilst eating lunch (Orkney Beef with his sandwiches, crisps and chocolate and me with my fruit) whilst discussing the practicalities of daily life.

‘We haven’t wormed the dog in a while, can you go past the vets and pick some up?’

‘Have you checked your suit trousers still fit for tomorrow?’  

‘any chance of one of your chocolates?

‘I thought you just started a new diet?’

‘one won’t hurt’

etc etc

He did give me his last rolo to be fair.

Anyway, the dog was successfully wormed ( Man V Dog )   and the trousers still fit……just.

Going doon the pier a luck

In the evening we went to collect relatives from the boat who had been travelling up for the funeral. I’ve probably mentioned this before but Orkney Beef simply cannot drive past a harbour without ‘going doon the pier a luck'(look) Kirkwall, Stromness or even Westray or Hoy we have spent many a time ‘going doon the pier a luck’ He once worked a 12 hour shift at the pier, met me for dinner then suggested we ‘go doon the pier a luck’ So I’m well used to it.  Friday was no different. We had arrived at the boat very early (no doubt a ploy) so of course, we had plenty of time to ‘go doon the per a luck’

Thankfully the view of Stromness from the pier that night was as pretty as a picture so I didn’t mind too much.

Keep Moving Forward

After a long and tiring week, Orkney Beef decided to spend some time alone and went for a long walk with the dog. He covered several miles and took many photos whilst taking the chance to clear his thoughts and prepare for his return to work.  Pictured below are the fishermens’ huts at Marwick.  Stone buildings built as places for storage built many years ago.  I once wrote a short story based around one of these old huts and it won a prize.

In the distance here you can see the famous Old man of Hoy.  A stone stack which people travel up to Orkney to climb.

I’m Reading

Searching in Secret Orkney by Wasyl Nimenko. I’ve only just started it so I haven’t got very far but it’s about a doctor’s experience on being sent to Orkney to work as a locum. I was twitching by page 4 when the author wrote ‘The Orkneys’ Ask any Orcadian and they will tell you they live in Orkney not The Orkneys.  It soon catches on.  Anyway, that aside it’s interesting so far.

I hope you have a good week.  We never know what’s around the corner just as I had no idea last week when I wrote how the week would pan out. But whatever life throws at you may you find the strength to deal with it and friends to help you along the way.