Norq From Ork

 

Note, the mug is small, the house is far away….

 

For this first time this year Orkney Beef and I sat outside sat outside in the sunshine and had a cuppa. It didn’t last long but it was enjoyable all the same. Later in the week it wasn’t really sitting outside weather but that may be my fault.  No sooner had a posted on social media that I had graduated from heavy duty high viz jacket to lightweight one, when the weather changed, and my evening walk was one where I was soaked to the skin and frozen.  So, it’s my fault for getting a little over excited about briefly milder temperatures.  I’m sorry.

A few weeks ago I started my ‘operation no excuses’ where I vowed to walk daily regardless of the weather.  So far it’s been a success and I’ve only missed on day.  The benefits have been enormous and I’m already noticing changes.  I feel so much better and it’s a great way to start the day, and last week three people commented that they thought I had lost weight. One of the best benefits so far for me was a difference in my hip which has been painful for months and months.  I’ve had X-rays, massage, and anti-inflammatories.  Sadly I’d fallen into the trap of not exercising because any exercise seemed to aggravate it and leave me in pain and uncomfortable all the time, especially at night. It’s like tooth ache in the hip. The great news is that since walking things seem to be improving. I’m sure to a trained eye (or perhaps untrained) I still walk badly, but for me the change is remarkable.  Here’s to putting one foot in front of the other……

Orkney Beef and I did just that in the week and walked up to the Kitchener Memorial which stands high on the cliffs at Marwick just a few miles from where we live. It was built by public subscription to honour the memory of Lord Kitchener who was lost in June 1916, when the cruiser H.M.S. Hampshire sank nearby. Of the 667 officers and men on board, only 12 survived. A wall now surrounds the memorial with the names of everyone who was lost.

 

Seeing it so high and being buffeted by the winds is always so poignant.  Even in such a beautiful setting the weather can be harsh and bleak.  What must those men have suffered? To give you an idea of the scale of the memorial you can see Orkney Beef standing at the bottom. I would love to climb to the top some day.

 

It wouldn’t be My Week in Pictures without a few sunrise pictures, so I sat up in bed and took this one through a dirty bedroom window. Just keeping it real.

 

I managed to step outside for this one. It’s not a dirty window this time it’s a misty morning.

 

Today the three churches in Stromness had a united thanksgiving service.  This weekend marks the beginning of Stromness Per Mare celebrations, as it is 200 years since it became a burgh. Extracts from the original charter were read, just as they were read in church on this day in 1817. The there will be many events to celebrate over the year in Stromness, a beautiful fishing town with winding, narrow streets. Per Mare means ‘by the sea’ or better still ‘sustained by the sea’ Years ago the harbour was filled with hundreds of fishing boats.  Whilst many still fish from here, it’s less now, but it’s still a thriving and special place and somewhere I love to be.  I really enjoyed the joint service and thinking about the hopes and dreams of the people 200 years ago.  How times have changed, is of course beyond any ones imagination.  The churches we attend weren’t even built, but I continue to love the magical history of many unspoiled places in Orkney, and enjoy the foundations our ancestors worked hard to lay to bring us to where we are today.

 

 

Enjoy your week everyone.