Norq From Ork

It’s not often I wake up feeling like someone has taken a blow torch to my legs, but following my monumental (for me) hill climb last weekend that’s exactly how I felt on Monday morning.  What had seemed like a good idea at the time had ended up being several hours of humiliation at my snail-like speed followed by several days of post-challenge agony and walking like John Wayne. I came away with a lesson well learned. Next time I get a notion to challenge myself, set the bar lower. So low that I have a vague chance of being able to step over it two days later.

In the new world of something for every day of the year, Monday turned out to be world sushi day, or something vaguely like that.  I don’t know why sushi has to have its own day but seemingly even bits of fish on rice wants its own recognition now.  By strange coincidence, I’ve been going through a sushi phase and had unwittingly bought some to mark the special day.  I buy it because it’s nearly always reduced in the supermarket, probably because most people think it’s rank.  I quite like it.  It also reminded me of a text I received from Miss Lashes when she was a student at uni.  In my day, students lived off pot noodles but now it seems they are high maintenance spoiled brats  more refined.

This week was marked by midsummer. The longest day in Orkney is pretty monumental because it barely gets dark. It’s so light outside you could read the newspaper outside. These days though, who would want to?  You’ve pretty much read it all on the internet when it actually happened. But for those of you who want to know what happened yesterday, take your paper and read it outside at midnight, in Orkney, just because you can.

Once midsummer was over though, including all the obligatory jokes about winter drawing in etc Orkney decided to fall in line by producing something akin to in the bleak midsummer. Wind, rain and fog. I managed a little sunshine pit stop at lunch time in the week but that soon diminished and by Saturday we ended up lighting the fire, and in true winter style I lay on the couch and read a book. My watch hardly registered any movement from me at all. I guess if you can’t beat it, you might as well join it.

Tech Support has officially left school now as he attended his school prom this weekend. Proms are an American tradition moved over here at some point long after my school days. But there’s something lovely about young people wanting to dress up in suits and long dresses. Tech Support looked incredibly smart in his suit. I seem to have a permanent lump in my throat as I contemplate him leaving home soon and my empty nest. I couldn’t have been more proud to see him standing looking so handsome in his new suit just before he left.  Here he is with the glorious Bay of Skaill behind him, shrouded in a cloud of fog. *rolls eyes*

I’m looking forward to a trip to London soon to visit Miss Lashes and NotPhil.  But for now I’m heading into another week living the dream. The good news is that after my dedication to extreme inactivity this weekend I will at least be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning.

Have a great week everyone. Thanks as always to everyone who stops and says hi and how they enjoy reading.  I enjoy hearing from you all too. 🙂