Fri, May 23 First a couple of catch-up things: number one, I want to thank Liz Sorenson for getting us all on the Orkney trail. She and her partner John Nove own an old farmstead on the furthest out Orkney island, Papa Westray, and they rent this now totally renovated farmhouse as a self-catering B&B when they are not in residence. Liz owns Sheep & Shawl (www.sheepandshawl.com) a small yarn (and much more) shop in South Deerfield MA. We had planned to rent their place (www.papawestray.co.uk/papay/peatwell.html) until Michael joined us and we needed larger accommodations. In hindsight I am glad we are staying on Mainland which makes access to many sites a whole lot easier. Papa Westray is really out there and scheduling around ferry times is not easy! Second, I mentioned the “loving bowl” I am giving my son and his fiancee. The official word for this type of bowl is quaich which is pronounced–and I was given much instruction on this–as if you were preparing to expectorate mightily while saying quake.
We have reserved our place for an 11 o’clock tour at Maeshowe so we are all prepared to leave Stromness, dressed for the cold, by 10:15. We get a really good guide Aneka who is from Poland (each group going in is limited to about 15 people) and we are inside the mound for over an hour.
This 4700 year old structure is truly impressive. Four massive standing stones form the corners of the chamber and probably predate the chamber itself. The walls of the chamber are perfectly built with cells off the main room which are assumed to be burials sites. The entrance, which is aligned to the winter solstice sunset as the sun sets between the Hoy hills as aforementioned, is narrow and low (a little over a yard high and about 20 feet long.)
A stone slab, which is positioned to be pivoted, marks and can close off the opening. The roof was originally corbelled stone but is now a concrete dome. This site was certainly noted by the Norsemen who spent time in this chamber and probably lived in or were visiting this region and there are several examples of runic writing, graffiti actually, inside the chamber. Although some of the runes describe great treasures found here, nothing has ever come to light since the Norsemen returning from the crusades carved their comments here: “Ingibiorg, the fair widow….” and “Thorfinn carved these runes….” about 1150 CE
Among the various Norse inscriptions there is the well-known dragon (or lion) which we had expected to be bigger but is only about 4 inches high.
From Maeshowe we drive to Orphir where there is the ruin of the Norse round church modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Only the apse remains, built by Earl Hakon after the slaying of Earl Magnus and upon his return from pilgrimage. Like Maeshowe, it and the adjoining earls’ bu (drinking hall) are mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga.
We watch a short film in the Orkneyinga Saga Centre on this murder and atonement tale.
From there we drive south down through Burray (skipping the Fossil Museum and its dreadful coffee!) to South Ronaldsay, intending to explore the Tomb of the Eagles. By the time we get there, however, the wind has picked up and the temperature has dropped even more (it is just a micro-degree away from sleet I am convinced) and we learn at the visitor centre that the walk in is more than a mile and the entrance fee of 7 pounds (wish I could find the symbol on my keyboard!) per person seems high plus the description of the site itself seems underwhelming so we give this spot the slip and head up to St Margarets Hope so Michael can see if the people in The Loft still have the cabling needle which had inadvertently been left there when he exchanged the yarn earlier. (They replaced it.) Back in Stromness Jill made dinner. 
Jillian’s Really, It’s Very Simple Lamb Chops (from the Dounby Butcher)
Mint Sauce: 2 handfuls fresh mint (right from our cottage’s courtyard) finely-chopped
2 tsp sugar Almost cover with boiling water.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and
1/3 c malt vinegar. Let sit.
Grill lamb chops on top of stove (we have definitely decided the oven does not work) with
sliced mushrooms.
Serve with boiled new potatoes and steamed broccoli.
At the same time (and for lunch, etc) Lynn has made:
The Great Everything Is It Soup? Stew? Casserole?
In a crock pot put onions, parsnips, garlic, leeks, carrots, celery, savoy cabbage, hot peppers, mixed Italian herbs, all sliced or diced.
Add chicken broth and
about 1 1/2 c soup mix (a dried mixture we had bought at the co-op of barley, red lentils and green and yellow split peas.)
Slow cooked over 4 slices of the wonderful Orkney bacon for 8 to 10 hours on the “low” setting of the crock pot.
Serve with plain Greek yogurt and
sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
More Spite & Malice, more knitting and more of the Chelsea Flower Show. Having given up temporarily on the netzpatent, I am reading the George Mackay Brown Island of the Women.
