watercolors – Page 2 – Moonshine Mohair at Keldaby Farm

Tomb of the Eagles

Fri, May 17th 2019

Jen has once again found something new for us. (We keep telling her that she would make a terrific tour guide for her own company–thorough, organized, enthusiastic, people-oriented, reliable–in a word or two creatively professional. She isn’t tempted!) Today we will return to the Tomb of the Eagles because there will be a guide there who does story-telling. The site is at the south end of South Ronaldsay, the most southerly of the Orkney archipelago and connected by way of Burray to Mainland via a couple of bridges and the Churchill Barriers. Our storyteller is a young German woman who is okay but not totally scintillating. Perhaps the story she tells isn’t one of the better ones. We skip the milelong walk out to the tomb (we were there just two years ago) and have our lunch on the beach followed by a bit of beach-combing. http://www.tomboftheeagles.co.uk

Then it’s up to St Margaret’s Hope at the north end of the island and a visit to The Workshop and Loft Gallery. www.workshopandloftgallery.co.uk I have sworn off buying any more Orcadian sweaters and so of course immediately find one I want. So does Lynn. We buy them and then head to Robertson’s (where last trip we couldn’t have a dessert while others were eating lunch–“That’s not how it’s done here” she had said.) Fortunately that waitress was not on hand and we happily had our cappuccinos and beers. https://www.orkneyfoodanddrink.com

Next on the agenda is Kirkwall, not easily achieved as there is a stretch of road with construction happening–no sign of this when we had headed out this morning. Slow going and so unusual–generally it’s sheep in the road that tie us up. Lynn had ordered a thumb ring at Aurora and we pick it up now and then Lynn and I find a shop that sells real flags–heavy-duty, double-stitched, not printed Orkney flags for home. We each buy one; our first ones are tattered and faded after two New England winters. There is nothing on the notice board at the Reel to suggest our musician acquaintances we met in Rousay would be performing that weekend.

Here’s one of the new flags behind a very serious Lynn

Back at the cottage I make Jazz Chops, porkchops that have been browned in a salted cast iron skillet then braised in white wine with sliced apples, sliced onion, garlic, honey, and nutmeg until tender. After dinner we stroll down to the Ferry Inn where we think, we hope, there may be live music. The bar is packed with regulars but no music. We have beer or soda, Jill enjoys a mild flirtation and then we head back home feeding all the cats we encounter from our stashes of kitty treats.

Eleanor and the Butcher

Wed, May 15th 2019

Jen has noticed that there will be a guided tour of the standing stones and Barnhouse village this morning so we head out for Stenness because although we’ve been there numerous times we figure there’s more to learn. Good call! Eleanor MacLeod, who hales originally from Lewis (in the Hebrides), is an excellent enthusiastic guide, full of stories and folk traditions. She also clarifies for us what a henge is; many think it is the ring of stones, but no, it is the ditch and earthworks which may or may not include standing stones. For more on the village check out this link: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/barnhouse/

And you can find some of the traditions about the standing stones at this link: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/standingstones/

They’ve come to listen to Eleanor MacLeod!

Jen has also checked the tide times and so we then head to Birsay, It’s low tide, there is hardly any water at all and so no seals appear and we quickly walk across to the Brough and stay for a while though we don’t make the trek up to the lighthouse and cliffs beyond.

In Dounby we find the butcher shop open and are truly relieved. We had worried that perhaps it had closed. She’s the same bubbly person we’ve met before and we buy lambchops, porkchops, a shoulder of lamb and of course home-raised bacon. Back at No. 10 Jill makes lambchops for dinner accompanied by new potatoes and butter, peas and homemade mint sauce. Yum indeed! I make a sort of tomato-garlic melange. The weather has been beautiful for days now but in the afternoon the wind picks up, it’s cooler and the water in the bay is very choppy. Tomorrow we’re off to Hoy.

Hither and Yon

Tues, May 14th 2019

Jill sleeps in again (that stubborn cold–or perhaps she is secretly watching BTS videos!) so the rest of us head downtown, checking out what interesting clothing is available at the Cat Protection Society and Red Cross consignment shops. And of course, armed with kitty treats, we feed every cat we encounter.

First one, then two, then three kitties show up for snacks

We catch a glimpse of Moxie hanging out on his favorite corner and learn that in fact while he loves to hang out either on his corner or across the street at the CPS shop, he actually has a loving home and is very well cared for!

Near lunchtime we run into Jill. She and Jen can’t face another BLT so they buy sausage pasties–Lynn and I have BLTs of course–and we head back to #10 and a quick lunch before driving south through Burray to a strange (IMHO) place apparently called Eastside which has a seemingly ancient standing stone but with clearly modern carving on it, a ruined church, an enigmatic stone structure and a foul smelling beach which we comb. Everyone except me finds at least one cowrie shell so Jen gives me one of hers. That’s good–we all need the good luck they bring.

We’re on our ongoing quest to find Minehowe burial site which is supposed to be not far but once again we are not successful. It is not open often, or perhaps never in May. Photos in our guidebooks show it having a precarious entrance down very sketchy steps; it’s just as well we can’t tempt fate on this one. Here’s a link with terrific photos and a bit more history. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/eastmainland/minehowe/index.html.

So turning east toward Tankerness we decide to have a mid afternoon coffee and dessert at jeweller Sheila Fleet’s new Kirk Gallery and Cafe, located of course in a desanctified church. It’s an elaborate place, very trendy, the dishes impressive to look at but a bit underwhelming. The gallery upstairs is lovely.

http://sheilafleet.com/shops/the-kirk-gallery-cafe-orkney

And finally we head west and north to Dounby for a second trip to the Harray Potter where more new mugs are purchased and Jen and I each acquire perfect little cups for our single malt. In town we stop at the Dounby Butcher but the shop is closed and something about the signage leads us to the disturbing possibility that the shop is closed for good.

Jen makes a shepherd’s pie for dinner and then it’s off to have some Orkney ice cream and a bit more beach combing. We knit for a while, watch an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, root for our favorite contestant and comment that our viewing taste has lost all pretense of intellectual pursuit. Jill is completely immersed in her BTS videos, a beatific smile on her lips.

Rousay

Mon., May 13th 2019

It’s a miracle–another gorgeous day! We drive up to Tingwall to catch the ferry to Rousay, a half-hour trip northeast across Eynhallow Sound from Mainland. There are a lot of sites, over 100, on this small island–its nickname is Egypt of the north–but first it’s scones, clotted cream, strawberry-rhubarb jam and excellent coffee at the Crafthub in Trumland before our 14-mile trip along the island’s only road. Clearly the Crafthub is a social hub for the whole island’s 200 or so residents. We head off clockwise, exploring Taversoe Tuick burial cairn and Blackhammer Cairn.

This link will take you to a humorous but good article on the sights and sites of Rousay: https://must-see-scotland.com/rousay Good photos too.

We don’t walk up the long hill to the Knowe of Yarso but drive on to Midhowe cairn and broch, the most visited site on this island. The original roof of the cairn is gone but this 90 foot long, chambered burial site has been totally enclosed within a hangar-like building with walkways around and over it. Because we can see everything from above and don’t have to crawl about on our knees we really get a good picture of a chambered cairn.

Just a few yards away is the broch from a later period, complete up to a height of about 10, 12 feet.

“Midhowe Broch is one of at least nine brochs that stand along the banks of narrow, dangerous Eynhallow Sound in Orkney. It’s in an excellent state of preservation, especially its stone internal fittings. A water tank, fireplace and room partitions are all visible.” (from Historic Environment)

From there we walk along the beach to the several iron age and medieval sites–a church, the remains of a hall. The link above describes these ruins well as well as giving good photographs. From here we can see Eynhallow (Holy Island) and to the south the broch of Gurness on Mainland.

After eating our BLTs back at our car we complete the circuit of the island. We watch seals cavorting on the Saviskaill Beach and arrive back at the ferry slip with enough time to visit the Rousay Cultural Centre, do a bit of beach-combing and watch a large sailboat dock with 14 musicians on board. They have been traveling around the islands for several weeks and will be playing this evening at the Crafthub, but unfortunately we can’t stay. We’re told they will be playing at the Reel in Kirkwall on the weekend so we’ll try then.

We catch the ferry at 5:30, pick up a few things for tonight’s dinner (fresh tagliatelle and homemade sauce), Jen and I break open the bottle of single malt I bought yesterday and we all watch Queer Eye before heading off to bed.

The Orkney Rovers Are Off Again–2019

9-10 May 2019

We’ve packed and repacked for days! The anticipation has kept us happy for months. Finally we assemble at Jill’s, check to insure we all have our passports, tickets, money, Gussie takes a couple of final photos us crowding into the car and we’re off to Bradley Airport. Bob is sad and wistful but Sally and LJ will be arriving later in the afternoon so I am sure all will go well.

At Roncari’s where we are leaving the car Lynn is mysteriously handed an envelope with a $100 bill in it and the brief message: Enjoy! Lynn phones her daughters but they both deny knowing anything about it. It has to be them we all agree though we momentarily think perhaps Roncari is rewarding us. We have given ourselves a lot of time for check-in and security, way too much time as everything goes remarkably smoothly. At six o’clock we’re on our Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. The food, not memorable, and wine no longer complimentary, I immerse myself in a Beatles documentary, 8 Days a Week, and then watch Rami Malek play Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. At five in the morning we touch down in Dublin.

As we have had, finally, the good sense to check our bags straight through to Aberdeen, we have only to find the gate for the next leg of our journey and we’re there before nine o’clock. Here we have a long, long layover but we are too weary to drag our suitcases into town and there’s no way to check them in yet. We have seven, yes, seven deadly hours to kill and it nearly kills us and this is because a flight we had booked to Kirkwall has been cancelled. Our airport breakfast–at last–is good and the airport shops are somewhat entertaining. I read the titles of every possible book in the bookstore before burdening myself with a Hilary Mantel and an Ann Cleeves. We play a very long game of Spite and Malice. The wait is interminable–during which I decide to take some pictures. No camera! I empty my backpack to no avail, my small Bagolini isn’t hiding it. No camera. I remember handing it to Gussie for the requisite departure shots and I remember getting it back from him. The luggage has already been checked in and I pray that I stowed it in my rollerbag.

Finally around four, dazed with boredom and too much sitting, (and worrying about the camera, which isn’t even mine, but Joanie’s) we are finally airborne and heading for Kirkwall, a 40-minute flight away. Hurray, it is beautiful, warm, windless and sunny. Can this really be Orkney! We get our car, a large, very square Peugeot Tepec and head into town where all the shops are closed but we have an excellent dinner at Lucano (putanesca for me) and then drive to our Button-Ben Guest House in Stenness. www.buttonbenguesthouseorkney.com

We are too tired for a card game (it’s been 40 hours since I’ve slept) and try as we might we have a hard time enjoying the tea and cakes our friendly host May brings us in the sitting area. Worst of all, the camera is not to be found; I’ve turned out every pocket, nook and zippered compartment. I shoot off an email to Roncari’s just asking them to look in our car and let me know if it’s there. Fraught with anxiety and depressed that I have no way to record our trip, I fall asleep in the luxuriant double bed with a dozen pillows.

A Few More Watercolors

What fun this is! Would I ever have gotten here without Covid19 I wonder? The isolation has removed all the pressures of dyeing yarns, weaving, knitting in anticipation of upcoming shows. So far shows have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely (and really, I do have enough stock should there be a sudden reversal!) Here are some more of my watercolors.

These were done this winter when the living room was toasty warm and all I had to do was move from one chair to another for a different perspective.

I also drove out and photographed a few places just so I’d have some more potential drawings to do.

Of course I did some right from my own yard

Of course, there are my cats, both of whom have died leaving me bereft and needing to find another wonderful brother-sister pair. The little calico was Muizza (named for Mohammed’s kitten who fell asleep in his arms so he had to cut the sleeve off his robe in order to go to pray without waking her.) The tiger was Mischa Mouseky (Named for the cellist Mischa Maisky.)