It has completely slipped my mind until now to tell you about Lynn and her chair. Three years ago we spent time looking at several studios making the traditional hooded Orkney chair because Lynn had her heart set on buying one. Ultimately she decided the chair and its shipping cost too much and said no but she knew she really loved the work of Jackie and Marlene Miller, owners of the Scapa Crafts Orkney Chairs workshop. https://www.scapacrafts.co.uk/
A couple of days ago she nonchalantly said, “Let’s just stop in again and look at the chairs,” and this time she was ready! In minutes she was getting her bespoke chair designed just for her with hood and drawer, to be delivered late this coming autumn!
Three years ago we all tried out the Millers’ chairs
Here’s one under construction
Wed, May 3rd
It’s a beautiful warm almost windless sunny day. Three years ago we had decided to skip the Tomb of the Eagles, mostly because when we got there the wind was howling, the spitting rain was close to becoming sleet and the mile-long walk to the site was unappealing. Today however is perfect so we head out to South Ronaldsay, the most southern Orkney island and reachable by car over the famous Churchill Barriers–impressive World War II defenses against the German U-boats.
In the visitors’ centre our guides Lily and Jo fill us in on a lot of interesting facts about the two privately owned sites here, one stone age, one bronze, and the people who built and used them. Then we walk out toward the cliff edge. There are some excellent photos if you follow this link:
https://www.tomboftheeagles.co.uk/
The bronze age site is small and to the untrained eye not particularly interesting but the chambered cairn further on, built five millenia ago, is impressive. The tomb was used for about 800 years and contained the remains of some 340 bodies as well as the skeletons and talons of numerous sea eagles, possibly a totemic animal for the local population. Artifacts–bones, tools, pottery–can be seen at the museum in the visitors’ centre.
Michael emerges
Jen and Jill in the cairn
We eat lunch there and then drive to the Hoxa Tapestry Gallery; we particularly love Leila and daughter Jo Thomson’s large wall tapestries
and then continue on to village of St Margaret’s Hope where we are eager to revisit the Workshop and Loft Gallery, an artist cooperative which specializes in knitware and other Orcadian crafts. Both Lynn and I buy sweaters. Mine is from The Quernstone shop in Stromness and is half silk, half merino wool. https://www.workshopandloftgallery.co.uk/
A bit of grocery shopping at Tesco, a quick trip to Dounby and Alison Moore’s gallery where Lynn and I pick up our moonstone rings and then it’s back to Stromness where Michael makes a delicious rice and black bean dinner served with a salad and for dessert, ice cream. Michael and Jen go for a walk, some of us knit and later there’s a game of Spite and Malice.