A Northern Journal

The beauty of living in Orkney in the summer are the long days. Now this is both a blessing and a curse. There are lots of hours in the day to get things done, especially when the weather has been as dry and sunny as it has been (depsite the blip with heavy downpours last week - it was needed!). The curse though is that more often, the longer that I have lived here, that I wake up with the sunrise 4am, 3am, 2am. I have finally resorted to a blackout blind which has helped keep me asleep longer. Bizarre when you consider that when I was a teenager I always left the curtains open.

Anyway, the longest day is here and I was honoured to be invited to ‘Orkney’s first Solstice fire festival’ by friends of the organisers. Now I normally would go to the Ring of Brodgar to watch the sun set / rise but this alternative affair was very special indeed. It was an informal affair with around 20/25 or so people including families. Now, I was going to be arriving ‘late’ after my friends and husband, who they had kindly agreed to pick up, as I was at a friend’s hen night. I still have the last vestiges of my shyness which has never really left me so when I phoned to say I was leaving Kirkwall, I discovered they weren’t there yet so I kind of panicked and thought no way was I going to turn up to a ’stranger’s’ on my own. As the road through Finstown was closed due to the gala, I headed to the shores of Stenness, via the Orphir road. I stopped briefly at The Bu to visit the remains of the round church and to collect my thoughts then trundled slowly over to the venue. I had decided to bite the bullet and go down the long track where I met our kind hosts who greeted me like old friends. That over with, I could relax and discovered that other folk I know were also there. Hubby and friends arrived shortly after that. There was a barbecue to keep us fed and a supply of beverages. Everyone was so friendly.

To get the ‘festivities’ started our hosts had provided a couple of treasure hunts, and hubby and my friend and her partner set out as a team. Our first obstacle was pacing out 100 metres for the first clue. Our host showed us how to do this, then set us on our way. This was good fun, and I can’t remember when I last did a treasure hunt. After everyone was back from the hunt, we were organised into two teams so that we could communally (??) do some (not so) traditional fire lighting. Never mind the little hand bow… we had a giant human one. It was experimental! Unfortunately the first spindle thingy didn’t appear to work. It was then swapped for a thinner one, which once some pressure was applied by the ropes and the two teams pulling back and forth appeared to be doing the job. Good teamwork was needed as the pressure on both sides of the rope had to be kept tight and even. Smoke started forming but then there was a loud crack and the spindle thingy broke!. Back to the drawing board! We restarted using the bottom half and some frantic too-ing and fro-ing for a few minutes produced the first embers which our host used to light some dried grass. The embers were then carefully carried down to the shore (opposite Stromness which was on the other side of the bay). We all followed and gathered round as the embers were expertly blown to produce a fire in a prepared fire-pit and we all put a piece of wood carefully on the fire. The next few hours were spent wandering along the beach, eating, drinking, and amenable friendly chatting. The fire was kept burning by the pyromaniacs amongst us. One of the highlights of the evening was the person who did some fire twirling… it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

At one point I took myself off down the beach and lay down and listened to the birds and the water lapping. The hills of Hoy silhouetted against a pale darkening sky in the south, the lights of Stromness glinting in the west and in the west / north west the setting sun. It was idyllic. Along the beach I could see the folk gathered around the flickering orange flames chatting peaceably in the pale midsummer light. On return to the bonfire, I found my erstwhile friend had got the marshmallows out and they were being toasted on the fire. Warm squidgy marshmallows were placed along with a raspberry between to dark chocolate digestive biscuits - divine! Meanwhile, my husband, a young lad and a visitor from sooth had set a fire on a raft and sent it floating on the water. It burned for ages, reflecting in the calm mill pond of the sea.

I have no idea of where the time went, and before we knew it it was 1.30am and it was time to consider heading home. We said our goodbyes and as I was driving, decided to go via the stone circles, stopping at Stones of Stenness to take a couple of photos of the rising sun. This was a memorable, peaceful evening amongst old and new friends, an international gathering (folk from South Africa, Italy, Croatia, Canada, England and the States). I look forward, with anticipation, to the next event like this I can attend. Unfortunately it probably won’t be next midsummer as I will be on a coach to Switzerland on a school trip!

As I sit here writing this, the beauty of the clear skies and sunshine of the last couple of days has been shrouded in soe misty rain showers, Hoy only barely visible through the sitting room window. I don’t think I will be visiting Brodgar tonight!

The competition season has started and Thorfinn is doing well. The Riding Club show was a success. Over 80 entrants altogether. Thorf won one class, came second and third in another two. I was really pleased as I hadn’t taken him to this particular show for about 3 years. Showing and competing in Orkney can be an interesting affair when it comes to the weather. We have a wonderful indoor arena, but a show of this size has to be outdoors. The venue was a lovely (mostly) flat field next to the mart. It overlooks the sea to the north and on a good day, which the 6th was, you can see some of the Northern isles. My only quibble was the grass was far too long and was very diffucult to run in with an icky thigh muscle when trotting up the pony. I got home about 5pm, uloaded the car, the horse and saw that he was comfortable and fed, then headed in for a deep bubbly bath. Ummm! my face was tingling somewhat… sun burn despite the factor 40 I thought… no, it was more like wind burn as the next day my face was fine.

I have also done a couple of dressage competitions, both indoors but this year we are up against stiff competition. I am beginning to find it somewhat frustrating that I get the same comments… ‘needs to be rounder’ (This is talking about his outline and how he goes, moves and whether he is on the bit). I know this but Thorf isn’t a dressage horse… more like a working or draught horse. His shortish neck and thick jowel means it isn’t easy for him to come in on the bit… oh well I can but dream!

The Hobbits are doing fine. I am missing Jem as she is now keeping a friend’s horse company as the old timer that used to be the companion had to be put down at the beginning of May (he was 40 going on 50!!!). She is in a good place though and is very well looked after. Even though she must be over half a mile away from me as the crow flies (or even a cuckoo… yes we have a cuckoo in the neighbourhood, something which I haven’t heard since I moved from the Highlands), anyway… I can see her from my house - a wee ginger blip with her 16hh black companion. The separation from Jem is doing Sigurd the world of good as once the weaning had been done he kind of got over attached again. He is now over attached to Thorf and acts like his shadow. The other day I was lungeing Thorfinn and Sigurd joined in. It was interesting and at least they both got exercised.

It only seems like last week that I last posted, but it is two months ago! Why does time fly? Spring has sprung and gone again and come back again and summer has been trying to make an appearance. The temperatures haven’t been particularly great yet I did manage some shorts and tee-shirt wearing in May (You would have needed sunglasses for my peely wally legs!!!). My motivation to do stuff varies (like tonight I just can’t be bothered!) but a lot has got done.

April into May was spent getting Thorfinn fit after a winter layoff. I rode the same route pretty much every day for a week or two (reluctant to go near the hill where I came off last year and dislocated my shoulder) and it is amazing the small changes that you note… mostly the verges as the new grass pushes up through the dried brown of wizened stems, then along come the primroses (and buttercup and docken). Now the verges are starting to teem with orchids. I am sure, when I was growing up in the Highlands, I was told they were rare! Well not here! Each time I passed  along the track ‘under’ Greeny Hill more gorse flowers (Thorfinn loves eating these… he curls his lips back to avoid the needles and plucks the flowers off) had sprouted and the leaves on the trees grew from teeny buds, to bright green baby leaves and are now maturing. The lambs that were fresh and white (or black) that gambolled as little things are now sturdy solid creatures and the cows are out in the fields… it can be interesting if the cows decide to run along the fence alongside the horse!

Thorfinn is now pretty fit and has won a few rosettes in a couple of competitions and I am working him towards another dressage test at the weekend. Took him for his first carriage drive in a year or two last week. Hubby and I headed out on a beautiful Friday evening, sun shining and barely a cloud in the sky. He was impeccable and behaved wonderfully. I think he really enjoys pulling the gig. It is a lovely way to get about but boy, do you get cold! It was reasonably warm when we set out, but by the time we had stopped and chatted to a friend and returned home I couldn’t feel my fingers! So much for the sun… the chill wind beat that one hands down.

The garden is growing fast, despite the lack of rain (until today) and I had to weed the other day… blooming Lady’s Mantle had seeded itself everywhere. Isn’t a weed just a plant in the wrong place? Have overdone the tomato plants in the greenhouse and have six different varieties… orange ones, yellow ones, pear-shaped ones, stripy ones and red ones, mad or what! Sowed some carotts and ??? oh yes, spinach in one of the veg plots… got fed up trying to make rows so the carrots may be in wavy lines (well will be after the cat has been in there) and the spinach is random!. Not sure if  will be able to tell the difference between the ubiquitous chickweed and the seedlings though. Keep saying each year that I will STOP trying to grow carrots but I always give them one more chance… how many years have I failed to grow them now??? Tatties are looking good as are the buttercup and dockens in the ponies’ field … well they got topped the other day so at least they won’t seed themselves! The Turk’s head Lilies have flowered already and the scent is divine. I am sure that they usually flower a lot later! The bronze fennel is magnificent! Soft, greeny brown fronds that smell wonderful… what do you do with it though? I love it as an architectural plant!

So, that is a potted account of the last two months, missing out all the DUngeons & Dragons games I have done and the time spent on the laptop doing nothing in particular. Now to stop procrastinating and go and do something… or not. Think I will have a rest this evening!