My Dad referred to one of them as a " Mukkle coo !! " Isabella ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Fletcher (Stronsay)" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 10:41 am Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Highland Cattle To: [email protected] > stephen davie wrote: > > One of the favorite beasts here is the Highland Cattle breed. > Poor as  > > they are on the test stations for daily rate of gain on > controlled  > > programs, they have become hereabouts  "estate cattle", > with slow  > > growth and several unique qualities but with incredible > personable  > > traits. They are frugal keepers, existing on the toughest of > pasture  > > and in the worst of weather with little or no shelter. They > have a  > > great fury hide to tan like a buffalo, and great whacking > horns to  > > intimidate city folk intruders.Ttheir back fat content > measures less  > > than skinned boned chicken breast. They inspire a dignified > air to  > > any country place, like a cupola and a wind vane on a barn roof. > > > > I understand the blunt economics of the cattle biz, but indeed > why  > > are there not more highlands in Orkney? Were they not the > original  > > beasts up there? > >  From what I remember from our time in the Scottish > Highlands (Brora, > Sutherland - 30 years ago) Highland cattle both graze and browse > as well > as eating plants that other cattle avoid. I don't know about the > rest of > Orkney but the monks on Papa Stronsay used to have a few > Highland cows. > The original inhabitants of Skara Brae ate cattle that might > have been > of the highland type - see <http://www.cruachan.com.au/history.htm> > -- > Bruce Fletcher > Stronsay, Orkney > <www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont> > "Do you get virgin wool from ugly sheep?" > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > Isabella

One of the favorite beasts here is the Highland Cattle breed. Poor as they are on the test stations for daily rate of gain on controlled programs, they have become hereabouts "estate cattle", with slow growth and several unique qualities but with incredible personable traits. They are frugal keepers, existing on the toughest of pasture and in the worst of weather with little or no shelter. They have a great fury hide to tan like a buffalo, and great whacking horns to intimidate city folk intruders.Ttheir back fat content measures less than skinned boned chicken breast. They inspire a dignified air to any country place, like a cupola and a wind vane on a barn roof. I understand the blunt economics of the cattle biz, but indeed why are there not more highlands in Orkney? Were they not the original beasts up there? Stephen (google highland cattle association)

Larger question...were/are there any hoofed animals that are indigenous to Orkney? I don't remember seeing any mentioned in any of the archeology I have read. Steve, if you are talking about the red shaggy ones, best I know they are an indigenous species to the Western Highlands of Scotland. Seem to have been there as long or longer than humans. Actually for all the "press" the heileand coos get, the coo dubh (black cow)are mentioned way more often in the historical literature. R -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of stephen davie Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 11:37 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ORCADIA] Highland Cattle One of the favorite beasts here is the Highland Cattle breed. Poor as they are on the test stations for daily rate of gain on controlled programs, they have become hereabouts "estate cattle", with slow growth and several unique qualities but with incredible personable traits. They are frugal keepers, existing on the toughest of pasture and in the worst of weather with little or no shelter. They have a great fury hide to tan like a buffalo, and great whacking horns to intimidate city folk intruders.Ttheir back fat content measures less than skinned boned chicken breast. They inspire a dignified air to any country place, like a cupola and a wind vane on a barn roof. I understand the blunt economics of the cattle biz, but indeed why are there not more highlands in Orkney? Were they not the original beasts up there? Stephen (google highland cattle association) _______________________________________ Orcadia Group Photo Album http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

For rural areas, I think Streetmap is better than Multimap. At the right level of zoom it produces what looks like the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey map, and that gives a lot more detail on farms, coastal features, hills, small islands and so on than does Multimap. It also has a good search feature. For example, I've just tried a few searches such as Rothiesholm, Broch of Gurness, Noup Head and Noltland Castle and it recognised them all. Admittedly it failed with the Castle of Burrian. However, I've just discovered that it recognises Castle o' Burrian, so I was probably just guilty of incompetent searching. Use the zoom buttons under the map if necessary, and the "Large Map" button is also useful since it will (somewhat unsurprisingly)give a map covering a larger area at the same scale. The Ordnance Survey site doesn't seem to give a large map — or at least it didn't last time I used it. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ However, for those with an interest in Orkney, it's well worth getting a decent set of paper maps. Best for most purposes is the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey "Landranger" series, numbers 5, 6 and 7: "Orkney - Northern Isles", "Orkney - Mainland" and "Orkney - Southern Isles". http://tinyurl.com/2z5enw The more detailed Ordnance Survey Explorer maps (1:25,000 scale) are also excellent, but it takes five of them to cover the whole of Orkney, and though I've got a set of them, I think the Landranger series gives most of the same information and is somewhat easier to handle too. Norman Tulloch

Sian, Thanks for taking the time to share "life" on your island. So interesting. Seems some have to work hard to maintain a lively hood to stay in that great place. Nice that you can work and live there. Seems like there is great comradery among all of you. Wanda Minnesota US ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Anne Slater wrote: > The several sites I've gone to will highlight a whole island, showing > which blob is which island, but i want to see a map that gives village > and town names. > I've finally figured out, starting with the map that Mike posted, that > Stenness is part of Mainland. Duh. > I want to do some looking and can't put my hands on my Michelin Guide... > Any site suggestions? > Thanks, > Anne in Ardmore (PA) Multimap at <http://tinyurl.com/2o6lub> - you can zoom in and pan up/down left/right. Or the Ordnance Survey is a good starting point. Try <http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk> or <http://tinyurl.com/29hy2v> Or for older maps try <http://www.old-maps.co.uk> -- Bruce Fletcher Stronsay, Orkney <www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont> "Do you get virgin wool from ugly sheep?"

Well the low res satellite images that Google/MS use for Orkney barely shows a blurry impression of the topography,,,never mind hay bales,,even the big round ones. I would have guessed that livestock would be the main activity. Actually sounds like more than I would have thought. Which brings up an interesting question, how do they get their critters to market? The little ferry doesn't look up to hauling a bunch of calves and sheep over to Mainland. Or do they send them someplace other than Mainland? Maybe across the Firth to Scotland? It's surprising the difference between places sometimes. You raise neaps for animal forage and the humans eat the left over bottoms? Over here we eat both ends. Nothing better than a big bait of turnip greens!! Our friends if the Highlands sent a video clip once of her and their son out in the "back garden" harvesting the neeps. They were cutting off the tops and tossing them in the composite pile. Don't know which of us was more surprised, them at the idea that humans eat the tops, or me at the notion that the tops were only good for livestock...<G> R -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sian Thomas Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 3:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Graemsay Economy If it's a recent picture you would see hundreds of black and green round silage bales! Half the island is owned by one farmer, who keeps about 120 head of cattle plus "followers" - calves. His herd is all home bred, 3 bulls being bought in over the years. He also has about 150 sheep plus lambs. Three other crofters keep about 10 head of cattle each, plus about 100 lambs. And another so called "hobby farmer" has about 50 sheep. All farmers will have some fields which they will cut for winter feed (silage and hay), and will have fields of "neaps" again for winter feed. A small field of oats may be grown, but generally no arable crops. Due to various Government schemes there are also areas of "set aside" where farmers are paid to plant trees and just leave the land. And there are still some large tracts of natural heathland, very ancient. But the majority of this is owned by the crofters and may in time be fenced in and grazed. Several others (myself included) have a few acres attached to the house. I have a 3 acre field behind my house, leading to the shore. I wanted to make certain no one could build and obscure the stunning view from my conservatory! I allow a neighbouring farmer to use it for summer grazing in return for delivering my oil (for central heating) and petrol cans, plus a myriad of other jobs he does for me. I like seeing livestock out of the window but without the hassle of needing to do anything, apart from phone the farmer if anything is in trouble or looks sick. I have learned various bits of useful information - if a cows ears are horizontal all the time, it ain't feeling well......! Crofting tends to be subsistence living, so additional employment is needed. One crofter is also the harbour master, cleans the waiting room, mows the grass at the kirkyard and collects the refuse. He is also the local supplier of calor gas. Another is also the postman, another runs the post office, while her husband works offshore on a supply ship for the oil rigs off shetland. I work from home full time as a medical researcher employed by various Universities throughout the UK. The rest of the folk on the island are either retired or at home raising the kids and working on the farm. Incidentally the kids go across to Stromness to school. Under the age of 14 they have a "minder" employed by the local authority to sit with them on the boat and deliver them/collect them from school. One child aged 3 goes over to Stromness to Nursery twice a week. If the weather is very bad they stay at home, otherwise they journey on the ferry each day from the age of 5. Sian

Thanks, Jim. I'm bookmarking it. Anne (For everyone else, Haverford is walking distance of my house...) On 9/17/07, James Thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > Anne in Ardmore, > > Try the Ordnance Survey, http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk , go to > Get-A-Map. You can pick you area of interest and zoom in and out. It > gives info. down to many house names. > > Jim from Haverford

If it's a recent picture you would see hundreds of black and green round silage bales! Half the island is owned by one farmer, who keeps about 120 head of cattle plus "followers" - calves. His herd is all home bred, 3 bulls being bought in over the years. He also has about 150 sheep plus lambs. Three other crofters keep about 10 head of cattle each, plus about 100 lambs. And another so called "hobby farmer" has about 50 sheep. All farmers will have some fields which they will cut for winter feed (silage and hay), and will have fields of "neaps" again for winter feed. A small field of oats may be grown, but generally no arable crops. Due to various Government schemes there are also areas of "set aside" where farmers are paid to plant trees and just leave the land. And there are still some large tracts of natural heathland, very ancient. But the majority of this is owned by the crofters and may in time be fenced in and grazed. Several others (myself included) have a few acres attached to the house. I have a 3 acre field behind my house, leading to the shore. I wanted to make certain no one could build and obscure the stunning view from my conservatory! I allow a neighbouring farmer to use it for summer grazing in return for delivering my oil (for central heating) and petrol cans, plus a myriad of other jobs he does for me. I like seeing livestock out of the window but without the hassle of needing to do anything, apart from phone the farmer if anything is in trouble or looks sick. I have learned various bits of useful information - if a cows ears are horizontal all the time, it ain't feeling well......! Crofting tends to be subsistence living, so additional employment is needed. One crofter is also the harbour master, cleans the waiting room, mows the grass at the kirkyard and collects the refuse. He is also the local supplier of calor gas. Another is also the postman, another runs the post office, while her husband works offshore on a supply ship for the oil rigs off shetland. I work from home full time as a medical researcher employed by various Universities throughout the UK. The rest of the folk on the island are either retired or at home raising the kids and working on the farm. Incidentally the kids go across to Stromness to school. Under the age of 14 they have a "minder" employed by the local authority to sit with them on the boat and deliver them/collect them from school. One child aged 3 goes over to Stromness to Nursery twice a week. If the weather is very bad they stay at home, otherwise they journey on the ferry each day from the age of 5. Sian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Royce Perry" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2007 5:13 PM Subject: [ORCADIA] Graemsay Economy > Talking about chickens yesterday stirred my curiosity a bit. Yes,,my mind > follows strange twists and turns. When I was looking at Graemsay on Google > Earth I didn't see any sign of the typical patchwork pattern that you > usually see in agricultural areas. Granted, the images aren't very good, > but > you can at least see the pattern, dimly, on Mainland. Wikipedia (seldom a > good source, but handy) lists crofting as the main occupation. So I was > wondering what are the primary occupations on the island? If farming,,what > do they grow,,for home consumption or cash crops. Is there any herding > operations,,like sheep, or cows,,,or??? > Just me being nosey. > R > > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

About the best that I know of is Google Maps. That will give you pretty good road maps to most parts of the known world. You have an option to see just a map..or an aerial view, of a composite. Down side to the aerial views is that the image quality is very dependent on where you are looking. In the case of Graemsay you can just about make out the major landscape features and that not very clear. But if you move over to Inverness and Wick you can about make out the streets,,just barely. But if you zoom in on Edinburgh you can get down to the point of counting the cars in the parking lots and the buildings are very clear. In the less populated areas they use low resolution satellite images. In the middle populated areas they start switching to higher resolution satellite images and sometimes medium resolution aerial photos. In the major population centers they are using high resolution, low altitude aerial images. maps.google.com/maps Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth are both a little better, but they both require you to sign up and download software onto your computer. R -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Anne Slater Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 7:25 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ORCADIA] Island maps ? The several sites I've gone to will highlight a whole island, showing which blob is which island, but i want to see a map that gives village and town names. I've finally figured out, starting with the map that Mike posted, that Stenness is part of Mainland. Duh. I want to do some looking and can't put my hands on my Michelin Guide... Any site suggestions? Thanks, Anne in Ardmore (PA) _______________________________________ Orcadia Group Photo Album http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Anne in Ardmore, Try the Ordnance Survey, http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk , go to Get-A-Map. You can pick you area of interest and zoom in and out. It gives info. down to many house names. Jim from Haverford > The several sites I've gone to will highlight a whole island, showing > which blob is which island, but i want to see a map that gives village > and town names. > I've finally figured out, starting with the map that Mike posted, that > Stenness is part of Mainland. Duh. > I want to do some looking and can't put my hands on my Michelin Guide... > Any site suggestions? > Thanks, > Anne in Ardmore (PA) > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > --------------------------------------------- This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server. ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/

The several sites I've gone to will highlight a whole island, showing which blob is which island, but i want to see a map that gives village and town names. I've finally figured out, starting with the map that Mike posted, that Stenness is part of Mainland. Duh. I want to do some looking and can't put my hands on my Michelin Guide... Any site suggestions? Thanks, Anne in Ardmore (PA)

thanks, Sian. What a different way of life from my small suburb of a fair-sized city (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) where (the suburb) if you say you are "going in to town" it means Philadelphia. Where the widest green spaces are either large estates (few and far between) or Fairmount Park, which is huge, many thousands of acres of forested and open parkland withing the city limits. Where the only animals to be found are dogs, cats, (wild and tame) rabbits, and the usual rodents. Deer (well, they too are rodents, just large). And where one of my small pleasures, now that my children are adults, is watching the neighborhood children walk past on their way to school Bruce-- is the small school house on Stronsay (adjacent to either the Bu or Housebay farm) still in operation? Anne in Ardmore On 9/17/07, Sian Thomas <[email protected]> wrote: > If it's a recent picture you would see hundreds of black and green round > silage bales! Half the island is owned by one farmer, who keeps about 120 > head of cattle plus "followers" - calves.

Talking about chickens yesterday stirred my curiosity a bit. Yes,,my mind follows strange twists and turns. When I was looking at Graemsay on Google Earth I didn't see any sign of the typical patchwork pattern that you usually see in agricultural areas. Granted, the images aren't very good, but you can at least see the pattern, dimly, on Mainland. Wikipedia (seldom a good source, but handy) lists crofting as the main occupation. So I was wondering what are the primary occupations on the island? If farming,,what do they grow,,for home consumption or cash crops. Is there any herding operations,,like sheep, or cows,,,or??? Just me being nosey. R

Yes poultry is shown at all the local shows. Quite a lot of keen Poultry breeders in Orkney. My hens are mainly Marans, with two regular brown hens. The Brown Hens are cross-breeds and are very friendly birds, consistent layers too. The Marans have a tendancy to go broody which can be a bit tiresome. But all my birds are completely free-range, as are all the chickens on Graemsay. Gardening can be a bit of a challenge as you need to protect young plants from chickens scratching them up! We have no predators here so they can roam safely. Usually each summer I have one or two hens that wander off and sit on a clutch of eggs and return with a small brood of chicks. Again I let the hen do what comes naturally. Normally she will take them into one of the barns and keep them in a corner, where I provide water and food. Then she returns to the hen coop after a few weeks and the new chicks integrate with the regular flock. We swap new hens around on Graemsay to keep each flock's gene pool fresh. If there are too many cockerals they get offered to whoever wants them. Undoubtedly some end up in the pot. But I make a point of not eating anything I have been personally acquiatined with. :-) Sian ----- Original Message ----- From: "stephen davie" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 5:13 PM Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Intrigued with Graemsay? > Do they have a poultry show in Orkney at any of the fall fairs? Our > smaller rural fall fairs here are big on fowl. We raised Auracanas, a > south american bird that lays blue eggs low in fat. At least that was > the story, but the eggs were blue to be sure. > Do your birds run free? Free range birds taste so much better. > Interesting note....thanks Sian...Stephen >

Hello all, In fact it's a usual practice when members of a certain mailing list make an album where they put their fotos to, like Evelyn said above to know whom you've been talking all these years to. There can be a sub-album about f.ex. each town or village in Orkney... if Royce won't run out of space ;)) Aa da best, Andrei

33% of the Graemsay population is under 14! I don't know of any online arial shots of the whole of the island, I know some folk have taken photos from the top of Ward Hill. I'll see if I can locate one such. You will find Graemsay on the Ship Plotter map on www.graemsay.org.uk the island has a grey "ballon" over it labelled "Isle of Graemsay". Yes it is a quiet life on Graemsay. If folk choose they can become a "recluse" but most of us are fairly involved in the community. There's a kind of inter-dependence among us. For example I can't lift the 5 gallon jerry-cans full of petrol that come across on the ferry for my island car. So I rely on a neighbour to deliver to the house and decant into smaller jerry-cans. However this neighbour doesn't often visit town so I run errands for him whenever I am in town. When I lived South I hated asking for help, but on Graemsay I feel I can always do something in return. And yes i have 9 hens and two "roosters". I am grateful for 3 feet thick walls and double glazing..... neighbours also have cockerals and there is often a competition in the morning between them all. In the summer this starts at 3am...... in the winter at a more civilised hour - about 8.30am. Sian ----- Original Message ----- From: "stephen davie" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 3:08 PM Subject: [ORCADIA] Intrigued with Graemsay? > Great to be able to hear from ya online Sian. You are a good > ambassador for your fair Graemsay isle as Bruce is for Stronsay. > Twould be a dream to live a quiet life there... feed the birds, raise > a few grouse and highland cattle, and perhaps have a part time job > such as being the designated temperature recorder, or the fellow who > empties the rain meter and records the fall. Maybe keep a few hens > and a noisy rooster too. When they get on your nerves...eat em! Then > get new ones in the spring. > > cheers...stephen > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

We had a poultry building on our farm. Incredible hobby. My old rooster Pedro had a set of lungs that would overpower the best piper. In the fall, burning the leaves from the hardwoods around the farm buildings was a smoky outdoor family ritual. My wife undertook this one day in the rain, to the amusement of those of us who could contain our urge to burn leaves til the weather was fit. He effort was overcome by rain. Three days later, the winds rose, the sky cleared,and the last of the leaves fell. The forset floor dried up, Elaine's fire rebirthed itself, and the entire treed plot around our house in the middle of the farm, an area of ten acres, was subject to the burning off of the floor of the forsest and anywhere leaves lay. This cost us our chicken coop, and almost the drive shed and maple sugar production building. Alas, Pedro and his family were defeated by the nasty leaf fire, and died a roasty death. It took three fire trucks to extinguish the blaze. At the fair last week, I saw birds from Spain that were interesting. And the bantams always attract attention, more by their attitude than their looks I think. We raised barred plymouth rocks one summer, a marginal dual purpose bird. stephen On Sep 15, 2007, at 2:40 PM, Sian Thomas wrote: > Yes poultry is shown at all the local shows. Quite a lot of keen > Poultry > breeders in Orkney. My hens are mainly Marans, with two regular > brown hens. > The Brown Hens are cross-breeds and are very friendly birds, > consistent > layers too. The Marans have a tendancy to go broody which can be a > bit > tiresome. But all my birds are completely free-range, as are all the > chickens on Graemsay. Gardening can be a bit of a challenge as you > need to > protect young plants from chickens scratching them up! We have no > predators > here so they can roam safely. Usually each summer I have one or > two hens > that wander off and sit on a clutch of eggs and return with a small > brood of > chicks. Again I let the hen do what comes naturally. Normally she > will > take them into one of the barns and keep them in a corner, where I > provide > water and food. Then she returns to the hen coop after a few weeks > and the > new chicks integrate with the regular flock. We swap new hens > around on > Graemsay to keep each flock's gene pool fresh. If there are too many > cockerals they get offered to whoever wants them. Undoubtedly some > end up > in the pot. But I make a point of not eating anything I have been > personally acquiatined with. :-) > > Sian > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "stephen davie" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 5:13 PM > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Intrigued with Graemsay? > > >> Do they have a poultry show in Orkney at any of the fall fairs? Our >> smaller rural fall fairs here are big on fowl. We raised Auracanas, a >> south american bird that lays blue eggs low in fat. At least that was >> the story, but the eggs were blue to be sure. >> Do your birds run free? Free range birds taste so much better. >> Interesting note....thanks Sian...Stephen >> > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message

I just realized how old that link was to which I just responded. Sorry. We just returned from a month in Ludlow, Shropshire, England, and I'm only now catching up on the discussions. I missed you guys! Janice

We have many Georgian musicians living in South Bend, Indiana (Georgia near Russia, not Georgia in the USA). Two nicknames they use for Alexander are Sasha and Lexo (as in Lexo Toradze, if anyone knows famous pianist names. He performs all over the world.) However, the Scot in our Sons of Norway chapter (married to a Norwegian) who is named Alexander calls himself Sandy, and our English friend calls himself Alex. What a wealth of nicknames from the same name! Janice Langland Granger, Indiana