Quite possibly. Graemsay is recognisable by and famous for it's two lighthouses. One tall white one (my next door neighbour!) called Hoy High, and one short dumpy one called Hoy Low. I never cease to be amazed where i can see Graemsay from by identifiying Hoy High - even the Ring of Brodgar! Due to the proximity of the lighthouse to my house, my first question on sighting it was "Does it have a foghorn?" No it doesn't! Sian > > Message: 10 > Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:09:50 -0400 > From: "Marion" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Orkney Winters > To: <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > Was I looking at your home/island from a comfortable chair in a home in > Stromness near the Diving building > and/or pier? > Marion (Maine) > >

Hens can generally take care of themselves - my cat has learned a healthy respect for a clucking hen with flapping feathers! Chicks can fall prey to wiley cats and I have lost several to barn cats, but then when the chicks are big enough to get outdoors they can fall prey to Gulls etc so they have live a fragile existence when small. Birds such as Oystercatchers, Lapwings etc do get predated upon by the cat population, although there is some protection when they all nest on the healthland together. A cat would have to be completely deaf to be able to tolerate the alarm cries of the birds! I vaguely remember reading something a few summers ago that the RSPB were concerned for healthland birds etc falling prey to cats. Having seen how an Oystercatcher protects it chick I'm not surprised. They fly away from the chick making lots of noise in the hope of drawing predators away, if all else fails they will walk along the ground trailing a wing to give the impression they are injured - again to draw predators away from chick. However cats are not impressed and then end up having free access to the chicks. But there seem to be lots of Oystercatchers along the shore in Graemsay so I suppose they still have a reasonable success rate! Sian > > Message: 8 > Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:47:04 -0500 > From: Meg Greenwood <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Cats > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > With such a high population of fowl in and about the islands, is a feral > cat population considered a threat to certain bird species including any > locally kept dinner varieties [chickens] ? Nest location and possibly > size and temperment of the bird would have to be a factor in predation. > > Many feral populations of cats in the US are [as funds and volunteers > allow] managed in the same manner, its an uphill battle but results are > good if neutering can be accomplished. Then there is always the new > arrival that's been dropped off because a litter is due. Maybe not so > much a possibility on North Ronaldshay though. MegG in OK > ================== > > >

The cats protection people have helped me rehome two domestic cats from Graemsay who were suddenly rendered homeless. It's great having a central network to find homes for these animals. Both cats had found their way to my home, but my own moggy didn't take well to interlopers and this caused us all distress so I was grateful for the help of the local cat protection folk. It's interesting hearing about the N Ronaldsay cat population. On Graemsay there are a number of farm cats which roam widely, as well as the feral population. Some have been neutered but most have not. > Sian > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 12:04:20 EST > From: James Thompson <[email protected]> > Subject: [ORCADIA] Cats > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > OK, a new subject. We just adopted two kittens which had been > fostered through Cats Protection Orkney and we're having a fantastic > time with them. Orkney has an abundance -- many would say an > overabundance -- of cats, a lot of them homeless. If you have the > time and room, why not consider taking on a couple? (Two are easier > than one, actually.)? > > On a related note, Cats Protection believe that the entire feral cat > population of N. Ronaldsay has now been neutered; though that leaves a > lot of other islands still to go. > > Jim > > > --------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server. > ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/ > > >

Hi all, I have been reading this mailing list for about 6 years now, every since my now husband and I began dating. I wanted to learn more about Orkney since he is Orcadian and from North Ronaldsay. I have rarely seen North Ronaldsay come up on here but since the feral cat population is mentioned on here, I have to comment. I just asked me husband if he concurs with the Cats Protection Orkney since he is from there and his dad, two aunts and uncles, and a cousin still lives there. Thinking about it, he says he is sure it is been completed. He says that the council had a scheme up there that they could get the cats neutered for free. I have seen quite a few cats when on that island and it would be good if they did not overrun the island because the bird observatory would have a world of hurt if the birds had to deal with too many cats. Ginger > To: [email protected]> From: [email protected]> Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 12:04:20 -0500> Subject: [ORCADIA] Cats> > OK, a new subject. We just adopted two kittens which had been> fostered through Cats Protection Orkney and we're having a fantastic> time with them. Orkney has an abundance -- many would say an> overabundance -- of cats, a lot of them homeless. If you have the> time and room, why not consider taking on a couple? (Two are easier> than one, actually.)?> > On a related note, Cats Protection believe that the entire feral cat> population of N. Ronaldsay has now been neutered; though that leaves a> lot of other islands still to go.> > Jim> > > ---------------------------------------------> This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server.> ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/> > > > -------------------------------> 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 _________________________________________________________________ Feel like a local wherever you go. http://www.backofmyhand.com

One thing I love about Winter in Orkney is that sunrise comes at a reasonable time of the day. I can actually sit eating my breakfast and watch the sun rise in the East. And I love the way I can track the Sun's movement across the sky through all the different seasons. In the summer it sets way over beyond Black Craig (sp?) on the West Mainland, mid-winter it sets firmly behind the Hoy Hills. Sian

stephen davie wrote: > Bruce and Maureen had a nice big stove and a cozy kitchen on > Stronsay. Did you ever get your new stove Bruce? hmmm. We did indeed get our new stove. It is much smaller and not quite so attractive as the old Tirolian stove but it consumes much less heating oil whilst keeping the house and the hot water at the same temperature. However, Maureen does miss the Tirolian's Aga-like oven & hot plates when baking bread or keeping food hot whilst cooking a large Sunday lunch. -- Bruce Fletcher Stronsay, Orkney <www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont> "I’m sorry, you have reached an imaginary number. Please rotate your telephone 90 degrees and dial again"

On woodlands, how about the Happy Valley, created by the late Edwin Harrold in Stenness? http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1262/1350613235_c14dac8918_o.jpg

GADS! Stephen, you have just caused me to have a hard chill reading all that..have to go home and roll up in a heavy quilt now! <shiver>... R the Cryogenically Adverse Agree about the brown outer wear in hunting country,,,you could end up hanging in somebody's freezer that way. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of stephen davie Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 10:25 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ORCADIA] orkney winters... badstu time...slow and easy We have found over the years, that taking the initiative to walk in the cold winter winds, snow and all the worst weather mother nature can muster up in the winter, simply demands a little "mind adjusting" to be totally enjoyable. Often it is in these conditions that I would encounter a bold owl or hawk, a giant deer or moose, or an overstuffed grouse beneath a shrub or a white snowshoe rabbit , knawing the bark of fruitwood brush, or a chickadee stranded in a shimmering windy cedar tree. If this little twist in thinking is applied, the winter becomes indeed totally enjoyable and the health of the convert is dramatically rewarded and improved. Adding seed to a bird feeder deep on your trail, is a rewarding part of this daily ritual. I still have my Norwegian special order cross country skis, which the shopkeeper asked if he could keep in his store till I needed them, as they are ten feet long and 80 mm wide and look like something Sasquatch would wear and every customer entering there gave them the once over. Many countless miles have slid beneath those old hardwood boards. The one chief factor is to abandon the idea of fashion, and acquire functional outer garments that keep you comfortable in any condition, while not binding you up to the extent that your mobility is impaired. In the shoulder seasons here ( much like Orkney winters) I wear Outback gear from Australia, which is just a superiour version of the Barbour wear that Brits wear. ( I do wish however that those Auzzies could understand that the dark brown colour they ship here, is just too much the colour of a twilight moose or deer, and thus somewhat dangerous outwear in some places here where folks are hungry in the wintertime.) Bludstone boots are great too, simply the best for spring and fall, and they have even created one with a maple leaf on it for we grateful Canuks. The Auzzies make great outdoor kit, but not for the frigid extreme weather we get mid winter. Then there is that marvelous creation...the flask. In truly horrible weather, it is a nice thing to tote along...but mindya just a tiny one...like the 4 oz highland park model. (When I visited Orkney I took the outshell of my browning duck shooting garb...light, waterproof and breathable complete with gortex hood.The realtree hardwoods camo pattern drew a lot of stares and comments....but I was dry) The real trauma that besets people in winter is the challenge of warming up when you return to a coolish or drafty farmhouse. So many modern homes do not have the necessary features to get warm again after a stomp in the wild winter winds. First off there used to be a woodstove in the old kitchens of bygone years, and after an outdoor ordeal in a harsh freezing blizzard, you'd simply take a seat very close to that pulsing iron friend that cooked, heated and provided a meeting place for so much of the year, usually with a coffee pot or tea kettle at the go and within easy reach. You could open the fire door and watch the flames flicker, or add wood to get even hotter. The old oak rocker could be placed at the desired distance and temperature, and a snooze in the heat would be the reward. My friend Mabel in Orkney has a neat old red stove that belches away all winter, but it is oil fired. Bruce and Maureen had a nice big stove and a cozy kitchen on Stronsay. Did you ever get your new stove Bruce? hmmm. For the more determined all-weather winter hiker, our Norwegian forbears and friends engage their badstu. In the early 1900's the Norwegian government, after scientific study, installed these things publicly, and I read online that there is indeed one beneath the Norwegian parliament.(Maybe that's why their politicians are so effective, and their economy so brisk) The place I like to stay in Orkney has one, and the lady there claims that their decision to invest in one had everything to do with health in the cold months. Here, in our north, they are commonplace, but more usually referred to by their other Scandinavian name. (google "badstu" and practice your norwegian) The other outdoor item which is nice in the winter, is the hot tub. A smaller rain barrel version with a good insulated encasement and lid, is an easy thing to manage, and delightful to sit in in a snowstorm, or a clear starry cold night. A propane unit would be a good Orkney choice. The combination of the badstu and a shower with the added feature of a hot tub, seem to make the body immune from the negative impacts of dreadful winter weather, and the entire season becomes indeed enjoyable. Our farmhouse featured such facilities in a complete room lined with local white cedar, which kept us healthy and positive when the winter winds howled, and the sun overslept, out of sight and tucked behind the edges of the cold earth. A little adjusting in Orkney, back to those proven historic Scandinavian methods of our forbears, could make any Orkney winters a joy. Someone told me most Orcadian kids were born in the early fall. hmmm. Stephen in Canada ------------------------------- 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

LOL,,,well it's about time. All you lurkers,,,no need to wait until you think you have something profound to say. Chirp in anytime you feel like it. You don't have to post, but it's more fun,,and more educational for everyone the more points of view we hear...or bad jokes,,or local news..that's in some way relevant to Orkney. Think of this type of list as someone's living room full of friends and family. Several conversations may be going on at the same time. Some may be "weighty subjects" and some not. But it all adds to a feeling of community. R the Didactic (occasionally) -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 4:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Cats Hello! I've been a lurker on the list for a while now, but finally a topic has come up I can comment on!

[email protected] wrote: > Cannot we change the subject? > Yours, > Geoffrey > I'm sure we can, Geoffrey. What would you prefer to discuss, then? Norman Tulloch

On a different subject, My son will be married in Hawaii in December. His bride is a New Zealander/ US citizen beautiful but very modest. I fowarded her the following Orkney tradition. I also notified her family and my son, that I was not really intending to follow this tradition. "The Hen's night for the bride takes place on the same eve as the Stag party. The lady is usually dressed up by her friends, festooned with streamers and balloons and often daubed with soot and flour and paraded through the streets to the accompaniment of rattling cans, clanking pots and pans, whistles and bells and general uproar to avert evil spirits. In many places the friends carry with them a chamber pot into which well-wishers throw a coin for good luck. This is used to raise funds towards the wedding feast - today some lassies receive a cash gift of over $100 in this unorthodox fashion!" from _http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/scot.cfm_ (http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/scot.cfm) I know we have had discussion about the groom's traditions but this was the first I read about the bride. Can you see this self-conscious woman prancing about the cruise ship or the streets of Honolulu? That would get a discussion going! Marilyn ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Dear Stephen, Thanks for your cheering response! Will return to you as soon as I can, but not tonight! Yours, Geoffrey

That's a really big feral cat! Beautiful animals,,but a bit chancy to be around. R -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of stephen davie Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 2:19 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Cats We had a cat drop in on an old friend of mine named Henry, who has a farm near my home. It made it's presence known by it's scat and tracks, and the dead horse it left behind. The Ministry of Natural resources denounced the initial claim it was a cat that killed the horse and refused to visit until Henry pointed out the probability of a lawsuit if his insurance claim was disallowed due to lack of government evidence or a report. Thus, a government biologist and a game warden made the trip to Henry's farm, and shocked themselves by concluding we have a cougar hereabouts. They are seen around here now. In fact we have a few it seems, here and up at our Manitoulin property where a den was discovered on the escarpment woodlands and verified by the Ontario Cougar Foundation. This increase in cat population of a species thought to be almost extinct here, is due to the unprecedented number of white tailed deer. That's my cat story. Yers truly....Stephen On Sep 9, 2007, at 1:04 PM, James Thompson wrote: > OK, a new subject. We just adopted two kittens which had been > fostered through Cats Protection Orkney and we're having a fantastic > time with them. Orkney has an abundance -- many would say an > overabundance -- of cats, a lot of them homeless. If you have the > time and room, why not consider taking on a couple? (Two are easier > than one, actually.)? > > On a related note, Cats Protection believe that the entire feral cat > population of N. Ronaldsay has now been neutered; though that leaves a > lot of other islands still to go. > > Jim > > > --------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server. > ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/ > > > > ------------------------------- > 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 ------------------------------- 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 cat drop in on an old friend of mine named Henry, who has a farm near my home. It made it's presence known by it's scat and tracks, and the dead horse it left behind. The Ministry of Natural resources denounced the initial claim it was a cat that killed the horse and refused to visit until Henry pointed out the probability of a lawsuit if his insurance claim was disallowed due to lack of government evidence or a report. Thus, a government biologist and a game warden made the trip to Henry's farm, and shocked themselves by concluding we have a cougar hereabouts. They are seen around here now. In fact we have a few it seems, here and up at our Manitoulin property where a den was discovered on the escarpment woodlands and verified by the Ontario Cougar Foundation. This increase in cat population of a species thought to be almost extinct here, is due to the unprecedented number of white tailed deer. That's my cat story. Yers truly....Stephen On Sep 9, 2007, at 1:04 PM, James Thompson wrote: > OK, a new subject. We just adopted two kittens which had been > fostered through Cats Protection Orkney and we're having a fantastic > time with them. Orkney has an abundance -- many would say an > overabundance -- of cats, a lot of them homeless. If you have the > time and room, why not consider taking on a couple? (Two are easier > than one, actually.)? > > On a related note, Cats Protection believe that the entire feral cat > population of N. Ronaldsay has now been neutered; though that leaves a > lot of other islands still to go. > > Jim > > > --------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server. > ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/ > > > > ------------------------------- > 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

[email protected] wrote: > I can vouch for the Big Tree - lived in one of the flats which look out onto > it.! According to webpage <http://tinyurl.com/2xz7ns> the Big Tree is Orkney’s biggest and oldest tree. It might be the oldest and at one time it may well have been the largest <http://tinyurl.com/269tez> but nowadays I'm sure that some of the trees in Finstown are larger. -- Bruce Fletcher Stronsay, Orkney <www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont> "I’m sorry, you have reached an imaginary number. Please rotate your telephone 90 degrees and dial again"

Stunning photo Norman...Thanks! On Sep 9, 2007, at 12:35 PM, Norman Tulloch wrote: > On woodlands, how about the Happy Valley, created by the late Edwin > Harrold in Stenness? > > http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1262/1350613235_c14dac8918_o.jpg > > > > > > ------------------------------- > 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

In Orkney we have the benfit of the wind, unrestricted by all those trees!

Was I looking at your home/island from a comfortable chair in a home in Stromness near the Diving building and/or pier? Marion (Maine) > > To answer your questions - I live on Graemsay, just across the water from > Stromness. It's a small island with about 21 residents, about 50% of > which > are incomers. > > Sian

Jim Yes I'm sure Jean will find things to do outdoors, although it may be more of a "rescue remedy" for poor wind battered plants. I love gardening but am unable to do very much except light gardening. In the winter I like to plan and fantasise what I might do in the garden once summer arrives. My first attempts were great learning experiences. Everyone had told me to shelter plants from the wind so I chose what I thought was a sheltered spot surrounded by three walls - but I hadn't bargained for the whirlpool effect of the wind and the patch of earth became scoured and stony and plantless by the Spring! Still it's fun learning to overcome the challenges. To answer your questions - I live on Graemsay, just across the water from Stromness. It's a small island with about 21 residents, about 50% of which are incomers. Everyone here was very welcoming from the first, including Orcadians. In fact I found myself adopted by my Orcadian neighbours which continues to this day. I moved from the suburbs of London where I had lived all my life. And I did what I tell everone else *not* to do - I fell in love with Orkney on my first visit and bought a derelict house on Graemsay which I saw for all of an hour in bright sunshine before my return flight to London. All my life I'd longed to live near the sea shore and in a rural community, and I have never regretted my decision. Despite most of my friends in the South of England declaring me fairly deeply bonkers....! Like you I don't miss the pressures of urban living. I enjoy my occasional sojourn to Edinburgh, Glagow, and York for work purposes but have no desire to return "south". The winters in Orkney can be long and dark that is true, but even living on the outskirts of London I struggled with Winter. But in Orkney I am able to organise my life to fit the rhythms of the seasons. I spend lots of time outdoors (whatever the weather) from April to October, then hibernate indoors from November to March either increasing the hours I work, or indulging in reading, catching up on DVDs, and other projects. This winter's project is to attempt to learn to play the guitar! The wind in the winter is my challenge. If it's too rough I can stay indoors, but there are times when it screams around the house for days and nights, wailing like a banshee, and just when I think I can't stand it any longer I wake up one morning to complete silence and perfect stillness, and in the evening the lights of Stromness stretch across the Sound on a calm sea to touch the shore of Graemsay. I've learned the value of silence since living in Orkney!! Welcome and may you enjoy many years of peaceful living in Orkney! Sian Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 11:46:43 EST > From: James Thompson <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Orkney Winters > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > Sian, > > Thanks for the TV tips and your other suggestions. Jean and I are > both constant readers, but Jean's also a keen gardener so she may miss > that during the winter, although people tell us there's still lots to > do in the garden then. > > We've been coming to Orkney in the summers for years and have found > people generally welcoming. Perhaps our living in a sparsely > populated rural area has something to do with that. We get along fine > with all the local farmers, many of whom have gone out of their way to > make us feel welcome -- though not all of them are speaking to each other! > > If I may ask, what part of Orkney do you live in, and where did you > move here from? We came from sourthern California, and no, we don't > miss the weather there, or the traffic, smog, noise and crime. > > Regards, > > Jim (and Jean) > > > --------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using the UIA Web Mail Server. > ULTIMATE Internet Access, Inc http://www.uia.net/ > > > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the ORCADIA list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the ORCADIA mailing list, send an email to > [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > 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 > email with no additional text. > > > End of ORCADIA Digest, Vol 2, Issue 230 > *************************************** >

With such a high population of fowl in and about the islands, is a feral cat population considered a threat to certain bird species including any locally kept dinner varieties [chickens] ? Nest location and possibly size and temperment of the bird would have to be a factor in predation. Many feral populations of cats in the US are [as funds and volunteers allow] managed in the same manner, its an uphill battle but results are good if neutering can be accomplished. Then there is always the new arrival that's been dropped off because a litter is due. Maybe not so much a possibility on North Ronaldshay though. MegG in OK ==================