hi are you just holidaying in stromsey, cAROL ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Irvine" <wji@shaw.ca> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:12 AM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Walks on Eday and Stronsay > sorry i can't be of help; we had a rental car on eday so didn't walk-the-walk (as we say out west here) > bill > canadian orcadian > http://islandnet.com/~wji/reunion.html > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: agp@telerama.com > Date: Sunday, July 18, 2004 3:57 pm > Subject: [<orcadia>] Walks on Eday and Stronsay > > > Hi all > > > > My planning continues and I have some questions about walks about > > Stronsay > > and Eday. > > > > First, I have a question about doing a walk out to the Vat of > > Kirbuster. I > > see from the brochures that the walk out to the Vat from Whitehall > > is 5 > > miles each way. My feet can't do that! However, I am wondering > > what the > > terrain is like closer to the Vat, around the Meikle Water, > > Bluthers Geo, > > etc. I'd like to arrange transport down to that area, and then > > have someone > > pick us up at an agreed upon time, so I may contact D S Peace in > > Samson's > > Lane to see if we can arrange this by taxi. Does this sound viable? > > > > I also want to do the walk around Noup Hill via Vinquoy Hill on > > Eday. The > > brochure says that would be a 4 1/2 hour walk. Is this accurate? > > It only > > looks to be about 6 km round trip. Once again, I may need to > > arrange > > transport to the beginning of the walk from London Airport. > > > > So with thoughts of arranging transport, that leads me to ask > > about mobile > > phone service on Eday and Stronsay. Should I end up arranging > > transport, > > being able to contact someone in case of trouble, or not, would be > > advantageous. Any ideas? -- or can anyone recommend anyone who > > arranges > > such walks. > > > > Cheers > > > > Tony Pavick > > Pittsburgh PA USA > > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with > > the word > > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >

sorry i can't be of help; we had a rental car on eday so didn't walk-the-walk (as we say out west here) bill canadian orcadian http://islandnet.com/~wji/reunion.html ----- Original Message ----- From: agp@telerama.com Date: Sunday, July 18, 2004 3:57 pm Subject: [<orcadia>] Walks on Eday and Stronsay > Hi all > > My planning continues and I have some questions about walks about > Stronsay > and Eday. > > First, I have a question about doing a walk out to the Vat of > Kirbuster. I > see from the brochures that the walk out to the Vat from Whitehall > is 5 > miles each way. My feet can't do that! However, I am wondering > what the > terrain is like closer to the Vat, around the Meikle Water, > Bluthers Geo, > etc. I'd like to arrange transport down to that area, and then > have someone > pick us up at an agreed upon time, so I may contact D S Peace in > Samson's > Lane to see if we can arrange this by taxi. Does this sound viable? > > I also want to do the walk around Noup Hill via Vinquoy Hill on > Eday. The > brochure says that would be a 4 1/2 hour walk. Is this accurate? > It only > looks to be about 6 km round trip. Once again, I may need to > arrange > transport to the beginning of the walk from London Airport. > > So with thoughts of arranging transport, that leads me to ask > about mobile > phone service on Eday and Stronsay. Should I end up arranging > transport, > being able to contact someone in case of trouble, or not, would be > advantageous. Any ideas? -- or can anyone recommend anyone who > arranges > such walks. > > Cheers > > Tony Pavick > Pittsburgh PA USA > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with > the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > >

Hi all My planning continues and I have some questions about walks about Stronsay and Eday. First, I have a question about doing a walk out to the Vat of Kirbuster. I see from the brochures that the walk out to the Vat from Whitehall is 5 miles each way. My feet can't do that! However, I am wondering what the terrain is like closer to the Vat, around the Meikle Water, Bluthers Geo, etc. I'd like to arrange transport down to that area, and then have someone pick us up at an agreed upon time, so I may contact D S Peace in Samson's Lane to see if we can arrange this by taxi. Does this sound viable? I also want to do the walk around Noup Hill via Vinquoy Hill on Eday. The brochure says that would be a 4 1/2 hour walk. Is this accurate? It only looks to be about 6 km round trip. Once again, I may need to arrange transport to the beginning of the walk from London Airport. So with thoughts of arranging transport, that leads me to ask about mobile phone service on Eday and Stronsay. Should I end up arranging transport, being able to contact someone in case of trouble, or not, would be advantageous. Any ideas? -- or can anyone recommend anyone who arranges such walks. Cheers Tony Pavick Pittsburgh PA USA

I thought some people might like to know that our own George Sandy Coghill, absent from this site for some time, is recovering nicely from a fall, hip surgery and a life-threatening staph infection that has kept him hospitalized in Olympia, Washington, since early March. After more rehab, he hopes to be back among us in a month or two, home again and able to sit at his computer. (I'm putting out the word now, because it might embarrass him to read this.) After meeting on this site last June 27, we hope to honeymoon in Orkney.. even if he's using double canes. Somehow we both managed to fall in love with Orkney in the '70s, without our paths crossing. Now we're wondering what the damp air will do to our joints (not counting mangled hip), but we're willing to chance it. Several people have said this recently, but if Scotland felt like "home" to me, Orkney was Absolute Home. There may be places more objectively beautiful, but no place that has ever felt so right. Peggy Stone

Charlie, Thank you so much for your email. I will check out the website that you posted--This history sounds interesting and I am sure I will learn a great deal from this list. Regards, Michelle -----Original Message----- From: Charlie Petersen [mailto:charliep@olypen.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 10:49 AM To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] New to List Hi Michelle - I don't know about one website, but there is much written about the Hudson Bay Company's efforts to recruit Orkneymen for their operations in Canada, exploration of the Northwest Passage, etc., I'm sure Sigurd has info on his website (www.orkneyjar.com) as well. And this movement to restore the Hall of Clestrain refers to the famous Orkney explorer, John Rae, who worked many years for the Hudson Bay Company. I'm sure my ancestors WENT to Canada because of the Hudson Bay Company, even if they weren't actively employed by HBC. Sigurd will answer, giving you some souces, and keep reading these emails. In the archives are many letters relating to this subject. Cheers - Charlie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 3:19 PM Subject: RE: [<orcadia>] New to List > Hey Charlie, > I am orginally from the Dakotas but am currently living in sunny > Florida. :) BTW-my ancestor I am doing research on I believe came thru > Canada via the North West > Company (Hudson Bay Company) Is there any websites that one can point me > to concerning the emmigration from Scotland during the 1800's? > Thank you. > Michelle > > -----Original Message----- > From: Charlie Petersen [mailto:charliep@olypen.com] > Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 10:57 AM > To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] New to List > > > Welcome, Michelle - > Tell us where you're located! > Charlie Petersen > Port Townsend WA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> > To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 7:23 AM > Subject: [<orcadia>] New to List > > > > Hello Everyone and Goodmorning. > > I just found an ancestor from Orkney Islands and wanted to learn > > more about the culture, history and People. My Ancestor was Thomas > > Short (Shoart) of > > Orphir- son of George Short > > and Christian Hay (time frame of 1695-1730) Anyhow, I look forward > > to > > > learning more about my heritage. > > Regards, > > Michelle > > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with > > the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com

Hi Michelle - I don't know about one website, but there is much written about the Hudson Bay Company's efforts to recruit Orkneymen for their operations in Canada, exploration of the Northwest Passage, etc., I'm sure Sigurd has info on his website (www.orkneyjar.com) as well. And this movement to restore the Hall of Clestrain refers to the famous Orkney explorer, John Rae, who worked many years for the Hudson Bay Company. I'm sure my ancestors WENT to Canada because of the Hudson Bay Company, even if they weren't actively employed by HBC. Sigurd will answer, giving you some souces, and keep reading these emails. In the archives are many letters relating to this subject. Cheers - Charlie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 3:19 PM Subject: RE: [<orcadia>] New to List > Hey Charlie, > I am orginally from the Dakotas but am currently living in sunny > Florida. :) > BTW-my ancestor I am doing research on I believe came thru Canada via > the North West > Company (Hudson Bay Company) Is there any websites that one can point me > to concerning the emmigration from Scotland during the 1800's? > Thank you. > Michelle > > -----Original Message----- > From: Charlie Petersen [mailto:charliep@olypen.com] > Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 10:57 AM > To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] New to List > > > Welcome, Michelle - > Tell us where you're located! > Charlie Petersen > Port Townsend WA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> > To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 7:23 AM > Subject: [<orcadia>] New to List > > > > Hello Everyone and Goodmorning. > > I just found an ancestor from Orkney Islands and wanted to learn > > more about the culture, history and People. My Ancestor was Thomas > > Short (Shoart) of > > Orphir- son of George Short > > and Christian Hay (time frame of 1695-1730) Anyhow, I look forward to > > > learning more about my heritage. > > Regards, > > Michelle > > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > > word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > >

In a message dated 7/9/2004 2:21:53 PM Pacific Standard Time, Sian.Thomas@btinternet.com writes: > www.graemsay.com Thank you!! I was very charmed and interested in your home on Graemsay, and all of the details you so thoughtfully placed on your web site for others to enjoy. The information you gave was very nice, for I may not ever get to travel abroad and see the things which you described. The photos are wonderful! You seem to be very much at home in this remote isle. How refreshing it must be to live there. Many thanks, Susan from the USA

Hey Charlie, I am orginally from the Dakotas but am currently living in sunny Florida. :) BTW-my ancestor I am doing research on I believe came thru Canada via the North West Company (Hudson Bay Company) Is there any websites that one can point me to concerning the emmigration from Scotland during the 1800's? Thank you. Michelle -----Original Message----- From: Charlie Petersen [mailto:charliep@olypen.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 10:57 AM To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] New to List Welcome, Michelle - Tell us where you're located! Charlie Petersen Port Townsend WA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 7:23 AM Subject: [<orcadia>] New to List > Hello Everyone and Goodmorning. > I just found an ancestor from Orkney Islands and wanted to learn > more about the culture, history and People. My Ancestor was Thomas > Short (Shoart) of > Orphir- son of George Short > and Christian Hay (time frame of 1695-1730) Anyhow, I look forward to > learning more about my heritage. > Regards, > Michelle > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com

Hi to Rik I will visit the Hall of Clestrain next week on my long-awaited trip to Orkney and i'll join the support group. I'm looking forward to watching the BBc programme tonight. My great grandmother used to work on one of the farms in this area in the late 1800s so i'm very interested in the location. I enjoyed to hear of another story of happy settlement in Orkney (yours!). An artist - do you do other art work as well as the website designing? I studied graphic design at Glasgow School of Art many moons ago. Yet now i might just want a website designed - esp with an Orcadian feel - as my historical fiction based in Orkney is soon to be published (very exciting!). Orkney is so awe-inspiring for creative people... Best wishes for the project, i'll be voting! Fiona (York UK) >From: "Richard Hammond" <info@watsonpress.co.uk> >Reply-To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com >To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [<orcadia>] Introduction / Hall of Clestrain, Orphir - BBC2 >Restoration >Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 13:47:29 +0100 > >Greetings, > >My name is Rik Hammond - I am an artist and website designer and have >recently moved to Orkney, from Hartlepool, with my partner Clare, who is >the >new Arts Development Officer at Orkney Islands Council. We are loving our >new life in Orkney. I hope to post to the list on other subjects soon (I >have been 'lurking' on the list for a while and am very interested in >heritage, maritime history, archaeology and art), but after chatting to >Sigurd recently, we thought it was a good time to post some more >information >about the Hall of Clestrain in Orphir, Orkney and its appearance on BBC >television tomorrow. I have recently built a campaign website for the >project to restore the Hall and its development into the Orkney Boat >Museum. > >Built around 1769, the Hall of Clestrain was the family home of Arctic >explorer John Rae, the man who discovered the fate of the Franklin >expedition, and the last navigable link in the Northwest Passage. It has >stood derelict since the 1950s. > >Sir John Franklin's wife, Lady Jane Franklin, led a campaign to discredit >Rae and his discoveries. Franklin, not Rae, was credited with the discovery >of the Northwest Passage and although Rae was credited for the discovery of >the fate of the Franklin expedition, he received no knighthood for his >important Arctic explorations. > >Orkney Boat Museum Ltd. are leading an exciting project to restore the Hall >of Clestrain and convert it into the Orkney Boat Museum. The project has >three main aims. 1) To save the Hall of Clestrain - a lovely Georgian >mansion which is A-listed, and desperately close to total dereliction. 2) >To >tell the story of John Rae and 3) To save and allow interpretation of >historic boats and the stories associated with them. > >The Hall of Clestrain is one of three Scottish properties included in this >year’s BBC Restoration programme. Viewers are given the chance to vote for >the building they would most like to see restored. If the Hall of Clestrain >gets enough votes it will go through to the final with a chance of winning >millions of pounds raised during the programme - giving the Hall a much >needed lease of life. > >The programme featuring the Hall of Clestrain is on BBC2 at 9pm - Tuesday >13th July. The telephone number for voting is 09011 332 222. Voters will be >asked to press 1, 2, or 3 to vote for the restoration project of their >choice. The lines are open for voting from 2am on July 13th to midnight on >July 14th. Viewers can vote as often as they like. > >As well as voting, one of the ways you can also support the project is to >join the Friends of Orkney Boat Museum. Individual Membership costs £10 per >annum (£15 for a family) and gives free entry to the museum when it is >completed. An application form is available to download from >http://www.hallofclestrain.org.uk, or, if you wish a membership form to be >posted to you, email friends@orkneyboatmuseum.org.uk. (Lifetime and >International memberships are also available via the Friends). > > >For more information visit the Hall of Clestrain and Orkney Boat Museum >website at http://www.hallofclestrain.org.uk > >The BBC Restoration website is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/restoration >(As yet it is not fully known how, or if, international voting may work - >please check the BBC Restoration website for details). > > >Regards to all > >Rik Hammond >Hall of Clestrain / Orkney Boat Museum webmaster >Orphir, Orkney > >avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. >Virus Database (VPS): 0428-0, 07/07/2004 >Tested on: 12/07/2004 13:46:35 >avast! is copyright (c) 2000-2003 ALWIL Software. >http://www.avast.com > > > > >==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== >To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word >'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > _________________________________________________________________ It's fast, it's easy and it's free. 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Tirabasso <zorahh@sssnet.com> wrote: >I thought I saw some wind pumps somewhere there on >the Mainland. Does anyone know where these might have >been? I can't remember where we were at the time. There are large turbines on Burger Hill, Evie, as well as Rothiesholm (Rowzum) in Stronsay. Aside from these there are a handful of smaller turbines dotted around the countryside. S.

Hello Everyone and Goodmorning. I just found an ancestor from Orkney Islands and wanted to learn more about the culture, history and People. My Ancestor was Thomas Short (Shoart) of Orphir- son of George Short and Christian Hay (time frame of 1695-1730) Anyhow, I look forward to learning more about my heritage. Regards, Michelle

Welcome, Michelle - Tell us where you're located! Charlie Petersen Port Townsend WA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel Horton" <danielhorton@bellsouth.net> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 7:23 AM Subject: [<orcadia>] New to List > Hello Everyone and Goodmorning. > I just found an ancestor from Orkney Islands and wanted to learn more > about the > culture, history and People. My Ancestor was Thomas Short (Shoart) of > Orphir- son of George Short > and Christian Hay (time frame of 1695-1730) Anyhow, I look forward to > learning more about my > heritage. > Regards, > Michelle > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > >

Thank you for posting this . I did wonder about the other islands and how this all worked. I thought I saw some wind pumps somewhere there on the Mainland. Does anyone know where these might have been? I can't remember where we were at the time. Thanks, Pat -------Original Message------- From: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Date: 07/12/04 12:08:45 To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: RE: [] Life on Graemsay Darryl, re your question about utilities on Graemsay.

On 12 July 2004 18:29, KJEMEM@aol.com wrote: > Can anyone enlighten me as to roughly the size of the Groattie Hoose? > > I realized the recent discussions about it make it sound larger than > the image I have in my mind, but the only picture I've ever seen > doesn't have anything I can compare it to for size. From what I can > see, it's somewhere between a bird house and a sky scraper, but I'd > like to narrow down that range a bit. I'd say its about 30ft tall. -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk

Please note that my website has now moved to http://www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont which should ensure that it is accessible for 99.99 percent of the time. A redirection link has been left in place on the old, unreliable GeoCities host. Regards, Bruce Fletcher Stronsay, Orkney http://www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont

Katherine, I was interested that you said ORkney felt like home, because that's exactly how I felt when I first visited 5 years ago. It felt like coming home, and the feeling continued when I moved up here. Despite the fact I'd moved from a town in the South Of England I'd lived in all my life,there I always felt like an "alien abroad". Interesting some power places have over us. Hope you get to visit Orkney again one day soon. Sian Graemsay web site: www.graemsay.com

Darryl, re your question about utilities on Graemsay. We have mains electricity which comes across from Orkney Mainland on an undersea cable and then with overhead cables/transformers across the island. Mains water which comes across from Hoy - off the Hoy hills into a reservoir then underground pipe to a small reservoir tank on Graemsay. No wind pumps or other alternative energies are used as yet. Sewage is generally "septic tanks" or pipes straight into the sea. It took me a while to get used to a "septic tank" - they work fine as long as you don't shove bleach and other chemicals down the loo at every available opportunity. The telephone link is a microwave link from Stromness since the undersea cable got cut. We are hoping for broadband but it's unlikely to arrive for a year or so, but it would make life easier for me as I need to email large files. Generally the telephone link is good, but sometimes a dodgy electric fence nearby causes disruption! Television reception here is fair, most people have satellite or digital as regular terrestrial pictures can be a bit fuzzy at time. I've been told the tides are the cause of some problems, but not sure if that's true or was somebody pulling my leg! Although we have "all mod cons", some folk are selective in their use. A neighbour only had mains water connected last year when their private reservoir dried up. They still prefer to use it for drinking water. Another elderly neighbour had electricity put in by her son a couple of years ago, but still preferred to use the gas lamps (bottled gas) and her Aga fire for cooking and heating the room. Due to advancing years she has now succumbed to electric light and the dubious pleasure of TV. However I will always hold in my memory the day I visited Ethel when I first came to the island some years ago. I walked up the unmade track to the croft house, entered through the half open door, and on turning into the sitting room, I saw her sitting there on the sofa by the Aga, with the gas light gently hissing, surrounded by an assortment of cats vying for a place by the fire, and Ethel talking into her mobile phone! She didn't have electricity at that point so had to walk up to her son's to recharge it's batteries, but she could use it to phone for her "messages" (shopping) at Argo's in Stromness instead of walking down the road to the lone public phone box. As I say - we all make our choices! Sian Graemsay -----Original Message----- From: Darryl [mailto:stoutd@shaw.ca] Sent: 09 July 2004 23:20 To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Life on Graemsay Sian: I'm curious about the source of utilities on your island and on other small Orkney islands. Does each island have it's own diesel generator? Any windmills? How do you get telephone and internet service? How about sewage treatment? Darryl ----- Original Message ----- From: "SIAN.THOMAS" <Sian.Thomas@btinternet.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 11:49 PM Subject: RE: [<orcadia>] Life on Graemsay Well Fiona & Charlie, you did ask..... Graemsay is one of the smaller of the Orkney islands and is about 1.5 x two miles in size. Currently there are 23 inhabitants living in 10 houses, but in it's "heyday" in the 1800's I believe the census shows nearly 200 folk living here. It must have been a bit overcrowded then!! I moved here from London 4 years ago, and part of the attraction of the island is that it is only a short ferry trip to Stromness on the Orkney Mainland. So we have the benefits of peace, quiet and remoteness but are only a short hop across to "Metropolis". Our summer ferry schedule allows us to visit the town just for a couple of hours or the whole day if we wish. Winter is less frequent, and some weekends we have no ferry at all, which I absolutely adore. There is nothing better than feeling cocooned on my wee island in the depths of winter! Although our ferry is ro-ro, our pier is not, so only passengers can travel, with everything else being winched on or off on the thrice-weekly cargo runs, that includes livestock, cars, oil for the heating system, diesel etc. "Arthur's Tractor" made the headlines in The Orcadian recently as it was too heavy to be lifted on and off our ferry so there was something of a kafuffle with alternative arrangements finally being made. We have no shop on the island, but almost all the shops in Stromness will deliver goods to the boat to be dropped off at our pier. I'm extremely fortunate living on the road to the pier so in the depths of winter gales neighbouring farmers will drop off supplies from the pier saving me having to venture forth for days! At this time of year I love the long days - daylight seems eternal. Sunrise is about 4am and sunset about 10.30pm at this time of year. But it doesn't really get dark in the bits between. I've walked back from a party at 2am and not needed a torch, which contrasts with Winter where at 4pm if I step away from the glow of the house lights I'm plunged into total blackness. Temperatures - well 70 is a heatwave here. As I live near the shore there is generally a light breeze too. Summer has possibly just arrived with temps in the high 60s but weather is very variable (be warned Fiona, back for changeable weather and bring gloves!!). Most folk on Graemsay work farms or crofts, with a couple of us working from home, and the rest being retired. There is one large farm on the island, two smaller farms and a couple of small crofts. Graemsay doesn't get many toursists as we don't have any "ancient monuments", but we often get school groups visiting, as well as some of the Clubs & Societies in Orkney who like walking around our small island admiring the wild flowers, birds and scenery. Depending where you are on Graemsay you can look toward Stromness, on a clear day see the wind turbines in Birsay, shadow-plays on the hills of Orphir, down the flow to Cava & Flotta, the Flotta Flare a year round beacon, or towards Ward Hill on Hoy. The scenery ever changing with the light, and you can watch the weather sweep in from the Atlantic, although we do benefit from some shelter from the Hoy Hills. Our house is one of only two two-storey houses on the island, the other being The Manse. This house was built in about 1860 and was the main farmhouse on the island. It was originally two houses, like a modern maisonette with an external staircase, very unusual for a rural location but we have no idea who designed it or why. It was built for two brothers, tenant farmers on the Sandside estate, Samuel & Alexander Sutherland, their wives and a host of children. At one time about 18 people lived in this house, and no it's NOT that big! I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like living with so many folk! When we bought the house we also bought the field behind it so that we could be assured of an uninterrupted view across to Stromness. We even have our very own beach and feel privileged when the seals choose to come and bask on "our" rocks. The field we rent out to a neighbouring farmer, thereby evading responsibility for livestock but getting the pleasure of watching the young calves and lambs enjoying the sunshine (because of course it's always sunny on Graemsay...). I do have a few hens, they will jump up onto the windowsill and rap on the window if I'm tardy with their feast of scraps, thereby terrifying Fitzi-cat, another refugee from London, but perhaps not so well adapted to life on Graemsay. I've some photos of Graemsay on my website if you'd like to take a look: www.graemsay.com Hope I've not bored you with my ramble. Feel free to ask questions - I love talking about the island and Orkney, just don't want to bore everyone to death. Sian Graemsay ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.717 / Virus Database: 473 - Release Date: 08/07/04 ______________________________

Greetings, My name is Rik Hammond - I am an artist and website designer and have recently moved to Orkney, from Hartlepool, with my partner Clare, who is the new Arts Development Officer at Orkney Islands Council. We are loving our new life in Orkney. I hope to post to the list on other subjects soon (I have been 'lurking' on the list for a while and am very interested in heritage, maritime history, archaeology and art), but after chatting to Sigurd recently, we thought it was a good time to post some more information about the Hall of Clestrain in Orphir, Orkney and its appearance on BBC television tomorrow. I have recently built a campaign website for the project to restore the Hall and its development into the Orkney Boat Museum. Built around 1769, the Hall of Clestrain was the family home of Arctic explorer John Rae, the man who discovered the fate of the Franklin expedition, and the last navigable link in the Northwest Passage. It has stood derelict since the 1950s. Sir John Franklin's wife, Lady Jane Franklin, led a campaign to discredit Rae and his discoveries. Franklin, not Rae, was credited with the discovery of the Northwest Passage and although Rae was credited for the discovery of the fate of the Franklin expedition, he received no knighthood for his important Arctic explorations. Orkney Boat Museum Ltd. are leading an exciting project to restore the Hall of Clestrain and convert it into the Orkney Boat Museum. The project has three main aims. 1) To save the Hall of Clestrain - a lovely Georgian mansion which is A-listed, and desperately close to total dereliction. 2) To tell the story of John Rae and 3) To save and allow interpretation of historic boats and the stories associated with them. The Hall of Clestrain is one of three Scottish properties included in this year’s BBC Restoration programme. Viewers are given the chance to vote for the building they would most like to see restored. If the Hall of Clestrain gets enough votes it will go through to the final with a chance of winning millions of pounds raised during the programme - giving the Hall a much needed lease of life. The programme featuring the Hall of Clestrain is on BBC2 at 9pm - Tuesday 13th July. The telephone number for voting is 09011 332 222. Voters will be asked to press 1, 2, or 3 to vote for the restoration project of their choice. The lines are open for voting from 2am on July 13th to midnight on July 14th. Viewers can vote as often as they like. As well as voting, one of the ways you can also support the project is to join the Friends of Orkney Boat Museum. Individual Membership costs £10 per annum (£15 for a family) and gives free entry to the museum when it is completed. An application form is available to download from http://www.hallofclestrain.org.uk, or, if you wish a membership form to be posted to you, email friends@orkneyboatmuseum.org.uk. (Lifetime and International memberships are also available via the Friends). For more information visit the Hall of Clestrain and Orkney Boat Museum website at http://www.hallofclestrain.org.uk The BBC Restoration website is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/restoration (As yet it is not fully known how, or if, international voting may work - please check the BBC Restoration website for details). Regards to all Rik Hammond Hall of Clestrain / Orkney Boat Museum webmaster Orphir, Orkney avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 0428-0, 07/07/2004 Tested on: 12/07/2004 13:46:35 avast! is copyright (c) 2000-2003 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com

Can anyone enlighten me as to roughly the size of the Groattie Hoose? I realized the recent discussions about it make it sound larger than the image I have in my mind, but the only picture I've ever seen doesn't have anything I can compare it to for size. From what I can see, it's somewhere between a bird house and a sky scraper, but I'd like to narrow down that range a bit. Karen

That was a wonderful article, Sigurd, on the weather and words. Have printed it to read again and again. Thanks so much! And again for allowing so many of us all over the world to enthuse about orkney here - your 'home town', you lucky person! Fiona (York UK) _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself with cool new emoticons http://www.msn.co.uk/specials/myemo