Absolutely beautiful! Thanks so much for the pictures. I located them in a link and finely got to see them. They are so wonderful, and give me hope that I may one day get out of my southern home. Beth Livingston Greenville, SC, USA

> I would love to see the snow there, can someone tell me how to get to the > pictures? > Click on the links in the original emails. Here they are again: my pics: www.picturetrail.com/orcadia The snow pics are in the album called January Snow Sigurd's pics: http://www.orkneyjar.com/portfolio/snow/ Enjoy Fiona Orkney

Is the handsome wee laddy in the varsity jacket one of yourn? On Friday, January 30, 2004, at 04:41 PM, Sigurd Towrie wrote: > On 30 January 2004 21:06, Fiona wrote: > >> Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. >> They were all taken over the past 3 days. > > After being 'trapped' by drifts for a week, I ventured out on the bike > on Thursday. Ended up carrying it most of the way but a few pics now > online at http://www.orkneyjar.com/portfolio/snow > > -- > Sigurd Towrie > Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney > Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com > Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com > Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk > > > ==== 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 >

Your pictures are wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing them Fiona. Kathy --- Fiona <fiona@deerness.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new > album. They were all > taken over the past 3 days. > http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 > > Fiona > Orkney > > > ==== 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 > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/

I would love to see the snow there, can someone tell me how to get to the pictures? Beth Greenville, SC, USA

On 30 January 2004 21:06, Fiona wrote: > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. > They were all taken over the past 3 days. After being 'trapped' by drifts for a week, I ventured out on the bike on Thursday. Ended up carrying it most of the way but a few pics now online at http://www.orkneyjar.com/portfolio/snow -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk

Wow! You really did get some snow there! Beautiful pictures. Now I understand why school was cancelled! Thank you for sharing. Peggy

Hi Caryn, Isn't a coincidence you live in the Hudson Valley, I am also living in New Jersey/New York state 20 minutes from the Tappan Zee Bridge. Are there a lot of Highlanders were you live? Edward ----- Original Message ----- From: "Caryn Sobel" <carynsobel@earthlink.net> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 6:12 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Photos of Orkney in snow > Fiona, > > Thank you so much for sharing those lovely photos. Nestled here in the > Hudson River Valley in New York, I always breathe a bit easier when I look > at the huge horizons in photos of Orkney. Your home looks like my > grandparents' farm...definitely the most beautiful things I have seen here > all day today. > > Caryn > > > > > ==== 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 > >

Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. They were all taken over the past 3 days. http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 Fiona Orkney

Thank you Sigurd, Wonderful photos. What a lot of snow you have. Trish ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sigurd Towrie" <sigurd@orkneyjar.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 7:41 PM Subject: RE: [<orcadia>] Photos of Orkney in snow > On 30 January 2004 21:06, Fiona wrote: > > > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. > > They were all taken over the past 3 days. > > After being 'trapped' by drifts for a week, I ventured out on the bike > on Thursday. Ended up carrying it most of the way but a few pics now > online at http://www.orkneyjar.com/portfolio/snow > > -- > Sigurd Towrie > Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney > Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com > Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com > Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk > > > ==== 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 >

Fiona, Thank you so much for sharing those lovely photos. Nestled here in the Hudson River Valley in New York, I always breathe a bit easier when I look at the huge horizons in photos of Orkney. Your home looks like my grandparents' farm...definitely the most beautiful things I have seen here all day today. Caryn

Wonderful shots Fiona. Very moody.Thank you for sharing. I have to admit I tried to 'steal' one for my desktop because I loved it so much. Winter is my favorite time, and almost all the artwork in the house in winter oriented. Makes me feel like I am right there. best, Trish ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fiona" <fiona@deerness.freeserve.co.uk> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 4:05 PM Subject: [<orcadia>] Photos of Orkney in snow > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. They were all > taken over the past 3 days. > http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 > > Fiona > Orkney > > > ==== 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 Fiona, Is the white bird, Isabella ? Isabella Fiona wrote: >Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. They were all >taken over the past 3 days. >http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 > >Fiona >Orkney > > >==== 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 > > > >

The photos are lovely. Wondered about the ducks. I recognized the mallard drakes and hens, but what are the white ones, one mottled and one pure white? I am assuming these are wild birds, howevre tame. On Friday, January 30, 2004, at 01:05 PM, Fiona wrote: > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. They were > all > taken over the past 3 days. > http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 > > Fiona > Orkney > > > ==== 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 >

Fiona, thank you so much for sharing those with us. If I remember correctly, those are your ducks? I enjoy seeing that gang. They are quite hardy little guys and gals. Brrr. Makes me cold just seeing that. Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fiona" <fiona@deerness.freeserve.co.uk> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 4:05 PM Subject: [<orcadia>] Photos of Orkney in snow > Quite a few new photos added to my website in a new album. They were all > taken over the past 3 days. > http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3614522 > > Fiona > Orkney > > > ==== 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 > > >

Stephen- Interesting info regarding your flights over the Bay- did you see any of the fairly recent TV series where a HBC crew tried to relive the trip of a York boat crew in 2002-3 ? Scary to say the least ,and the vessel kept smashing up on the rocks etc. I only saw part of the series, but do remember the hand-picked crew- chosen for toughness, strength etc- kept diminishing one by one by.... not sure if they ever made it from Montreal (?) to Fort York (?). I thought Audrey Thomas had based her novel "Isobel Gunn" on a true story -thanks for confirmation. cheers Thompson

Don't recall that particular series. But I am constantly watching and reading on the subject. When the winds blow on Hudson's Bay, it is scary and inspires awe.. I personally got caught at Winisk, east of Churchill, in a freak late August wind sheer of about a constant 60 knots. I had no gas to go elsewhere or stay aloft, and had to land at Winisk, across the river, into the wind, and cross ways on swells rounding the bend from the big water and abeam the current of the frothing river. (they since have moved the village and call the new one Pewanuk) I waited as long as my fuel would let me till the sheer subsided some, and I landed, flaps extended and as close to the dock as possible. Then with the flaps retracted to 10% and the doors open, we sailed back into the shore with the engine running (ie: prop turning) using the doors for steerage, like little rudders in the wind. Had it not been for a handfull of curious and eager Crees assembled in the wind to watch the probable wreck, I would have smashed into the rocky shore in a serious sort of way, or sank. The protected shore was inaccessible. We all leaped into the shallows to save the aircraft. I left soaking wet with the wind still howling and my tanks full, and the plane wanted to climb out the water prematurely onto the step of the floats, and roll over on it's back! That was a first. I shoved the nose down, took off and headed south the 330 nm to Moosonee. Our tail wind was enormous for about an hour. One of those days I will not ever forget. Neither did my elderly father! I can imagine what some of those early voyages were like. They were based on dedicated seamanship, precise celestial navigation and sheer luck. On Thursday, January 29, 2004, at 08:10 AM, Dutch Thompson wrote: > Stephen- > Interesting info regarding your flights over the Bay- did you see > any of the fairly recent TV series where a HBC crew tried to relive > the trip of a York boat crew in 2002-3 ? Scary to say the least ,and > the vessel kept smashing up on the rocks etc. I only saw part of the > series, but do remember the hand-picked crew- chosen for toughness, > strength etc- kept diminishing one by one by.... > not sure if they ever made it from Montreal (?) to Fort York (?). > I thought Audrey Thomas had based her novel "Isobel Gunn" on a true > story -thanks for confirmation. > > cheers Thompson > > > ==== 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 >

Hello Jim D I saw your comments once on this site, and I discovered that you have a relative living in Barrie, Ontario. Her maiden name is Dianna Drever. She is of distinct Orcadian HBC origin, with a little Cree mixed in. She has a book written about her gg grandfather, who was a factor at Fort Gary (aks Winnipeg). I'd bet you a dollar to a doughnut that she is indeed your relative. She tells me she is going to lend me her book, but as yet that has not occurred. However, I could dig up her e-mail address if you wish. She is a wonderful lady, rightfully proud of the Drever contribution to the settlement of the west with the HBC. Kind of nice to be bale to have a book on hand written about this family (ie; your family) Stephen On Thursday, January 29, 2004, at 08:04 AM, JHDBDRIVER@aol.com wrote: > Stephen & Dutch - > > Thnk you for the HBC comments - it gives me a good feeling - I have > a Great > Uncle, Joseph Drever, Westray, O, who is purported to have become Chief > Joseph of the Cree tribe because he had married the daughter of a > Chief who had no > sons so Joseph, his son-in-law, was selected as Chief. > > The Orcadian ran an article quite a few years ago about Chief Joseph > and > somewhere in my files I have a copy of the photograph of Joseph which > accompanied > the article - > > Sigurd - does this ring a bell with you? > > Many thanks - another association I can be proud of. Those Folk were > tough!! > > Jim D - Denver > > > ==== 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 >

Stephen & Dutch - Thnk you for the HBC comments - it gives me a good feeling - I have a Great Uncle, Joseph Drever, Westray, O, who is purported to have become Chief Joseph of the Cree tribe because he had married the daughter of a Chief who had no sons so Joseph, his son-in-law, was selected as Chief. The Orcadian ran an article quite a few years ago about Chief Joseph and somewhere in my files I have a copy of the photograph of Joseph which accompanied the article - Sigurd - does this ring a bell with you? Many thanks - another association I can be proud of. Those Folk were tough!! Jim D - Denver

Hello- Hope those in Orkney are dug out of the storm. Here's more from an old magazine I've been reading- from an article titled " ' A parcel of Upsstart Scotchman' ", The Beaver magazine, (Feb/Mar 1988)by Jennifer SH Brown : " An early HBC governor at Fort York, John Nixon, complained in his report of 1682 that these urban English hands not only kept trying to sue for higher wages; they also brought with them the licentiousness & liquor problems of city life. Nixon urged his London board of directors to turn to rural areas for emplyees who were ' not debauched with the voluptwousness (sic) of the city'. Specifically he suggested that they ' send over yearley 5 lykly country lads of 17 or 18 years of age, and let their tyms be 7 years so that before their tyms be out they will be lusty youngemen and fit for your service both at sea, and land, and at small wages'. Then he presented another seminal idea. He knew a man, he told his superiors, who could ' informe youre honoures how you may get men out of Scotland'. For he added, ' If England can not furnish you with men, Scotland can, for that countrie is ahard country to live in, and poor-mens wages is cheap, they are hardy people both to endure hunger, and could, and are subject to obedience, and I am sure they will serve for 6 pound pr. years, and be better content, with their dyet than Englishmen.' Nixon's recommendation must have come to receptive minds, for when the London Committee met to hire new hands in March of 1683, 4 of 7 recruits were Scots; and 3 of these indeed accepted employment at an initial 6 pounds a year. By the 1690s, French-British military conflicts were causing manpower shortages in England, and in 1693, as a consequence, the Company was seeking about a dozen able Scotsman aged between 20 & 30. HBC ships by 1700 had formed the habit of picking up last minute supplies from Stromness in the Orkney Islands before starting across the Atlantic. In 1702 the Company was instructed to hire 10 or 12 young men for the Bay on its stop there. Such hiring soon became customary, and the Company later employed an agent in Stromness to assist in its recruiting of Orkneymen. The seeming success of the policy is suggested by the fact that, by 1799, over 3/4 of HBC servants at the Bay posts were from the Orkneys. (sic)... Regular HBC wages, received over a period of years in a locality such as northern Canada where there are few temptations to overspend them, allowed many an Orcadian to return home after service in relative opulence. The Company also provided chances for upward mobility within its ranks beyond what the islanders' society could offer...some moved into positions of responsibility as officers, as did William Tomison...William Sinclair, and several others. They also brought valuable practical skills with them. A basic literacy, adequate for simple record-keeping, was not uncommon among them, thanks to the Orkney parish schools. And they had often grown up to be experienced with boats and fishing. Their knowledge of boats and boat-building was instrumental in leading the Company to invest substantially in the construction of capacious oar-powered boats for use on the larger waterways...These distinctive vessels, later known as York boats because of their use on transport routes to York Factory, were certainly based on Orkney-Norse prototypes, with their pointed bows and sterns, their rows of oarsmen, and their use of masts and square sail where water and wind conditions allowed. They compared closely to the small vessels of a thousand years ago that archaelogists have recently been recovering from Danish coastal waters; restored examples of the latter in the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde near Copenhagen clearly share the! same tradition. Several observers found the Orkney character conducive to Company business success. Being far from urban centres, Orkneymen had not learned ' the ways and debaucheries of the town' ; so said Joseph Myatt at Albany in 1727, bearing out John Nixon's remarks on ' country lads' in 1682 Edward Umfreville, former HBC employee, put on record in 1790 one of the more vivid descriptions of the Orkney servants, commenting, as an Englishman, on how they carried their 'Scotch' business conduct almost to excess: ' a a close prudent quiet people, strictly faithful to their employers, and sordidly avarious. When these people are scattered among the Indians their behaviour is conducted with so much propriety, as not only to make themselves esteemed by the natives, and to procure their protection, but they also employ their time in endeavouring to enrich themselves, and their principals, by their diligence and unwearied assiduity.' By the late 1700s, the Orkneymen were conspicuous as a distintive ethnic group, and subject to sterotyping and pre-judging by others who saw them as such...They already had, of course, kinship and friendship ties and a shared culture befoire they left home. But once placed amongst Englishmen, a sprinkling of mainland Scots, and Indian bands, and exposed increasingly to contacts with Montreal traders, they certainly became more ' tribal ' themselves- aware of their distinctiveness and of their common interests as a group. Indeed, some of them began at times to act collectively with economic motives. At York Factory in 1777, there was a report that several Orcadians had entered into ' a kind of Combination' to sue for higher wages. In 1811, Governor William Auld observed that the Orkneymen were ' never to be complained against except in cases where a great number of them happen to have their contracts expiring at the same time then they unite to reduce us to their terms! .' " Apologies to those for whom this is old hat- and wondering if anyone can comment on the 'authenticity' of Audrey Thomas' wonderful novel "Isobel Gunn", the story of an Orkney woman who disguises herself as a man and goes to work for the HBC . cheers Thompson