Hi Dan, I don't think there is such a thing as an Orcadian Fruitcake recipe as such. You might like to try this recipe for a Dundee Cake though - http://www.electricscotland.com/food/recipes/dundeec.htm - nice and fruity. However if it is something that you want to eat hot, then try this recipe. It appeared in as an advert for Evening Classes many years ago. I read it at the time and it made me laugh so much that I cut it out and kept it. I still laugh every time I read it. Whoever wrote it has a fine sense of humour :-) It was written in Orcadian dialect but I've provided a "translation" for the slow of understanding ;-) Clootie Dumpling a l'Orcades Tak a half a dozen knevfills o' selfraiseen flooer, a guppon o' currants, half a poke o' raiseens, and a peedie poke o' caster shuggar. Coop the whole lot in the baseen but don't forget tae coop out the tattie peeleens and the toe nail clippeens first and gae it a queeck swill under the tap in the interest o' hygiene fur ye cana be too careful nooadays. Add a chunk o' margarine and a peedie grain o' mixed spice and gae the whole conglomeration a steer up wi' a strong widden speun or the end o' the beesom while ye poor in a midleen swash o' soor milk until hids all jeust wan great claggy roo. Then coop hid oot ontae a good strong bit o' cloot that's been covered in flooer (an owld pair o' long draars works a traet), tie hid up wi a piece o' string bit no too tight or hid might swall and burst and hids warse than skitter tae scrape aff the walls. Bung the whole thing in a pot o' boilan watter for three and a half oors, coop hid oot ontae a plate, peel aff the cloot and ye've a dish that Egg-on Ronnie wid be prood o'. If hids broon hids cookid and if hids black hids buggered. An added bonus is a clean pair o' draars bit the elastic never works the sam efter and hid is a job tae keep them up. "Translation" Take a half dozen handfuls of self-raising flour, a double handful of currants, half a bag of raisins, and a small bag of caster sugar. Empty the whole lot in the basin but don't forget to empty out the potato peelings and the toe nail clippings first and give it a quick rinse under the tap in the interest of hygiene because you can't be too careful nowadays. Add a chunk of margarine and a small quantity of mixed spice and give the whole conglomeration a stir with a strong wooden spoon or the broom handle while you pour in a moderate quantity of sour milk until it's all just one great sticky mess. Then empty it out onto a good strong bit of cloth that's been covered in flour (an old pair of long underpants works a treat), tie it up with a pice of string but not too tight or it might swell and burst and it's worse than sh*t to scrape off the walls. Place the whole thing in a pot of boiling water for three and a half hours, empty it out onto a plate, peel off the cloth and you've a dish that Egon Ronay (Good Food Guide editor - MCC) would be proud of. If it's brown it's cooked and if it's black it's overdone. An added bonus is a clean pair of underpants but the elastic never woks the same afterwards and it is difficult to keep them up. Believe me, many an Orkney housewife would have recipes like that - never weighed or measured anything - but always produced delicious home baking. Enjoy! Season's greetings to all. -- Mike Clouston ----- Original Message ----- From: <Juanelan@aol.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 1:23 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Well wsihes > Late for Christmas, on time for New Year's . . . > Does anyone have a stick to your ribs/warm your heart > Orcadian Fruitcake recipe? > Dan In Chicago >

Mike, I'd like to import you for my New Year's Eve! Thanks for the good laugh and the recipes, and a happy, healthy, and laughter-filled New Year to all of you out there, witha special dose for Sigurd and his family. Anne, almost melting in the sunshine! in Ardmore, PA

Thank you, Mike - a pleasant reminder of my Grandmother (b. Westray, 1868) and her method of cooking - can't remember a dish of hers that didn't disappear quickly - nine kids helped, tho-- Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all--- Jim D. - Denver, CO

Late for Christmas, on time for New Year's . . . Does anyone have a stick to your ribs/warm your heart Orcadian Fruitcake recipe? Dan In Chicago

To all of Orkney and Orkney lovers, Happy Holidays and a Happier New Year from the Chesapeake Kathy Edmiston __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/

Hi everybody, From a cold and wet Holland, I send you my best wishes for Christmas. May the turkey be well done, the ginger-wine of a good year, and the christmas-pudding the best you ever had.... Merry christmas to all of you cheers, Kees Knegt Holland

Hi to all! I'm a spanish girl from the Basque Country called Nerea. I'm 23 years old and this September-October went to Scotland with my friends. We took the Northlinkferries and stayed on Orkney for some days because we became in love with those islands. I hope I'll turn back next year and maybe I'm trying to find a job there, just because my dream is staying there all the time I can (for years, if it is possible). I wish you all the happiness for this Christmas and a fantastic new year. Kisses from this green and wet Basque region!! Nerea P.D. Great web, Sigurd! I wish you (and your family) a happy new year!! _________________________________________________________________ Deja tu CV y recibe ofertas personalizadas de trabajo en tu buzón. http://www.msn.es/Empleo/

In a message dated 12/21/03 9:24:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, stephen.davie@sympatico.ca writes: > Has the Orkney site been dead the last few days We're all too busy cleaning, shopping, going to choir rehearsals, making concerts or paries..... Or hiding from the above. Anne in Ardmore (spent 12 hours in church today between 9:30am rehearsal and 7 pm concert) Do Orcadian churches go all out with concerts and special music, Christmas Eve services? I've heard stories of my Orcadian Great-Grandfather's VERRA strict Presbyterianism...

Has the Orkney site been dead the last few days, or has my mac flu disengaged the usual delightful discussion? Last note I saw was from Wolfgang on Dec. 18. Canorky Stephen

Sorry, I'm looking from abroad - but I want to say "Congratulations". ...

----- Original Message ----- From: "Tirabasso" <zorahh@sssnet.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 10:18 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] > > Parts snipped..... > > > > poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of Blackha' - > > it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if you dig > > deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. > > > What is kye, please? > > Pat Cattle, Pat. One coo, two kye! -- Mike Clouston

On 16 December 2003 21:34, stephen davie wrote: > I like the option best where Muffy was the dear friend of the > deceased, and therefore he was sent along with the dead chap, a > timeless companion. Choice two was to have Thor keep the evil spirits > away whilst the spirit of the dead guy slumbered. > > Whatever the rituals were, they seemed to border on the elaborate, > when compared with those beachside qickie internments the > Vikings were > fond of. The Vikings have nothing to do with the Neolithic cairns. The Norse settlers came almost 4,000 years after the Cuween Cairn was in use. > When they find such a thing, do they evaluate the surrounding > area for > other artifacts? What would they expect to find? Would it be > in line to > suspect there would have been a village nearby? There is a village nearby. One of the oldest found in Orkney so far. The Stonehall settlement lies in the shadow of the Cuween Cairn. However, when many of Orkney chambered cairns were opened the antiquarians involved were more interested in the contents than the surrounding area. Fortunately this is now being remedied (in some cases( -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk

On 16 December 2003 13:14, stephen davie wrote: > Good thought. But the numbers seem somewhat overwhelming. 24 canine > skulls in one little cairn. But you're forgetting that that "one little cairn" was a communal burial area in use for generations. The number is not necessarily that overwhelming when you think of centuries of inhabitants. Pity help the poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of Blackha' - it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if you dig deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. The most widespread theory was that the dog remains had a totemic significance - i.e. that the dog was in some way significant to the community who used the Cuween cairn around 3,000 BC. Other possibilities include the idea that the dogs were seen as "guardians" guarding the realm of the dead, just as they had guarded the living in life. Or were the dogs used in the excarnation of the dead? Thus earning the right to be interred with the ancestors. Or were the dogs brought to a feast at the cairn required to remain with those who had honoured them? Ridiculous though the last suggestion may be, this remained a feature in folklore until the 20th Century - although the dead ancestors/gods had by that time degenerated into fairies and trows. The other key element is the fact these chambers were not mere "crypts" but probably the site for a number of rites and ceremonies throughout the ancient year. The sacrifice of a hound, say as an offering to protect the livestock for the coming season, would soon see quite a collection build up. The thing with the cairns is that they were often "cleaned out" - again possibly as part of these rites - which could explain why we don't have thousands of skulls. -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk

On Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 06:21 PM, Mike Clouston wrote: > Sorry, Pat, but you work with kye - that's the plural! :-) > -- > Mike > > > "Tirabasso" <zorahh@sssnet.com> wrote: > >> Thank you Mike! I work with kyes here in Ohio. My! I should have >> known >> better! <grin> >> >> Pat >> >>>> Parts snipped..... >>>> >>>> >>>>> poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of >>> Blackha' - >>>>> it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if >> you >>> dig >>>>> deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. >>>> >>>> >>>> What is kye, please? >>>> >>>> Pat >>> >>> >>> Cattle, Pat. >>> One coo, two kye! >>> -- >>> Mike Clouston >>> >> >> >> >> ==== 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 >> >> > > > -- > Mike Clouston > > > __________________________________________________________________ > New! Unlimited Access from the Netscape Internet Service. > Beta test the new Netscape Internet Service for only $1.00 per month > until 3/1/04. > Sign up today at http://isp.netscape.com/register > Act now to get a personalized email address! > > Netscape. Just the Net You Need. > > > ==== 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, Pat, but you work with kye - that's the plural! :-) -- Mike "Tirabasso" <zorahh@sssnet.com> wrote: > Thank you Mike! I work with kyes here in Ohio. My! I should have known >better! <grin> > > Pat > > > > Parts snipped..... > > > > > > > > > > poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of > > Blackha' - > > > > it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if >you > > dig > > > > deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. > > > > > > > > > What is kye, please? > > > > > > Pat > > > > > > Cattle, Pat. > > One coo, two kye! > > -- > > Mike Clouston > > > > > >==== 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 > > -- Mike Clouston __________________________________________________________________ New! Unlimited Access from the Netscape Internet Service. Beta test the new Netscape Internet Service for only $1.00 per month until 3/1/04. Sign up today at http://isp.netscape.com/register Act now to get a personalized email address! Netscape. Just the Net You Need.

Thank you Mike! I work with kyes here in Ohio. My! I should have known better! <grin> Pat > > Parts snipped..... > > > > > > > poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of > Blackha' - > > > it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if you > dig > > > deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. > > > > > > What is kye, please? > > > > Pat > > > Cattle, Pat. > One coo, two kye! > -- > Mike Clouston >

I recognize of course the separation in time and with respect to culture between the two peoples. My point is that the much older society didn't seem less sophisticated than the latter year Vikings, insofar as burials are concerned. I wonder if tools or cooking vessels were unearthed much like our North American first nations sites would produce. Or was there any wood used in conjunction with the stonework. Wood is so much easier to time date with current day \testing methods. In some ways the stone structures look as if they were Mayan or Inca. I have an old milling stone that sits beside my fireplace which I am told is pre-invasion by the European set to this part of the world. We are located in an area rife with old native villages. I can literally dig up arrowheads in my back yard. But this is not so ancient, at least most of it isn't The masonry is the real treat in the photos I see in Orkney Cairns as they call them on your maps. Rather well done considering the limitations in tools and mortar. The ancient aspect of these monuments to Orkney's past, are a mystery and an awesome footprint to be found in such good condition. I wonder if they have dug a recent site, with digging logs and lists of contents unearthed. Stephen (off to the City Hall tonight to listen to my Brother-in-law play his sax in the concert band's Xmas tribute. Wonder if there is such a thing as Xmas pipe music. Must ask cousin Malcolm, our family piper.) December 16, 2003, at 04:47 PM, Sigurd Towrie wrote: > On 16 December 2003 21:34, stephen davie wrote: > > >> I like the option best where Muffy was the dear friend of the >> deceased, and therefore he was sent along with the dead chap, a >> timeless companion. Choice two was to have Thor keep the evil spirits >> away whilst the spirit of the dead guy slumbered. >> >> Whatever the rituals were, they seemed to border on the elaborate, >> when compared with those beachside qickie internments the >> Vikings were >> fond of. > > The Vikings have nothing to do with the Neolithic cairns. The Norse > settlers came almost 4,000 years after the Cuween Cairn was in use. > >> When they find such a thing, do they evaluate the surrounding >> area for >> other artifacts? What would they expect to find? Would it be >> in line to >> suspect there would have been a village nearby? > > There is a village nearby. One of the oldest found in Orkney so far. > The > Stonehall settlement lies in the shadow of the Cuween Cairn. However, > when many of Orkney chambered cairns were opened the antiquarians > involved were more interested in the contents than the surrounding > area. > Fortunately this is now being remedied (in some cases( > > -- > 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 >

Parts snipped..... > poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of Blackha' - > it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if you dig > deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. What is kye, please? Pat >

Most Intriguing: I like the option best where Muffy was the dear friend of the deceased, and therefore he was sent along with the dead chap, a timeless companion. Choice two was to have Thor keep the evil spirits away whilst the spirit of the dead guy slumbered. Whatever the rituals were, they seemed to border on the elaborate, when compared with those beachside qickie internments the Vikings were fond of. I was fascinated with the stone work in these structures and the structural integrity and longevity. Darn site nicer than the one Sadam had in Iraq for his bunker last round. It would be nice to see a close up of the joinery and the mortar composition. These types of structures here in Canada were pioneer root houses, brew houses, saunas and ovens, smokehouses and distilleries. What you have there could have been historically the first, multi-use structure concept. Too bad these chappies didn't leave notes. When they find such a thing, do they evaluate the surrounding area for other artifacts? What would they expect to find? Would it be in line to suspect there would have been a village nearby? Stephen On Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 03:26 PM, Sigurd Towrie wrote: > On 16 December 2003 13:14, stephen davie wrote: > >> Good thought. But the numbers seem somewhat overwhelming. 24 canine >> skulls in one little cairn. > > But you're forgetting that that "one little cairn" was a communal > burial > area in use for generations. The number is not necessarily that > overwhelming when you think of centuries of inhabitants. Pity help the > poor archaeologist digging up the waste field at the side of Blackha' - > it's a veritable cat cemetery (and probably kye and sheep too if you > dig > deep enough) and that's in a mere few years. > > The most widespread theory was that the dog remains had a totemic > significance - i.e. that the dog was in some way significant to the > community who used the Cuween cairn around 3,000 BC. > > Other possibilities include the idea that the dogs were seen as > "guardians" guarding the realm of the dead, just as they had guarded > the > living in life. Or were the dogs used in the excarnation of the dead? > Thus earning the right to be interred with the ancestors. Or were the > dogs brought to a feast at the cairn required to remain with those who > had honoured them? Ridiculous though the last suggestion may be, this > remained a feature in folklore until the 20th Century - although the > dead ancestors/gods had by that time degenerated into fairies and > trows. > > The other key element is the fact these chambers were not mere "crypts" > but probably the site for a number of rites and ceremonies throughout > the ancient year. The sacrifice of a hound, say as an offering to > protect the livestock for the coming season, would soon see quite a > collection build up. The thing with the cairns is that they were often > "cleaned out" - again possibly as part of these rites - which could > explain why we don't have thousands of skulls. > > -- > 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 >

<Why would one in those days, when excavations and stonework involved so much backache and sweat, would someone choose to bury their canine comrades in a fashion that mimics an Egyptian royal?> Interring the skulls of various animals most likely had a ritual purpose. I realise these are Neolithic remains, but if you think forward to the Picts, their symbol stones feature all manner of creatures along with the more obscure symbols, in keeping with their close relationship with the natural environment. And there's one theory that says the Orcadian Picts were actually descended from the Neolithic inhabitants of the islands. It's highly likely the Neolithic people of Orkney had a faith and ritual observance closely tied the elements, the seasons, heavenly phenomena etc, so a representative sample of animal skulls is perhaps not so surprising. Juliet