Stephen I think island life means different things to different people. For the local Orcadians on the outer isles it's what they have grown up knowing. They stay because of family links, because they don't want to explore further, some because they want to, others because they feel they have no other choice. I can only speak as an incomer - I moved here after a lifetime living on the outskirts of London and having commuted around the south-east all my working life. I wanted a less frenetic way of life, spending less time travelling to and from work on buses, trains, motorways, and because I wanted a bit of land around my house and to be near the sea shore. Serendipity led me to Orkney and Graemsay in particular. I wanted my own personal adventure and buying a near derelict house on a remote Scottish island fitted the bill! I've been here over 11 years now and have no wish to live anywhere other than Orkney, though as our ferry is a passenger only vessel (with lift on lift off cargo including cattle and sheep) I may one day choose to move to the Orkney Mainland - you need to be fairly mobile to get on and off the ferry when it's bobbing at the pier and then make it up the steps and along the pier in a gale and horizontal rain!! I like Graemsay because it is close to the Orkney Mainland (15 min journey on most trips to Stromness), which means I am near all amenities, and can join in a variety of social events on the Orkney Mainland. I lived for a while in Longhope on Hoy and that was a wee bit *too* remote for my liking, even though there is a bigger population there and more amenities. I like the sense of community on a small island - if you want to be involved in community life there's plenty to do, but equally if you want to be solitary that's OK too - once everyone has got over their curiosity and visited you when you first arrive ;-) I love the peace and tranquility, but company is available if I want it. But none of this would be possible for me if I didn't work from home via a good broadband connection! I work as a health researcher for universities world-wide so I also feel I contribute to the wider community as I spend my income within Orkney. As for safety - Orkney as a whole is definitely better than anywhere else I have known in the UK in terms of safety and security. I know what you mean about the sense of isolation once the ferry goes away - but to be honest I don't feel that here as we have a very regular service throughout the day, and a ferry every day too (because of our proximity to Hoy). Also folk to Graemsay on private boats and moor at the pier, so "strangers" can be found on the island at any time. The downside is the winter, when the wind wheezes and whines around the house, the ferry journey is rough and some days it barely gets light. And that goes on for months! I choose to work longer hours in the winter and have more time free in the summer and I make sure I have a well stocked freezer and store cupboard. But most island folk (incomer or Orcadian) are longing for Spring by the time it gets to the end of January! As for your comment about folk living here before transport etc and life was good. Hmmm well live was also hard. There are many ruined But&Ben houses on Graemsay, and records of large families with little land. Most would have had a yole (small rowing boat), and kept a few sheep, and maybe a cow, pig, hens, and grown some vegetables etc. But public records show that many just scraped a living working from dawn to dusk. Kirk on Sunday, annual visit to Kirkwall and that was it. No peat on Graemsay, so we have peat cutting rights on Hoy and on Cava (I think) -that would entail going over in a small boat across a rough stretch of water to cut the peat and set it to dry, then go back and turn it while drying and again to collect it. Livestock were grazed on Hoy too so again they would be towed over in a small boat for summer grazing etc........ As I say, I'm an incomer, and I'm aware that I romanticise the islands here. I gaze at the sky and wax lyrical at the sunsets, stars, "white nights", and merry dancers, while a neighbouring orcadian farmer looks at the sky to see if it'll be "a fine day the morn" so he can start cutting silage - or not. That's not that Orcadians *don't* love their landscape, just the view it with different eyes. Sian (sorry gone on a bit there!). On 17/06/2010 13:58, stephen davie wrote: > Sian: > > There is something unique about the sense of isolation one feels, > being on an island. As one who actually lives on an outer island in > Orkney, I wonder if you still feel that sense of being off on your > own. For a tourist visiting one of the smaller islands, the ferry > pulling away from the dock and abandoning them, is a subtle sort of > message to say that, "Well, you're going to be here for awhile!" And > "Don't even think about leaving until you see theferry back at the > dock." > > Here, on the Manitoulin, people find being an islander to be somewhat > unique. It is as if being on an island is rather like being a little > micro country, seperated by adjoining > territories by water. Some people refuse to leave for any reason. > There is an insular sense of security in living on an island. The > idea of living on one of the Orkney out islands, particularly in the > winter, makes me think that there must be almost a spiritual > attraction for those tucked away places, that you could only > understand by living there. > > I have read now for years your postings about your life where you > live, and I conclude that you wouldn't want to live anywhere else. > Makes me want to ask what the > list entails, that encompasses the values and ammenities and > lifestyle that keep you there. People lived on those incredible > islets long before there were engines, ferries, and tourists. When > they wern't involved in far away conflicts, or local ones, life was > good. > > I guess that fact is still unchanged. > > Cheers: > > Stepehn > On Jun 17, 2010, at 4:45 AM, Sian Thomas wrote: > > >> Many folk move here for a "slower" pace of life, and many tourists >> visit >> for that reason. However for those of us that live and work here - >> sometimes time is of the essence ;-) >> >> Sian >> >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.829 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2942 - Release Date: 06/16/10 19:35:00 > >