Natural highs and lows

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A solstice sojourn

When we attended the Valtos gig in Edinburgh in September, Megan was full of cold and couldn't really enjoy the experience. So a pre-Christmas jaunt was organised to see the band again, this time in Inverness at a new venue An Seomar (The Room). Due to my advancing years, I qualify for free bus travel, so with the addition of a couple of ferry vouchers, we were able to make the journey on public transport at a much-reduced cost. All credit to the Scottish Government for these initiatives. Rather than awake at some ungodly hour to catch the 06.30 sailing from Stromness, we opted to make use of the B+B facility on the boat, checking in at 21.30 the night before sailing. This allowed for a few leisurely glasses of wine and nibbles in the Magnus Lounge before retiring to our cabin for the night. Following breakfast and a smooth crossing of the Pentland Firth, we had a short wait at the terminal in Scrabster until our bus arrived for the journey to Inverness. Scrabster sunrise twixt bo...

Nature Notes #13

I couldn't actually tell you when I last bought a vinyl album, it would be some goodly while ago. We're talking decades, and possibly as a gift rather than for my own listening pleasure. In an age where streaming music is the latest way to access tunes (Is it the latest? I have never been an early adopter, so probably wouldn't know), we still have a cabinet of CDs, there's a box buried in the garage which has tape cassettes in it, and my vinyl collection, such as it is, resides in the loft. It was over a year ago when we attended Niteworks' penultimate gig in Aberdeen, as we couldn't make it to Glasgow for their final performance. Judging by comments on the band's Facebook posts since then, I think hope had been high amongst their fans that there might be a DVD of the last tour, but this was not to be. Instead, a double vinyl album has been released, complete with a booklet, plus a free digital download of the album. The digital download is available separat...

A trifecta of wary, scary and hairy

Today marks twelve windswept years since I moved to Orkney. To celebrate, Megan and I are self-isolating at either end of the sofa whilst we struggle with another bout of Covid, all the while trying to keep hydrated and push the value of Kleenex shares to an all time high. Fortunately, I did manage to be out and about earlier this week, before succumbing to a virus which will pretty much discourage me from sealing the envelopes of this year's batch of Christmas cards. Rothiesholm Bay, Stronsay. A cold Winter's day for a post-work amble Sandy shore. Some distant Sanderlings foraging at the tideline Trigger alert: the following photographs feature a harvestman (an arachnid, but not a spider). Returning from a foray to the garden to recycle some coffee grounds, I noticed a harvestman sat on the door frame. It looked rather different to the species we see more regularly, so my interest was piqued. The ObsIdentify app reckoned that it was Dicranopalpus ramosus , but subsequent resea...

Day out, day in

Yesterday, it was a calm, crisp morning for a walk in the parish of Orphir. Along the coastal path from the Bu, we were entertained by a soundscape of Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks, cooing and yodelling from the sea below. In Gyre Wood, there were countless Goldcrests foraging in the branches of the trees, whilst from lower down to the ground, Wrens blasted out their extensive repertoire. We encountered at least half a dozen species of fungi, either on the maritime heath, along hedgerows or in the wood. A view across Orphir Bay to the hills of Hoy By the clifftop path, a Buck's-horn Plantain shows off its basal leaf rosette We didn't meet a single soul on our walk. The only brief company being three escaped sheep These ships are moored 😊 View over Gyre Wood to the Orphir hills Candlesnuff fungus beneath a Gorse hedge At the time, I thought this was Hogweed, but not so sure now. Secluded dell where a burn flows into Gyre Wood Difficult to photograph, a constantly-flitting Gold...

Shrooms and plumes

Last Friday was one of those rare November days where the wind drops, the sun shines and although the temperature isn't hot, it isn't cold either. As regular readers will know, I have a very narrow optimal window for survival! It was so lovely that we abandoned our plans for the day and simply gardened, planting some shrubs along the wall at the front of the garden: cotoneasters, rambling roses and flowering currants. Then we wandered around to the back garden and had a further attempt at working out where and how we wanted trees planting around the perimeter of the wildflower meadow. We settled on repeated groups of three of Rowan, Willow and Downy Birch. Whilst playing this game of musical trees, we found a small mushroom in the sward. It was quite easy to photograph it from above, but I struggled with a photograph from below as I tried to capture the structure of the gills (this feature often being useful for ID purposes). Meantime, ObsIdentify reckoned that it was Strophari...

A fruitful morning

It is time for an annual event of deep cultural significance to many folk, the baking of a Christmas cake. Whilst my involvement is miniscule, even in our own kitchen (what position is below sous chef?), I can confirm that the emphasis is rather more on the cake than the Christmas. Throughout October, Megan had been squirrelling away ingredients as she spotted them in various emporia, as it is rare here that every commodity is available in the same shop at the same time. The dried fruits have now been sufficiently soaked in brandy and had their car keys removed for safety. I think this is a living document, in as much that some of those splatters are probably evolving Ingredients combined and stirred It was at this point that I was called into action, measuring and folding a double layer of greaseproof paper to line the cake tin, before being unceremoniously ejected from the kitchen once more. Upon removal from the oven, and after subsequent cooling, the cake is wrapped in foil and mov...