Natural highs and lows

You just know that I'm going to start with the weather, right?  It's much the same as yesterday, sunny periods interspersed with deluges of rain and hail. Except that it's vertical, not horizontal. Weird as heck around these parts. Here's Mocha just before she was lulled into a false sense of security by the warm sunshine and ventured outdoors. She thinks she's a lap(top) cat. But currently she is not allowed anywhere near electronic devices as she is a very drookit and damp pussy. She resisted any suggestion of a vigorous towelling down, but did deign to pause on the doormat upon her return home so that I could pretend to stroke her whilst wielding some kitchen roll. Jeez, cats and their pride. And I have put the heating on for her. Packing has begun for our short break to visit family, and I realised that I had been putting off a sewing task for a goodly while. A pair of trousers required some darning, but I had never quite got around to it. Well, today was the da...

Today has felt like Autumn. Heavy showers of rain and hail have scudded across the county, driven on by a brisk westerly wind. The showers were book-ended by rainbows, whilst sunny periods tried to tempt us outdoors, but I didn't fall for that. Well, not after the first three times anyway 🙄. My morning was spent with work and volunteer tasks: sorting out a TV and a satellite box after too many random button presses; delivering a 4G antenna to another company so that they could install it at a new airfield terminal building; and posting four copies of the latest Orkney Field Club journal to new members of the club. After lunch, I set my mind to preparations for an upcoming installation of a microwave link: checking through the equipment; working out what was needed and not needed; and most importantly, whether I could fit a 10 foot pole inside the car rather than attaching roof bars. Thankfully, I could. Then it was time for a bit more Autumn appreciation before it is g...

Hmmm, the Blogtober Five? Would that be a plucky group of teenage diarists, up to high jinks and spiffing adventures, or a devious gang of anti-grammarian word terrorists, hellbent on misspelling their way to infamy? But I digress, so now back to 50+mph westerly winds (forecasted) and horizontal rain (not so forecasted). This morning I popped down into Stromness to get the messages*, which involved visiting a gift shop and a chemist, with the trip allowing a few moments of natural history along the way. Not far from the pier and at the back of the Ferry Inn, there's a wall which is covered in tiny ferns of several species. I am always fascinated by wild plants in an urban setting**, but it has been Blogtober which has made me stop and look properly (apologies to any owners of parked cars who wondered what the heck I was doing with my nose pressed against the wall and with two rolls of wrapping paper under an arm). I do not have a dedicated guide to ferns, mosses and the like, but I...

In a change to the advertised programme in this morning's schedules, the usual Rooks were replaced by Jackdaws and a few Rock Doves. It is dreich outside, with persistent showers lasting through the day. All thoughts of a bit of gardening or a pleasant stroll have dissolved in favour of the cosy indoors. Megan's dad came over for the evening last night, as her mum is away south at a sisters' gathering. She's not taken religious vows (unless it is to imbibe red wine), rather she has three siblings. So this morning was quite a lazy affair as we eased ourselves into the day. As lunchtime approached, the general consensus coalesced around eating something warm and nourishing. Megan was of the opinion that it was about time for homemade soup season to begin, and busied herself with producing a cauliflower and broccoli soup, which will last for several days. With a sprinkling of grated Cheddar cheese and black pepper, it was just what was needed. Another sign of the year turn...

Today, I have definitely peaked too soon. It was my turn to start first with Wordle, our go-to word game of a morning. My chosen opening word did not trouble the paint palette at all, no yellow or green letters. Megan rolled her eyes at my ineptitude and typed in her favoured second line, scoring exactly one yellow letter (used in the word, but not in that location). With only another four lines to play with, it was looking grim for our chances. Perusing the 16 letters which remained unused, I eventually realised that there were actually very few word options, at least within my vocabulary. So, hoping that I wouldn’t end up on the wrong end of an American spelling, I entered the only word I could think of. Everything else has been downhill from there. Today is also the test day for non-laptop blog posting in preparation for travelling light. I haven’t tried posting from my iPhone ever, but I do recall laboriously tippy-tappying away, many moons ago, in another time and place, on a tiny...

The above photograph was taken around about dawn as I was wandering through to the kitchen, bleary-eyed, to sort out breakfast for Mocha the cat and a mug of tea for myself. As yet, I did not know that I would be attempting Blogtober. The end of September had seen 50+mph winds from the south, which meant that the beginning of October has Autumn on speed-dial. Today, in surprisingly pleasant weather, I finished giving the front lawn its only cut of the year, as all the wildflowers have now set seed. It was, however, noticeable that the year is inexorably turning, with plenty of evidence from our neighbour's trees decorating parts of our garden: Rowan berries, Sycamore keys and a pair of pine cones. There's an off-putting festive vibe to those photos! In the rockery, the Big Geranium (technical horticultural term) is still in bloom, providing nectar for some Honey Bees, whilst in the background, a solitary Sedum was hosting several White-tailed Bumblebees and a Red Admiral butter...