In the afternoon of Thursday 12 May 2022 we left the ancient historic Orkney sites and went in search of a bite to eat at Stromness. By this time the rain was chucking it down. We went in search of a cafe, but the ones my pal remembered from her previous visit to Orkney had closed down. Sadly, I think the impact of Covid-19 on Stromness eating places must have hit hard. We managed to find one takeaway place open where I got a morning roll and my pal got something as well. There wasn’t a lot open in terms of shops, but as we strolled the main street, we bumped into someone my pal knew from when she was a youngster. He said that Stromness had many good memories for him and was his favourite place to visit. The Piers Arts Centre was close by so we popped in and had a looksee. They were showing number of exhibitions, including A British Museum touring exhibition Pushing paper: contemporary drawing from 1970 to now, which was on the ground floor. I remember seeing a Tracey Emin line drawing depicting an abortion where she lay on what looked like a hospital bed. Upstairs, there were a number of works. I particularly resonated with a small Ben Nicholson work Oct - 52 (lichen) oil and pencil on board. The link will take you to a photo of this work on the Art UK website. As an aside, a few months ago my pa and I were watching a Fake and Fortune episode where the team were investigating whether a wall painting in a Surrey cottage was a Ben Nicholson work. It had an interesting outcome, but you will need to watch it for yourself as I don’t want to create a spoiler alert!

Next my pal and I adventured to the Brough of Birsay. On a beautiful sunny day my pal said that Birsay was stunning. I believed her. Unfortunately, the sun was snoozing and the driving wind and rain had taken its place. We parked in the car park and braved getting out the car for a brief walk and just about got blown way. Determination however got the better of me and I shot this little video.

Brough of Birsay, Orkney Mainland

Due to the weather and the tide being in we weren’t able to cross over to the island. So I walked in the opposite direction, walking up the hill along in search of any creatures that might be also be out in this weather. I came across some eider ducks on the rocks and some starlings searching about in the red seaweed. The red seaweed was a stunning contrast to the grass on the hills. If you have been reading my journal posts, you will know by now that I need a better camera for wildlife photos, so if you squint your eyes a bit, you can just make out the birds in the photos below. Think of it as a “Where’s Wally” exercise. There are stunning wildlife photographs by Orcadian wildlife photographer and filmmaker Raymond Besant on Orkney.com. Here is the link to the one for June 2022 that has some lovely photos of puffins.

RSPB Scotland The Loons Nature Reserve beckoned next. I sat in the hide for a little while, but as with the Brough of Birsay, I think most creatures were hiding from the inclement weather. In a bit of desperation to see some wildlife, having travelled so far north, I walked up the road a bit. Looking to the fields, I was treated to the sight of hares running super fast across the field and a lapwing flying up briefly and then disappearing. The bunnies seemed to mind the weather less and there were a couple about in a farmer’s field. They were still quick however to turn tail and run away! Here are a couple of wee sketches.

We called it a wrap for the day and trundled back to our accommodation in Stenness for the evening. To celebrate that the bunnies showed up for me that day, here’s a painting I’ve made from one of the sketches above.

Runaway Bunnies, Orkney

The Italian Chapel & Lambs, Orkney

Caterpillars & Stones, Orkney