Ahoy!

His Lordship and I spent a contemplative morning today in Stromness library, a wonderful building with an eagle's eye view of the Harbour, and so quiet and peaceful that it is difficult to read without ones eyes closing  involuntarily and the reading matter slipping noiselessly to the floor.

We were biding our time until our driver for today, in the shape of blipper ,IainatCreel picked us up to take us to places the bus can't reach. One of those by public request was the newly dedicated Kitchener memorial standing high above Marwick Head and commemorating the sinking  of HMS Hampshire in June 1916 with the loss of 737 men, amongst them Lord Kitchener, Minister of State for War. The men's names have all been carved on a wall surrounding the huge stone memorial.

There was a walk along the cliff top through pink thrift, purple clover and yellow vetches while the sea boiled white beneath us and seabirds nested unconcerned in the rock crevices. There were rabbits a-plenty appearing and disappearing into sandy burrows and one all black one stood out against the skyline.

Afterwards there was time for afternoon tea at The Birsay tea rooms before IainatCreel and the "present Mrs Creel" took us old yins back to Stromness. 
We did enjoy their company and the craic-thank you both!

Despite the similarities, this is not HL smoking a sneaky cigar while he rests in the grass, but a fortuitous film extra planted by the tourist department of Orkney Country Council for the use of blippers............ At least that is what IainatCreel told me.