Corduroy Field

At this time of year the farmers round about are busy preparing the fields for sowing barley. Orkney is mostly beef and sheep farming, rather than arable, and there aren't many huge fields of grain. They mostly grow just enough to feed their own cattle over the long winter.
As you can see the land is very dry. We've had hardly any rain or snow this winter so at least the farmers can get on to the land without being bogged down in mud, as they were in the autumn when they were trying to harvest last year's crop.
In the afternoon I had a really busy shift in the shop. Lots of interesting tourists from as far away as Australia and America, all enjoying the sunshine and saying positive things about Orkney and the shop. One of things I enjoy most about working in there is meeting the visitors, hearing about where they've come from and why they've chosen to come to Orkney. People are endlessly fascinating and there are some lovely ones out there!