Storm Clouds Over Hoy

The sort of island day to strike dread and terror to the very soul of His Lordship: a thick sea fog blown inland and shrouding everything in a blanket of doom laden hopelessness.

We thought to escape to the other side of the island where perchance the sun shone on green fields filled with yellow buttercups and black cattle, where newly mown grass lay in tidy furrows and the wayside poppies were in a red profusion of frilliness.
Unfortunately it was worse there, with rain spattering on the windscreen as drove down to Tankerness and a visit to a silversmith's workshop.

But things improved when we lunched at the Orkney Brewery with a pint of golden ale in hand, his hand, I preferred water, and they rose to dizzy heights of pleasure when we visited IainatCreel and his wife in their cottage at the end of a road on the sea shore looking out over Scapa Flow where the water sparkled under a rash burst of sunshine.

We laughed and exchanged news as blippers do, before heading back to Stromness with dark clouds suddenly gathering above us and torrential rain greeting us as we entered the town.

Negotiating the narrow streets and finding a parking space have dented His Lordship's good humour somewhat, but hey, the clouds are melting away now, and it looks like a bright if not sunny evening to come.
I must repeat my mantra, Every cloud has a silver lining.