First Light at 4:20 am

It’s all happening in Orkney today. It’s the start of the Island Games with entrants from every island you can think of and then a few.

Stromness is humming with triathletes preparing for tomorrow’s race round and about the town. Most of the other events take place in Kirkwall.

The opening ceremony is tonight with Princess Anne doing the favours. The weather is perfect- I have never seen a sky here with not one cloud visible and we have warmth into the bargain .

There was a very large crowd of swimmers at the slip this morning and a fair few jellyfish too which somewhat shortened the swims of the abler swimmers. However, handstands were accomplished with under water technique caught by Penny’s waterproof camera.

Stravaiging the Street later I met with Zoe the Labrador and her owners and their friends over in Stromness for 2 days. It was a case of meeting friends of friends of friends of my special friend who is 105 years young.

Later still, I stravaiged some more and succumbed to a huge ice cream which I licked on a bench in full view of passers by, hoping I wouldn’t be seen by anyone I knew. I was of course immediately spotted by selkie Heather who wondered if it was my first ice cream of the day or the second. My ice cream reputation goes before me.

My extra is of a rooftop bear waving Orkney flags . He will be seen by the runners sprinting down Hellihole Road if they dare lift their eyes from watching the uneven cobblestones under their feet.