A Sunny Stroll

I don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone that I have been feeling a bit down recently, mainly due to the difficulties of dealing with the insurance company with the underpowered server which has in turn brought back all the horror and shock of the loss of the holiday. I was very unhappy yesterday and although we had thought about going out, since the weather was good I couldn't face it. We postponed until today. 

Last night I had a nightmare in which our insurance claim was knocked back in its entirety on the grounds that the person here who had referred it to head office was known to be an alcoholic. I have absolutely NO idea where that came from. No surprise then that when I finally lifted my weary not-very-well-refreshed head from my pillow this morning - somewhat later than might be considered desirable - I really didn't feel like dragging myself out today either. 

I made myself do it though. The sun was shining, and it was time to have a bit of a stern word and do something other than moon about the house. Consequently we got in the car and drove right over to the other side of Orkney to the cliffs of Yesnaby. Normally when we get to Yesnaby we get out of the car and turn left to walk along the cliff but today, skittish types that we are (ha,ha), we opted to turn right. This led to a fearsome stile - 

seriously? 3 storeys? and took us towards the Brough of Borwick. We didn't go all the way to the Brough which involves fording a small stream and rather more up and down than I was happy to do given that it's not a proper path, I wasn't wearing walking boots and  the Brough isn't all that interesting when you get there. I have been to it once - and once was enough. In the days when the OH was a Volunteer Heritage Ranger he used to litter pick at Borwick, but that's a long time ago now. 

The views aren't really as interesting when you turn left as when you turn right as the coastline isn't quite so dramatically eroded and in any case you're rather further from the cliff edge so it's more difficult to see. But I did take  a couple of nice photos. 

As you can see it's a really beautiful day. We dropped into Stromness on the way back hoping to have coffee and cake at Julia's Shed, but all that was left was Malteser tray bake and date flapjack, neither of which floats our boats, so we came home. We stopped at Celina Rupp's, again in hope of coffee and cake, but it was the same story; cheese scones, flapjack, gluten free muffins and some lemon curd swiss roll. On another day I might have forced down the swiss roll, but it's not my favourite, it's always rather too sharp there for my taste and really what is the point of paying almost £4 for a slice of cake that you know before it arrives you are not going to enjoy? 

We're home now and after a late lunch I baked a cake which is even now in the oven. This is partly because our boy is arriving tomorrow night for a week's holiday from Glasgow and if your boy is coming home there has to be cake. The OH is out in the garden building a bridge; for which read playing with his new chain saw, but I think that's clearing the ground ready for the bridge building. It's to make easy access into our wood, all part of the pre-marketing house and garden spruce up. 

So after a fairly busy day, which has at least cheered me up a little bit, I'm off to do something relaxing.