Look What I Got!

A wee while ago I entered an on-line competition -  as you do - being run by Bettys.* I entered with no expectation of winning so imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when I received an e-mail me informing me that I was one of the ten winners of their Yorkshire/Swiss Day Competition.

 

Late last week the prize arrived. It was a Fat Rascal Gift Box and I have to admit I had no idea what would be in it as I had taken no notice whatsoever of the prize details at the time...anyway, when I lifted the lid of the rather splendid box I discovered: - a box of their special tea room blend tea, some shortbread, some gingerbread biscuits and a box of four fat rascals. It's quite difficult to describe a Fat Rascal but it's like a cross between a scone and a rock bun. I looked up how to serve them and did them warm with butter for friends, but when OH had his he just ate them cold. He said they were fine like that.

 

Anyway, winning was a total surprise and having the box arrive was a Happy Thing. And as such I thought it should be recorded.

 

*If you don't know what Betty's is, and can't be bothered to follow the link, I should explain that it is a small chain of very nice tea shops/bakeries in Yorkshire. They specialise in scrummy cakes, but do lunches as well. They also import tea and unusual coffee. The food is wonderful and the service exceptional; the prices are not cheap, but worth it. If you should be in Harrogate, York, Ilkley or Northallerton, see one, and wonder if you should try it, all I can say is get through the door, join the queue and wait for a table. You'll love it.

 

Two Days in Caithness - Part 1

Caithness is the bit of Scotland that lies just over the Pentland Firth which is the sheet of water that separates Orkney and Scotland. Normally we only see it through the car windows as we drive south for whatever reason, or hurtle north on our way home. But there are intriguing signs and pretty villages and lots of archaeology just off the main road and for ever and a day I've been saying 'really one day we must come and spend a couple of days in Caithness.'

I never learn.  I said something similar about Shetland quite a lot when we first moved here and eventually we went. Pre-blogging days. It was a disappointment. I don't think the disappointment was much to do with Shetland per se, probably more to do with what I was expecting, which obviously wasn't what we found when we got there. This would be easier to account for if I knew exactly what I'd been expecting. But I don't.. However in the interests of fairness and inter island support I will say about Shetland that

a) it is great for seeing puffins. Orkney has puffins but they do not perform like Shetland puffins do. Orkney puffins are shy and retiring and really don't want to be seen. Shetland puffins have taken to heart Macbeth's words about strutting and fretting their hour upon the stage, and boy do they strut. It's really good.

b) it has the Broch of Mousa. If there is a better example anywhere of a Broch, or a North Atlantic Roundhouse as they are sometimes known, lead me to it and let me climb the stairs. Mousa is worth the trip to Shetland on its own.

c) it has two great wool producers - 'nuff said.

But I digress....back to Caithness....

It so happens that I have been invited to do some teaching at the place where only a little while ago I was studying North Atlantic Literature. Remember this slim volume? And there was a meeting for tutors to sort out timetables and so on, which I could have joined in by Skype but given that son no 2 is home for the holidays and therefore able to look after the cats I said, oh let's go in person  and we can stay overnight and do some of all the things here are to do in Caithness.

Now this would have been easier if a) it hadn't been the Lairg lamb sale the day before the meeting and b) if Caithness attractions had sensible opening hours - Caithness Brough Centre, Wick Heritage Centre, and half a dozen other centres, I'm looking at all of you. Given that we were on the early ferry to make the most of our time it was sad that many places didn't open until 10.30, and in one particularly benighted case 11.00. The lamb sale just made it difficult to find somewhere to stay; Lairg isn't overly blessed with hostelries and many of them are apparently booked up for this occasion from one year to the next by lamb sellers and buyers. The local Visit Scotland office managed to acquire for us, some three weeks before the day, what appeared to be the last available hotel room for the night within a 30 mile radius . And it was actually right in the middle of town.

 

So given that little was open we had to do open air stuff, but that wasn't a problem. First stop was the old part of Wick

 

 

Obviously that's the harbour. There was an intriguing set of Salt Gates, of which this was one example

 

They were amazing.

Next up was

the sign says 'To The Hill o' Many Stanes', which basically does what it says on the tin

many rows of these small stones placed in long lines down the hillside making a fan shape and dating back, as far as they can tell, to the bronze age. I made myself unpopular with the OH by saying I thought it was more atmospheric and interesting than the Ring of Brodgar here in Orkney.....but you know, I wasn't trying to wind him up, I just did.

 

After THOMS it was off to the Ladhay Croft Museum. I didn't take any pictures inside but the outside looks like this -

 

 

If you're passing, I would say that's the right thing to do and keep on going, unless you want a cup of tea and a bun. There is a tea room next door and it's excellent. The Museum  - not so much.

Tomorrow, a desolate Clearance Village, a Broch that's good although not as good as Mousa, a really nice lunch and some tarted up Cairns. I bet you can't wait.

 

 

The County Show

The second week in August sees all our local shows, culminating in the Big Event that is the County Show. We try to go every year and we always enjoy ourselves, although somehow we always come away saying  'I didn't think it was as good as last year'.

 

The weather is almost always good and this year was no exception. And you always see loads and loads of people that you know.

 

So here are some pictures from this year's event - we always take loads of photographs and then never know quite what to do with them.

 

There were sheep

 

and more sheep

and for Archers fans I thought this was a bit of a Josh and Ben moment.

A friend of ours won the goat section

that's her on the right

The cows mainly had their backs turned, but this little prize winner caught my eye

Normally we're not there at the right time to go into the poultry tent (which so isn't a problem for me given the way I feel about chickens) but this year we hit it right and I couldn't resist taking a picture of a pretty speckled hen

As always there were horses

and excitingly for the first time some alpacas

We had a pancake each from the Cathedral stall, and some Orkney ice cream, and some  Free Trade coffee and biscuits - it's not the healthiest occasion on our calendar! and we didn't take pictures of one another eating. I had a go at the Nail in the Bale at the Rotary stall, since they were raising money for Shelterbox, one of my favourite charities. At the Scottish Natural Heritage stand they were giving away free boot bags and free postcards

 

 

and we got to vote for our Top Five Orkney Wildlife. In the excitement I completely forgot about the Orkney Vole, which is odd, considering how many dead ones the cats bring in, but I still got to five no problem. And the OH forgot puffins, which is much less understandable or forgivable.

I won a pen in the RSPB raffle and splashed out a whole pound on a badge from the Referendum Stand

We still came away saying it wasn't as good as the last time we went, but actually, we had a good time!

 

 

 

The Blogging Paradox

I expect that people who've been doing this blogging thing for a lot longer than me have already discovered this, but it's a sad fact that when you have time to blog you have nothing to blog about, and when you have plenty to say then you have no time to blog. Which is only logical when you think about it...

What I did in July

It occurs to me that when I started these posts to keep a record of what I've been knitting or whatever I should really have called them What I finished in ....., because I don't post pictures or write about things that I work on but don't finish. In July for example I spent a lot of time knitting a jumper for my grandson. It's not quite finished so I can't post a picture but it did account for a lot of my crafting time. It's got stripes. I often fall for patterns with stripes and really every time I browse patterns I should have a little note that comes up automatically and screams 'STRIPES - END WEAVING - DO NOT GO NEAR WITH PROVERBIAL BARGEPOLE'.

 

In this instance the warning was nowhere to be heard, or at least not until I had bought the (very expensive) pure Nordic wool. Irritatingly there is rather a lot of this very expensive pure Nordic wool left over and the jumper itself looks a tad on the small side despite my doing the age 3 size, using the needle size specified in the pattern and, as our friends across the pond would say, 'getting gauge'.

 

It's a great pattern though and if you come back at the end of this month you'll be rewarded with a picture.

 

Meanwhile I spent a lot of time stash busting, knitting stuff for a friend who through her local Quaker meeting helps organise a party and gifts for asylum seekers at Christmas. They like warm stuff, which is understandable if they have come from hot places and face winters in the North of England. So in July I produced

 

 

With the exception of the scarf at the top, which would certainly brighten up a dreich day in February I am aware that these are not stunningly exciting pieces. It appears that young men tend to prefer items without pattern or colour so there's no point in doing anything too fancy for them. Which actually is fine because you're not wanting to be challenging yourself with your knitting all the time. And the stripey jumper for the grandson was challenge enough.