Sunshine on Orkney

Black cows in meadows of yellow buttercups, black crows in lime green fields, black and white oyster catchers with red feet and bills foraging in lines of freshly cut grass, brown cows chewing the cud in rich green fields, brown hens pecking at the lochside amongst umber seaweed, startling areas of white bog cotton, and always the back drop of glittering sea under midsummer sunshine, as His Lordship and I made our way yesterday evening to Kirkwall for the penultimate concert of the St Magnus Music Festival.
We tarried outside the hall in the sun before taking our seats at the very front of the auditorium, (almost under the feet of desk two of the Ist violins) to listen to sea shanties before a mighty performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Orkney Festival chorus.

And then it was home by taxi, following the setting sun and chased by a billowing bank of haar coming in from the sea behind Kirkwall. It was the most perfect night to commemorate the 'simmer dim'.

And so to today. More sunshine and an easy 30 mile pedal round the highways and byways of the western mainland, stopping and starting to drink in the views.
I don't think anywhere beats Orkney in the sun with its views and profusion of wild flowers by the road side.

My blip is the view over Loch Harray from the top of Staney Hill