Success

So pleased that my attempt at planting up this wall has survived and even flowered. I laid the top layer of stones myself in blithe ignorance, forgetting to put any lining in; so when I started filling the holes with soil and planting, guess what? It started coming out further down. Eventually I did manage to block quite a few major seepages, and then reasoned that if thrift could grow on apparently bare rock it would have to manage with what I could offer. And it's rewarded me well :-)

A long night of coughing plus being shattered already has meant we've gone about our tasks at a glacial pace today. We've been into Kirkwall to check out upcoming golf and do some shopping for essentials; the remainder we can get locally.

A short walk on the beach resulted in a haul of cuttlebones from a big heap of tangle (extra). I think I got over excited as, having brought them back, I've now no idea what to do with them. There's an enormous range in size and, now I've read up about cuttlefish a bit, I'm wondering if the small ones were eaten by the big ones which were themselves eaten by seals or dolphins (sharks are also predators but I'm hoping that's unlikely here, although I suppose maybe orcas might have a few as a micro snack). Apparently you can sometimes tell the predator by the teethmarks. The black stain on some of them is actually sepia (or cuttlefish ink) and, if any of you use homeopathic medicine, you'll also that Sepia is a much used remedy for women in particular.

I do love a bit of useless information!

Now time for a bit of a mindless R and R ...