To Orkney

Well I’ve arrived at my second home and very delighted that the getting here is behind me. Daughter Jane took me to the airport and saw me right through to security to make sure I was gone! I have more than a slight feeling that the family are happy to see me safely somewhere else! Hence the thumbs up blip.

Check in was stressful. I have never seen so long a queue of folk travelling to Orkney. It took an hour to check in. I thought my case was big but there were many more larger ones. I sat beside a girl (I use the word loosely) who had flown up from Heathrow earlier in the day and was en route to Papa Westray having never been in Scotland before. There was a bus full of English ramblers and a quartet of French speakers sitting near me. We made up some time on a delayed departure and was welcomed in Kirkwall by a very patient IainatCreel as chief driver of the local Cheeky Monkey Taxi Service.

I collected enough food en route to Stromness to keep me alive until tomorrow and I am now sitting unpacked and fed at my favourite window overlooking Hamnavoe. It’s a bit damp outside at the moment but hopefully will be dry tomorrow morning when it seems we will be dipping at the Ness at 10am.