A Quiet Word

Today was a respectable day, if not genteel in it’s whole approach to what was to lie ahead. Notable point of respectability was to be seen out once more with a local retired church minister, known to all who ventured into the St Magnus Café; having said that I expect the ‘all’ are in there everyday and was accordingly informed if they’ll not at home, they’ll be in here.

Decided today to go to Stromness to buy two tickets from the Orkney Folk Festival. Friday Night at the Pickiquoy Centre in Kirkwall and the St Andrew’s Community Centre Ceilidh on Saturday from the Pier Art Centre, Festival HQ. Next, I need to go to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Orkney Office. Found them and spent three hours, having a fascinating conversation with various staff members about it’s local, national, and international work, the time just floated away. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed looking at and photographing nature in all it’s forms with my DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). More recently I seem have used the iPhone for such work whenever I walked Sheba, mostly around Horeston Grange.

I was recommended by the office to goto to Mar Wick Bay and take a walk up to Kitchener’s Monument. Well off I went and found the RSPB Reserve at The Loons, here I photographed, a Shovel Duck, a Red Shank, and a Lapwing. These are all birds that I have not photographed. The first two I’d never seen except in books and the Lapwing I’d not seen for a very long time. I finally arrived at Mar Wick Bay, the wind was still moving the camera lens around rather too much for my liking, but I did see this lamb and ewe having a quiet word together.

Ewe: Hello dear have you enjoyed yourself playing with your friends?
Lamb: Yes it was great fun!

Ewe: And what did I say about playing on these stones?
Lamb: To be careful?

Ewe: To be careful that you do not slip, as these stones move and are unstable.
Lamb: (silence)

Ewe: So since they were moving and you were slipping about, I think it might be a good idea to come down from there, don’t you?
Lamb: Do I have too?

Ewe: (smiles) yes...
Lamb: (reluctantly moves) ok Mum...