Monday 24th October
Started the day with Orkney kippers, but as we sat inside the cosiness of our hotel and looked out of our window at the sight of a pair of embarrassed looking gulls trying to fly forwards in the high winds, I knew this was going to be a challenging day. They were not even managing geostationary non-movement. They were being forced backwards.
We drove across the island in thirty minutes to a Neolithic village called Skara Brae only to find that Scottish Heritage had closed it because of Health and Safety reasons. When we questioned this they told us quite matter-of-factly that when the wind was over 50mph it tended to pick people up and throw them bodily into the 2 meter deep pits that the ruins were in.
Aha. After a quick look at our map we decided to drive to the North to get a scenic shot from a recommended spot.
On the way Andy’s car was shaking in the wind and the wiper blades started making a whistling sound that he said he only hears when driving at 100 mph on autobahns. Considering we were only driving at 40mph that meant the headwind was gusting at at least 60mph! With these kind of winds if anyone in Orkney wore perfume or aftershave it would only benefit the population in Norway!
Too windy for pics so will send view of Orkney as we leave on the ferry.
Jerry
Here we are in the shelter of the bar. Take a few steps away, and it’s massive gusts of wind ( atmospheric, not intestinal I hasten to add )
This is not the latest Catalan hair style. These are some friendly Spanish visitors seeing if they could stand up to the weather. They had travelled to Orkney to see their famous backwards flying birds no doubt!
Wild Open Eye - Natural Vision, News from Wild Open Eye 
This is great stuff! Loved the sea gulls in reverse! They used to do that off St Bees Head. Gamely struggle, lose ground, and as soon as they gave up and turned they were flung away like rockets!
Try to avoid a similar performance!
Love
Annabel
Hi Jerry,
The first shot is my favourite, of all the proud new fathers having recently fostered their ‘first little camera’ shots that appear throughout the blogs. You both look equally proud, but the way that you are holding on to the arm of the camera and seemingly gently sliding it towards you, Andy, suggests that you are keen to take on the prime carer role, whilst Jerry is sliding alongside at an equal pace claiming it was his baby in the first place! No squabbling over the chidren, men!
(Aidge is a very good friend of Jerry’s in Bristol)