We have made it to the morning of Thursday 12 May 2022. The weather was getting a bit gloomy by this stage in mainland Orkney, not so great for our plein air sketching and painting plans. Our host at the Stennness accommodation had strongly recommended that we hold tight to the car door handle when getting out of the car to prevent the wind ripping the door off (as had happened to her on one occasion). Nothing like a warning like that to put the fear into me! She was super helpful with local historical sites we could visit, including the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and the Broch of Gurness.

The Standing Stones of Stennness were close to where we were staying so we drove there first. Per Orkney.com, these stones could be the oldest stone circle in the British Isles. There were originally twelve stones and now only four remain. After stopping to look at the stones, we walked onto the neolithic Barnhouse Settlement and then across to a hide to see what creatures might be out and about. The hide was also useful to get out of the drizzle. The only creatures who wanted to be out in the weather that day looked to be the white swans. As they were mainly snoozing or preening, I couldn’t clearly see the colour of their beaks, but assume they were mute swans. A photo I have shows a smaller swan with a black beak so I am guessing it was a juvenile, as I understand trumpeter swans are not generally found in Scotland. We sat down to do some very quick sketching as the swans slept and pottered about the tiny island out in the Loch of Harray.

Keen to get to the next neolithic site, we traipsed back to the car and drove another short journey to the Ring of Brodgar. Soon after entering the site, we discovered some garden tiger moth caterpillars, also known as “woolly bear” caterpillars. Quite enamoured with these small furry creatures, I took a couple of videos and photos. Looking back recently, when I had some colour pencils and a white paint pen to hand, I did some sketches of these woolly bears. Sometimes my sketches of creatures manage to get little funny expressions of their own accord. This silliness inspired a new woolly bear character carrying a victoria sponge cake which you can see if you read right to the end. In case you are wondering about the inspiration, my pal and I came across a lot of cake in Orkney (and not to mention carrot and coriander soup). Speaking of which, my very first carrot here has just popped out of the top of the soil, so you never know, together with the coriander I have been growing I too may be making home grown carrot and coriander soup soon.

The Ring of Brodgar was pretty impressive. We walked around it. While it may have been an ancient religious or scientific site, no one really knows for sure what it was for. We had our own ideas that it might have been used as a sporting arena or a stadium where feasts and big community parties were held or even a landscape art installation. Art has been around forever right?

I wandered off on my own for a bit to explore past the stones and ended up at a shore overlooking the Loch of Stenness. I sat there for a while. Heading back to the car I came across (what I think is) ribwort plantain which I had never seen before. I read that ribwort plantain has a number of healing properties.

Next on the list was the Broch of Gurness, an Iron Age village on the edge of Orkney’s west mainland. Quite honestly, our minds were blown away by the drystone walls of the Broch. The wind was ferocious and noisy outside, but when we entered the ruins of the Broch tower it was a safe haven and so quiet, as if the wind didn’t exist. There didn’t seem to be any gaps in the drystone walls of the round tower - every stone appeared to be fitted together perfectly. Surely, master craftspeople must have created this place. We stood there in absolute awe and also enjoyed the benefit of being out of the wind.

Caterpillars & Stones, Orkney

Runaway Bunnies, Orkney

Turnstones & Yesnaby, Orkney