O westron wind, when wilt thou blow...?

When I told people up here that , no I wasn't on holiday but had in fact taken a job up here, the usual response was "have you spent a winter up here yet?" Not, "welcome to Orkney" or "Oh how fascinating!" or "bugger off back to England ye peely-wally Sassenach." Now Winter has, not exactly arrived, but sort of waved at us from a distance, I'm beginning to see why. With the clocks back, I now spend my working week in the dark. Weekends it rains. I tried to rid myself of a long-standing headache by going for a walk this morning. Blue skies were smiling on the front and back windows, but each time I opened the door, it wazzed down. I'm beginning to think that there is a little black cloud attached to the Sky dish, probably placed there by Orkney Islands Council in retaliation for us having installed it without their consent.

So it's just been work and kip in the main. Pantomime rehearsals occupy three nights and Sunday afternoons now. In addition to my previously mentioned Queen item, I am singing a duet of a Blondie song so obscure I can't remember the title. Or the words. Or the tune. He's axed my solo number. Can't imagine why.

Fans of the shipping forecast ("and this one's for all you insomniacs out there: yes, it's 'Sailing By', top of the sleeplessness chart since 1937") may have noticed that severe - or extreme - or appalling - I forget what they call it these days - weather was forecast for last Thursday. All schools in Orkney were closed. Hurray! It was my day off and so I lost a day's pay as my supply teaching was cancelled. Boo! It was merely windy here, but was apparently pretty dire on the west side of the island and over on Hoy. Staffroom tales were of flying byre roofs and barn doors.

So, in lieu of actual news or hot-from-the-press photos, I append some of 'oor day oot' in Stromness, just before theholiday. Arty, eh?