The Bu

This is the nearest sandy beach to our house. It's just over the road and one field away, so we go there regularly. In the summer it is also one of the best for swimming at, as it is very gently sloping for a good way out. No swimming today - although all the snow had gone by this morning it is incredibly windy and it's got quite an edge to it. Wrapped up in all my layers I took Ollie down this afternoon, not a soul around, just lots of wading birds down at the water's edge.

I also found a bunch of yellow plastic roses tied up with foliage on the beach, a floral tribute from the cemetery, and several other plastic flowers - a rose, an alstomeria, big daisy and a poinsettia! The cemetery is right down by the shore, and with all the gales recently they've obviously just blown over the wall. The graveyard is pretty isolated and exposed so most of the flowers left there are plastic. There is a derelict church there - roofless and covered in ivy - but it is many years since it was last used. It is a lovely spot, looking over a very similar view to this. In fact most of the cemeteries in Orkney are on the coast line, all with superb sea views!