Room with a view.

A beautiful morning. Suns shining, warm, a light breeze. Perfect for a walk along the cliffs, which is what we did. Headed South to Hoxa on South Ronaldsay. A gorgeous place. Fabulous views and some dramatic cliffs with jagged rocks for the sea to crash against in a fabulous swirl of milky green waves.

The walk also has the added bonus of some great WW2 gun emplacements. Which are lots of fun to explore. They are amazing structures, somehow they have an Art Deco look to them. As well as the gun emplacements there are parts of the various building remaining. Nissan huts covered in concrete, foundations and this wonderful chimney breast and fireplace.

We sat for a while on the remains of one of the gun emplacements looking out to sea and had a far ranging discussion with the boys - philosophy; theology; the 4th dimension; undiscovered animals; can you be prime minister of Britain if you don't believe in god (anyone know that one?); cannabalism; and the difference between a Shag and a Cormorant. Phew!!!

Did make me realise why Captain Hamish Blair who was stationed on Orkney during WW2 wrote this poem. Apart from being a wild and alien place to most servicemen and women based here, it must also have been very dull sitting waiting, constantly on watch just in case anyone attacked the naval base in the islands. Maybe he too had such a discussion. Or maybe he was just fed up and wanted to go home.

Apologies for the swearing, that's just how it goes.

BLOODY ORKNEY
Capt. Hamish Blair, RN

This bloody town's a bloody cuss
No bloody trains, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody roads are bloody bad,
The bloody folks are bloody mad,
They'd make the brightest bloody sad,
In bloody Orkney.

All bloody clouds, and bloody rains,
No bloody kerbs, no bloody drains,
The Council's got no bloody brains,
In bloody Orkney.

Everything's so bloody dear,
A bloody bob, for bloody beer,
And is it good? - no bloody fear,
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody 'flicks' are bloody old,
The bloody seats are bloody cold,
You can't get in for bloody gold
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody dances make you smile,
The bloody band is bloody vile,
It only cramps your bloody style,
In bloody Orkney.

No bloody sport, no bloody games,
No bloody fun, the bloody dames
Won't even give their bloody names
In bloody Orkney.

Best bloody place is bloody bed,
With bloody ice on bloody head,
You might as well be bloody dead,
In bloody Orkney

The next verse was added later by someone, I have no idea who.

Captain Hamish "Bloody" Blair
Isna posted here nae mare
But no-one seems to bloody care
In bloody Orkney