We have had a mixture of weather this month. Some days have been quite beautiful but others - like today - have been a mixture of bright sunshine, strong winds and driving rain/hail. I managed to get into the garden during a recent bright spell and did a bit of tidying up in readiness for the spring. There are lots of daffodils starting to push their way through the cold earth and other plants are beginning to "wake up". I'm no great gardener but I took my courage in both hands and split the big patch of montbretia which was getting very, very cramped. This produced sufficient bulbs to start a long row of plants which will be visible from the kitchen window. On 10 Feb there was another very high tide with strong winds at lunchtime which all but swamped the jetty and caused some waves to break over wall outside Ebenezer store but it was nowhere near as bad as it was in January.

On Monday 14 Feb I played the organ in the kirk for the funeral of an 80 year old chap who lived alone on Rothiesholm. The weather was not very good, bitterly cold wind and heavy showers of rain. However, this did not deter well over 70 people who attended the service then went in a convoy of about 20 vehicles to the interment at the graveyard on Rothiesholm which is about two miles from the kirk. This was the first funeral on Stronsay for the locum minister, Rev Dr Jennifer George, and her address was very well received. I did feel sorry for her at the graveyard trying to make herself heard against the wind and rain but she coped very well indeed. Earlier this month we were delighted to hear that Jennifer has decided to apply for the vacant post of minister to Stronsay & Eday.

In my last Saga I mentioned that the brother of Matilda's owners had broken his leg during the January storm. Apparently the poor man will have his leg in plaster for another 3 months or so. After spending several weeks in hospital in Aberdeen and Kirkwall he eventually returned home via the air ambulance. However, instead of the usual fixed-wing Islander aircraft based in Kirkwall he had the honour of being the first patient to use the Inverness-based helicopter which forms part of the new air ambulance contract. It was only when I took his sister-in-law up to the airport to meet the helicopter and take him home that we discovered that the helicopter could have landed in a field a few yards from his home had it not been for their inability to contact us and tell us not to meet them at the airport.

The daylight hours are noticeably longer now and it is still quite light at 5 pm. Already we are into Lent and Spring is just around the corner. During this month I added some new photographs to my website here.

Last updated 18 February 2005