That's the way to keep it knapping

The lambs are getting bigger by the day - this is a great comparison of how much they've grown in 8 weeks!

This week I have been repairing a section which has fallen down recently near the stone crusher, Linklet bay. Norbert and Fang have been accompanying me to the beach, and are chief dyke testers. Naturally they have taken to jumping and walking along the dyke, testing each rock I’ve placed, and wobbling on some as if to hint “this one could be better!”.

Top left: wall fallen down; top right: after pushing over unstable sections; bottom left: building with Norbert and Fang approaching to test my handiwork; bottom right: completed

Loupers by nature

The stone breaker sits on the North of Linklet Bay. The maintenance instructions are moulded on the casing of this machine:

"Lubricate this breaker well,

tightened bolts prevent all rapping,

and be sure all parts are clean,

that's the way to keep it knapping.”

It sounds quite poetic doesn't it?!

On the other side it says: "Improved patent knapping motion stone breaker, sole makers W.H. Baxter Ltd. Leeds”.

The stone breaker was brought onto North Ronaldsay to break large stones from the shore for making the roads.

Gavin Woodbridge managed to capture footage of a pod of Risso's Dolphins (Grampus griseus). Risso’s dolphins are the most commonly seen dolphins around Orkney, sightings are generally concentrated between April and November. Their diet consists mainly of squid, they are able to dive for up to 30 minutes down to depths of 400-500 metres. Unfortunately, plastic bags are often mistaken by marine animals who eat squid. Once ingested, plastic may accumulate in the stomach of the animal, causing starvation.

We took the lmabs for a walk to Peckhole Mill, and to our surpirse Hagrid joined us! The walk from our house to the Mill is about 600m. He followed us there, explored inside the Mill with me then followed us home. Peckhole windmill was the last working windmill in Scotland. The rubble base, still standing, was topped by a jettied timber revolving sail house and 4 sails, with the long tail beam allowing the sail house to be moved to face the wind.

The windmill operated until about 1908 when it was replaced by a diesel engine-powered meal mill. The threshing mill was used up until the 1950s. There were at least three millers who worked grinding grain for meal - to make porridge, oatcakes and to make meal for feeding pigs and poultry.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to restore!