Wheels within wheels
by Bernie Bell - 08:25 on 13 July 2022
Wheels within wheels
We were at the Ring of Brodgar talking with one of the HES Rangers, talking of the stone with a possible cup mark, as mentioned here…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/02/24/a-short-walk-to-the-stenness-brodgar-stones/ and of how Prof. Colin Richards noticed that the stones of Brodgar had come from different quarries around Orkney https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/01/12/thoughts-on-being-an-independent-part-of-a-collective/ . Elaine told us that the particular stone we were discussing had come from a quarry near Houton. When we got home Mike was wondering whether the stones as they are placed around the Ring, reflect where they came from? For example – going over-land from the stones which came from Houton – do you arrive at Houton? Overland from the stones from the Staneyhill quarry – do you get to Staneyhill?
That way the groups of people would not only be represented by the stones from their part of Orkney and the part of the ditch which they carved out…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2022/03/14/more-than-just-a-ditch/ , they would also be physically connected with and ‘drawn to’ the Ring. The circle of the Ring – sending out ‘spokes’ to the communities and their quarries. I’m not sure if I’ve explained that very well – but I hope I got the idea across. Maybe someone has studied this and written about it but as a non-academic I‘m not aware of it. I like the idea of all that energy and endeavour focused on the Ring, going to and from the communities and their quarries.
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Here’s a PS – thanks to a reader for sending extra info - extra info is always welcome!
"Geological examination of the Brodgar stones confirmed they came from at least seven different quarries and were transported to the site from across Orkney [2]." https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/ring-of-brodgar/
"Like the Ring of Brodgar, the Stenness stones came from different sources – in this case, at least five quarries [3]" https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/stones-of-stenness/
Aaaand...... In 'Frontiers', the on-line magazine of the Okrney International Science Festival....... https://frontiersmagazine.org/a-walk-to-the-stenness-and-brodgar-stones/
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On the Fallow Patch...
In the cool of the evening…Mick the Hedgehog…rootling about…
Why Mick? Hedgehogs remind me of my old mate Mick – a very stolid individual. So, to me, all hedgehogs are Mick.
The picture was taken from a distance with a good camera. Mick was aware of us, was looking at us, but wasn’t too bothered about our presence.
We’ve both been struggling with how life is these days……how the world is and where it’s going. Watching a hedgehog rootling in the midden for slugs – helped. LIFE goes on.
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When Shit Turns To Fertilizer
We have a bird bath which gets a lot of use in fine weather – so much so that within hours of us cleaning and re-filling it, the water turns into a murky soup full of bird shit, and the bath needs cleaning out pretty much daily at this time of year.
The area of gravel underneath the bird bath, where we throw the ‘soup’, has become a little garden with orange hawkweed, orchids, vetch, buttercups and self-heal as the glop from the bath provides lots of nutrients.
After a recent distressing incident in my life I decided to take the shit that had happened and turn it into fertilizer – so now, instead of writing for The Orkney News, I’m writing this blog and, intermittently, writing for ‘Frontiers’ , the on-line magazine of the Orkney International Science Festival https://oisf.org/ , which does a grand job of ‘fertilizing’ minds!
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The Wonder That Is Slime Mould
I submitted an item for possible publication in ‘Frontiers’ – and it’s been published – HURRAH!
https://frontiersmagazine.org/the-wonder-that-is-slime-mould/
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And here’s one that Mike made earlier……
https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/07/12/an-encounter/
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