Bernie's Blog

I’ve been following the Dig Diary for the Swandro dig this year, which has included the excavation of a potential (now proving to be so) Norse Longhouse…

https://www.swandro.co.uk/post/more-flags-even-more-kleggs

Then, we watched a recorded episode of Alice Roberts’ telly programme ‘Digging For Britain’ which featured the excavations at Skaill Farm, Rousay and I thought that, in one shot in particular, the floor of the Norse Hall there looks very like the one at the Swandro dig…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000bpm4/digging-for-britain-series-8-2-north

It could be said that one stretch of flagstone floor would look much like another - but I thought I’d mention it anyway!”

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'Ancient Stones on Old Postcards'…..

Re. Duncan Lunan’s references to pub names connected to the stars….

https://theorkneynews.scot/2023/09/03/book-review-hugh-kolb-seven-stars-ancient-astronomy-and-the-english-public-house/

…..here’s a pub name connected to a Standing Stone….

It’s in a book called 'Ancient Stones on Old Postcards' - compiled by Jerry Bird, which we got in a Stromness charity shop. It does what it says on the tin! I think it's a hoot, and it's also very interesting. Some of the old postcards have photos of stones which the text tells you have been moved since - so the postcard could be the only existing evidence of where the stones were originally placed.

In this case the pub is no more, but the stone still stands.

There are also some strange interpretations of what the places were - for example the text on the card for Wayland's Smithy describes it as "WaylandSmith's Cave is one of the Pigmy dwellings of the stone age." There are also a lot of pictures of people in their Sunday Best standing on or by stones looking very serious.

The things we find in charity shops.

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Here’s one I made earlier…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/12/14/g-m-b-s-tales-of-nativity/

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