Fungal Fun….Go Jeanne!!!....The Return of Kraak.....There’s Always A Story…
by Bernie Bell - 09:47 on 28 October 2023
Fungal Fun….
Having put this together…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16540
…..our thoughts turned to a fungal theme for names for bands……
‘Dog’s Vomit and the Slime Moulds’ – Punk
‘The Ink-Caps’ – 60’s crooners
‘Shaggy and the Parasols’ – Reggae (remember Shaggy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_4ca8jthAs )
‘Billy and the Boletes’ – Boy Band
‘Mike and the Magic Mushrooms’ – 70’s hippie music
‘Septica’ – 90’s Indie band
‘Destroying Angel’ – Goth/Death Metal
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Go Jeanne!!!...
https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/artwork-donation/
That’ll help to fund a good bit of post-excavation research!
She’s backed the Ness right from the start….
https://theorkneynews.scot/?s=Jeanne+Bernie+Bell
Seeing the mention of ‘Ness HQ’ – aka Loch View – got me thinking again about what will happen after the last dig, next year. I’ve presented these ideas before but, again, I got a clear picture in my head - Loch View becomes an Interpretative Centre for the Ness excavation. Gravel could be put down to make a small car park – NO COACHES! – the info. boards from the site could be placed in Loch View in the rooms from which folk could look out to the relevant areas of the dig which will, by then, be covered with soil from the spoil-heap and which will have become a wild-flower meadow.
Possibly, as the site is being buried, artefacts could be placed among the layers of soil – objects in stone representing what was found there – including material from far away - and the life that the excavation brought to the site again – maybe something referencing the Willamettes and their contribution - a link across the Atlantic and the American Friends of the Ness….
https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/american-friends-of-the-ness-of-brodgar/
Then I was trying, again, to take on board the fact that after next year there will be no more excavation until ???
It has to be so – it needs to be so – but it’s still hard to get a grip on.
I’ll still go and hang over the gate and say ‘Hello’ – and, no doubt – dream…..
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The Return of Kraak...
Thursday – Kraak the Heron made his first appearance in our meadow!!!
He doesn’t like the long grass – it doesn’t suit his way of walking – we’re trying to find someone to strim the grass for us – a surprisingly difficult search!
https://theorkneynews.scot/?s=Kraak+the+Heron
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There’s Always A Story…
The Orkney Wildlife Facebook page has had a lot of images of Skate-egg cases recently – lots are being washed up on the beaches.
Then someone posted a short film of Skate taken during a dive trip (you’ll need to scroll down a bit)….
https://www.facebook.com/groups/133013273445588/?locale=en_GB
Which reminded me of this tale…..
A few years ago, Mike and I were at a 'do'. We were talking with a couple of fishermen who told us of an experience they’d had on a dive – in good old Victorian novelist style, I’ll leave out their names...............
S. was coming up from his dive. They have to come up a bit, then hang on the line to adapt to the pressure, then come up a bit more. S. was waiting, when he saw, right in front of him, two Killer Whales. A mother and her calf. They were maybe 5 feet in front of him and the mother was simply looking at him, scrutinizing him, steadily. This was worrying, as a diver can look very like a seal to a hungry whale! Apparently, it's reasonably safe to dive where the whales are busy eating schools of fish but, in these waters, where they eat seals - that is an intimidating encounter to have. S. made himself look as little like a seal as possible by stretching out his arms and legs, looking as spiky and un-seal-like as he could! Otherwise, he hung there on his line, while the mother whale......looked at him.
The two whales then moved off. S. had hardly had time to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that he had to stay put until the air pressure was right, when the two returned. Again, the mother just hung there in the water, feet from him, looking at him. Then they moved off, together.
Meanwhile, E. was on the sea-bed. He saw the whales approaching, and hid behind a boulder! trying hard not be seen by them.
This will have been a frightening experience for both of the men - particularly for S. But I wonder how much the wonder and awe of it drove out the fear? Imagine it - a mother Orca and calf, a few feet in front of you, just looking at you, assessing you. A truly wild experience, and in the waters off Orkney - you don't have to go to far-away places.
The other story also involves S. He was hanging on the line again, waiting patiently, when he felt as though someone was hugging him! Then he saw a big tail curve round below him, and realised it was a big Skate. For reasons best known to itself, this Skate had wrapped itself round S. and was ' hugging' him. He shrugged it off and it swam away, but then returned and butted him with its head, as if to say, "Well, so much for you."
Here’s my ‘Diver’s Prayer’….
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/07/04/poetry-cornermay-the-water-be-always-clear/
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Here’s one I made earlier…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2022/05/01/more-neolithic-connections/
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