18 July 2024

A relaxed day, seeing what happens when I don’t have a plan. A bit of cleaning, as usual; then another “bottle trip” to the jetty, now that the bins have been emptied (only one large bag to go!); and some gardening, giving a dozen or so lettuce seedlings new lives in the veggie patch.

My intentions to have a “retreat” day suddenly seem less important than finishing one of my books – I want to lighten my load! The bench in the church graveyard is the ideal spot. Across the water, in lovely sunshine, are the soft green hills of Rousay and Westray; to the north, distant, sandy beaches show up like a mustard-coloured highlighter line. 

I am running low on important food items like chocolate and coffee so I plan to go to the Mainland tomorrow, and combine with some tourism. But linking up with the bus service isn’t straightforward and it takes some time to formulate a plan. I leave it too late to book the 7 am ferry – pre-booking is necessary because otherwise the boat may not do the run to the island. But it turns out that Vanessa, from the farm down the road, has booked onto it so I will be able to “piggyback” on the sailing.

Meanwhile, Paul and Clare are sifting through a mass of yellow-rattle seed heads and other vegetation collected with a special seed-collecting tool. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to wait until the yellow rattle was properly dry and then collect it by hand? The mass of damp debris looks – dare I say it – unfit for purpose.

My mind starts to tell me that I need to take things more gently, that I’m feeling tired and rundown And shouldn’t enslave myself to an uncomfortable daily routine. I need to look after myself – and walking to the sea at the end of the day, and plunging, in isn’t good for me. I almost listen. But no, that moment when the discomfort of cold transforms into the pleasure of freedom of movement in a perfectly tolerable water temperature is the best gift I can give myself. 

The day wouldn’t be complete without a word about Stanley. Still going strong. I see her sitting on the road and staring at the verge – this is the first time I have seen her out and about. Then she notices me and slinks into the grass. As usual, the food I put out earlier in the day has been rejected and this time actually thrown out of the bowl. Oh Stanley! But I’m not complaining. It suits me to have a cat who is disinterested and ungrateful rather than one that is needy and demanding. 😁