Swimming

All I have to say is that if you have never done this, you need to go do it right now...

I have been wanting to swim in the sea since I decided we were moving here, and I've read far too much about sea swimming and I've had far too many conversations about it -- and today I actually did it.  

This is the most amazing thing ever.  Okay, I am using the word swimming loosely.  I walked out until the water was about waist high and then I submerged myself and then I walked back to the beach.  But wow.

Seriously people, find yourself your nearest bit of natural water and go immerse yourself in it.  You will not regret this.  My only regret is that I spent so long thinking about it when I could have just been doing it.

Already looking forward to my next dip!

Backaskaill Bay beach walk

A few photos from our walk on Backaskaill Beach yesterday afternoon at low tide:

The world biggest egg case!  I think this is even bigger than the last one we found.  Boot for scale (UK size 7) as no bananas to hand...

First live mussels we have seen since moving here!  Rather on the small side, and two does not make a meal, but it's good to know that they're here...

Cliffs on the eastern edge absolutely full of nesting seagulls -- there would have been more photos of these but my camera battery died!

Baking day

Bere is a type of barley particularly adapted to growing in Orkney, and Barony Mill is still milling beremeal with it to this day.  I've been wanting to play with this for a while, but of course the problem with barley (and rye, and crops that grow better in northern climates in general) is that they are lower in gluten and thus harder to bake with.  (This is also why people in northern climates traditionally ate flatbreads and "fluffy" breads tended to be eaten more in southern climates where wheat grew better, but of course now everybody eats the same thing everywhere...  I digress...)

As it's Passover, I decided to finally do the thing I've been thinking about for years and make my own matzo.  I decided to make it with beremeal -- I mean, if you are making a bread that's not supposed to rise, no point wasting all that gluten...  :)  Is beremeal matzo a world first?  :)

It's not bad.  Could do with being a bit crispier, but maybe this is par for the course with handmade matzo?  The only thing I have to compare it to in my mind is Manischewitz in a box so...  

As a random aside, I timed myself, and it took me 24 minutes, so not Kosher for Passover, but a large part of that was down to oven space and number of baking sheets in my possession.  With a helper and an industrial oven, I could have done it in 18.

And then of course I had to make more Hot Cross Buns, completely not Kosher for Passover!  :)  This dough was much stickier than the last batch I made (same recipe -- no idea why) so the crosses didn't come out as well but still delicious!

On the random weather front, it was unusually foggy today -- these pictures are about 6:30 in the evening and we can't even see halfway across our fields!

Chicken Update!

I know, I know, my camera keeps accumulating photos and I keep failing to post them...

The chicks are getting big -- these photos are from Monday when they were two weeks old but already I need to take more photos as they are now at the awkward teenage stage and not looking so cute anymore!

I discovered that the rubbish-strewn space in front of the house had actually been planted up by Jean with lots of lovely bulbs so have been having a tidy up and pulling lots of decaying plastic out of there -- it's quite a nice space really!

This is a selection of some things I pulled out of the front garden that were not plastic:

As its Easter, I've made Hot Cross Buns...  Also, as it's Passover, I will be making matzo tomorrow -- and I have an interesting twist on it -- watch this space if I remember to post photos tomorrow!  :)

On days when the weather permits, we've been working on the polytunnel.  Concrete down on one side for fastening the cover to -- all hand mixed!

And these are the cross-braces that Danny has been welding on to his hand-fabricated steel frame -- we are going to have the only completely handmade steel polytunnel frame on Sanday I think

Rhubarb plant that we discovered growing in the back garden!  Think it needs a bit of TLC so will transplant and relocated it to a better spot probably sometime in the autumn...

And while the weather overall has been getting better, there's still the odd day here and there where winter tries to come back!