We have seen much weather this last 48 hours. The cold Arctic front has duly arrived, bringing snow to Netherbutton, Orkney. We are marooned, at least for the next few hours – there is much to be said for the Internet under such conditions. It makes you wonder how the Scandinavians manage to put up with it but, perhaps they don’t. The Finns have a word for it – Kaamos – drifting around with the browser, as you do on such days, I found this:
Thousands and thousands of Finns suffer from kaamos depression, or depressio hiemalis as the fancy Latin of doctors terms it. Depression, anxiety, exhaustion, restlessness — it’s all mostly because of the lack of light. How are you supposed to wake up and keep moving when it’s dark outside when you go to work, and dark again when you get out? It’s as if the cold colorless world outside settled into your bones — unfeeling, unmotivated, a dull ache, a hunger that can’t be satisfied, a sleepiness that can’t be shaken — all in all, not a nice thing at all.
This is just a small extract from an entertaining post at Masks of Eris.
… snow at Netherbutton, Orkney
… blockship at Churchill Barrier No. 3 – between Burray and Glimps Holm
… Netherbutton at the top of the hill – from the track down to the shore
… South Ronaldsay
… Longhouse at Dam of Hoxa, South Ronaldsay
… St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
… Roeberry, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
The cottages at Netherbutton overlook Scapa Flow, a body of water with a remarkable history. It might be expected that in peaceful times there would be little activity in this remote place but, far from it – there are currently two oil rigs in for maintenance, a supply ship and three tankers. At night they light up like Christmas trees on dark waters.
Despite the harsh winters and the classic ingredients for kaamos, we have found everyone delightfully friendly and approachable – Orcadians are in the top ten of happiest people in the UK and enjoy the best quality of life of any rural area. It was not always so, at least if you believe the serviceman who penned this while stationed here in the war:
Bloody Orkney
This bloody town’s a bloody cuss
No bloody trains, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us
In bloody Orkney.
The bloody roads are bloody bad,
The bloody folks are bloody mad,
They’d make the brightest bloody sad,
In bloody Orkney.
All bloody clouds, and bloody rains,
No bloody kerbs, no bloody drains,
The Council’s got no bloody brains,
In bloody Orkney.
Everything’s so bloody dear,
A bloody bob, for bloody beer,
And is it good? – no bloody fear,
In bloody Orkney.
The bloody ‘flicks’ are bloody old,
The bloody seats are bloody cold,
You can’t get in for bloody gold
In bloody Orkney.
The bloody dances make you smile,
The bloody band is bloody vile,
It only cramps your bloody style,
In bloody Orkney.
No bloody sport, no bloody games,
No bloody fun, the bloody dames
Won’t even give their bloody names
In bloody Orkney.
Best bloody place is bloody bed,
With bloody ice on bloody head,
You might as well be bloody dead,
In bloody Orkney.
Don’t believe a word of it, it’s a great place which can only get better once it stops snowing 🙂
And as fer me,’ Sam said, ‘don’t fret.
The sky’s took a turn since this morning;
I think it’ll brighten up yet.
Three Ha’pence a Foot – Marriott Edgar
northumbrian : light 