Stormy days and sunsets
Over the last few months I've been interested to see how the recession would manifest itsself in different areas of everyday life - especially here in Orkney. The thing that I have noticed most of all is that it seems to have, so far at least, not struck a major blow to the county.
On the one hand there are national papers like the Sunday Observer that are set to close because the company which owns it can't make it pay. On the other hand, a small business in Westray is reporting a 27% increase in trade - the biggest growth they have seen since they started the business.
On the face of it this is great news. Many people I've spoken to think the recession is on its way out; some say it will never really affect us at all. Despite wishing to share these optimistic views I am a little concerned that we could just be in for a downturn a little later than people south, much like the delay we have with getting new films at the Picky.
These thoughts were consolidated after I spoke to the Mabens in Westray just over a week ago. I stayed overnight to do a few interviews around the island on the Thursday followed by a live contribution to the Friday morning programme on Radio Orkney from the site of the new community wind turbine.
It was the first time I'd presented a live element of the programme anywhere other than in the studio, and it was also my first attempt at using the 'Bgan' satellite link. After a less than perfect night's sleep due to my predisposition to worry, I managed to do the job without any major mistakes - so that was another challenge crossed off my list.
As soon as I arrived back in Kirkwall a house full to the rafters greeted me. Almost thirty members of my extended family had made the journey North to be there for a party to celebrate four of our birthdays. It's always a real treat to see my aunts, uncles and cousins as I get on well with all of them. However, our house is not the biggest in the world and once you start trying to feed and entertain that many people it can become quite a logistical nightmare.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things to observe once you get such a big group of people together, especially when they are related is the dynamics of the relationships. It amused me to see many of the character traits I see in myself and my brothers reflected in other members of my wider family.
I think it must be true that every family has an embarrassing uncle, an aunt who gets tipsy on a seemingly tiny amount of wine and someone who is so forgetful that they ask you the same question several times. To me, the banter and laughs that inevitably occur when you get such a group of people together is one of the things that makes family time so special. It was a fantastic weekend and with the help of a stack of pictures I'll be remembering the highlights fondly until the next big get together.
August also saw two of my best friends from uni arriving in Orkney - for the second time. You may remember me recounting the events of two summers ago when five friends and I failed to get to Auskerry due to bad weather. Despite this unfortunate setback, Phil and Andy were keen to come back and try again for a second time.
The long weekend we chose was the one following the county show. Having had such great weather for the shows and the parish cup final I was pessimistically thinking it couldn't last. As it happened I was right as we did get a fairly wet and windy weekend. However, the trip out to the island was fairly pedestrian and we managed to get our tents erected just before the rain started.
Over the course of the three days we were there the lads experienced heavy rain, gale-force winds, glorious sunshine and back to calm sunny weather again. Part of me was disappointed that we hadn't had perfect weather for the entire holiday, but on the other hand I was glad that the lads were able to see Auskerry in a range of different conditions.
Over the three years I've lived with them in Sunderland I've often talked about stormy days and beautiful sunsets on calm evenings on the island so I was quite happy that they got to see these events for themselves.
One of the highlights about the trip was that one of my best friends from Orkney was able to come out with us. I was keen for both groups of friends to meet and therefore create a cross-reference between my home life and the one I experienced at university. As I'd hoped the lads got on really well and we all enjoyed a fantastic summer break.
Finally for this month's column I wanted to mention some exciting news for local radio listeners. The BBC Trust which works on behalf of the licence fee payers to ensure you get the best from the corporation has decided to back enhanced investment in regional news services like Radio Orkney and Radio Shetland.
As a result we're looking at ways to expand the range of services offered by the BBC in the county. Many of the suggestions have come from local listeners and although I can't say too much at this stage, it's likely to mean some exciting developments at Radio Orkney. Watch this space!
