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Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
Music Appreciation Group
by Angela - 21:52 on 02 November 2015
We met at Kate"s to listen to her chosen theme-" Early"-which we interpreted in different ways-
Holidays and sickness made a smaller meeting than usual-
We started with Allegri Miserere-16th century-Harry Christopher and the 16-followed by Frescobaldi-1583-Toccata for harpsicord ,recorder and organ-and Sumer is Icunen In-
An English rota of the mid 13 century.
We then had memories of Panama City-and a piece by Victor Jara.Continuing on we listened to the Seikilos Epitaph which was found on a tombstone in Adin in Turkey and dates from the 1st century-and is a Skolion,a drinking song.Another fragment followed which is on a papyrus from the 3rd century-composed by Euripides.In it the women of Argos implore the gods to have mercy on Orestes,who has murdered his mother Clytemestra.
Then Armenian music from the 7th century-some Gregorian chant and Hildegard of Bingen-sung by Emma Kirkby-one of the groups favourite voices-
Fanny Mendelsohn"s song " Morning Walk"-The next item was chosen as an Early memory-of a piece used by childrens hour ,a radio programme of our youth-Jewels of the Madonna was used for the dramatisation of the novel "Ballet Shoes".And memoroes of one of our members evacuee days in Penryn Bay-Wales-Don Giovani.
Another of our group brought the earliest record she bought-the 1812 overture.We listened to the Nightingale-recorded by Claude Roche.
We finished suitably soothed by this selection!
As usual coffee and homebakes were enjoyed.
The next meeting is on the 7th December-when it will be at the O"Sheas-the theme to be announced.
We are all going to a Christmas Lunch after that at the Kirkwall Hotel.
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