On my now defunct blog, I wrote about the historic church building which now is Dunnet Parish Church. From a comment, I see that from 2000hrs on 8 July to 0800 hrs on 9 July, Dunnet Parish Church will be holding a night – or early morning if you hold with vespers, and all that – kirk event.

Members of the public will be able to spend some or all of the period inside this building, and refreshments will be provided.

Over a year after I wrote about approval being granted for a new super-store to be constructed on the old Ua animal mart on School Hill, and nine months after I wrote about this new site being cleared, something tangible is happening.

This was the end product in mid-May of a weekend of jamming and chutneying and ketchupping. Because of the intensely cold winter, the rhubarb corner at one of my vegetable plots was like the Day of the Triffids, which would have allowed me to produce three, fours times the amount.

I not am one for sweets and jams, but have been happily taking that which I did make on oatcakes and in yoghurt. The pickles and ketchup, which I just have started eating, however, proved worth the effort and wait.

After a not-so brief hiatus, I have decided to get this blog going again. Since the last of the winter leeks were picked in April, nothing has been taken from the established allotment plot for eating except the tips of shallot leaves. Now radishes, which I had been intercropping with onions, are in full spate and being eaten aplenty.

This morning, I took more than I could eat in a few days because I was worried the onions were being crowded-out. Now it is a case of what to do with them, and I fancy roasting them and having alongside a stir-fry tonight. 

Financial restrictions as well mean that the leaves look enticing as well.  Not as obviously tasty as radish salad leaf, they still are palatable.  If eating raw – as I did in today’s sandwiches - some bruising will be needed to flatten the prickles.  Adding to cooked dishes, a flash boil for 45 seconds or so seems more than enough.

Afrikaans rock.

Plans gather pace for leases to renewable developers of the Pentland Firth, local MP, with the potentially lucrative funds being in the hands of the Crown Estate.  The Aberdeen Press and Journal reports that local MP, the Lord Thurso is pressing the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osbourne for a proportion of eventual profits to be set aside for a community fund.

Carolina Chocolate-Drops, my latest favouritest band.

My burblings about Korea and Burma and Africa will be taken there. The Warren will remain open for Caithness news and oddball items which do not fit elsewhere.

… to embarrass the next as well suggests you are a bit of a blabbermouth.

Still, at least no-one would consider mocking the Speaker.

This represents the last of both my own-grown potatoes and onions. (That said, I have retained the largest onion to use as a pagan offering to the soil next spring.)

Unless I can stretch out the leeks, I suspect I will starve this winter. Oh, no, there always is Tescos.