The other week a good friend of ours visited with his husband, Alan and David are newly married and were on a motorbike tour of Scotland to see Alan’s family so they decided to take a ‘short’ detour and visit us. Their stay was only a few days but we visited the main sights with them and sampled some new Gins as they are both Gin aficionados. It was great seeing Alan after all this time and his husband David is a really nice guy. He was understandably nervous when he first arrived but soon relaxed ( perhaps it was the Gins! ) and they have both promised to visit again. They will be most welcome.

The main event that is occupying some of my time at the moment is the dig at the Ness of Brodgar. I don’t dig at this site, I volunteer for two mornings a week at the ‘NOB’ ( Ness of Brodgar ) shop which raises funds for both OAS ( Orkney Archaeology Society ) and the Dig itself.

My main job here is to sell pins that people put into a square on a large photo of the dig in order to sponsor the dig. The Pins cost £10 and if something is found on your square then you will receive a photo of the object via email. This simple idea is really popular and raises a considerable amount of money each year. I have to stand outside and launch myself at the people arriving, and this year we have been given a communal Hi-Viz jacket with ‘Ness of Brodgar’ written on the back. This makes things a little easier for us as people are a little less reticent at giving money to a stranger if the stranger is wearing this symbol of authority. It does mean however that I often get mistaken for an archaeologist, I soon put people right on this, as if I was an archaeologist would the jacket be quite so clean!

I have included a photo of the table I use outside for all the forms, complete with our solution for dealing with the winds when they get up, some genuine rocks from the spoil tip!