Sunday 15 January 2017

CROSSING THE PENTLAND FIRTH IN A WILLOW FRAMED COWSKIN COVERED BOAT. PROBABLY LAST DONE IN NEOLITHIC TIMES!

The lifeboat men said "Don't do it, those tides are very dangerous" and they were justified in saying so, the currents and tides here are extremely dangerous as the Atlantic sea is forced through a narrow channel between two pieces of land, it is a place where many a boat has met its' sad end.. ship wrecks are frequent.

However, after careful reading of the tides and by waiting for a significant Moon, the crew went ahead and in a hand made willow-framed boat covered with cow skins waterproofed with melted lard, they paddled across the most dangerous area of water around the British Isles in just under five hours.

And, in doing so, demonstrated how the people of the Neolithic age of the islands of Orkney would have travelled to and from the mainland, the Orkneys are situated off the uppermost coast of northern Scotland.

The very brave crew were five members of the Orkney Rowing Club: Dave Flett, Bruce Davidson, Dave Walker, Jamie Thompson and their female cox Audrey Cameron, together with Jeff Mackie, who was one of the local boatbuilders and Andy Torbet, the BBC presenter.

The BBC2 did it again! This is a three part BBC project - Operation Orkney. How fortunate we all are to have these channels that give us these incredible programmes.

The boat building was part of a fascinating programme we watched last night on the Orkneys and the archeological works 'digs' that are on-going on a large Neolithical settlement.

Neolithic British age refers to period of British, Irish and Manx (as in the Isle of Man) history that was from circa 4,000 to circa 2,500 BCE. It saw the dawn of farming as in the cultivation of cereal crops and animals: Cattle, pigs and they kept dogs.. not for farming!

And from farming to building monuments.. who hasn't heard of 'Stonehenge'? But, have you heard or been to Silbury Hill? Silbury Hill is a 40 metre high pyramid and dates to approximately 2,660 BC.. which makes it older, my amis, folks and Dear Readers, than those pyramids in Egypt!

It is located near Avebury, which has its' stone circles, in Wiltshire and forms part of the Unesco World Heritage site which, of course, includes Stonehenge.

Tis fascinating, tis it not what has gone before! Now I am very fascinated by what is lurking in chilly white larder! It is my pot of hummus and I reckon it's time that we had some sustenance as our eggs were eaten many hours ago.

ChopChop.. HullyHully. I'll be back later this afternoon to give you her recipe for Root Soup, it's much more interesting than it sounds.

GeeGee Parrot.
January 15th, 2017.

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