Excavation work at the Knowes of Trotty this week

An open day at the Knowes of Trotty excavation in Harray was held on Sunday, with hundreds of visitors turning out.

A three week excavation at the knowes - a massive Bronze Age barrow cemetery made up of a series of mounds, lined up in two rows at the foot of the Ward of Redland - draws to a close next week.

On, Saturday, they hosted a day trip to Shapinsay and visit to Balfour Castle, followed by a dance in the Junction Road club.

On Sunday, there was a church parade and service in St Magnus Cathedral.

More than 150 competitors from Orkney left for Shetland on Friday afternoon to take part in the 2005 NatWest Island Games.

The county will be represented in 14 sports at the games, which will take place from Saturday to next Friday.

Billed as the 'mini-Olympics', this year's island games are anticipated to be the biggest yet, with more than 2,000 competitors from around the world travelling to Shetland.

Over the coming week, The Orcadian Online will track the Orkney squad's progress and post results as soon as they are available.

Orkney Trout Fishing Association celebrated its centenary this weekend, with a series of events that kicked off on Friday.

At a gathering at the Merkister Hotel on Friday, 100 young trout from the association's hatchery were released into the Harray loch, to commemorate the event. This will be followed today, Saturday, and tomorrow by a fishing competition on the loch.

A formal reception in the Girnel on Sunday evening will conclude the celebrations.

Mark Flett and Lucy Rendall

Lucy Rendall and Mark Flett from Kirkwall tied the knot in St Magnus Cathedral on Friday - but this was no ordinary wedding.

The service included a piece of music specially written for Lucy when, in 1980, she became the first baby born in Rackwick for 32 years.

Her birth inspired one of George Mackay Brown's poems, Lullaby for Lucy, which was then set to music by composer, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

When Lucy, now 24, married her fiancé Mark, also 24, the Mayfield Singers performed Lullaby for Lucy, at the ceremony.

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A diver was rushed to the hyperbaric chamber in Stromness on Thursday afternoon, suffering from decompression sickness.

The 40-year-old man had been diving in Scapa Flow. Just after midday he was taken to Houton by the dive boat Jean Elaine, where he was transferred on to an ambulance and taken to Stromness.

Details of his condition have not been released.

The Golden Princess at anchor in Kirkwall Bay

It was another busy day is around Kirkwall pier today, with two visiting cruise liners and a total passenger capacity of almost 2,800.

The Golden Princess, lying at anchor in Kirkwall Bay, is the largest liner scheduled to visit Orkney this year, and is 290m long (942.5 feet) and about 60m (18 storeys) tall, and 36m wide and is able to carry 2,700 passengers.

Meanwhile, docked at the pier was Le Levant, with a passenger capacity of 95.

The Golden Princess is due to sail at 6pm, Le Levant sailed a 2pm.

A series of projects looking into the possibility of making beer, barley water and whisky from bere - a primitive barley - are among those approved for grants by Orkney Enterprise in June.

A total of £68,070 worth of grants were approved, including £8,300 to Orkney Fishermen's Society for the upgrading of a factory.

The whisky from bere trial, at Orkney College, has received £15,654, and £16,160 for the beer and barley water trials.

External link: Orkney College Agronomy Institute projects page

The man is described as white with a sallow complexion, five feet seven inches, slim build and short, shaved dark hair. He was wearing a navy bomber zip-up jacket with a white square on the back, bearing the name "Paul Shark" underlined in red.

Kirkwall police would like anyone who sees the man, or has information about him, to contact them on 872241.

Passengers travelling from Orkney or Shetland to Aberdeen will be able to take advantage of a range of reduced fares until August 31 if they choose to make their journey by a combination of air and sea.

Islanders can travel from Kirkwall to Aberdeen by air this summer with Loganair and return by sea with NorthLink from only £70 return.

External link: NorthLink/Loganair's Fly and Sail promotion

The skatepark in Kirkwall was opened on Friday.

The tarmac had been laid and the final touches added before the park next to the Peerie Sea was opened.

Funds were raised for the park by a team of local children, the Orkney Skatepark Group to provide a safe activity zone for roller blading, BMX cycling and skateboarding enthusiasts, rather than using public streets and walkways.

A new privately-owned ferry will operate from Wyre next month.

The 73-foot vessel will be available for charter and is expected to carry sightseeing trips to the uninhabited islands of Eynhallow and Faray.

Ian Flaws, and his son, also Ian, from Wyre have bought the boat and say they could also draw up plans to provide a Sunday ferry service to Tingwall.

The Flaws family started the original Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre ferry service in 1955, running it until Orkney Ferries took over in 1997.

Firefighters tackle the Finstown fire on Wednesday afternoon

Police have confirmed that there are no suspicious circumstances around the fire at Esson's garage in Finstown, in which one man was injured.

The alarm was raised about 1.30pm on Wednesday by an ambulance crew en route to an appointment.

The Kirkwall-Stromness road was closed while 18 firefighters, with three appliances, tackled the blaze. Residents in surrounding households were evacuated in case an acetylene cylinder in the garage exploded.

The road was reopened just before 7pm on Wednesday night.

Visiting sites in North Ronaldsay and Birsay, one segment of Bill's eight-part series will feature Orkney.

Bill, 64, said: "This is my first visit to Orkney and I've really enjoyed it. We had a fantastic day in Marwick and are looking forward to seeing more throughout the week."

The half-hour programme featuring Orkney is expected to be shown in January.

Neil McCallum of OIC community education, said: "We will use part of it as a display board to give young people information about drugs and alcohol as well as what's on in Kirkwall."

He added the shelter had been put up after it was highlighted that there is a lack of facilities for teenagers in the area and after consulting with school pupils about what they would like to do.

The application, which fell under the Scottish Executive's Supporting People grant, was denied, when councillors said that OIC would not be receiving the sum of money originally anticipated.

Councillors said that they could not allocate the money to Women's Aid Orkney (WAO) as it would have a negative effect on other services that rely on funding.

A wall around the new Dounby care home is to be left alone. That was the decision of councillors at a full meeting of the OIC on Tuesday.

Previously described by Councillor Jim Foubister as a "monumental cock-up", the dyke was originally thought to be too low, so was removed and rebuilt - but too high.

But rather than alter the wall, at a cost, it was decided to leave it for a period of time and then seek the opinions of staff and clients.

The alarm was raised when Shetland Coastguard received a 999 call at 8.40pm.

The coastguard stressed the importance of safety around Orkney's coasts, even on days where conditions appeared calm, something highlighted by the tragic death of fisherman who had been swept off rocks into the sea at Yesnaby earlier the same day.

The move was made at the OIC inter-isles transport sub-committee today, when a report proposed that the timetable should be changed to delay the 12.15pm departure from Rousay until 1.05pm and to cut the sailing for Egilsay at 1.35pm and Wyre at 1.55pm.

The changes were introduced because the Maritime and Coastguard agency said there had been times when emergency drills have not been carried out regularly enough.

A Stromness man has died while fishing of rocks at Yesnaby in Sandwick.

Archibald Donald James Macnair, 48, went missing around 3.40pm on Monday, and is believed to have been swept into the sea by a wave.

After a search by the coastguard and the Stromness lifeboat, his body was recovered around 5.40pm.

A 22-year-old man was flown to Aberdeen after crashing a mini motorbike in the car park of the Orkney Auction Mart on Monday night.

A police spokesman said the man fell off the bike after a mechanical failure and received a head injury around 8.45pm.

He was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where his condition is now described as stable.

Work on the new Burray school got under way on Monday, when island councillors joined contractors and future pupils to cut the first turf of the £1.1 million project.

The development has been welcomed by members of the Burray community, who, after years of battling to save the school, said that they are delighted to see work finally begin.

Councillor Janice Annal said: "I am pleased to see this get under way and I look forward to seeing the completed job. It is important for members of the local community and for the pupils that will use this school.

Currently open from 2pm - 8pm at weekends, the revised opening times will be from 10am - 4pm until September.

The opening hours were cut back in May in an attempt to save money, but also because of an apparent lack of demant.

Chairman of the Pickaquoy Centre Trust, Mike Drever, said: "We have listened to what our customers say they want and we hope that the new opening times will see more people through the door."

He added: "I hope that those who asked for the change to take place will come along and support the Centre and make use of the first class facilities on offer."

Mrs Rhoda Walker

An Orcadian woman has been appointed acting director of allied health professionals and nursing at NHS Orkney.

Mrs Rhoda Walker took up the role on July 1 while the current director, Kathleen Bree, takes six months sabbatical leave from the organisation.

Speaking about her new role, Mrs Walker said, "I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to lead on developing Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions in Orkney over the next six months, during a period that is both exciting and challenging for staff providing healthcare services."

Born in Stronsay, Rhoda Walker qualified as a nurse in 1985 returning to work for NHS Orkney in 1992.

Nigel Thomson (centre) with his 400m gold

Orcadian athlete Nigel Thomson has won a gold medal in the World Police & Fire Games in Quebec City, Canada.

Nigel won his medal in the senior men's 400m race on Saturday, adding to his bronze in the 100m and a fourth place in the 200m.

He is now hoping to take his strong form with him to the forthcoming Island Games in Shetland.

Firefighters attending the Hatston fire on Sunday

Two fire engines attended a blaze in the Hatston Industrial Estate on Sunday afternoon.

A portable building had caught fire around noon. Because a number of gas cylinders were close by, the area was cordoned off for 40 minutes until it was safe to let motorists pass by.

The flames were doused by 12.45pm and firefighters left the scene an hour later.

Police are looking for information about a car which was vandalised on Kirklands Road in Kirkwall at the weekend.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Kirkwall Police Station on 01856 872241.

The Gaia's dragonhead prow

The Orkney public had the chance of experiencing life at sea on a Viking longship on Saturday, when the visiting Gaia offered member of the public sailing trips this weekend.

The vessel, based on the ninth century Gokstad ship, made some trips, although the windy weather affected the number, on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Money raised will go towards the Orkney Boat Museum and the Gaia.

The march left Stromness Academy at 2pm and ended up at the Ring of Brodgar in Stenness.

Speakers at the event included Graham Brown, of the Labour Party, John Mowat, of the SNP, Alistair Carmichael, Orkney's MP, and John Aberdein, of the Scottish Socialist Party.

An estimated 800 people turned up for the event, entitled the Orkney Musical Stramash, which featured nine of Orkney's best bands, and one visiting act.

The Junction Pool, a 13 piece Celtic Fusion Band from Edinburgh, headlined with other bands such as Hadhirgaan, Shoot the Piper, The Sound and Silver Penguins.

All proceeds raised go to Make Poverty History through Christian Aid.

Three tidal developers have signed up to use test berths at Falls of Warness, off Eday, once it is built.

Andrew Mill, Managing Director of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) who are developing the tidal facilities, confirmed that SMD, Lunar and RTVL, companies specialising in tidal energy, have signed up to test their devices at the site once it has been given the go ahead.

Mr Mill said that the process to get planning permission in place for the facilities has started and the commitment from the companies "makes a strong case that there is a need for the facility."