NFUS President, Mr JIm McLaren, centre, pictured at Saturday's County Show along with Orkney's NFU chairman Michael Stevenson, left, and his daughter Jamie, right.

After he had performed the presentation of prizes to the much reduced show entry at the County Show,, Mr McLaren, NFSU President, was able to announce some good news for farmers.

He said: "The Scottish Executive have said that there can now be free movement of animals within Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, and we look forward to furher easing of the restriction as the days and weeks go on."

Crowds throng the Bignold Park on Saturday.

Orkney's premier agricultural show, The County Show went ahead on Saturday, in spite of the ban on movement of animals, caused by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in England, which means there will be no cattle, sheep, or goats present.

On a sunny day, the attendance numbers held up, with an estimated 9,300 people through the gates, which would be only some 300 down on last year

The society's president, Jim Seatter said: "I think that it has been an excellent show, and I am absolutely delighted with the figures, and would like to thank the people who run the show and also the exhibitors. Everyone should be going home happy"

The show secretary society's , Marny Mowatt, said: It has been a long, hard week, but it has been an excellent day.

The Radio Orkney team at the County Show.

BBC Radio Orkney were broadcasting live from the County Show on Saturday followed by more from The Orcadian Parish Cup final in the evening.

The mobile studio was used for the first time at the Bignold Park for live coverage of the reduced livestock show, between 11am and 3pm.

The caravan was then be towed to the Pickaquoy Centre for coverage of the match between St Andrews and Sandwick. BBC Radio Newcastle’s, Martin Emmerson, provided 90 minutes of commentary, along with Finstown’s Jockie Wood, who wrote the definitive history of the Parish Cup, acting as a match summariser.

The Scottish Executive Minister of Finance will take time to visit Voluntary Action Orkney during his visit on Wednesday, August 15.

John Swinney, cabinet secretary for finance and sustainable growth, will meet representatives of the voluntary sector in Orkney.

Mr Swinney is also due to meet Orkney Islands Council convener, Stephen Hagan, to discuss the council's financial settlement from the Executive and a number of Orkney projects, including the Lyness container hub plans and developments in the renewable energy industry.

Specialist Contractors at Highland Park distillery are on schedule for finishing the first of two replacement pagoda roofs on time.

Highland Park is investing over £500,000 to make the repairs at its Grade B listed distillery in Kirkwall.

The roofs are in much need of an upgrade according to Highland Park production supervisor, Erik Smith, who told The Orcadian: “The roof was badly storm damaged and in need of repair. Because it’s a listed building, it needs to be maintained to a secure level.”

North Ronaldsay residents have been warned not to use tap water for drinking, cooking, cleaning teeth or washing.

NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council night issued an emergency notice on Thursday night after high levels of the parasite cryptosporidium were found in the island's water supply, possibly washed from pasture during this week's heavy rain.

Cryptosporidium parvum infects animals and can be passed to humans, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps. Symptoms can persist for up to six weeks or longer in more vulnerable people.

Scottish Water is providing bottled water in North Ronaldsay and working on restoring a clean water supply.

Hundreds enjoyed a day of sunshine at the Dounby Show on Thursday and officials have hailed the event a great success, despite the recent foot-and-mouth ban on lIvestock movements.

Champion of the horse section went to the winner of the ridden category - a eight-year-old three-quarter draft Irish mare owned by Kirstin Hourie from Sandwick.

Winner in the poultry section was Donald A. MacIsaac from Hoy with a home bred three-year-old bantam.

An eight-year old working collie, Toddy, owned by Michael Baikie, from Dounby took the prize at the dog show, whilst a cat, called Smoky, shown by Charlie Brakespear, 15, from Finstown won the pets section.

A 17-year-old male was arrested for alleged asault and breach of the peace in Dounby in the early hours of Friday morning.

A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal, Kirkwall.

A new trial date has been set in the case against Kyron Dudley Kynoch, 18, of Kiln Corner, Kirkwall.

Kynoch has pleaded not guilty to drink-driving at the Kiln Corner car park on April 29, this year. He further denies causing an accident, failing to stop and report the accident.

Kynoch had been due to stand trial on Thursday, at Kirkwall Sheriff Court. However, one witness was unable to attend and a fresh date has been fixed for November 1.

Click the picture for an enlargement.

John Vetterlein, our Sky Notes contributor has sent unusual this picture, taken on Wednesday night, of the Moon as seen from Rousay

The picture of the aging Moon cradling the nascent new Moon was taken at 10.50pm shortly after rising in the NNE.

The Moon is seen above the Westray ferry terminal with the dark mass of Holm of Scokness in the foreground across the waters of the Bay of Holm, Rousay.

Click here for Sky Notes

A new book looking at the life and times of North Ronaldsay, and, in particular, resident John Cutt, has been published.

For the past 80 years Mr Cutt has been documenting life in Orkney’s northernmost isle, including his childhood, work on the island, North Ronaldsay during wartime and the native sheep. These jottings have now been collected and published in the volume, entitled The Way We Were.

The book is available from outlets in North Ronaldsay, The Orcadian Bookshop and Stromness Books and Prints, with all proceeds being donated to the RNLI.

From the left: D. Sinclair Robertson, Ingo Radcke and John D .M. Robertson.

After 30 years of service, Mr John D. M. Robertson on Wednesday night welcomed his son, Sinclair, as his successor as Orkney's Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Edinburgh-based Consul General, Mr Ingo Radcke, and his wife, Irmhild, were in Orkney this week to mark the occasion.

Commenting on his departure from the post, Mr Robertson said: “I’ve greatly enjoyed and appreciated my time as Honorary Consul, and it’s an honour and a privilege to have the Consul here Kirkwall for the hand-over.”

A jack-up barge which ran aground off Orkney on an uncharted bank only 7.1 metres deep in September last year, was being guided by a chart more than 160 years old, an investigation has revealed.

The report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the Octopus barge, being towed from Kirkwall to Seal Skerry Bay, had its legs extended to a depth of 13 metres, but the Admiralty chart for the area indicated a depth of more than 20 metres.

The MAIB recommended a review of the future work schedule for the UK Civil Hydrography survey programme in light of the increasing use by large cruise vessels of sea areas not surveyed to modern standards.

Kirkwall police and the council’s trading standards department are reminding people to be wary of door-to-door traders. The public are especially asked to be careful in relation to salesmen who “cold call” residents, offering tarring services.

A spokesman for trading standards said householders should request a written copy of a contract, the trader's full details, together with a written copy of their cancellation rights, before entering into any contract. Under current legislation, consumers who are cold called have a seven-day period in which to cancel the contract.

Anyone with concerns should contact Northern Constabulary on 872241 or the OIC trading standards department on 873535.

Kirkwall police report that a grey and silver Calude Butler highbred bicycle was removed from an insecure garage on Glaitness Road, Kirkwall sometime between July 30 and August 7.

The cycle has a distinctive metal carrier to the rear.

Anyone with any information regarding the cycle is requested to contact Kirkwall police station.

NFUS president, Jim McLaren, is hoping to continue his planned visit to Orkney for the County Show this year.

A four-day trip, incorporating the biggest agricultural event of the year, had been organised prior to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in England. At the moment, the trip is scheduled to continue, although it may be shortened, according to NFUS national vice-president, Stewart Wood.

A rock from an Orkney quarry will be taking a journey into space next month in an attempt to find clues on the origins of life on earth.

A Russian spacecraft will go into orbit for 12 days - and attached to it will be a piece of rock from Cruaday Quarry.

The unmanned Foton M3 spacecraft has been commissioned by the European Space Agency to carry 35 experiments in life and physical sciences. The reasoning behind the experiment is a theory that has been gaining ground in recent years about the ability of meteorites to carry primitive life from one planet to another.

There was widespread relief among the Orkney farming community today after the Scottish Executive announced an easing of the livestock movement restrictions.

The first beast was killed at 7.09am this morning at Orkney Meat, as permission was given for some Scottish abattoirs to resume slaughtering on a strictly controlled basis.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead, said: “Farmers will need to apply for a general movement licence which only allows for direct transfer from premises to abattoir. All other restrictions in the movement ban still apply and will be enforced.”

Orkney Islands Council has offered all eligible staff new pay and conditions under the single status agreement.

Letters were sent out to those eligible on August 6, following negotiations with trade unions.

The proposals put all staff on to a common salary and grading scale. Staff are being asked to confirm their acceptance or rejection of the offer to the council and the trade unions will ballot their members. Basic terms and conditions — such as holidays, sick pay and maternity leave — are being decided nationally, but the council is responsible for deciding gradings, overtime, unsocial hours conditions and travel and subsistence.

The council has agreed to set aside £1.5 million to implement single status.

In light of the current foot-and-mouth outbreaks, the presidents of the Dounby and County Shows are urging people to disinfect any vehicles being taken to the show parks.

Richard Herdman and Jim Seatter have issued a joint statement outlining the additional biosecurity measures. “We would like everybody who goes to the shows in vehicles to make sure they are clean, ideally if they could disinfect them. On their return home, we would ask that they clean them again. Both societies will provide facilities for disinfecting vehicles, if required, at the exits to the car parks.”

There will also be disinfectant baths at entry points for people to wash their footwear.

Those involved with the development of the Firth Park Community Garden are delighted this week as a grant for £74,785 has been awarded to help create the park which will include paths, trees, plants and picnic area.

The grants from the first round of this year’s Community Environmental Renewal Scheme (CERS) are aimed specifically at communities who are in the vicinity of quarrying activity.

Announcing the successful applicants, Environment minster Michael Russell, said: “CERS is designed to help communities across Scotland living in the vicinity of quarrying activity to boost their quality of life through restoring their local environment.”

Further strike action at Kirkwall Post Office’s sorting office has been confirmed for next week.

For the past weeks, the sorting office has staged four 24-hour strikes as part of the current industrial action over pay and conditions by the Communications Workers Union with Royal Mail.

On the strike days, a skeleton staff will work to send on incoming mail south, but there will be no deliveries from the Kirkwall office until the following double delivery the next day.

An archive of over 40 pictures from the original Phoenix Cinema, which stood on Junction Road, Kirkwall, has been added to the Cinema for Thurso Group’s website.

In addition, a gallery from the New Phoenix Cinema, within the Pickaquoy Centre, has also been added.

Both can be viewed at www.thursopicturehouse.piczo.com.

The planned fun run at the North Ronaldsay open weekend on August 18 and 19 has been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

However, the organisers say the other events, over the course of the Saturday and Sunday, will go ahead as normal.

The County and West Mainland shows will go ahead this week despite the ban on livestock movements because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey.

Both show committees had meetings yesterday after seeking advice from the Scottish Executive, NFU Scotland and other mainland shows.

No cattle, sheep or goats will be exhibited.

The South Ronaldsay Show at St Margaret's Hope on Wednesday and the Shapinsay Show tomorrow have both been cancelled, although the industrial show, including teas, will go ahead at the 'Hope school from 10am on Wednesday.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a male was assaulted by another male at the rear of the Quoyburray Inn in Tankerness.

Police enquiries are ongoing, and anyone who may have witnessed the alleged assault, or who may have information is asked to contact Kirkwall police station.

Despite the lack of livestock, due to the national ban on the movement of cattle, sheep and goats, the crowds turned out for the East Mainland Show in Toab on Saturday.

With only horses, poultry and pets being shown, the overall champion of the yard was a home-bred three-year-old mare belonging to the Casey Family, Gaitnip,. St Ola. Called Million Dollar Baby, the animal is a Connermara cross Irish Draft.

Pictured is Jim Baillie, of Sebay Farm, who spent six weeks preparing dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep for the show, only to see the pens taken over by Shetland ponies.

Photographs taken by Cameron Stout for Highland 2007 are now on the project's website http://photos.highland2007.com.

Cameron was one of the people who was selected to have a camera for a week to record the events of their day-to-day lives. Four Orkney people will get cameras all together - including county archaeologist, Julie Gibson. Cameron's week coincided with Stromness Shopping Week and several of the pictures online were taken there.

The project, run by Highland 2007, aims to build a portrait of the year in the Highlands and Islands that reflects the people who live and visit here. 

Visitors to Saturday ’s County Show will be able to have their say on the review of the Orkney Local Plan.

The OIC’s planning department will be represented at the show and wants to hear views about the future of Orkney’s communities and islands.

The Local Plan is to be reviewed at the end of 2007 and it’s important that the public shares ideas and opinions.

Throughout the Local Plan review there will be a number of opportunities to get involved and have your say - email the Council at devplan@orkney.gov.uk for more information.