Wild flowers, time travel and an afternoon at school
(from The Orcadian, dated June 26, 2008)

North Ronaldsay's school pupils - Lilly Gray, ronan Gray, Cameron Gray, Duncan Gray and Gavin Woodbridge.

As I write, the longest day is almost at hand yet tonight the wind from the west is cold, and grey clouds are flying across the sky.  Let's hope this is a passing phase and that many fine days are yet to come. But gone are the earlier days, that seemed never to end, of brilliant blue seas and skies; of deep green fields ablaze with the yellow of dandelions. Gone too are the early primroses, the daffodils and bluebells, and that most elegant and favourite flower of mine, the one I like to call, the old fashioned Lilly.

At this time of year we have to say good-bye to the golden marsh marigolds. They are fast fading away down by the loch edges and from the miry ground. But yet, many other wild flowers are here, or shortly coming,  to please the eye.  Soon the yellow iris will take over the damp areas where the ragged robins (just appearing) will be waving their heads on windy days and the purple orchid is to be seen not only in marshy ground, but along roads sides and unexpected places.

The other day islands stood up clear to the west and east and to the north.  I say the north, for only on days of special clarity does Foula appear away on the far horizon. That lonely island lies some fifty miles distant and a little east of north - N by E of North Ronaldsay in nautical terms would be about right. Anyway, when Foula is visible, you can be sure that rain will come and so it has; as I write, my westerly-facing window is glistening with falling beads of rain.

Well, it is a while since last I wrote, and since yesterday was the school's Open Day, I was eager to venture forth and view the pupils work once again and so think about another letter. How very pleasant, I always say, are those end of term days. Remember how we all looked forward to those last few days before the long summer holidays were due to begin. What feelings of anticipation and pleasure; what thoughts of warm sunny days; of sparkling white sands and beckoning, crystal-clear water by the seashore.

Upwards of 25 folk came to see the summer term's work. It took a bit of time and concentration to take everything in. Great changes indeed in education - in attitudes and methods - have taken place over the past 50 years. For example, in those far-away days and before, we knew that in the teachers desk, or even more ominously, in full view, was the 'belt' or 'taws' ready for action; or a bar of soap for washing out the mouth of any unfortunate pupil who dared to use a bad word. No such punishments - or even threats of such - are allowed now-a-days. But tell me are we all more enlightened, better educated, happier or a more respectful and more caring society?

Certainly, by comparison of then and now, our rather austere classrooms of long ago are transformed into kaleidoscopes of colour; of books and jotters; maps and diagrams; photographs and artwork; of pens, brushes and paints - and all sorts of interesting things. Every pupil has a computer or lap-top that they use for re-search and for writing, and no doubt other uses that completely defy my very limited multi-media knowledge.

As the public entered the classroom, each pupil - Duncan Gray, (P. 7), Gavin Woodbridge, Cameron Gray (P. 6), and Ronan Gray (P.2), attended to a stall of one sort or another - raffle tickets, number guessing, name guessing and target scoring. All with the commendable aim of raising funds for the school and donations for a 'partnership' primary school in Malawi. Around the classroom walls were examples of school work: North Ronaldsay Community School health Promoting Status Application - a challenging status; Eco topics - rubbish collecting, re-cycling, reducing, etc, with all pupils participating (a constructive related project was the creation of a greenhouse made from plastic bottles); a section on local news; social studies - the weather, pollution - the effects of carbon dioxide etc; Islam - culture and belief. Then for another project three aspects of the island's history were re-searched. Duncan studied WW1 and WW2. Gavin's subject was the wreck of the Swedish East Indiaman 'Suaecia', while Cameron worked on the history of the Lighthouses. Digital photographs taken by the pupils were transferred onto a DVD with accompanying explanatory text. The presentation ran continuously with added background music composed (with help from Elaine Geddes, itinerant music teacher) by the pupils, and the attractive DVD was for sale. Research had taken them to the North Ronaldsay archives housed in the New Kirk the New Lighthouse archive, and round the island.

Interesting was the section on creative writing. Duncan, Cameron and Gavin had met up with contemporaries from Eday and Papa Westray for a workshop, from which subjects to write about were considered. The chosen heading was 'Time Travel' when each pupil was to imagine and write about a time in the future. The first hand-written drafts were exchanged between the three schools for comments. Then each student made alterations accordingly for a final typed version. An interesting spin-off will be the production of a book organised by Carmel McElroy, head teacher, Eday school, featuring the work from the three schools.

For reading experience, Duncan had chosen a book on WW 1 about the 'Trenches'. Cameron's book was on 'Crime and Fiction', and Gavin had chosen a book on 'Magic'. By making use of the internet each author's life was researched and documented.

Ronan Gray, apart from basic studies, had been very much involved in the production of an attractive island calendar (for sale) about which he was very proud. And Lilly's nursery work, supervised by Marion Muir, was displayed extensively in the community hall. In fact the hall was a fascinating extension of classroom work with many additional items decorating the walls.

Add to that: an island-sponsored walk where the school raised £83 for Barnardos; trips to Kirkwall for swimming and other educational pursuits - even as far away as Hoy where, under the supervision of Helga Tulloch, canoeing, archery, raft-building etc was practised for a few days.  Ronan and Lilly also visited the mainland, and on one of their trips they went out to Andrew Appleby's pottery premises in Harry and enjoyed making some items in clay.

Eventually folk gathered in the main hall where the usual magnificent refreshments were available. Sue Gilbert, head teacher, thanked everyone for attending and for contributing so generously to the School funds. The presentation of prizes to those who had won the various competitions, brought to a close - what had been once again - a most entertaining afternoon. I should mention too that this day was a land-mark for Duncan Gray for it signified the end of his time at the North Ronaldsay School. After summer he moves on to new horizons when he begins further studies at the KGS.

To end this letter, I thought I would take a walk down to the West Banks making some notes as I meandered along. In contrast to the cold, damp night when I began this letter, today - the longest day - has been most pleasant and warm. A wind that was hardly a wind came in little swirls and eddies from the east, and I saw the Fair Isle, some 25 miles away, almost as clear as it was the other day. Along the road buttercups, curly doddies, silverweed and other such plants adorn the verges. And at one special place that I know so well, the brilliantly deep yellow, Birdsfoot Trefoil or 'cocks and hens' grow in small clusters. There too, in this short-grass part of the verge, are one or two other beautiful little wildflowers, whose names escape me, to bring added pleasure to the eye.

Once outside the West banks slap one soon reaches the rugged shoreline. A slight land-sea rumbled over the air. Oyster catchers called and fulmurs were gliding gracefully in long, effortless patterns of flight. Further south is Riff Geo and between that Geo and Doo Geo (even further in a southerly direction) lies the Dew Park. This is the one area where the native sheep cannot gain access, for the 'sheep dyke' connects those two natural barriers.

Let me finish by telling you that this year in the Dew Park, bordering the seaward side, there has been the most glorious display of sea pinks as ever I have seen. One day, not long ago, learning of their presence, I went there and walked among thousands of pink flowers. The day was very warm and the scent of the flowers was especially captivating and strangely bewitching. I believe that had I lain down and let my thoughts wander, I could easily have been a time traveller just like Duncan, Cameron and Gavin, who had, for their writing project, to imagine travelling in time and think what the future might bring.