#15 - Friday 27th

 "lobstering"

lobster ponds

How is it my last day? Just in case I don't get a chance to upload an entry later today I'll do it now. Lovely woman called Katie, she's a home carer on Westray and Papay took me to see the 'lobster ponds' this morning. With the Orcadian accent I could not understand what I had committed to with the 'pons' - however it all became clear! Eight large ponds in a building beside the sea for lobster farming, they catch them in 'creels' (which again took a while to understand! I think they're the 'lobster pots'!) - they also get lobsters in from other areas of Scotland too and look after them here and send them back. By law they must be a certain size and then they're continually sorted into different sized ponds, fed twice a week, (pincers tied) and looked after in the aerated tanks. They are sent to Spain and France, particularly in the winter - busiest time is around October, with all the tanks moving with activity! No lobsters today - all moved out yesterday. Very interesting. Katie then took me for coffee at the Wheeling Steen, such a peaceful place and spent the time in between & afterwards giving me a little tour of parts of the island I might not have seen - found some beautiful little spots. She even surprised me with a picture of Westray to take with me to France and remember here... I left saying - see you again... I'm convinced I'll be making a return trip to Westray, it just isn't a place you can only visit once in a lifetime. Back at the barn, few new guests, time for a busy last afternoon, clinic at 6, need to bake some thank you biscuits before, pay my debt to the Haff Yok... (maybe have some more soup...?) and I need to see the beach one last time. I fly to Kirkwall at 8:49 tomorrow morning... oh yes,  I should probably pack too..