Marks of makers and others

Marks - Ogham on a spinning  whorl.

When on Orkney Fiona and I visited St Magnus's cathedral. Whilst impressed with the size and architecture of the building what also caught our eyes were the registered marks that the stone masons had carved into a couple of the columns to register the fact that they had carried out the stone work. A few of the makers' marks .....

M

But of course over the centuries vandals need to leave their marks - as you can see these were happening in 1771 and earlier in St David's cathedral in Wales.

Funny how we excuse some vandals such as the person who wrote in Ogham on a windowsill in a church in Nevern in Wales.

Shifting moods in the landscape

Fiona and I were fortunate to stay at a BnB on the main Orkney island where we could look out the window across fields, a loch, the Brodgar Circle of standing stones and the Isle of Hoy, it was a form of magic to watch a light snow storm dust the landscape.

And for another scudding shower closer to home dump a light dusting of small hail on us - layers.

And in five minutes it was a clear sky - magic.

Rust n stone

Fiona's photo of me by a standing stone at the Steness circle of standing stones.

Fiona and I have been wandering the main island of Orkney. We have experienced may magnificent Neolithic sites - many stone circles, tombs, villages and single stones. It is too hard to share that beauty. Instead I thought I would simply share some of the rust and stone from more recent times that we have seen as we walked and drove the roads.

Grinding stones at an old working mill on Orkney

Rust and wood in the streets of Stromness

The remnants of war - rust on an abandoned ambulance and an abandoned car fro WW2.

About the light

We have only been in Scotland for a short time but long enough to understand the importance and differences of light.

A couple of days ago this was reinforced by a Scottish photographic artist who said she did not fully appreciate big light until she visited Australia. However I think everywhere we experience small passing expressions of light. This post shares a few experiences of light ...

Light accentuating corners of buildings.

Flooding through windows.

Highlighting tombs and crumbling structures.

Reflecting on water.

Filling the landscape.

Stone marks

Scotland seems to be a place of water and stone - there is such history around waves of people reaching its shores. But there is also such history in the marks folk have made on stone; or how they used stone to create safe and sacred places.

Fiona and I have experienced many such places over the last week - of course we seek them out. Whilst I could share many photos of standing stones and stone circles such as the Callanish stones below; it can be the carving that gives meaning; or just the particular type of stone; or placing of stones that give meaning.

Callanish stones

Marked - carved stone - Iona

Stone chosen for its texture and inclusions - Callanish and Lochbuie stone

Handheld stone

All this stone is of nature but given meaning and purpose by folk.