It's Show Time!

With Orkney's agricultural show season under way our thoughts turn to next Thursday's Dounby Show.

While those entering livestock are busy washing, grooming, and going through their paces in preparation for the big day, there is still time to prepare your entries for the 115th West Mainland Flower, Produce & Industrial Show.

Pick up a schedule from one of the West Mainland country shops and you will find eight sections with classes for everything from pot plants to photographs -including  a junior section for children, divided into four age groups.

The schedule includes recipes for the items in the baking and confectionery classes - or you can use your own tried and tested ones. For those seeking last minute inspiration or tips then we have lots of baking and craft books in the library which could help you create the winning entry. We suspect that the knitting section may well feature work from some of our Yap and Yarn group.

The competition is open to all who permanently reside in the West Mainland, and exhibits can be entered at The Dounby Centre between 10am and 12.30pm on Wednesday 7th August or between 8pm-9pm on Tuesday 6th. Membership tickets, which include the entry fee and admission, cost £2 for adults and 50p for juniors.

The exhibits can be viewed by the public between 7pm -9pm on Wednesday 7th, and from 10am -5pm on Thursday 8th August. So if you're at the Dounby Show don't forget to take a trip along the road to The Dounby Centre as well. If you can't make it to Dounby you can get a taste of the even from the show's facebook page.

Good luck to all competitors next Thursday,  and remember both Kirkwall and Stromness libraries will be closed that day so the staff can enjoy the show too. We're already looking forward to catching up with friends and enjoying  our usual show-day treats of lunch in the pavilion and a 99 ice cream :-)

Photo of vegetable section from the Show's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=242677019092453&set=pb.242518355774986.-2207520000.1375528606.&type=3&theater

Holidays and Hedgehogs

Well, with the Shows over, the Community Learning Course Guide out, and the nights fair drawing in, winter can't be far away -  and so our thoughts turn to the books which will ease the passing of the dark winter evenings ahead of us.

If you would like some inspiration for your winter reading, and would like the chance to meet other book lovers to engage in lively debate over a hot beverage, then you'll be delighted to know the Stromness Library Reading Group will restart next Wednesday 22nd August.

Please note the change of date, we usually meet on the last Wednesday of the month but for this first meeting we will meet a week early due to staff holidays (no exotic destinations for us, a trip to Birsay for some sandcastle building and a Mr Whippy and we'll be happy).

Our first title is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and there are still a couple of copies available from the library if anyone would like the chance to read it before the meeting. New members are always very welcome, we meet from 7-8pm in the Exhibition Room and, as previously mentioned, a range of hot beverages are available.

Crabbing

We hope you are enjoying Stromness Shopping Week so far, there has even been some sun - enough to tempt us along to the Pier Head for our annual shot on the bouncy castle and 99 ice cream cone; we have learnt our lesson about the order in which these events should happen!

But there is more excitement to come before the week is over. We are particularly looking forward to the Crabbing Competition, which is a new event for 2012, as it reminds us of our childhood attempts to catch crabs at Ness, which usually ended with the crab letting go of the bait before we could land it. We are sure the competitors will be much more successful at tomorrow's (Wednesday 18th) competition, which starts at 11am  at the OFS Ponds on the Pier.  It is open to children under 16 and there will be prizes for the greatest number of crabs caught and the largest crab caught during the competition.

Competitors are also encouraged to wear crab and lobster themed fancy dress, for which there will also be prizes. It will be interesting to see if anyone manages to claim the £50 prize offered by Orkney Fishermen's Society for the first lobster caught on a handline during the competition. Lines, nets, bait and buckets will be available, although competitors may bring their own bait - for those of you who have a secret recipe for attracting crabs!

The organisers are taking no chances that the crabs will fail to make an appearance, as we note in the competition information that "OFS will be releasing several hundred kilos of green crabs into the basin on the morning of the competition".

For those of you too old to enter the competition but inspired to try your hand at crabbing we have several cookery books with instructions for cooking crabs and lobsters should you be successful!

image from http://www.orkneycrab.co.uk/gallery.php