We watched an interesting short film on the life of Magnus. In the early 1100s this area was administered by Norway and local Earls. At one time the leadership was shared between 2 cousins , one of whom was Magnus. He was a peace loving Christian and was murdered by his cousin, who outsourced the dastardly deed to his cook. His remains were intered in a little chapel at the Brough of Birsay, where we visited a few days ago. Over several years miracles happened to people who visited this chapel and he became a saint and his nephew built, or rather started , this huge cathedral, far bigger than anything else this far north.
The cathedral lived up to its reputation. We had been there for a sercvice on Sunday but today we enjoyed wandering around looking at all the bits and pieces. My favourite was a beautiful marketry table with an illustrated Danish
bible on it.
The Museum in Kirkwall has a good reputation and we found out why. It helped us work out in our heads about who was where when in the neolithic, then bronze , then iron age. We skipped over the more recent stuff because we were running out of mental capacity. We had lunch at our favourite cafe and have pottered all afternoon, reading, sorting piles of stuff, buying a few postcards (not writing yet, so don't hold your breath) . The ex-sheep farmer sitting next to me as I type in between sips of Highland Park whiskey, is gloating because he has written and posted his postcards. He is doing his trick he practised in the UK last year. Buy a half pint of beer, feel very virtuous and then go back for a second half pint. He feels virtuous for longer than he feels dissolute.
St Magnus side view in today's rain
A side door in the sun of a few days ago
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