Chiving Home For Christmas...

Oh readers, we try to be festive and it makes us look like fools! What is the first thing you read when you see our snazzy, Christmas lights display below?:

Intelligent and handsome readers will, of course, read 'WE ♥ ARCHIVES' unlike the many visitors, family history society treasurers and MEMBERS OF STAFF who thought that we had taken the time to construct and hang a banner which declared 'WE ARE CHIVES' to the rest of the world.


Even making the heart bigger and redder made no difference. 'Why have you hung a banner saying that you are chives?' the people kept asking.


Honestly... why bother?


For some Friday Fun, online prestige and an Orkney Library and Archive giant paper-clip, do please send in any anagrams you can make from the banner.

One Last Christmas Treat...

 

Only one night left of Christmas decorations dear readers! And then what? What shall light up our long, dark, Orcadian nights?

 We're holding out hope for Let it Shine to be amazing on Saturday nights, but what if it's not? WHAT THEN???

We'll await your suggestions whilst curled up in the foetal position and looking at these photographs of folk having a hoot at the pictures. They always cheer us up...




Stronsay Hall, Christmas time, early 1950s- negative no. L2130/1



Saturday film matinee in the Temperance Hall- negative no. L1608/3

He is Calling You, Calling You... On The Saviour's Day!

Now that the library Christmas tree has arrived and Steven's fab advent calender has been unveiled (see our twitter page for each day's hand-crafted-by-staff door countdown) we have decided that it is time to festoon the normally staid archive with inappropriate glitter and twinkliness.

It does look better in real life, honest.

The flashing fairy lights may irritate Orkney Room readers and the tinsel on our computers does somewhat obscure our views of the screens but surely constant, low-level irritation is as much a Christmas tradition as Cliff Richard and Walford punch-ups?

Our decorations include candle-like lights, wreaths, poinsettias, a small yet glittery Christmas tree, fairy lights and delightful tinsel head-gear for our long-suffering Orkney Room busts.

Edwin never minds, he thinks it's just a bit of fun.

George seems indifferent but has never complained.

Stanley is unsure.

Eric is always absolutely furious. We just bung it on his head and then run away from those angry, angry eyes.

Deck the halls with tat and fibre-optics

Wowsers! It's Christmas decoration time and, as you can see, we've gone all out. Unfortunately, our digital camera does not take videos so you cannot witness the wonder of our ever-changing fibre optic tree, nor our 8-setting twinkling fairy lights which now festoon the Orkney Room journals.

Do you find this out-of-focus image of a betinselled George Mackay Brown with rom-lit Island Doctor an offensive travesty upon travesties or an eclectic post-modern delight? Are you boredly indifferent? Simply record your view in our newly glitzy comments book (see below.) Or alternatively, leave an outraged/fawning comment on the blog. We have had two puzzled reactions already.