Molly, who looks like she’s having a good time, is standing on Graemsay Island, overlooking Hoy Sound.
Molly’s mom, Sue Anderson, a wildlife photographer and writer who lives on the Orkney Islands, writes:
“…I haven’t seen the otters since I returned and the seals don’t come ashore when the sea is rough. There is the most enormous colony of cormorants residing here; more than anyone has ever seen…
“…The weather here is wet and VERY windy at the moment, walking the dog takes hours, and we don’t get that far, battling against the wind takes ages! Still, the light when it’s gloomy can be very atmospheric.”
Apparently the cormorants keep their distance when Molly is around.
The Orkney Islands, at the northern tip of Scotland, have an immensely long history.
A hazelnut shell, which had been charred by a fire during Neolithic times, was recovered and dated to 6820-6660 BC. An early permanent farm settlement dates from 3500 BC, around the time of the earliest pyramids in Egypt. Neolithic people lived in the village of Skara Brae around 3100 BC.
Probably the same enchanting, beautiful gloom pervaded the islands then, as it does now.
Photos: Sue Anderson
Art, animals, and the earth 
Beautiful, I was there as a girl and it is almost just like I remembered it.
Thanks, Nikki! Ive always wanted to go there, but never quite made it.
On 1/2/13 3:23 PM, “Art, animals, and the earth”