Engaged

Doreen Sinclair

There were no jewellers in the North Isles, so getting engaged meant a visit to the mainland of Orkney. We chose the annual trip day when the boat went directly to the main town, Kirkwall, in the early morning and back in the late afternoon, avoiding the normal overnight stay.

The day of the trip dawned breezy but fair, with the usual crowd of well-wishers and husbands on the loose to see us away.

Two and a half hours later, just as I felt I could not keep breakfast down much longer, the boat docked at Kirkwall pier and we went to pick up the car which we had hired for the day. Our intention was to go to the other large mainland town, Stromness, where we could choose the ring without arousing the interest of half the population of the island who had come in with the boat that day. ... (continues)