shewhomust | The further adventures of Storm Floris

Not a fairy tale prince, it seems, but the grandson of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. I hope he's proud of himself. I was right, too, in associating the name with a superior brand of chocolate: Floris was the Hungarian chocolatier who made Fortnum & Mason's own brand chocolates.

The rest of the story, briefly, because I am uncomfortably perched on the sofa in order to catch the wifi; also, must clean up to go out to dinner. Northlink cancelled our midnight ferry: it sailed from Lerwick to Aberdeen, but didn't call at Kirkwall. We managed to book on the 6.30 am sailing today, and by booking a cabin got bed and breakfast before the sailing.

So instead of a last day in Kirkwall, we had an extra day in Stromness, about which I do not complain. We walked down to the museum, and back along the street which was beautiful in the late afternoon milky sunshine. We dined at the Ferry, on scallops and crab tart, and I marked the end of my stay in Orkney with a glass of Scapa 10 year old. Our cabin on the Hamnavoe was perfectly comfortable (I didn't sleep all that well, because I have toothache, but that's another story) though they woke us up at 6.30 to announce we were sailing - after which it got bouncier.

So the only real downside is that instead of being deposited in Aberdeen, near our destination, it was the short crossing to Scrabster, and a four hour drive away. But we're here now; in our strange and palatial accommodation, about which another time.