By Bernie Bell

Pics by B&M Bell

The roof was the most complicated bit to put together – but now the Broch of Gorseness is complete! 

We could call it …’Dun Brochin’ – Geddit?

In the summer it’ll disappear into the long grass, Black knapweed and Campion, but through the colder months we’ll look out and see – a mini-broch by our pond……

I wonder what might live in it?  I can imagine rodents – mice, maybe Orkney Voles, burrowing under the side and coming up to find a  nice sheltered dry place to be – out of the wind and the rain.  Rodent souterrains?

Probably not rats – it’s not a rat kind of place.

We used to have a lot of Orkney Voles in our meadow….until the Stoats arrived….but that’s another matter – the Broch of Gorseness was started to celebrate Brochtoberfest – not Stoatfest!

Though – it could become a Vole Resistance Centre in the fight against the invading Stoats/Vikings!

What next?  A mini-crannog on the pond?

Brochtoberfest talks are still available on-line……..

Institute’s Brochtoberfest talks available to watch online

And Matt Richie did an on-line Zoom talk called……’To Build A Broch’……. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xILiPLQpc-c

I like his mock-up of an I Spy book about Brochs – you never know – it might happen!