The Forth in Praise Organists' Blog

One or two people have asked me about the ship appearing at the end of the previous post. It’s a replica of HMS Endeavour, in which Captain Cook first visited Australia in 1770.  The replica Endeavour has been doing an educational tour of Australian ports, and it arrived in Melbourne Docklands during our stay there.

Our holiday in Australia was certainly fascinating and memorable, and we hope to return in the not-too-distant future.

BUT NOW FOR A CHANGE OF DIRECTION!

It’s time to start thinking about another ship, and another destination:

The ferry Hamnavoe, which goes from Scrabster to Stromness.

Yes, once again beautiful Orkney beckons.

BUT –

I can’t resist it – one last word about Australia. Changing direction made me think of it. Did you know that in the southern hemisphere water goes down the plughole in the other direction? It’s one of the few scraps of high school science that have stayed in my brain. I couldn’t wait to check it. And it’s true. Down under, water runs away clockwise, while here it goes anti-clockwise. What I don’t remember is why.