Halloween in Holywood

Thurso's Comm Bar held a fancy dress competition on Halloween night with the theme being "Halloween in Hollywood". Scott wanted some pics of the winners with their "Oscars" - see above.

Laurel & Hardy took top prize (Kerrie MacDonald & Isabel Ross), The Joker was 2nd (Mike Miller) and The pressure of Hollywood was 3rd (Leanne Wood). The judges had a very difficult job.

The bar was absolutely jumping all night and it was very difficult to get some pics of the other entrants without getting shoved or bumped. The costumes and make up were fantastic and Scott and staff were dressed up as well - see below. I think Scott will have a red/purple face for a few more days - I'm not sure how he will get it off.

The band (The London Gentlemen) also joined in the fun by dressing up as superheros.

Thurso's Haunted House

The Thurso Fire Brigade and friends staged their 6th annual haunted house event over the halloween weekend. They moved to a much larger venue - the old Drill Hall in Sinclair St, Thurso and attracted around 1,000 people of all ages who wanted to be frightened. They were not disappointed, with many practically in tears at the end.

The amount of work and imagination put into the event was tremendous. Even I was scared and I knew what was lurking in the corners!

It was so dark that unfortunately I had to use flash for most photos and this meant that I could not capture the true spooky atmosphere.

Caithness RFC vs Cambuslang

Caithness beat Cambuslang 39-12 yesterday. The first half was dull, dry and windy, but the second half saw driving rain for the full 40 mins and made it practically impossible to get any good action photos.

Ploughing Match

The North & West Caithness Ploughing Association held its 20th annual ploughing match yesterday at Thurdistoft Farm, Castletown. Despite being a farmer's son, it was my first ever ploughing match. The weather was absolutely perfect.

James Tait, Murkle, won a barrow load of trophies, including overall champion. He will be competing in the Scottish championship next weekend in Brechin, along with Gavin Robertson, Barrock.

Clive Chalmers, Stromness (above) travelled over the Pentland Firth late on Friday and won the very strong multifurrow class against 7 competitors. The John Deere tractor gives a dramatic photo against the clear blue sky.

The old cabless tractors made it easier to get good photos, but there wasn't that many entered.

It was good to see so many youngsters competing (10) which will ensure that this surprisingly popular sport continues to thrive.

Caithness Utd U15s vs Orkney

Caithness Utd U15s played Orkney at the Dammies yesterday in a challenge match. I left midway through the match to cover the U13s game and the score was 2-0 to Orkney. The Orkney boys were a lot bigger and stronger than Caithness. Orkney had one player sent off for throwing a punch. Perfect weather for taking action photos.

It was a pity that the game wasn't advertised as a good crowd may have turned up. Thurso, Halkirk Utd, Wick Academy and Caithness RFC were all playing away yesterday and football fans were at a loose end.