According to the Orkneyinga Saga, detailing the lives of the Earls of Orkney from the 9th to 12th Centuries, King Harald’s sons were real troublemakers. Gudron Gleam and Halfdan Long-Leg caused lots of trouble in Norway and then killed Earl Rögnvald of Møre, the father of Einar, Earl of Orkney. Einar lived between the 890s [...]
There’s big excitement at Einar as Mr Pig arrives with news of the piglets. Little Kim has produced in the night. There are twelve piglets and sow and piglets are doing well. We’re on our bikes and down the road before you can say pig swill. The piglets are unbelievably cute, with curly tails and [...]
I’m standing next to a 5000 year old house looking at a bead from a 5000 year old necklace. It was made from a cow’s tooth by someone who lived on this spot in the neolithic age. Someone who wore animal skins, who farmed barley and kept cattle. Someone who worked bone and antler and [...]
Pierowall is the name of the only village on the Orkney island of Westray. The problem I had was how to pronounce it. The Westray accent is beautiful and soft and difficult to understand without extreme concentration. Pierowall must be pronounced ‘Pierrot-wall’ I thought at first. But then I heard a few people speak its [...]
Aug 292010
There’s just time to pop into a shop on Westray before it closes for lunch. “It’s not a very fine day today is it?” is the greeting awaiting me as I enter through one of the two doors on the storm porch (one for each wind direction – if the wind was strong I wouldn’t [...]
Aug 282010
Today is an important day in the social calendar of Westray. It’s the day of the 75th Annual Westray Industrial Show. Entries have already been delivered to the designated drop-off points, clearly labelled with their section number and class, with the competitor’s name inside. Judging has already taken place. It’s time to see who has [...]
Aug 282010
I have a life driven by time. The time on my watch, the time on my phone and the time on my computer. Time to meet, time to arrive, time to leave, time to eat. Time, time, time. It’s therefore been a curious experience to live for a month on a remote Scottish Island called [...]
Aug 282010
A quick trip out this afternoon to visit Mr and Mrs Pig the neighbours, their boar Alfie and their heavily pregnant sow Little Kim. Here’s a typical extract from Mr Pig’s blog: The Edge of Nowhere: About a boar the-edge-of-nowhere.blogspot.com How old will he have to be before he begins “work”? I was sixteen myself. [...]
Aug 272010
There’s now only one source of petrol and diesel on the Island – and this is it. We’re on bicycles for a month, so I’ve not had to use it, although I should really have got some for my petrol strimmer. I’ve been too busy enjoying Island life to use it.
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