Currently browsing

July 2016

Antonella Papa- restorer of The Italian Chapel - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Restoration of The Italian Chapel

Antonella Papa spent a month last year as restorer of Orkney’s Italian Chapel Antonella says: “The Italian Chapel now is part of …

Tree ring cobbles - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Tree-ring cobbles

On Westray the traces of Lake Orcadie are everywhere. 380 million years ago this land we now call Westray was in the …

Sunset over Einar - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Sunset over Einar

If I’m being pedantic, it’s actually sunset next to Einar, rather than sunset over Einar, but I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.

The cafe on Orkney Ferries - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Ritual and Tradition

Food is a subject of much ritual and tradition, no more so than when I’m on Westray. There’s coffee and cake at …

Miniature rock stack - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

A miniature rock stack

There’s a miniature rock stack on the east coast of Westray. It’s slippery as I make my way across the rocks to photograph it at dawn.

Cotterochan

Do you ever dream?

Do you ever dream of having a different life? Do you ever dream of moving somewhere where you can savour each day? …

Edible Crab - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

60,000 tonnes

The statistics say we catch 60,000 tonnes of edible crab around the British Isles each year. Imagine if we talked about humans …

Pierowall Poppy - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Pierowall Poppy

There’s a single red poppy down by the bay. It’s so fragile. As fragile as life itself.

Rolling in the clover - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Let me sleep in a bed of clover

The white clover is beautiful. In many places in the world people are discouraged from growing it because it attracts bees which may sting people. Personally I’d rather have bees than lawyers.

Raiders of the lost Aak - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Raiders of the lost Aak

Guillemots are known as Aaks in Orkney. This Aak egg has been raided from the cliffs at Noup Head and eaten.

Puffin - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

A different view of a Puffin

I’m on the cliffs at Westray’s Castle o’ Burrian with the Puffin Whisperer. They are such curious birds that when she calls, …

Noltland Castle - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Magnificent battlements, gunloops and ravens

Noltland Castle is a ruin that was never finished built by a paranoid man who placed defensive positions everywhere; it has walls 7 feet thick and 71 gunloops to shoot at attackers.

Noust - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Nousts

The outrageous thing about several of these nousts, designed to provide protection to boats pulled up onto the shore, is that they …

5,000 Quills - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

5,000 quills

A strange beast of 5,000 quills has decided to pay us a visit.