I love workplace signs. There’s something about working in close quarters with people that can really wind you up. The office kitchen with the rabid messages about wiping up milk spills. The workplace canteen with the strident “These tables are self-clearing” messages (“I’d better leave my tray here then as it says that the tables [...]
Ponies and riders line up for the judging at the Orkney County Show.
Judging at the Orkney County Show.
I loved chemistry at school, despite how difficult I found it to remember. Part of that was, of course, the teacher I had; Dr Kenneth McLeod Mitchell or Doc Jock, as he was universally known. He told me about his favourite traditional Scottish ballad: The Twa Corbies (translated as The Two Ravens) and it became [...]
It’s easy to tell an incomer on Westray. They stick out like a sore thumb. I’m one of them, I should know. Depopulation has had an effect on life here and Westray has responded by the people being warm and welcoming. I’m told other island communities aren’t the same and people have found a frosty [...]
One of my favourite quotes is from the British scientist JBS Haldane. When asked by a theologian what could be inferred about the mind of the Creator from a study of His works, he replied, “An inordinate fondness for beetles.” I began to wonder what could be inferred about the people of Westray from a [...]
When travelling to Orkney I always try to bring a copy of The Orkneyinga Saga with me. Westray is so full of ancient history, with its burnt mounds and perfectly preserved neolithic settlements that the time of the Vikings seems relatively recent. This is especially so since many Westray islanders can claim direct descent from [...]
Today is an important day in Orkney. It’s a Thursday so it’s the publication day of The Orcadian and Orkney Today newspapers. On my first trip to Orkney I asked which one I should buy. I was told very firmly that both contained exactly the same information so I must buy both for fear of [...]
We’re up at dawn to see the Tammie Norries (Puffins), a short walk from our house, at the Castle o’ Burrian on Westray.
A Fulmar glides past like a flying boat over the Knowe o’ Skea on Westray.