Westray – Page 26 – David at the HALL of EINAR

Green hair

This limpet has the best hair colour – a green fringe of seaweed. Beautiful.
I can also see a ghostly space among the barnacles where a companion limpet used to be. Limpets live 10 to 20 years. That one has gone to its watery grave.

Jackson Pollock

The sea spray at Grobust has an abstract expressionist moment, frozen at 1/1,600th of a second.

Waves crash at Grobust

There’s just time to say goodbye to Grobust on our tour round the Island.

The Scaun

Using my loaf

The secret to a rich semi-wholemeal loaf? A duck egg.

A one egg policy

Fulmars have a strict one egg policy. There are 500,000 breeding pairs in the UK though, so perhaps that’s just as well.

The beauty of Thrift

The Sea Pink or Thrift as it’s also known is utterly stunning on Westray at this time of year.

Something’s been licking the rocks again

Something’s been travelling very slowly and licking the rocks from side to side. It must be the Limpets again.

Danger

You have to watch out for those vertical cliffs on Westray. They’re far more dangerous than horizontal cliffs.

Casting a shadow upon yourself

Evolution is a wonderful thing. Being grey above and white below is a classic countershading strategy used by many seabirds and often …

Thrift

Thrift on the cost of Westray.

Grassy Knoll

On Westray, if there’s a lump in a field, it’s either rubbish dumped by a farmer or an incredibly precious and very …

Sand-between-the-toes

When the sun shines on Grobust beach, it’s time to do what AA Milne described and get sand between the toes. When …

On the edge

Just how close are these two 5,600 year old houses to being lost to the sea? It was a thrill to fly …

Love’s Crashing Waves

The sea spray at the Scaun on the northernmost coast of Westray is like tiny glistening jewels today.

Puffin at the Castle o' Burrian on Westray - photograph (c) David Bailey 2016

Some Enchanted Evening

In the musical South Pacific, Emile sings ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ where he describes seeing a stranger, knowing that you will see her …

Little Brother of the Arctic - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Little Brothers

The scientific name for the Arctic Puffin is Fratercula arctica, or Little Brother of the Arctic. Classy.

“I know whose ducks they come from.”

Whenever I tell someone on Westray how excited I am that I’ve just bought some duck eggs the response is always the …

Fish and chips to diet for

“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this,” is my enthusiastic remark before ordering a Monk supper at …

Pulcinella di Mare

I love Puffins or, as the Italians have it Pulcinella di Mare; Punch of the Sea. We’re wandering along the cliffs at …

Banana and Custard

One thing is for certain on Westray and that is there will be one flavour of yoghurt stocked in surprising depth in …

Red Champion

The Red Campion is out in bloom again near the Mill on the route to the Castle o’ Burrian. That reminds me; I must remember to take a magnifying glass with me so I can try to tell the difference between the male and female plants next time.