Whaup
Curlews are called Whaups in Orkney and there are thousands of them here all year round. They’re our biggest wading bird and …
The Chain-Links of Noltland
Today we visited the Links of Noltland. The chain-link fence has seen better days.
Rust at Rapness
The iron sheets holding the concrete protection for the Orkney Ferries terminal at Rapness are beautiful in this light.
400 million years of separation
Glad to be alive? Thank a plant today. The oxygen you breathe, the food you eat and the fuel you burn all …
I wish days like these would last,
And never fade into the past.
Putting the world to rights
Beer, football, conversation, soup, bread, cheese and putting the world to rights. A lovely evening, topped off with a gift of tatties …
Waxcaps
On Fitty Hill I’m surprised to find a wonderful collection of Waxcaps. These fungi are classic inhabitants of poor, unimproved grassland and …
Devil’s-Bit Scabious
The slopes of Fitty Hill are alive with flowers and the glorious lilac of Devil’s-Bit Scabious waves in the light breeze. There …
Primula scotica – tiny, delicate and beautiful
It’s a long climb up to the top of Fitty Hill. As we walk there are two fences where the ground changes …
Gone looking for the Scottish primrose. → 26 August, 2013
Pulling a Pollock
It’s a misty morning so our fishing trip gets delayed from its planned 7am start. By mid morning, though, it’s beautifully bright …
Fog
It’s foggy this morning. A grey blanket covers the fields around Einar.
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
If you want to know what cycling on Westray is like…
…then you really need to watch this hilarious video by some random stranger on YouTube: This is the road I cycle on …
Fattie Cutties and Drop Scones – the rivalry
Home baking on Westray is a way of life. It takes an hour and a half to get from Mainland Orkney by …
Prizewinning vegetables
What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. – A. A. Milne
Orkney skies
The sky in Westray is wonderful on many occasions. There’s something awe-inspiring about the 360 degree view, the clarity of the atmosphere …
The best Potatoes, Long, White (4)
A brilliant plate of potatoes by Jean Drever. She’s such a talent in the vegetable garden. I only like food without color, …
The best Animal from Vegetables
The best ‘Section 10 – Animal from Vegetables’ entries at the Westray Industrial Show 2013. Classic :) I just love the giraffe …
Waiting for flies
Unaware of the smartphone camera inches from their heads.
Westray and Papa Westray – the Movie
I never tire of hearing the narrator’s voice on this wonderful video
The other man’s cabbage is always greener
An entry to the 78th Annual Westray Industrial Show in the Community Hall.
A Mermaid’s Purse
A stroll down the beach this morning and we find a Mermaid’s Purse; the egg capsule of a Dogfish. The tendrils are …
Rubbish
You do have to ask: why issue bins with wheels and flapping lids on an island where everything that isn’t tied, nailed …
Waiting impatiently
This morning the young Swallows are huddling on the toilet window ledge. This time I try photographing them with a Nikon D300 …
Band rehearsal night in the Hall
It’s band practise night in the Hall as Ippykak come to visit.
No prizes
…for guessing in which field the horses have been grazing.
Fish and chips and owls
We’re driving in the Land Rover to the village when the Short Eared Owl appears over the fields with its white wing …
Who’s the daddy?
It’s a shame for the house that the double glazed unit has failed, water has got in and mould has started to grow between the panes of glass. It’s brilliant for photography though.