Talking Italian
I’ve always refused to buy a set of weighing scales for the bathroom. I tell people that’s because I have a teenage …
#islandproblems
My son introduced me to Yik Yak, an iPhone app which shows you local people’s comments wherever you are. I logged in …
Graand Owld Byre with Traybakes and Fancies
By chance I see a tiny slip of paper in the shop. It doesn’t count as a poster. It’s more than a …
The other man’s glass
Have you ever noticed just how green window glass is? Our view of the outside world is tinted and we adjust our …
Letting it run
It’s time for a bath which means removing the woodlice and spiders from the enamel. I think I might let the …
Dandelions
If only I had a Guinea Pig. They would be in Guinea Pig heaven. These dandelions have roots as big as turnips.
This year’s dead animal is…
There’s always a dead animal somewhere in Einar. Sometimes it’s a mummified starling. This time it’s a rabbit. Before it died it chewed through the electricity cable to my boiler. Then something ripped it to pieces and scattered it over the floor. There’s an isolated rabbit’s foot lying there. It wasn’t lucky for the rabbit.
Rhubarb as thick as your wrist
Einar’s rhubarb is ridiculous. It’s like a wild thing, an alien being, taking over my walled vegetable garden. Now what are …
Ferry Fare
I’m on the Westray-bound ferry and suffering from heavy teas.
Long shadows
Orkney’s Neolithic past casts long shadows over its current landscape; literally and metaphorically. Here’s one of the Standing Stones of Stenness and …
Untouchable and Indomitable
Aberdeen. The oil capital of Europe. A place of granite and liquid black gold. A place of millionaires, the biggest heliport in …
Dog Years
Meg remembers me even though it’s been two years since she’s seen me. That’s even longer in dog years.
Breezy
My dad says “I think it’s going to be breezy in Orkney today.” I say “I think it’s going to be Orkney.” …
Westray Sky
The clouds are as insubstantial as gossamer and float in ethereal whisps above the rugged rocks.
Birds on The Scaun
Shags and gulls face the wind as huge turquoise waves break at The Scaun.
Muster Stations
It’s time to board the Westray Ferry and to hear the familiar Orcadian voice telling us about the ‘Emergency Procedure’ and ‘Muster …
Rust bucket
Rust peppers the sides of an abandoned ambulance at The Tomb of the Eagles.
The Tomb of the Eagles
It’s a stunning day on Mainland Orkney and there’s plenty of time for a trip to The Tomb of the Eagles. The …
Human hands
Human hands encircle the Totem Pole carved by the First Nations and Orcadian Totem Pole Carving Project in 2007.
First Nation
Orkney is alive with archaeology, with neolithic and bronze age sites scattered all around the Islands. It’s a fitting place for a …
“Where I, in leaving, leave a part of my heart”.
The Italian Chapel was made on Orkney from two Nissen huts and scraps by Italian prisoners of war: “All the materials for …
First glimpse of the Italian Chapel
The most visited attraction on Orkney is free to visit, was constructed from scrap and Nissen huts and built entirely by Italian …
Not Vanilla
There’s just time to nip to Rendall’s (one of the three shops on the Island) to get supplies. It’s yoghurt I’m after…
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.