20 minutes before dawn
It’s light in my window and it’s not yet 6 am . The sky is bright and the walls reflect the early …
Turnips like melons
Living on a small island gives people a different mentality. Living on Westray ranks somewhere between living on the main islands of …
Frozen Moments
Cycling in the breeze I hold the camera and press the shutter button. One two-thousandth of a second of light and life …
How many fingers?
There are so many blogs and discussions about the number of fingers you should keep on your bicycle brakes and the number …
Shopping for a Shop
I’ve run out of milk so I’m off to Peter Miller’s Shop in Skelwick by bicycle with rucksack. It’s in such a …
Megrim
Mmmm… Megrim is on the menu at Helgi’s tonight: Megrim Vierge – steamed Megrim fillets on crushed new tatties with herby citrus …
Cockles on the beach
Cockles on the shell-sand beach in Pierowall.
For Want of a Nail, the Ship Was Lost
In dazzling sunshine I step off the grassy bank and onto the beach, ending sock-deep in something black and congealed. It’s the …
A chap with an attitude problem
A chap with an attitude problem… and a bull. A quick cycle to the Bay of Swartmill in the sunshine with my …
Lay me down in a field of daisies
A trek to Noup Head Lighthouse and time to rest and use my Spinner 360 camera to capture the scene. “Lay me …
Martin
It’s time for a trip to see Westray Potter, Martin Terrell at his studio and I’m grateful that he’s agreed to throw …
Lawyers’ Wigs and a bug’s-eye
The fields on the ride to Noup are covered in Lawyers’ Wigs, no not the wigs of lawyers, but a mushroom also …
Birds’ nests look so simple
Birds’ nests look so simple until you try to imagine making them with only your mouth and feet.
For the love of Rhubarb
It’s time for a cycle trip to the Westray shops – all three of them – to see what rhubarb treats they …
Leaving my keys
It’s time to cross from the Mainland (and that’s the name for the main island of Orkney, not the UK mainland) to …
School in again all this week. As usual, lessons given in usual order but progress not so satisfactory. Seemingly the scholars are longing for the vacation.
Malc tends to the pigs
Malcolm tends to the pigs at Steenyha’.
St Magnus
St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall is magnificent. It’s origins are in Viking times, when Orkney was ruled by Viking Earls. It’s the …
Memento Mori
Memento Mori – “Remember Death.” How could I forget death, as I walk around St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall on Orkney. I’m …
A Riddle
Here’s a double ladder in St Magnus Cathedral that two men last went up in Kirkwall in 1722, yet only one man ever came down it. Explain.
Last Breath
It’s a steep climb up the tower of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. The gravestones are so perfectly preserved, even those from …
Earl Thorfinn
It’s time for a trip to the Mainland. No, not the mainland of Scotland, the Mainland of Orkney. Mainland is an hour …
Cattle on Noltland
The bones of wind and wave washed cattle litter the sand dunes of the Links of Noltland. Here are a couple I …
Tiny, ginger and blonde
She’s tiny, ginger and blonde and everyone refers to her as ‘Lady.’ Yes, it’s the new Shetland pony in the field at …
Remembering schooldays and a bucket with a wooden lid
Nancy remembers the Hall as it used to be; a school. So does Catherine. “It’s the first time I’ve been in here …
The Saltire and the burning bush
The Church of Scotland Kirk has a wonderful sign of the Saltire and the burning bush painted on a Westray stone flag …
Einar in the mist
Cycling home and Einar is enveloped in mist.
Curly Kale at Dead Man’s Nose
Tommy is very kind. He’s decided I should have some of his green and some of his purple Curly Kale. Tommy’s garden …
Competitive Cabbages
The Westray Industrial Show is nearly upon us. It’s when folks here get competitive over cabbages, but not Tommy. He says more …