Scapa Flow – one of the greatest natural harbours in the world
Scapa flow is at the very heart of Orkney. It is a beautiful shallow harbour of 125 square miles surrounded by islands. …
A small island with a smaller island and a smallest island
Westray is a small island. Just off Westray is a smaller island; Papa Westray. Just off Papa Westray is an even smaller …
Just a taste of Balfour Castle
An island three miles wide by six long with a population of 300 people which has a huge exclusive-use castle on a …
Einar from the air
What a thrill to see my house from the air.
Scaffolding follows me wherever I go
Scaffolding follows me wherever I go. I spent months with scaffolding on both the front and the back of my house. Every …
Using my loaf
The secret to a rich semi-wholemeal loaf? A duck egg.
Thank you Domenico for reducing me to tears
Imagine being born in the Italian Alps in a tiny town in the mountains. Imagine being an artist. Imagine a fascist government …
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.
40 years, 10 months and 16 days
That’s the longest recorded life of a Fulmar. That’s a long time at sea.
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 …
Mice nibble… #10
Walking boots.
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.
Woodlice in the lightshade
It’s been a long journey. To get to their final resting place, these Woodlice have had to get through the gaps between …
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 Brothers
The scientific name for the Arctic Puffin is Fratercula arctica, or Little Brother of the Arctic. Classy.
I’m not saying my house is damp but…
This used to be a screw. This is what happens to metal when it lives in a damp atmosphere.
“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.