Limpets on the edge
These three limpets are living on the edge. Their shells have been buffeted and battered so much by stones carried by the …
Pebbles, Cobbles and Boulders
I’ve always loved the Westray beach with “The really big pebbles.” I recently discovered that a pebble can’t be any bigger than 64 mm. I think this one must count as a cobble.
Majestic Fulmar
Fulmars historically bred on the isolated island of St. Kilda. They spread into northern Scotland in the 19th century, and to the …
Drip drip drip
If you ever feel as if what you do makes no difference, as if you’re up against overwhelming odds or pushing against …
Lord Kitchener wants you
I’m standing at the base of the Kitchener Memorial in Birsay on the mainland of Orkney. It’s a beautiful crenelated stone tower …
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.
“And his staff perished…”
The original inscription of the Kitchener Memorial at Birsay on the Mainland of Orkney was: “This tower was raised by the people …
Bull in field
The Health and Safety Executive says it’s good practice to display a warning sign telling the public that a bull is in …
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 …