Broken Stones
“Like pebbles on a beachKicked around, displaced by feetOh, like broken stonesThey’re all trying to get home” Paul Weller – Broken Stones
First Light
Dawn is at 3:57 this morning. In Rendalls, one of the shops in the village, I notice a small pile of CDs. …
Welcome to May in June
The Hawthorn is in flower at Einar. It’s also known at the May-tree because it flowers in May. In Orkney it should …
Purple orchid
Cycling past the sign for the Cleaton House Hotel I see a beautiful purple orchid with spotted leaves. I lie flat on …
Nibbling on a mature cheese
It’s always a thrill to discover a new cheese and this is no exception. A cheese! Made on Westray! So how does …
Lady likes a carrot
Lady the ginger and blonde Shetland pony loves a carrot.
Huffing and Puffin
This afternoon I cycled down to the Castle o’ Burrian. The wind was against me. The wind is always against me. I …
Thrifty
Thrift or Sea Pinks grow all over the coast here and their pink lollipops of flowers are beautiful at this time of year.
Rust and Peeling Paint
Rust and peeling paint are two of my favourite subjects to photograph, which is good because Einar has so much of it to choose from. So does the rest of the Island. Here is the door of the dilapidated mill near the Castle o’ Burrian.
I’m listening to a Corncrake calling at the Bay of Tuquoy. It sounds like wood creaking. If only I could see it! → 10 June, 2015
Horsetails from the Palaeozoic
There are Horsetails on the verge at Einar. They’re hard and scour my hands with their brittle covering of silica. They’re so …
Monk Supper
“A monk supper please,” I said. That’s not a supper fit for a monk, although it might be. It’s monkfish and chips …
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.