Waders twitter
Waders are twittering, a cockerel is crowing and I can just feel the warmth of the sun faintly on my face. It’s …
Dawn breaks
Dawn breaks over the bay in Kirkwall
Rain on my window
Rain on my window an hour before dawn with the amber lights of Kirkwall harbour across the water.
Return to the Ayre Hotel
Time. Time to go home and leave Orkney for a little while. Time to earn a living. Time at the bar. Last …
Heading home
It’s time to head home with a heavy heart. The light on the boat is on in the daytime with blue skies …
Watching the Wake
Looking back across the sea to mainland Orkney as the ferry journeys to Westray.
Yet More Steps
Earl Sigurd is a wonderful ferry. It’s time to journey to Westray aboard the Earl Sigurd and there are more steps to …
Steps and Stairs
So when does a set of steps on a ladder become a set of stairs? The answer is; on an Orkney Ferry. …
All Aboard
Today it’s all aboard the Earl Sigurd. Thankfully there’s not a magical raven banner in sight. Earl Sigurd is one of the …
Viking traces
Traces of the Vikings are everywhere in Orkney; from the runes carved in the Neolithic chambered cairn at Maeshowe to the Viking …
That reminds me…
…I really must trim my beard.
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 …
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 …
Yesterday’s News
Visiting Westray is like stepping back in time. It’s time for me to make a quick trip to town to shop and …
A picture may be worth a thousand words…
…but reality is worth a thousand pictures.
Coming home to Westray
Crossing the sea from Orkney Mainland to Westray feels like coming home.
Being away from Orkney and Westray only makes the memories of being there more intense. Whilst I look forward to my next trip there, here’s a poem I wrote many years ago – the lines “And … → 6 November, 2010
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, detailing the lives of the Earls of Orkney from the 9th to 12th Centuries, King Harald’s sons were real troublemakers. Gudron Gleam and Halfdan Long-Leg caused lots of trouble in Norway … → 30 August, 2010
Einar. It’s a great name. It’s an Old Norse name for ‘One Warrior’. It’s a fantastic name for our house. As soon as I saw Einar advertised in the Solicitor’s window I was fascinated by the … → 29 August, 2010
Stripes and checks
The Cathedral of St Magnus in Kirkwall, Orkney uses red sandstone quarried near Kirkwall and yellow sandstone from the island of Eday …
The first glimpse of Kirkwall
The ferry from Westray to Orkney takes over an hour to make the journey to the Mainland of Orkney. It’s easy for …
Moving to Orkney
It’s sunny this afternoon, so it’s out into the garden to catch a rare photograph of the back of Einar in the …
A useful range of outbuildings
Whenever you look at property details in Orkney there’s one phrase that keeps on being repeated. Yes, the word ‘ruinous’ is used …
Fungus Fairy Rings
In the disabled parking area of the 124th Orkney County Show at Bignold Park I spot a fairy ring. I’m always distracted …