Einar
Here’s an aerial photograph of my house in Westray. It’s called Einar because, well, I’ve written a blog about it: Actually, I …
Scenes from the sea
It’s all about perspective. Looking at familiar scenes from a different place always makes you think more deeply about them. Similarly, seeing …
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock. What brilliant names. I’ve just had a small Wrannock in my …
Life
There’s a hard surface at the back of my house. That doesn’t stop the plants from growing there, though. There are Northern …
The Bay of Tafts
The Bay of Tafts is not quite, but almost, my nearest beach. It’s a five minute cycle ride away, although the time …
Feather bed
The encyclopaedia says there are four seasons in temperate latitudes. Billy Connolly, however, said, “There are two seasons in Scotland; June and winter”. …
Absolute scenes
Absolute scenes here today at Einar as the Wrens fledged. I’ve been watching the parents bringing invertebrates into one of my ‘useful …
The shock of an Owl
I’m standing in the garden of Einar, against a stone wall, taking photographs of Swallows. They’re great to practise on because they’re …
Tracing shadows to their source
As a child, did you watch shadows? Did you strain to see them move as the Earth turned? Did you see how …
Kitchen drawer wildlife
Woodlice. There are 3,500 species in the world and between 35 and 40 in the UK. They’re animals which many children know. …
It looks like the end of the world out there but it’s only Asperitas.
I look out of the window and I know something seriously weird is happening. It looks like the end of the world …
The bottle in the wall
I’m looking for nests in my garden. I’ve found two occupied ones and an abandoned one with an egg still in it, …
The first walk, Britain’s rarest bumblebee and a fattie cuttie
Arriving back on Westray means I want to experience it all at once. I want every sensation. I want to be at …
A welcome mat whodunnit
Arriving back in Orkney is always a pleasure. This time it’s different. Out of respect for those who always live on Westray …
Circles within circles
Do you ever feel that your life is a series of endlessly repeating circles-within-circles going nowhere? I’ve just had a shave, washed …
Barbed wire
There’s a letter pushed under my door. It says I may have power lines crossing my land and be eligible for compensation. …
Something’s moving
There’s something moving in the field next to Einar. I can see flower stalks trembling. It’s moving along behind the wall. All …
Neighbours
Not everyone can get on. Conflict is inevitable. When we are all packed in too close to one another then tempers are …
Patterns
The Starlings at Einar make incredible abstract patterns on the wires.
Mice nibble #15
When arriving back at Einar I go through the same routine. It involves turning the electricity on: That wiring looks safe, doesn’t …
What did Barn Swallows do before barns?
Our UK Swallows are known as Barn Swallows in the USA. It’s a good name because they love nesting in barns. Here’s …
Swallow over the rainbow
I’ve seen some spectacular rainbows on Westray. Some have been fleeting. Some have been intense. Some have been full arcs which split …
Location of injury
Walking in the garden at the back of Einar I can see a mess of rotten wood painted green, tangled with chicken …
A Hen Harrier in my back garden
When a Hen Harrier came to visit
Mice nibble… #14
Mice. Yes, mice. They really will nibble anything. Anything. This used to be a nice bar of soap. It’s perhaps the last …
Tentative
Arriving at Einar, the cattle are always keen to see what’s happening. They approach me with tentative noses:
Orkney door handle
In Orkney, wood rots and metal rusts. Door handles fall off. A piece of twine through a hole, though? A piece of …
Tangled roots
Grass looks so unremarkable and is so ever-present in Orkney that it takes something special to shock me into considering it from …
As rare as Witches’ Hats
On the endless A9 as I travel north from Devon to Orkney the lay-by numbers help denote the passing of a day …
Wildflower meadow
It’s no wonder the field at Einar is a literal hive of activity with bees. The Red Clover Trifolium pratense is here …