Mice nibble… anything!
Mice. They’ll nibble anything. Anything. Any. Thing. There was the time they nibbled my sleeping bag: Mice nibble… #8 That wasn’t very …
Blonde Bombshell
I’m buzzing with excitement. There are big blonde bees in the garden at Einar. I suspect they are Great Yellow Bumblebees. I …
The Wren who hasn’t been told
It’s been an emotional journey over the last few days with the birds here at Einar. We always have Swallows and Blackbirds …
Puffins in the air
I’m lying down on the grassy clifftop looking across at the Puffins on the Castle o’ Burrian when I realise I can …
The hours before sunset
We’re on Westray and only have a few hours before sunset to see some wildlife at the Castle o’ Burrian. At least …
Mice nibble… anything!
What won’t mice chew? I’m currently carrying out an experiment, whether I like it or not. Every time I come back to …
An attendance register in the loft
Looking around in the attic for traces of mice, signs of leaks and some understanding of why TV reception is so poor …
Raven over rooftops
There’s a Raven over my roof. Here it is with the top of my capped-off chimney below it. Its wingtips are lit …
Guano bicycle
All it takes is one broken window and the birds get in. When the birds get in they need a perch. And when the birds perch they leave fertiliser.
This light
The wall at the top of Einar looks beautiful in this light.
Mushrooms in the field
There’s something otherworldly about mushrooms. They’re more closely related to animals than they are to plants. A very different kind of life …
The Late Swallow – a poem by Edwin Muir
Orcadian poet Edwin Muir is a favourite of mine. As I watched the Swallows at Einar I remembered his wonderful poem The …
Biting Stonecrop
The Biting Stonecrop on the walls at Einar is obviously confused. There’s one solitary flower left when it’s meant to flower in …
Peeling paint
Sometimes I think there’s more paint on the floor than there is left on the walls.
Baby Butler
The Hall of my house used to be a school and the entrance to it has the places for lots of small …
Better days
The diesel generator at Einar has seen better days. Have you still got one like this in your outbuilding?
More guano than Peru
Fortunes were built on the stuff. Entire estates and magnificent country houses like Tyntesfield near Bristol were funded by it. People are …
Einar and the Northern Lights
There’s a fluorescent green ring encircling the Earth tonight made by charged particles from a solar wind. As if the milky way …
County Library
Einar used to be a school, the Skelwick Academy School, or at least the Hall used to be a school, while the …
Raven over Einar
There’s a Raven perched at the back of Einar. By the time I get my camera it is already in flight. I …
Westray Sunsets
Tonight we chased the sunset over Westray. First there was a walk along the Bay of Tafts. Then a view of high …
Mice nibble… #13
In the past, the mice at Einar have eaten my air bed, my slippers, my rubber gloves, bicycle inner tubes and even a roll of draught excluder. They have eaten ear defenders, knee protectors, sleeping bags and walking boots. Every time I arrive I wonder what will have been chewed this time.
Green Veined White – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Butterflies are very noticeable insects. They have large bright wings and fly during the day. How they escape being eaten by birds …
Peeled paint litters the floor
Peeled paint litters the floor at Einar. There’ so much on the floor that I have to sweep it up. There’s more …
The crack in the wall
There’s such a crack in the wall at Einar I could be in an episode of Dr Who.
Sunset over Einar
If I’m being pedantic, it’s actually sunset next to Einar, rather than sunset over Einar, but I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.
Let me sleep in a bed of clover
The white clover is beautiful. In many places in the world people are discouraged from growing it because it attracts bees which may sting people. Personally I’d rather have bees than lawyers.
5,000 quills
A strange beast of 5,000 quills has decided to pay us a visit.
Mice nibble… #12
Knee protectors.