Telegraph insulator
I recognised this piece of pottery on a Westray beach instantly. It’s that bit attached to a telegraph pole which insulates it. …
Diamonds under your feet
I love the way Westray’s flagstones break naturally into diamond shapes over their surface.
Colourful seaweed
I always had a sneaking suspicion that seaweed was all that strange brown colour. Not so. Just look:
Lapwings – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
As a child I remember seeing upwards of 500 Lapwings in a field on many occasions. I remember the ‘pee-wit’ sound they …
It’s getting late at the Bay of Tafts
I love sunsets at the Bay of Tafts. The sun is getting lower and there’s a warm glow in the sky.
Once the roof goes…
Once the roof goes, the walls are sure to follow.
Seaweed on the shore
All it needs is a little rough weather and the beach at Grobust is filled with beautiful seaweed.
Turnstone procession
This seal is having a snooze in Pierowall as Turnstones parade across the wet rocky shore. It doesn’t look as interested as …
The eyes have it
Visiting Westray as a tourist, one thing must strike you; You’re on holiday on someone’s farm. There are beautiful beef steers everywhere. …
Rock rings like tree rings
Orkney used to be a lake. Most of its rocks are from the mud at the bottom of that lake or from …
Camouflage
I found a shore crab on a Westray beach and then I lost it again.
Thistle
I love the thistles on Westray; just not on my ankles.
Damp
In Orkney, when it’s damper inside than it is out you have a problem.
This light
The wall at the top of Einar looks beautiful in this light.
Struggling up the property ladder
Finding a new home is always a struggle. There’s the emotional wrench of leaving your old home behind, the uncertainty of whether you’ll fit into your new place and the difficulty of finding somewhere suitable when there’s so much competition. It’s difficult for people in the same way it’s difficult for Hermit Crabs.
Gannet
The name Gannet comes from the Old English ganot which means strong or masculine. It’s from the same Old Germanic root as …
My eyes popped out on stalks
My eyes metaphorically popped out on stalks when I saw this Hermit Crab in a Westray rock pool. There are well over …
Curlew
Curlews are in serious decline across the UK. It’s probably because so much of the land is used for food production and …
Boulder clay
These small red cliffs on Westray look just like Boulder Clay to me. I loved studying physical geography as a child, after …
The stranger on the shore
Westray has no sandstone rocks, yet it has occasional sandstone pebbles on its beaches. Here’s one. It was brought from the island …
Stones in deeply etched caves
We’re exploring caves around the coast of Westray when we discover this wonderful depression filled with stones and pebbles inside a deeply …
Early blue light
I usually have no idea what the dawn is like. I’m sure that if you looked at the number of photographs I …