Pulcinella di Mare
I love Puffins or, as the Italians have it Pulcinella di Mare; Punch of the Sea. We’re wandering along the cliffs at …
Banana and Custard
One thing is for certain on Westray and that is there will be one flavour of yoghurt stocked in surprising depth in …
Red Champion
The Red Campion is out in bloom again near the Mill on the route to the Castle o’ Burrian. That reminds me; I must remember to take a magnifying glass with me so I can try to tell the difference between the male and female plants next time.
I sent my love two roses…
I’ve always loved wild roses. The cultivated varieties rarely do anything for me, especially in garage forecourts, but wild roses are something …
Westray Connections 2015 – The Open Air Family Music Festival
It’s time to relax after a hectic Saturday night of dancing and partying into the small hours (and then a couple of …
Westray Connections 2015 – Concert in the Community Hall
A wonderful concert in the Community Hall with the Jo Philby Band, Maggie and James Nicholson, Gnoss, The Harcus Family and the …
Westray Connections 2015 – Concert and Dance
In previous years I’ve taken instant photos of all the artists at Westray Connections. This time I thought I’d try black and …
Westray Connections 2015 – Westray Heritage Centre
Westray Heritage Centre is an amusing place for a concert, with its scale model of the Noup Head cliffs and racks of …
Malc and Sal
Westray Connections 2015 has a taster session at the Westray Heritage Centre and as I hoof it outside to catch the Kirkwall …
Westray Connections 2015 – The Graand Owld Byre
One of the great success stories of 2015 in Westray has been the development of The Graand Owld Byre. Michael and Teenie …
Westray Connections 2015 – Kalisgarth
It’s Saturday morning after a late Friday session in the Pierowall Hotel. At 10:30 in Kalisgarth it’s time for Andy Cant and …
Westray Connections 2015 – The Pierowall Hotel Sessions
Friday night at The Pierowall Hotel and the bar is rammed. We’ve been there for hours already eating the Orkney beef in …
Trouble with lichen
Today there’s time to relax after a weekend of photography with a trip to Papa Westray. If you think that Westray is …
The Kelp Store
One of Orkney’s most important exports used to be the ash from Kelp, the seaweed which is regularly washed ashore by storms …
Holland Farmstead
Wandering on Papa Westray it’s impossible to miss Holland Farm. It’s a hugely impressive steading which once owned the island of Papa …
The shortest scheduled flight in the world
The shortest scheduled flight in the world is between Westray and Papa Westray (and, of course, the other way round). It’s in …
Harrying the Hens
I’m hoping that the Hen Harrier will be hunting on Westray this summer. I’ve seen a Hen Harrier over Westray’s moorland several …
Rise and look around you
On a clear day on Westray you can see for miles. I’m told you can even see the Fair Isle if you …
Free Range Eggs Sold Here
Cycling past the turning to the Bay of Swartmill I spot this great sign on a disembodied fridge door. Inside the intact …
Sea Rocket
The sands at Mae Sands are verdant with Sea Rocket. The curious flowers are white or lilac and the leaves are fleshy …
Reading weed
I’ve cycled to Mae Sands and the seaweed surrounding me seems to have messages for me. If only I could read its …
Making a runner for it
A beautiful gift of plants is always welcome and these pink flowered ‘lipstick’ strawberries are no exception. I’m hoping the lipstick tastes …
Fresh Limpet
This Limpet looks so fresh and clean but I just can’t bring myself to eat it. I think it was the way …
Strip my gooseberries why don’t you?
In the garden of Einar I have some unusual, old and very abandoned plants. There are Sycamore trees more than six feet …
Catching the late ferry
It’s Sunday so it’s the late ferry from Kirkwall to Westray tonight. It’ll be dark when we get there. I walk on …
Pink and orange
Pink and orange don’t go together; they clash. Or at least that’s the mantra when accessorising or designing a garden of flowers. …
The two houses of the woodland sprite
Red Campion is pink. It doesn’t matter how many times I look at it, or photograph it, it still looks pink to …
White foam and intense blue
A panorama of Grobust beach on Westray.
Limpets in the midden
What we throw away tells a lot about us. A quick look at my bin would tell you I like an occasional …
Rock licking kneecaps
Limpets. Their traces are everywhere on the stones on Westray’s beaches. The name limpet means ‘rock-licker’ and that’s what they do, with …