Horsetails from the Palaeozoic
There are Horsetails on the verge at Einar. They’re hard and scour my hands with their brittle covering of silica. They’re so …
Monk Supper
“A monk supper please,” I said. That’s not a supper fit for a monk, although it might be. It’s monkfish and chips …
#islandproblems
My son introduced me to Yik Yak, an iPhone app which shows you local people’s comments wherever you are. I logged in …
Graand Owld Byre with Traybakes and Fancies
By chance I see a tiny slip of paper in the shop. It doesn’t count as a poster. It’s more than a …
Dandelions
If only I had a Guinea Pig. They would be in Guinea Pig heaven. These dandelions have roots as big as turnips.
This year’s dead animal is…
There’s always a dead animal somewhere in Einar. Sometimes it’s a mummified starling. This time it’s a rabbit. Before it died it chewed through the electricity cable to my boiler. Then something ripped it to pieces and scattered it over the floor. There’s an isolated rabbit’s foot lying there. It wasn’t lucky for the rabbit.
Rhubarb as thick as your wrist
Einar’s rhubarb is ridiculous. It’s like a wild thing, an alien being, taking over my walled vegetable garden. Now what are …
Breezy
My dad says “I think it’s going to be breezy in Orkney today.” I say “I think it’s going to be Orkney.” …
Westray Sky
The clouds are as insubstantial as gossamer and float in ethereal whisps above the rugged rocks.
Birds on The Scaun
Shags and gulls face the wind as huge turquoise waves break at The Scaun.
Muster Stations
It’s time to board the Westray Ferry and to hear the familiar Orcadian voice telling us about the ‘Emergency Procedure’ and ‘Muster …
Human hands
Human hands encircle the Totem Pole carved by the First Nations and Orcadian Totem Pole Carving Project in 2007.
Not Vanilla
There’s just time to nip to Rendall’s (one of the three shops on the Island) to get supplies. It’s yoghurt I’m after…
Whaup
Curlews are called Whaups in Orkney and there are thousands of them here all year round. They’re our biggest wading bird and …
The Chain-Links of Noltland
Today we visited the Links of Noltland. The chain-link fence has seen better days.
Rust at Rapness
The iron sheets holding the concrete protection for the Orkney Ferries terminal at Rapness are beautiful in this light.
400 million years of separation
Glad to be alive? Thank a plant today. The oxygen you breathe, the food you eat and the fuel you burn all …
Putting the world to rights
Beer, football, conversation, soup, bread, cheese and putting the world to rights. A lovely evening, topped off with a gift of tatties …
Waxcaps
On Fitty Hill I’m surprised to find a wonderful collection of Waxcaps. These fungi are classic inhabitants of poor, unimproved grassland and …
Primula scotica – tiny, delicate and beautiful
It’s a long climb up to the top of Fitty Hill. As we walk there are two fences where the ground changes …
Gone looking for the Scottish primrose. → 26 August, 2013
Pulling a Pollock
It’s a misty morning so our fishing trip gets delayed from its planned 7am start. By mid morning, though, it’s beautifully bright …
Fog
It’s foggy this morning. A grey blanket covers the fields around Einar.
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
If you want to know what cycling on Westray is like…
…then you really need to watch this hilarious video by some random stranger on YouTube: This is the road I cycle on …
Fattie Cutties and Drop Scones – the rivalry
Home baking on Westray is a way of life. It takes an hour and a half to get from Mainland Orkney by …
Prizewinning vegetables
What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. – A. A. Milne
Orkney skies
The sky in Westray is wonderful on many occasions. There’s something awe-inspiring about the 360 degree view, the clarity of the atmosphere …