Provisions
It’s the first day of our stay and I go to the cupboard and the cupboard is bare. Not even a jar …
Nibble
When you arrive at a house that has been closed up for a long time there’s an important routine to go through. …
The Ferry
Orkney Ferries run a service to be proud of. Whether it’s a small group of tourists or a farmer with his tractor …
Dog Whelk
A Dog Whelk perches on a barnacle-encrusted rock, waiting for the moon to pull the sea back over it like a foamy …
Vegetables at Noltland
The kitchen garden at Noltland is green and fertile as dawn breaks over the ruin.
Beauty Parade
A character face, I’d say, rather than a beautiful or handsome one.
Cattle Panorama
A landscape full of beautiful inquisitive cattle. Wandering along the beach at Aikerness.
Krummi
Krummi the Icelandic wonder-pony searches out another Polo mint.
Cracked Earth
The Lochs at Aikerness are empty, dry and dusty. There has been no proper rain for weeks.
Cereals and Sunshine
At this time of the year the ripening cereal crops take on the colour of the sun on a seemingly endless summer …
The Day of the Jellyfish
Today the jellyfish came; hundreds were washed up on Westray’s beaches. Mostly they were clear with pale pink and lilac frills, a handful were deep inky purple. Their alien life forms litter the shore.
Noup Head Lighthouse
Noup Head Lighthouse stands magnificent and alone on the cliffs; a brilliant shining warning of the skerries below.
Seabird City
Noup Head, the RSPB reserve, is seabird city. Here is a Fulmar, crouching ungainly on the cliffs, waiting to wheel into the air.
Mushroom Magic
A long walk along the cliffs to Noup Head. Giant mushroom fairy rings lie like targets on the fertile hillsides.
Dawn
I’m up before dawn to scramble along the rocky coast to see a miniature rock stack.
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Top Shells, Dog Whelks, Limpets, Flat Periwinkles and pebbles litter the shore like scattered pick ‘n’ mix.
Thistles
Thistles sprout in the rough grass on the dunes as the sun sets.
Statuesque
There’s something so poised, elegant and statuesque about a good tractor. They have a dignity about them. Here’s one of my favourites …
Tammie Norries at the Castle o’ Burrian
We’re up at dawn to see the Tammie Norries (Puffins), a short walk from our house, at the Castle o’ Burrian on …
Footprints on the Beaches
Footprints of gulls pattern the sand.
Mallimack
A Fulmar glides past like a flying boat over the Knowe o’ Skea on Westray.
The Knowe o’ Skea
Looking out across the Knowe o’ Skea where an important Iron Age burial site gives tantalising clues about the culture of our ancestors.
Periwinkle on the Beach
Flat periwinkle (Littorina obtusata) on the beach in the Bay of Swartmill.
Hair on the Wire
Sunset in the garden at Einar silhouettes the hair of the cattle rubbed onto the barbed wire in the fields.
Electrickery
Panic sets in. When you’re on an island which only got mains electricity in 1980 (or so I’m told), with no cooker, …
Rain in the Bucket No More
Einar has a new roof on the old school building. Now there’s no more need for builder’s buckets to catch the rain.
Sunset Storm
The sun sets as a storm brews over Grobust.
Masons’ Marks
Masons’ marks adorn the steps at Noltland Castle.
Noltland Castle
Noltland Castle is a monument to political intrigue, plotting and rebellion. It now stands ruined and alone, its gun-loop eyes empty. Ravens …
Wall
The walls surrounding Noltland Castle are so beautifully made and such a natural part of the landscape with their lichen covered stones.