Einar in the mist
Cycling home and Einar is enveloped in mist.
Curly Kale at Dead Man’s Nose
Tommy is very kind. He’s decided I should have some of his green and some of his purple Curly Kale. Tommy’s garden …
Competitive Cabbages
The Westray Industrial Show is nearly upon us. It’s when folks here get competitive over cabbages, but not Tommy. He says more …
Under the weather
With this kind of treatment, Malcolm’s Steenyha’ pigs will never be under the weather, whether it rains or shines.
It’s fast, it squeals and it’s unbearably cute
Piglets are such tricky blighters to photograph; even when you hold them they wriggle. Here’s Malc with one of Molly’s litter. All …
Nine and a half pigs
A quick trip down the road to see Mr Pig today where Molly has produced 10 piglets, or nine and a half …
Needing a shave
Several days into my Westray trip and I need a shave. Molly the pedigree saddleback pig is nice and bristly this morning. …
With the grain
Orkney has precious few trees. And I mean precious. Perhaps I should say Orkney has a few precious trees. Windswept, almost barren …
To sit and marvel at the sky
There’s just time for some rough cycling down to the nearest beach at Taftend before sunset. It’s a chance to get off …
Sun
I’ve seen the sun rise, orange and luminous over the ocean from my bedroom window and now it’s time for me to see it set behind Fitty Hill. A glorious day.
Watching the world turn
There’s just time to wander down to Taftend on my bike to watch the sun set behind Fitty Hill.
Slate
On the roof two slates have cracked and fallen. I have a box of replacements ready, because on Westray one slate missing …
Rough grazing
Wind and weather conspire together to make Westray’s grass rough and tough. That’s essential for the ponies in my field. When the …
Driftwood and whalebone
The lack of trees on Orkney has meant that generations of people have relied upon driftwood and whalebone for building materials. Orkney’s …
Rusting metal buoy
Westray’s beaches are full of interesting finds. Whether it’s a groatie buckie (or Cowrie) on the tideline or the skeleton of the …
Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride…
… is the early plastic, better known as Bakelite. It’s all the rage for people to use Bakelite light fittings in their …
The view from my window…
… is of nothing but fields and clouds and ocean.
Yesterday’s News
Visiting Westray is like stepping back in time. It’s time for me to make a quick trip to town to shop and …
A picture may be worth a thousand words…
…but reality is worth a thousand pictures.
Summer Visitors
It’s wonderful to see that the Swallows who visit Orkney in the Summer to breed have done so well. There are at …
Coming home to Westray
Crossing the sea from Orkney Mainland to Westray feels like coming home.
Being away from Orkney and Westray only makes the memories of being there more intense. Whilst I look forward to my next trip there, here’s a poem I wrote many years ago – the lines “And … → 6 November, 2010
Westray is an Island with a sense of community. Large extended families live here, with a high possibility of seeing distant relations on a daily basis. That’s one of the factors that leads to a low … → 8 September, 2010
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, detailing the lives of the Earls of Orkney from the 9th to 12th Centuries, King Harald’s sons were real troublemakers. Gudron Gleam and Halfdan Long-Leg caused lots of trouble in Norway … → 30 August, 2010
Big pig excitement
There’s big excitement at Einar as Mr Pig arrives with news of the piglets. Little Kim has produced in the night. There …
Links to our past
Coastal erosion at the Links of Noltland leaves scattered stones over a neolithic settlement quicky disappearing with the wind.
Wind Swept Away
The dunes at the Links of Noltland show their erosion by the wind – the grass tufts left are six feet above …
A 5000 year old necklace
I’m standing next to a 5000 year old house looking at a bead from a 5000 year old necklace. It was made …
Einar. It’s a great name. It’s an Old Norse name for ‘One Warrior’. It’s a fantastic name for our house. As soon as I saw Einar advertised in the Solicitor’s window I was fascinated by the … → 29 August, 2010
Pierowall is the name of the only village on the Orkney island of Westray. The problem I had was how to pronounce it. The Westray accent is beautiful and soft and difficult to understand without extreme … → 29 August, 2010