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 …
Potent potentilla
The Potentilla is spreading with beautiful vigorous red runners over the shell sand at Grobust.
Wheatears in the new stone age
I’m sitting in a stone-age house; the new stone age, when the climate was warmer and people began to settle rather than …
Fish, eggs and baby birds
The Arctic Skua is one of the most recognisable silhouettes in Orkney, patrolling the shoreline hunting for birds’ eggs, young birds and …
Intelligent Sheep
I’m wandering up to the cliffs at Noup Head to take some photographs of the Gannets. I decide not to when I …
Bistorted
There are beautiful pink flowers in the garden at Einar. They look like Bistort in which case I wish I had more …
Well drop my scone…
One of life’s little pleasures is a cup of tea and a piece of cake. One of the very few downsides is …
Fettered
Around Gill Pier I spot a buoyancy ring. The word buoy comes from the 13th Century from the Old French boie “fetter …
Orkney Brewery
I’ve loved the Orkney Brewery’s beers ever since my first adventure with Red MacGregor and my journey to the Dark Island. I’ve …
Half a pound of biscuit
Half a pound of biscuit – that’s the way the money goes. WFM Brown makes bread and cakes and biscuits on Westray …
Glasgow, St Mungo and Midges
The toilet cisterns in Einar’s old school toilets say St Mungo on them. St Mungo is the patron saint of accused adulterers …
Fancy a piece?
I’ve just bought this fabulous dried fruit tart from Peter Miller’s shop. Would you like a piece? Hold on! Wait a …
Eggs on the doorstep
I arrive back from a day out exploring and there are freshly laid eggs on the doorstep from my kind Island friend. …
Emptying woodlice from the bread machine
I remembered to empty the woodlice from the toaster when I arrived. I forgot about the ones inside the bread machine. There’s …
Sunrise
Broad horizons. Breathtaking clouds. Constantly changing skies. That’s the view of Westray from my window.
Even a Gypsy caravan was too much settling down
Alicen’s Gypsy caravan has some wonderful paintwork.
6:43 am
I really must put the curtain pole back up with all this early sunshine directly into my eyes in the bedroom.
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams
Tread? More like trample all over. The horses have left their mark on my rhubarb.
Spider in the bath
It’s time for a bath and that means yet another spider to wash down the plug hole.
Drive carefully
Please drive carefully during the breeding season.
Telling stories
Photographs tell stories. They tell stories about objects and people and the relationships between them. Some photographs tell you their own story; …
Lizza and Jenna at Hume Sweet Hume
One of the greatest surprises I had when visiting Westray for the first time eight years ago was finding out there was …
Manuport
It’s a new word for me. A manuport; Something brought by a human from one place to another. Something which shows conscious …
Stromness Professionals at the Graand Owld Byre
Tuesday night in Westray and the only gig in town is a packed house with every available seat taken, children on laps …
Pierowall Fish filleting
One of my earliest memories of coming to Westray was a trip to find the fishmonger to see what I could get …
A prickly subject
The thistle is Scotland’s national symbol. Scottish independence is as prickly as one.
Lady’s Mane
Lady the Shetland Pony is ginger and blonde.