Orkney Islands
Our First Summer in the Orkney Islands
Well it is drawing near to the end of our first summer in the Orkney Islands and autumn will soon be upon us once more. We have escaped the sweltering weather that mainland uk experienced for several weeks, but we have had lots of sunny and pleasantly warm days. There...
Jellyfish on the Beach
We popped to the beach for a lunchtime walk yesterday, because Wren likes to go as often as she can and a daily dose of beach exploration does us all good. We were very surprised to find that the beach was covered in jellyfish of a few different varieties. We used to...
A Life by the Sea
One of the things that I love most about living in the Orkney Islands, (and there are quite a few!) is being so close to the sea. It is always there like a friend, inviting you to come and visit. I have loved the sea since I was a teenager and I had a long period of...
Self-Sufficiency
Making a Hugelkultur Bed
Over autumn, I am working on a permaculture project with our kids. It is really important to us, that they feel a part of what we are doing here and the best way to do that is to get them involved. As I have a lot of winter veg seedlings waiting to go in the ground,...
Growing Vegetables in Orkney (July)
We started our vegetable growing adventure in Orkney back in March, at the beginning of the covid-19 lockdown. At the time I didn't really expect to have much success. Having only moved to the island in November 2019, we hadn't yet had a chance to get a polytunnel up...
Growing Our Own – Update on our Veggies
If you remember, I began our journey to self-sufficiency back in March at the beginning of the covid-19 lockdown (Growing Our Own Food - Making a Start). A lot of growing has happened since then, so I thought that it was time for an update. We are still struggling...
Craft for Kids
How to Make a Corn Husk Doll
After having a go at making a corn husk doll myself, I showed Lark (my 10 yr old) what to do, so that she could make one herself. She really enjoyed doing it and it's a shame that we don't have more husks, because I think that she would really like to have made a...
Two Easy, Summer Nature Crafts For Kids
We finished off a botany study with two lovely nature crafts. They were so easy that even my two year old could join in, so I thought that I would share them with you. It's also worth mentioning that they are a lot of fun for adults too! The first is printing onto...
Pewter Casting – A Birthday Bonfire
We tried pewter casting on a bonfire this week. The first of our children turned 18 and became an adult and we thought that a birthday as important as that needed marking with something a little bit special. Arwen has been wanting to do some work with metal for the...
Basketry & Natural Crafts
Making Baskets With Grass
A couple of weeks ago I was gathering some common rush in our garden, when I noticed some grass that was really fine and yet very tough. I had a feeling that it would make some great coil baskets, so I collected a small amount to try it out and left it to dry. I have...
Trying Out a Sea Urchin Basket
Up until now, I have been making baskets purely by trial and error. I think that is a great way to get started - you start to build a connection with what you're doing and also learn the questions that you need to ask. I also have to consider that we have very little...
Harvest Crafts – Wheat Weaving and Corn Husk Dolls
I decided over the weekend that I would try out some traditional harvest crafts this week. I remember seeing a display of traditional corn dollies when I was little, at a country fair in Buckinghamshire. I found it fascinating then. The designs are so delicate and...