Orkney Islands
Wild as a Daisy – Raising a Toddler on a Small Island
Our big move to a little island off the coast of Scotland, is likely to have a big affect on our toddler. Unlike our other four children, her earliest memories will be of life here and the freedom that it offers. Her picture of the world is being formed from this...
Our First Springtime in Orkney
We are having a wonderful first springtime in Orkney, despite being in the middle of the covid-19 lockdown. I am so grateful to be here, I really can't think of a nicer place to find ourselves in isolation. We have never seen Orkney in the spring or summer, having...
Our New Life in Orkney – An Awfully big Adventure
I didn't have access to a computer when we first moved to Orkney. We had put a van-full of our belongings into storage and were living out of suitcases. I did however take a lot of photos and it doesn't seem right to start a blog about our life here, without sharing...
Self-Sufficiency
Super Easy Basic Biscuit Recipe
I spent years looking for a simple basic biscuit recipe that would fill hungry tummies when there wasn't much left in the cupboard. This year, through looking at lots of recipes and a bit of trial and error, I have finally got it mastered. So I am going to share it...
Snow in May – The Orkney Cold Snap
Although we have heard about the lambing snow in Orkney, it still came as a bit of a shock - mostly because we were expecting it in April, not in the middle of May when we had all been out in t-shirts the week before! It snowed three days out of seven, but thankfully...
Dandelion Jelly
We love foraging and back in Cornwall we knew all of the best places to go for blackberries, hawthorn, sloes, wild apples, pears and wild garlic. Now that we're living in Orkney, we're having to start over, because we don't really know what is available or where to...
Craft for Kids
Orkney Caterpillars – Friend or Foe?
May has marked the arrival of butterflies and caterpillars in Rousay, something that we were very excited about. We have raised Painted Lady caterpillars in the past and all of my children thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and make their big change into a...
Free Kids Crafts – Making Things with Found Treasures
I am always looking for free or at least, very inexpensive crafts, for my kids. We spend a lot of time making things, in fact most of our afternoons are spent doing creative projects. They learn so much from making things. I also think that they gain so much...
A Magical Fairy Wand That’s Easy to Make
Wren is suddenly full of ideas for imaginary play. I decided that it was time to make her a fairy wand, as being a fairy is one of her favourite games at the moment and she has just been using mossy twigs and long grasses. Both of these make great wands, but they...
Basketry & Natural Crafts
Making My First Willow Bark Basket
This week I had my first go at making a basket from willow bark. A few weeks ago, I was clearing some of the lower branches from one of the willows on our land and I noticed how easily the bark peeled away. I quickly stripped as much as could, just using my fingers...
A Week of Basketry
Last week was a difficult one for us. We lost someone very dear to us and Matt had to take two ferries and drive over 800 miles all the way back down to Cornwall, to attend the funeral and support his family. So we found ourselves separated by sea and the length of...
Plenty of Baskets and Making Cordage with Natural Fibres
I have been busy working on my baskets over the past couple of weeks. Working far too late and getting up far too early, to start again the next day. It seems foolish to waste the long daylight hours of summer, when I have more energy and inclination to push myself...