Gallery
Orkney Islands
Autumn Comes to the Orkney Islands
We have gone full circle in our new life in the Orkney Islands and as we celebrated the anniversary of moving up here, the seasons changed once again to autumn. This time though, I feel prepared to take autumn in and experience all that it has to offer. Last year, as...
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...
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
Using Charcoal for Paints and Dyes
An experiment with natural dyes turned into a fun activity for Wren (my two year old) this week, as she found out how to make charcoal paint. I had been experimenting with making heather dye for a few days, but having left it rather late in the season, was only...
Make Your Own Autumn Wreaths
Making a wreath to hang in your home is a lovely way to celebrate the seasons and it is also a lovely craft for kids of all ages to enjoy. Since moving to the Orkney Islands, we have been so much more aware of the change in seasons. In this big, unbroken landscape, it...
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...
Basketry & Natural Crafts
How to Make a Brigid’s Cross for Imbolc
February has arrived and with it, the celebration of Imbolc. So I thought, that I would have a go at making a Brigid's Cross, with some rush from our garden. Common Rush is traditionally used for the making of these crosses in Ireland and fortunately for me, it grows...
How to Make a Plaited Coil Basket
As much of the UK has found itself back in full lockdown, I thought I would share a little basketry tutorial, for you try out. Earlier this week, I made a little coil basket out of dried leaves from our garden. This technique is really simple, you don't need any...
Hello 2021! Planning For a Year of Natural Crafts
A new year always seems to bring with it a renewed motivation to push forward, try new things and settle into good routines. After the disruption of Christmas and two kids birthdays, we're about ready for some normality and I am determined to make this a good year, no...