Gallery
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
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...
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...
Craft for Kids
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...
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...
Basketry & Natural Crafts
How to make a Wrapped Stone
I thought, that I would show you an easy tutorial for stone wrapping. I am sure that we are not the only people, who have been hit hard financially by covid restrictions this year. So, like me, you might need to make a lot of your gifts. The trouble is, homemade gifts...
Bringing Basketry and Natural Dyeing Together
It's been a few weeks now since I first started to hand-dye my own raffia with natural dyes. Since then, I have been having a great time using it and making more dyes along the way. It has been really satisfying to start bringing these skills together and I feel full...
Harvesting Honeysuckle Vine For Basketry
Over the past three weeks, I have been busy harvesting honeysuckle vine from our garden for basket weaving. The land at the back of our house is full of trees and rather wild and I was going to tidy it up a bit to make it more accessible, back in the spring. Then, as...