Orkney, in one word, fabulous.

Rounding the corner during the first 10 minutes on the island to see in the distance my cousin (once or twice removed – I can never get that straight)’s house in the distance topped with a Canadian flag that was barely hanging on in the typical Orkney wind was also fabulous.

Over the course of the next week we visited neolithic ruins (both above and below ground), dropped in on Stromness shopping week, explored the now decrepit but hopefully soon to be refurbished ruins of John Rae’s boyhood house, survived a gull-lead hedgehog carrion bombing and spent many a wonderful evening in the company of relatives I barely knew I had.

Orkney repaid my gushing admiration with a day of little wind but still pounding seas and I was able to do a little bit of painting of the cliffs at Yesnaby.

Yesnaby, Orkney Island, Scotland 1 | watercolour on arches cold press | 7″x10″

Yesnaby, Orkney Island, Scotland 2 | watercolour on arches cold press | 7″x10″

Alas, we never did see the Primula scotica but we did see a whole lot of other things.

Orkney, I miss you already.

painting at Yesnaby | photo by Darren