L E A V I N G O R K N E Y
This was my commute back down to London at the end of our move-in week...
Down to the ferry (which you can see, tiny, in the distance)...
Here's the pier...
Here's the ferry!
And here's the bus hurtling into Kirkwall. I think this may the be first official photograph of a view through the bus window on the blog, but I may be wrong - maybe a shot or two of London in the distant past? Regular readers please comment below.
With the need to catch the ferry which connected to the bus which gets me to Kirkwall airport in good time, I have to catch quite an early ferry and for about 2 hours I was literally the only passenger at the airport. The Inverness flight passengers arrived then left, and then the Edinburgh passengers arrived and we were on our way.
I had an hour and and half wait in Edinburgh and then the flight to London and at 9pm that evening I was walking home.
London was glowing the next day, beautiful warm autumnal sunshine, slanting light.
B R U S S E L S F O R 2 4 H O U R S
I had a busy few days catching up after the whole move. And then on Friday afternoon I was off to Brussels, a city I've never been to before. Tornagrain, our wonderful town project in Scotland, had won an interesting architectural award - part of the 14th Rotthier Prize for European Architecture - and I was over to collect the prize. It was a beautiful sunrise that morning.
I was staying in a central hotel and after an early breakfast had a wonderful short walk for an hour or so in the city. Magical as the sunlight rose, gleaming upon the early Renaissance townhouses in the Grand-Place.
The magical moment when the sun shone through.
I walked up to the Cathedral via the Royal Palace gardens...
Back to the Grand-Place, gleaming in full sunlight by this stage.
Windows now open in the gable dormer.
I adored this inscription, made at the turn of the century - who could have imagined how history was going to turn for Europe in the fifty years to follow?
A wonderful ceremony followed, with a wonderful lunch after that, and then home to London on the train. 
London glowed the next day. Sparkling sunshine. I had a very quiet day. There's been so much change in the move it was good to have a gentle tidying day in the flat.
The next day - brief snapshot, lunch at the beautiful Buckler's Hard on the Beaulieu River - one of my favourite places of all time, and with strong family memories.... I was visiting a potential project not too far away that afternoon. Here we are in the gloaming of late October drizzle.
So it was ironic when Charlie sent me this photo at exactly the same time of Sibyl in the sunshine at Westness.
H O M E W A R D B O U N D
No matter. A few days later, after quite a busy work week, I was on the train to Edinburgh and the next morning on the flight to Kirkwall. Orkney updates incoming....!
First glimpse, on the short hop up....
And landing. That's the luggage cart. My kind of airport.
On the ferry to Rousay (gleaming across the sound).
Home to sparkling sunshine and mad dogs.
We've moved the laundry room upstairs and where the old washing machine was, we've opened up the fireplace. So good to see!
The best chair from Old Albion, Bridport.... home to Sibyl one minute....
Enid the next.
I was on zoom calls in the afternoon in the dining room as the sun settled in the west.
Then calls finished and time for a walk. Charlie had completely cleared the greenhouse... amazing.
Henry is up, and while he is kept indoors we are spending happy times with him each evening, reminding the dogs that they love the cat!
Walking the next morning. You wouldn't know what all those little stone are, except they are where Charlie has replanted his collection of very rare snowdrops....
Not far away from these bulbs, poking up already. Maybe snowdrops?
In the woods.
A walk along the beach....
Always a seal, saying hello.
We came across an archeological dig, covered up for winter, looking like a contemporary art installation.
The rock formations on the shore are so beautiful.
Looking back...
More seals...
Arriving at St Mary's Kirk, probably dating to the 1600's, now slowly reverting to nature.
A dreamy, magical, moving place.
The buttress was added in the 19th century.
It seems a lot of people who lived at Westness lived to a fine age.
Then to the Midhowe Cairn....
This is an amazing, ancient place - a Neolithic burial chamber, with astonishing stonework detailing, about 5,400 years old. Now enclosed in a 1920s hangar to protect it, which has a great beauty of its own.
Good views from this place, as old as time.
Then to the broach, built some 3500 years later, 1000-2000 years ago.
We walked the walk home under darkening skies and the kitchen window was a welcoming sight.
The drawing room yesterday evening, as dusk fell.
The dogs were exhausted after our adventure along the shoreline.
Today in the woods I spied this tiny birds nest.
A soft day. Mist and clouds...
Gleams of sunshine....
Who's in charge? No doubt.
Gardener at work - thinking.
We had our friend Sue for lunch. I came back on the ferry with her to drop our car over on mainland. Astonishing light.
And back again, Rousay glowing in the distance.
Rainbow glow on the horizon.
A beautiful afternoon.
And home.
This is the shortest visit. I'm still in the moment when our new move is clashing with my old diary. Tomorrow I'm back down to London for a few days of meetings, and then I'm coming to New York for book events - next week. What a contrast to this view that will be.
Rousay,: 5,400 year old burial tombs, a half an hour walk from home. A good perspective to have.
A good thing to have under your fingernails, as it were, this week, in the week of momentous political events in America.
I have quoted Julian of Norwich before on this blog: "And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well'.
Something I believe, now more than ever.
31 comments
Whilst the architecture of Brussels is magnificent nothing we humans have created can compete with nature. Rousay is the most magical and bucolic place, embrace every moment and always take time to breathe in the enormous beauty of your new home and surroundings. Enjoy every moment of your new life, let the material world go, you have everything you will ever need to be happy, let it wash over you both with love. Wonderful.
Lovely!
from New Zealand
I hope you realize just how much pleasure your photos bring to so many people. Wishing you both continued joy in your new home.
Thank you for your stories. I am new to following you and enjoying so much details of your new life in Orkney. Looking forward to see what happens on the gardening side next year.
Can we call these latest photographs of light, water and sky, lucid dreams? And the stones and ancient structures, so new to us, and so very beautiful. Enjoying spying a bit of Charlie’s garden dreaming too. Thank you, Ben.
What a wonderful new adventure for you both. Your existing furniture already seems so right but I can’t wait to see how the house evolves with you. Gach durachd
Thank you so much for that last quotation. It’s exactly what I needed to hear.
Congratulations on your new home. I am spellbound seeing your posts. It’s so beautiful!
Lovely photos of your new home and landscape. A whirlwind hectic schedule, so nice to come home to a calmness and nature. Home looks very comfortable in such a short time in moving in. All best.
What a glorious post today………Yes, all shall be well…….thanks for this positive thought.
Jo from across the pond.
I can’t thank you enough for sharing the story of your move and those photographs- a diary of a few of your days, with us all out here. I love islands and have been to Shetland and some of those little outlying ones there, and this looks magical. I hope that your life there will be very happy.
Please do keep posting so that I can visit vicariously!
Thank you.
Hello Ben and Charlie your move to Rousay l think is very brave isolated and weather in the winter.I am amazed how much commuting you will do.This new chapter of your life is so interesting l would love having seals so close.Your new home looks like it was built for you.Your furniture and belongings look perfectly set.Thank you for inviting us into your home and new beginnings.I hope you will be happy and contented living there.
Thank you for these beautiful, soothing photos of your new home. We are very anxious here in the U.S. right now; your photos can transport us to a timeless place of beauty and serenity that is much appreciated. Wish us luck.
Thank you for allowing us to see these astonishing photos. The Brussels photos are beautiful as are those of your new home. You and Charlie have so much energy and have made much progress setting up the house but the travel alone must be exhausting. Take care of yourselves.
Oh my goodness, just looking at the photographs makes me feel relaxed and happy, thank you for sharing. Westness is clearly an exceptionally special house in an exceptionally special place. 🙏. The quote reminds me a little of my son’s school motto “if all is right within, trouble not”, which I think is a fitting directive for life!
What wonderful joyous photos and a welcome read in these times. Congratulations to you all – wishing you every happiness in your new home. It looks fabulous.
False alarm about missing photos. All restored and thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Ben, for these remarkable blogs.
Simply beautiful and fascinating. Thank you 😊
I’m completely transported whilst reading your blog. Wonderful
No photos available about half way through Ben’s blog. My error or cyberspace
issue? Can photos be resent as I hate missing even a one?
Orkney!!!
Ben and Charlie, how amazing – pictures are beautiful. Wishing you every happiness in your new home. Probably quicker to communt to Oslo…
Should you be passing Dumfries at any time, and in need of a stopover, please come and stay.
Much love, Luke xx
Thank you, so enjoying the words and pictures of Orkney. Ravishing colours in those photos. I cannot believe how much you both achieve! Oddly enough I am reading and recommend Francis Pryor’s archaeology book Home. There are pictures ofskara Brae. He says that the Orkney excavations informed the thinking on Neolithic homesteads and family life. Much greater detail has been preserved in Orkney than in England. Clare
Oh my goodness, just looking at the photographs makes me feel relaxed and happy, thank you for sharing. Westness is clearly an exceptionally special house in an exceptionally special place. 🙏. The quote reminds me a little of my son’s school motto “if all is right within, trouble not”, which I think is a fitting directive for life!
Everything about your new locations stirs my heart. It’s so very beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
My mind feels refreshed with scnes of the wild beauty of the Orkneys. I am going to simply adore following your progress in both home and garden. Your four legged family seems totally settled which must make it feel like home already. GREAT you already have another fireplace to get the peat fires burning for the winter ahead.
Congratulations to both of you for living the life many of us would love but are not brave enough to live. Xxxxx
Thank you. So wonderful.
I just love your posts, they are so evocative of a different world and one that is still there if we look hard enough. I also particularly love your photos – seeing that beautiful moss on the walls is heaven and those expansive skies that go on forever – reminds me of Mull. I also love your quote from Julian of Norwich which is much needed today when my son is back in hospital and being so brave yet again. Thank you for taking me away from it all for 5 minutes and please keep posting. Love Rachel xx
Thank you Ben for sharing the beauty of your new home, the contrasts of your life and the adventure that is surely to come.
Thank you Ben for sharing the beauty of your new home, the contrasts of your life and the adventure that is surely to come.
Your photography is so beautiful especially your ability to capture light. Thank you for sharing Rousay with us. What type of camera do you use?
I love these posts but they take a long time to load the images. I rarely see all (most?) of them. Doesn’t matter where I am or which device I use. I’m in Australia. Does anyone else have the same experience? Or is my access to photos of spectacular scenery being unknowingly rationed? Thanks