Toward is the less common variant of towards. Both are prepositions meaning in the direction of or getting closer to something. Eg todays word count of 1,237 words helps toward my goal of finishing the next Little Mallow book. Toward (or towards) can also mean contributing to the cost of. Eg each book sale goes … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Toward
Wednesday word of the week – offer
Probably the most common use of the word offer is when it's used as a verb to mean presenting something (or someone, or an idea) for acceptance or refusal. "Can I offer you some cake to go with your tea?" What's offered can, in some cases, be called an offering. In marketing terms, an … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – offer
Papa Westray
We're not STILL on Orkney - but I am still processing the photos and video taken there. The photos will take months, but the penultimate video is now finished. It's of our day trip to Papa Westray.
Wednesday word of the week – heist
Heist is a word I've heard, read and pretty much understood, but I don't think I've ever used it - until now. It's come to my attention because Amazon have labelled my new book as 'heist crime'. That didn't sound quite right to me and naturally I wanted to check if it was accurate. Heist … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – heist
Dependable Friends and Deceitful Neighbours in Little Mallow
The second book in my Little Mallow cosy mystery series is out today! Dependable Friends and Deceitful Neighbours in Little Mallow is available as a paperback, ebook or through kindle unlimited here. You can also buy the paperback from most other online book retailers, order through your local bookshop, or request it in the library. … Continue reading Dependable Friends and Deceitful Neighbours in Little Mallow
Wednesday word of the week – swappy
Thanks to Jim for this one. The winds in Orkney are sometimes described as swappy, meaning they seem to keep changing, or swapping direction as they're diverted around cliffs, hills and particularly buildings. Maybe that's why so many street names include 'wynd' (pronounced wind) ? Other common words for road or street, common in Scotland, … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – swappy
More Orkney flowers
I previously blogged about the Northern Marsh Orchid, Heath Spotted Orchid and other purple wild flowers of Orkney. Another wild orchid which grows on Orkney and flowers in early summer is the twayblade. It's less dramatic than the purple forms, rarer too, but worth searching out. Other (non purple) wild flowers include yellow flag, meadow … Continue reading More Orkney flowers
Click Mill – and more puffins
The click mill, near Dounby, Orkney is a water powered mill, which would have been used to grind beremeal. It gets its name from the sound it made during operation – and although not often activated now, this one still runs if water is diverted into it. Also, we saw more puffins! Gary took the … Continue reading Click Mill – and more puffins
St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney – upper levels
By now you might be wondering, 'Is that woman ever leaving Orkney?' Well, actually after 5 1/2 weeks we have – but I haven't finished showing you everything we've seen, so there will be just a few more blog posts. We'd already been inside St Magnus Cathedral, then discovered there are tours to the upper … Continue reading St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney – upper levels
Knap of Howar, Papa Westray
The Knap of Howar is the oldest known house in Europe. It's located on the island of Papa Westray, which we reached by plane from Kirkwall (Mainland Orkney) to Westray and then on to Papa Westray on the world's shortest scheduled flight. I filmed the entire (less than two minute) journey and got a certificate.