The Diet Continues but the blog dries up

Well – the blog entries dried up when we went south to Perth, last Sunday. Today is Saturday, some 6 days later.

We managed to live off Rice cakes, alfalfa sprouts (in a bag and growing as we travelled), water and bits and pieces. Basically we managed to keep on the diet and totally avoided bread, sugar, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and all the other bad stuff – a good way to celebrate the completion of 30 days diet. The yoga was mre difficult but we were getting walking in and had a great ferry ride back to Orkney, with Rachel confident to not take any motion sickness tablets.

Now we are back to work and it is busy, but the good eating is becoming a habit so we are now looking at 2 years! I’ve taken to doing yoga in strange places, when convenient – this has been a real success.

That all said, I need to explain that while Rachel is being 100% on this diet, I am only involved to “support her” and to benefit from avoiding crap and so eating the food my body deserves – and only that. That means that I have eaten a bit of cheese and pasta – because it was a gift:

We had some wonderful guests staying with us (see www.couchsurfing.com) who were so sweet and considerate, bringing gifts and food and helping out – in return for a place to stay and our company. They even cooked a special cheese and pasta free meal for Rachel – but though I have been eating the same as her they did not realise this and cooked me a special, Alpine macaroni cheese dish. So, it being after the 30 days, I relented and ate it. The next day we were back to our vegetables and prawns and so on – but good to find I had no detectable reaction to any of it … no bloating or lethargy or whatever might have been possible.

All good news. Rooibos tea, without caffeine, is the best. That and water is all we drink. Oh, tell a lie, nettle tea also. Today I picked meadowsweet and chamomile so will be drying those for use later in the summer. The nettles are good for cordage now.

Other news – the dig at Ness of Brodgar is getting interesting (and thanks to good weather is a happy place to be). I’ll be doing some demonstrations down there – when I have a day off from tours and fire making lessons. Must go now, got preparations to do for tomorrow.

I’m having the day off – flies, couchsurfers, back ache

The wind has died down – a rare occurrence here in the northern isles – so now the air feels warm, oppressive and heavy. The flies are airborne and I am reminded of life “down south”. We used to have whole summers like this – the drone of distant lawnmowers, hiding in the shade, the salty sting of sweat in the eyes and the buzzing of flies. I’d almost forgotten about that life.

Today I am resting, after a busy three days non stop, teaching survival and visiting the ancient sites of Orkney with a nice couple – the winners of Survival International raffle prize – 3 days with me – woo hoo.

I feel a bit grumpy due to straining my back while lunging for a ball this morning – and so today I am resting carefully. Met up with two really nice Couchsurfers just now – sadly we were too busy to host them but at least managed to say hello – I showed them Barnhouse village – often overlooked by tourists.

The diet continues – I’ll write it up later.

Did yoga this morning after a 3 day absence – too busy working and sleeping – and hit by hay fever – but now paying for the inactivity with an aching back. Sod’s law. Yoga felt really good too – so I am a bit pissed off.

Still, mustn’t complain. Mum is still in hospital and cannot walk – so that must be hell for her. I feel really sad for her – such a rapid loss of independence – I hope they can fix her – but hope fades with time.

Back to swatting flies and sipping rooibos.

Camping in Scotland – Rackwick on Hoy is a real treat.

Rackwick Bay – Bothy and Campsite – Hoy, Orkney, Scotland: A superb location beside the Atlantic at 59 degrees north.

Rackwick Bothy and Camping at "Burnside", Hoy, Orkney

The ‘bothy’, provided by the Hoy Trust, is a wonderful, simple shelter, ideal for cooking and socialising. An open fire can be maintained using driftwood and seaweed from the adjacent beach.

The scenery is breathtaking, beside the Ocean, surrounded by cliffs. Excellent, easy walking all around. Highlights include the Old Man of Hoy, Ward Hill, Dwarfie Stane, Berriedale and the local croft called Craws Nest. Best of all though is the campsite and bothy – very hard to leave!

Facilities include running water (untreated), toilet (paper too) and washing soap, use of the bothy and a stone walled grass camp plot, big enough for a dozen tents. Fires and BBQs are common.

Note: I left plenty of tinder and fuel for a fire – please consider others and replennish this supply. “Leave it a little better than you find it“. The fireplace is the heart of the room so treat it carefully and avoid setting fire to the place – especially the lovely heather thatched roof.

Donations for upkeep can be left in an honesty box. Please do help.

Rackwick Bay is beautiful. It is 4 or 5 miles walk from the Moness Pier (ferry to Stromness) and the cafe there is very handy (the pub has closed I believe). No shops. Bring enough food for extra days!!! A telephone and a scattering of houses are nearby, in emergency, but it is otherwise quite remote. A very popular bothy and camp site – expect other people, even in winter – and groups must book in advance. Hoy is magic! Go, enjoy, and respect the fragile nature all around. Tred gently!

There is also a small SYHA hostel in Rackwick, up by the telephone and the path to the Craw’s Nest / path to Old Man.

The bothy – a basic shelter with a concrete floor and no lighting - is in the house called “Burnside” on maps.

Rackwick means ‘rock bay‘ in old norse – you’ll see why when you get there! So you don’t need the word ‘bay’ after it. I have a picture of the rocks in Fire Your Imagination.

Go to Five Senses for info about holidays and getting to Hoy, Orkney, with Malcolm.

See the first BASE jump off Hoy and the sad story of one of the jumpers, here.

Old Man of Hoy - Orkney Islands, Scotland

Environmental action at home – the challenge and the fun!

A couple of good blog posts to watch, for everyone trying to take action in their own lives, for planet, people and pocket:

• http://myzerowaste.com/
• http://noimpactman.typepad.com/

If you find these interesting, and have not seen my posts, you might like to read a few where I have family games and challenges to try out similar ideas – and how to make it fun, not a sacrifice. Many of us are working on these issues – it is good to be aware of some of you. Orkney has it’s own Zero Waste project – for the whole population (19,000) of the Orkney Islands, in Scotland.

What, no pictures?

The Diet – days 19,20,21 – highs and lows without sugar, caffeine, alcohol, bread, dairy

Rachel has just measured herself after almost 3 weeks. She has lost 2″ around her waist, and an inch off her thighs – and is beaming, radiant and alive! Now I have to confess a bit of over eating. I found myself not eating much during the days but come the evening being very hungry and so mistakenly having food late at night. My metabolism and brain were certainly working to compensate for a loss of certain foods and calories – things like savoury pastries, rich in fat and white flour.

I am not going to measure or weigh myself until day 30. That said, it is important to remember this is not a weight losing diet – the toning and weight loss is a bonus.

Read this blog about how Scotland is turning green.

We feel good – energised, happy, motivated, alert. Things are seeming to go well and the diet is part of that. This is what I have been eating:

(Day 18 addendum)

Had the indulgence of popcorn late at night – home made with no salt but a bit of butter. Didn’t need it and regretted it, tasty though it was! (With hindsight, I realise how small a quantity of corn it was but still, not good to eat late at night – though I now (writing on day 21) feel the odd treat and rule breaking is ‘healthy’).

Day 19

I think I ate everything today! Started with yoga and went for a walk too, in the rain. Gathered cotton grass – see other post.

• mango and banana
• aubergine (egg plant), spring onions, egg, winter greens, cumin, salt and pepper, stir fried. Tasty.
• crisps - ready salted (potato chips) bought. Very salty.
• Popcorn and brazil nuts – snacked on popcorn Rachel made and couldn’t resist a handful.
• lamb chop with broccoli and borlotti beans with garlic – tasty!
• late night snack – banana and raspberries in left over natural yoghurt.

That is two nights on a row where I ate calories late (after 10pm) when I should have just had a drink and gone to bed – but hey, no one is perfect .

Day 20

I was determined to eat at proper times of the day today – part of the reason for eating late had been being behind all day – working late and not stopping to eat. Never-the-less, I still have avoided the “forbidden foods”. A diet that allows crisps and popcorn and meat and butter is a cool diet in my book – but cutting out wheat flour and sugar pretty much stops casual snacking and fast food, from sandwiches to chocolate bars, cakes to meat pies – all safely out of bounds! (Richard, take note!).

Started with yoga (Rachel was getting bored but as the weather was wet, I insisted)

• mango with porridge and linseeds
• haddock in an egg and gram flour (chick pea) coating, seasoned, with prawns, green beans and garlic
• 2 rice cakes with hazelnut butter
• a pear
• 4 rice cakes with houmous (new batch, very healthy and “garlicky”), and raw red pepper, courgette (zucchini I believe in USA), celery and alfalfa seeds.

How do you spell houmous? Hummus? Homous? Homos? I have seen it many ways, reflecting the different languages of the Mediterranean, I guess.

Ours is made with chick peas (organic, bought dried), soaked and boiled in the pressure cooker with a bit of salt, bay leaf. The chick peas are then blended with a couple of spoons of tahini (sesame), garlic, lemon, cumin, black pepper, olive oil and water (stock).

Day 21

Woo hoo – it goes well. I got up at 6:45 feeling alive and refreshed – that is new – possibly because yesterday was such a good day and possibly because the days are just beginning to get a bit shorter so I can actually sleep at night, it getting dark for a couple of hours!

Not done the yoga yet but plan to.

• Pear and banana with beremeal pancake for breakfast (Bere is a simple form of barley grown here).
• Now about to have 2 rice cakes covered in hummus / houmous and the same vegetables as yesterday: pepper, courgette, alfalafa.

How do I feel?

Great! Slimmer, more energised, healthier. I have a nice pink tongue, clear skin, sparkling eyes, healthy stools or poo if you prefer. I go daily as before. This diet is less of a change for me – for Rachel it is a huge change. What is most different for me? No tea, far less casual eating, far smaller portions, no snacking when out shopping (bargain / reduced price foods – I got fed up being a waste disposal unit for the supermarkets!!!), awareness of what I eat and keeping a diary, of sorts, less salt, more vegetables, less water, less bloated, less farting, more energy, feeling good about myself! Oh, and spending less money!

Next Entry – The diet continues

I live in the safest place in the UK, apparently

Orkney is officially the safest place in the UK

… with newly released police figures showing that crime is down by 29% for the first quarter of 2008 and detection rates are up to 90%. [Reported in Orkney Today]

Community Garden in St Margaret's Hope, Orkney

“We are still the safest place in the UK,” said Detective Sergeant Bob McKenzie, Acting Inspector for Orkney.
“We’ve got the lowest crime and the best detection rates in the UK. We are very pleased.”

He put the low figures down to extra police officers on the streets and on Orkney’s geography.

“We have more officers out patrolling on foot,” said DS McKenzie. “This gives a visible police presence, which we will be continuing.
“Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles have always had fairly low crime rates and high detection rates. Being an island tends to protect us. People can’t disappear off the radar here as readily as someone on the mainland could get away.”

~ ~ ~

Isn’t that great?! So good to live in a place where you can leave your house unlocked, a woman or child can walk the streets without threat, and people look out for each other.

Mind you, the down side is the cost of travel to leave the islands and go to the cities – but personally I’d rather live where it is safe and the air is clean than live near the city and car fumes, door locks and looking over your shoulder. Friends of ours live in Edinburgh and describe a journey to the local shop involving 7 locks … flat, front door, shed, bicycle, gate, etc … what a waste of time!

Scotland Info and Pictures – an honest insiders view

As I have lived in Scotland over 10 years, moving here from Wales, and my wife is from the USA (we met on day 3 of her vacation, on the Isle of Skye, very romantic!) I think I can see Scotland through the eyes of both a visitor and a local. So, here I am offering some honest and helpful advice for people planning their first ever trip to Scotland. Also note, Scotland is turning green!

First, some pictures. Everybody loves pictures. Then some useful websites for reviews and travel advice – and my contact details if you want a hand to hold.

Walking in the rain and open hillside

Walking in Berriedale, Hoy, in July

St John’s Head, Hoy

A beautiful walk along high cliffs of Hoy, Orkney Islands

Fishing Boats, Tay Esuary

After the Storm - Fishing Boats on the Tay

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Beach near Ullapool

Beach near Ullapool on the West coast

Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter

Jacobite Steam Train - Hogwarts Express!

Monty Python’s Holy Grail – Doune Castle

Doune Castle - of Holy Grail fame

Edinburgh Cobbled Streets

Edinburgh Streets - in Stockbridge

Edinburgh Old Town

Edinburgh Old Town - a quiet street by the castle.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle and City View

That is a flavour of some of the beauty of Scotland, if not the classic shots. I hope this gives you a sense of what Scotland could offer you – in addition to all the information about clans, tartans, loch ness, bagpipes and haggis.

For good honest, helpful information, the three best sites to use – where you can read tips (personal opinions) and get advice from keen-to-help locals:

• Tripadvisor Scotland
• Virtual Tourist Scotland
• Extra Mile Scotland

For my own pages, feel free to go to:

• Scotlandscotour -  my Virtualtourist writing
  
• Five Senses -  my website – tours of Orkney, Scotland
  

If you need more advice than these sites can give, you’d better check out the more official sites – but risk heading to all the same tourist places every other joe goes, or if you want the real thing and off-the-beaten-track, contact me now, or see some New Pictures I have added to this blog, January 2009

Also, I suggest you look at these superb books about Scotland! …

• Flora Celtica – a fantastic copy about nature, culture and people
• The Rough Guide – to Scottish Highlands and Islands
• Edinburgh Locals’ Guide – an insider’s guide to the beautiful city
  
• The Scottish Islands – beautiful, informative picture guide
• Cool Camping Sites – the best way to enjoy the Freedom to Roam
• B&B Guide 2009 – better than hotels, by far
• Malt Whisky Companion – every visitor should at least sniff them!
• Walking in Scotland – Lonely Planet Guide – the country to hike
  
• Driving Routes – AA (automobile association) guides are the best
• Map of Northern Scotland – the best map for touring and exploring
• Scottish Genealogy – it is great fun discovering your connections
• St Kilda – a brilliant wee book about life on the most remote island
• A History of Scotland – the newest book by Neil Oliver of Coast fame
  

I love Scotland

Amazing Orkney Islands, Scotland – Day Tour in summer

Here are some of Orkney’s many wonderful places to visit – from a day tour in the Five Senses car. Always atmospheric, memorable and unique – a land of history preserved in stone, protected by distance and heritage, and now open to exploration – right on our doorstep.

Broch of Gurness

The Iron Age Broch of Gurness in Orkney, north Scotland

The Broch of Gurness: one of, if not the, best preserved broch sites in Britain. Some brochs may be taller (a broch is a round tower with double walls, dating back to the iron age – they are found mostly in northern Scotland, near the coast, where a once great people or society must have flourished), but at Gurness there are the amazingly well preserved outer defenses, the buildings of a village huddled around it . Most impressive of all is still being allowed to go right inside the site, touch the stones and explore. A beautiful setting too – this site was a highlight of touring Orkney.

Kirkwall

Kirkwall Main Street early, before the crowds

Kirkwall is the main town in Orkney - the capital town, with a population around the 7,000 mark. This number is swelled by all the 19,000 or so residents in Orkney, who come from all over the many islands to shop and work and play, in Kirkwall. In the summer there are also many cruise ships calling by, passengers getting a fleeting look at the famous sites and a little bit of shopping before sailing away. It is much better to stay in one of the many B&Bs, hotel, hostel or camp ground and enjoy the nightlife.

Notice the ice cream sign on the left – Orkney ice cream is the best – reflecting the way the cows graze tasty, fresh grass and lead healthy lives, and no doubt craftsmanship in the making too.

Stenness Standing Stones

Stenness Standing Stones in Neolithic Orkney

The Stenness Standing Stones are in the middle of the Neolithic World Heritage Site and a “must visit” site. Notice I don’t just say ‘must see’? To appreciate these stones and his site you need to get out and walk amongst them – which we can do for free! How cool is that – the oldest henge (like Stonehenge) in Britain, probably, and it is open access 24/7.

This site holds great secrets!

The sheep keep the grass down but watch where you step!

Birsay Shoreline

Seaweed in morning light at Birsay

One of the delights of Orkney is the amazing coastline and the life it supports. At Birsay, in the NW corner of the biggest island – called Mainland – you can get really close, explore rock pools and sandy beaches as you cross the tidal causeway to the Viking and Pictish settlements.

Take time to enjoy the detail – we always try to be out of the vehicle as much as possible, to slow down and be fully present – if for a fleeting moment – at least enjoy it as much as life allows.

Tomb of the Eagles

The way in the "Tomb of the Eagles"

Tomb of the Eagles – a 5,000 year old chambered cairn above stunningly beautiful cliffs of South Ronaldsay (southerly island of Orkney) is so named because of the many sea eagle talons that were found there, as well as human bones, skulls, and mysterious stone objects / tools.

Best of all is that the site is privately run by the wonderful family who discovered and unearthed the site. You can get closer to the artifacts, learn more and visit the Bronze Age house also found on their land. From experience it is best to allow at least 2 hours for a visit – we had lunch there (picnic). See this blog.

Dwarfie Stane – Hoy

"Dwarfie Stane" - Rock Cut Chamber on Hoy, Orkney

The Dwarfie Stane is fantastic – the only one of its kind in Britain – it used to be the most visited site by antiquarians but is now forgotten, so we got it all to ourselves. Three people can crawl inside this huge sandstone boulder that has been hollowed out, experts think by Stone Age people using simple tools and brains. Not much else is known about it – unless you go with Malcolm, who knows secrets about the site.

Skara Brae Neolithic Village

Skara Brae House in Neolithic Village, Orkney

Skara Brae Village, in west Orkney is the number one tourist attraction. This is just one of the “houses” as they are called of the unique village cluster, exposed after a storm in 1850. The site has been much cleaned up and tidied now and due to visitor pressure you have to keep out of the actual site, and walk around the edge. Fair enough – the site needs protecting.

This is more than enough for one day – yet there is so much else to see and do, this is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope it helps you to decide to come and visit these amazing islands and people.

For more information see these websites:

• Visit Orkney
• Five Senses Tours
  
• Historic Scotland
• Orkneyjar
• Orcadian
• Orkney Travel

BTW – The auto selected links below are rubbish!

Miracle Thread: Bog Cotton – July Harvest

The annual gathering of Cotton Grass / Bog Cotton took place today – a day late but no great disaster.

Cotton Grass / Bog Cotton

I went up the hill this morning for my annual gathering of bog cotton or cotton grass, as it is also known. last year I had delayed going out to gather it, waiting until it was perfectly dry and just ready to drift on the wind (the fluffy seeds) when in the night I was awoken by sudden storm – wet and windy! I knew then that it would scatter the white cotton everywhere making it impossible to harvest. Sure enough, the next morning I marched up the hill to find it white, like there had been a frost or light falling of snow – but it was the bog cotton seeds, released by the plant or pulled away by the wind, scattered! That day I trudged back down and set my sights upon the later thistle and rosebay willowherb harvest, which are easier to find, being lowland plants.

This summer I have been paying close attention to the condition of the bog cotton and the weather, waiting. Last night was perfect: It had been dry for days, the wind was light but a new front was due, so the seeds were ripe for picking – still bunched on the plant so easy to gather but ready to release and dry! I should have gone. It had been a busy day and the forecast was for the winds to remain light, so I slept.

With a groan I again awoke to the sound of wind and rain. Surely not?! I set off up the fields, soon soaked by the wet grasses and made my way to a good, healthy patch of white tufts. There were still there. Some were gone, strewn across the ground, seeds that have escaped. The rest were there still, hanging on but soaking wet.

I got a bag full in 10 minutes and returned home, relieved and happy, my nose clear and scenting the distant cattle, the odd smells of things unseen. The cotton is now in a pillow case over the solid fuel stove, slowly drying so I can keep it dry and use all year, until this time next year. There is no supermarket for this sort of stuff -just like the old days, the weather and season matter greatly. Be lazy and stay in bed and you miss it for at least a year!

Bog cotton actually had many uses, one of which was as a stuffing for pillows, so my harvest over the fire looks appropriate! Of course, it has also been used like commercial cotton to make thread and cloth, described in the Great Exhibition of 1851 as “garments woven by crofting women … much admired for their beauty and fine texture” (the fabric, not the women, alas).

Bog cotton is also reputed to have miracle healing powers for the sheep that eat it, though I do not know how accurate this observation from the 19th century is.

There are a number of traditional Scottish stories that refer to shirts made of this plant, known locally as canach or caineachan. I’ll quote from Flora Celtica:

“such as the tale in which a girl refuses to marry her suitor unless he procures a gown of canach down.”

“In another story a prince is bewitched and becomes a creature, neither man or beast. His distressed father calls on the local maidens to weave 3 shirts from canach down but only one girl sees it through to the finish. When the prince receives his 3 shirts he turns back into his handsome old self and marries the lass, and they all live happily ever after.” (p159 Flora Celtica, Milliken and Bridgewater).

So what do I want with the downy, white seed heads? I have not the patience to weave a shirt, though I will try spinning some thread from it. I do not believe it shall make me more handsome – though I suspect the stories demonstrate just how hugely labour intensive making garments from this lovely, soft material would have been. It is hard enough to gather it, let alone clean it, spin it and then weave it. I sit here in my cotton t-shirt bought pre-made and I am grateful.

What I want the bog cotton for is making fire – as a very fine, fibrous plant material it is perfect for helping the most stubborn ember to glow bigger and grow into a ball of heat! A dry bag of it in my pack weighs next to nothing and it also makes fantastic down-like insulation, which could just save a hand from freezing – and in the outdoors that is the sort of advantage that might save my life – just being able to open a karabiner or a rucksack for precious food. I’ve been there so I speak from experience.

It is interesting to note how many plants associated with wet ground are helpful in making fire – how these are our friends and not weeds. Today we stick close to the land, rarely venturing out in a boat, be it on sea or a lake, so it is hard for us to imagine how our ancestors lived close to and on water. They had no roads, no metal tools – so they thrived at the water margins. Land we have either built cities on or drained for farming – little remains, to our loss.

Bog cotton is my friend!

Note: I only gather small quantities from any one location allowing natural processes of seed germination to carry on unhindered. To take too much from any one plant or area breaks to rules of aesthetics and nature (one and the same).

Bog Cotton is the common name of Eriophorium vaginatum.

Ethical Web Design, and SEO – Is it possible and to Do Good?

Everyone it seems is clamoring to be top of the search engine rankings at all costs, even paying. Search engine optimization has become the new alchemy – with people losing sight of “why“. This is big business but it serves no customer or web user to find results cluttered with spurious and corporate results. We want good, honest traders offering what we want. And they want good, honest customers.

Bars on the windows

“Ever notice how Olympic athletes make their actions look almost effortless? That’s what your website needs to do. It needs to delight your future clients. Effortlessly.” – Rachel DuBois DoGood-Design

If you have a website – here are some thoughts of mine, some tips you could say, about what websites could look like, and how to be honest, have beautiful websites, and not play the game of smoke and mirrors that search engine optimization (SEO) has become.

Yes, we want people viewing our blogs and websites – and search engines are one of the main ways real people will find them. But we want quality not quantity. And you have to ask yourself why are you in business in the first place? Is it just to make money, at all costs? Or have you become aware of how our lives are ruled by the economy, how we feel empty, and how the planet is in crisis because of all the pollution caused by human over consumption? If the latter, then you are possibly seeking a way forward, a way to balance work with life, trading with ethics, time spent on the computer with time spent playing with your children.

I think, now is the time to readdress why we are working, how we want to work, what we need from it (not just money but a challenge, stimulation, learning, meeting like-minded people, etc).

Websites have got to be part of that as they are our window onto the world. So maybe it is not so important to sacrifice our lives to the alter of SEO and instead think about what our ideal customers look like, what they actually want to know and how best you can arrange your store to help them. Take pride in your place, as a local shopkeeper used to do, before the days as giant, soul-less super markets and generic stores.

Are we becoming just another bland store or website as we focus only on SEO – and what does that say about us? – what message is that giving the really nice people who are looking for your ’store’ but want a personal experience and to know who they are dealing with? That’s what I want. Maybe you do to? Maybe we are just tired of crappy service from underpaid and under motivated staff, products that do not last and frustrating automated call centres, help desks that do not help – websites that do not let you find the information you so dearly want – because they are so focused upon text for spiders, crawlers or algorithms and other such voodoo magic.

How about we take some pride in our work and thus in our websites? Lets look at the graphic design, the usability, who our customers are and what they most want to know. Lets keep them clean, tidy, simple and honest – just like the best stores are – no gimmicks, cheap tricks, flashing adverts or other eye burning bright lights. Lets have websites that have personality – your personality – and be honest, helpful and reflecting who you are, what you do and how this will make the world a better place.

Have a look at the honest and beautiful Do Good Design by Rachel DuBois.