It's snowdrop time at Westness.
We left last week's blog maybe a bit breathless at so many places in the preceding month. So it was very nice to have a quiet weekend at home with good friends. We had some rain, we had cold winds, but we also had beautiful sunshine, and a hint of spring to come. Charlie and I are suddenly noticing the longer days now.
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Saturday morning breakfast.
Followed by a long walk...
Down to the cliffs...
Everywhere you sense that the sea birds are sounding out their nesting ledges.
A pair of beautiful shags on the clifftop, looking this way...
And that.
Layers of rock, like mille-fueille pastry.
We did a little circumnavigation to take in the sights of the island, including the Ian Hamilton Finlay sculpture, looking over the Westray Frith, Westray and Papay clear in the distance.
Sunset that evening at 5.30pm, a soft pink glow in the sky. Just a few weeks ago, on the solstice, that was 3.15pm.
Sunday morning was bright and breezy.
Charlie's prize snowdrops amongst the drifts.
Sunlight in the stable block.
The sea was clear and dark blue.
Piles of old sticks in the walled garden.
And Charlie's been working like an amazing creature in the veg garden, which is looking so neat at the turn of winter to spring.
The irises he planted two autumns ago are so happy in their spot against a south-west facing wall - doing better than they ever did in Dorset.
The light in the wood reminded me so much of the Scottish painter James McIntosh Patrick, whose work I distinctly remember loving in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art when I was a student at Edinburgh.
Mavis, not really helping in the veg garden, sphinx like.
Lichen on the garden shed.
The house looking fine.
And Nancy admiring the view.
Caddy, Charlie and Issy. Such a happy weekend.
I was off down south on Sunday afternoon, it's that sort of a week. We left Kirkwall at 4, to hop down to Aberdeen.
At 8pm we were circling over beautiful London, such a different kind of magic.
It's a very exciting time. Last week, Charlie and I got our listed building and planning consents for the work that we're going to be carrying out at Westness. There's lots of do, lots of repairs, windows that are rotting, the roof needs re-doing, the house needs re-wiring and re-plumbing. We'll be doing it all slowly and in stages and this year we'll mainly be doing outside stuff. But watch this space! Lots of news from Rousay to come, which, after all, is the only news anyone really wants these days.
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25 comments
Another very busy month, for you and for Charlie! Was the pond/pool filled in or dug up to be moved? I live in Alberta, where we’ll be dealing with freezing temperatures and snow for a while yet, so it’s lovely to see everything turning green and the flowers coming up in your part of the world.
Again, thank you for sharing!! I wonder where you get your candles and groceries etc…… So fun to see the beginning of spring.
Love Rousay news! It brightens my days!
I can’t wait to see the renovations, so exciting! Thank you as always for sharing, such a delight to read your blogs. Quick question, did Charlie plant all the snow drops?
Gorgeous to see Spring coming your way with all of those Snow Drops and the garden starting to take shape. The coastal water scenes are beautiful and nice to see London from the air. Will be wonderful to see how you start you renovations and your windows. It is snowing today in Canada and minus 15 degrees, so seeing all the Spring Flowers and greenery is a lovely sight.
P.S.: I just read the July post where you announce that White won the color contest…so please disregard my previous persimmon plug. :)
(White will be lovely!)
FWIW, I vote for the persimmony color. 😎
Ben – In inland NH, we are about to enter mud season; March is the seemingly never-ending month. So, it is with great joy that I intake your beautiful coastal photos and those of Charlie’s snowdrops which we won’t see here for weeks. Altogether, I find your landscapes on the island the most compelling. They awaken my own Scottish heritage – Bruce was my maiden name. Thank you, mille fois.
Dear Ben – I love all of your posts but yes indeed, I do love to see what you and Charlie are up to in the house and garden. Rousay looks so magical and romantic.
As for here – very long hot days and days and looking forward to cooler days ahead (albeit love so much sunlight).
Love, Nicola
I look forward to it ALL. Such exciting things ahead and always always the beauty of the island. The changeable landscape. Soft to harsh in a minute. Charlie’s garden. Not forgetting the wooflets. Sigh…..
The walled garden is gorgeous.Although back in Ontario, Canada I lived for 18 years in Reading, Berks.I too had a walled garden but sadly no door in the wall which is always magical.
My favourite photo though is the adorable Mavis.Love all the dogs but she is special- especially when seated in the Morris.
Thank you so much for referring my question about not seeing your photos to Matt. He was more than helpful and helped me discover it was a security program on my laptop that was the culprit! I tried it on my big iPad not on the security program and it works perfectly. Thank you again. Ann
You filled in the pond!!! I first looked at your post on my phone. Now I am at the library in a real computer with a big screen. I think eliminating the pond is brilliant. Much better use of space and less maintenance. I hope you will show us your construction projects—I am wondering about what kind of windows you’ll use to replace the rotting one. Thanks so much for sharing.
We so love seeing how the restoration of your amazing house is progressing, and following your travels it’s truly inspiring. We are restoring an old thatched cottage in Suffolk not far from where the large pig lives that appeared in one of your recent blogs.
Thank you.
Dear Ben, beautiful pictures from your lovely home but please don’t ever think I don’t also want to see the amazing projects you do for other people and the fabulous places you visit in your work.
Ahhhh Mr. Pentreath …. Of course all the news from beautiful Rousay is compelling but I live vicariously through ALL of your journeys!!! I’m a retired interior designer living in coastal Virginia. A life of clients and CADD have made way for trying to master watercolors – getting a little better day-by-day thanks to your photos as inspiration. Endlessly grateful for the beauty that you share!
Donna
So true Ben! I can’t wait to see the House evolve. Magical! Lots of luck to Charlie and yourself!!
Spring is coming everywhere…. Just lovely! I love your lichen covered shed wall!
Did you know that your blueberries bowl commemorates the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester railway, and was made 1830s? I’m a Manc, and have one too.
Thank you for all your marvelous posts. I enjoy every picture and every description. I live in Maine, USA and although I love the noticeably longer days here as well, we just got 5 new inches of snow with more on the way this week. I envy you the snow drops and green grass! I won’t be seeing that for quite a while. Peace
Thank you for the lovely post. I am looking forward to the improvements to your home. I love this kind of project-even rewording and replying. For years I have been enjoying the vegetable garden. Would you share what is growing in the garden. It’s huge! What do you do with all the produce? I love vegetable gardening and am so interested in what is going on in yours. At the moment my garden is u set six inches of snow!!
Ahh Ben how I love your posts- Westray looks so magnificent and the house and garden well- although I am on the edge of Winchester we are battered by the elements also so will be joining you in many ‘works’
Never stop posting please , you never fail to motivate and see Joy!
Thank you
Such a pleasure to see the beauty around you that you nurtured and just revel in its wild glory. Right now my snowdrops are sleeping under two feet of snow, so glorious to see yours and dream of sweet beauty to come!
Many thanks for this gorgeous blog – as usual, but in particular this time for introducing me to 2 artists who I didn’t know before!
Quite right, the best news. I shall be watching with huge interest.