Hi Jo,

 

Firstly, I hope I find you well and thank you for the interesting company.

 

As promised, I have an account of my recent visit to the Orkney Islands. I must say that you will find the following an interesting read and learn a bit about me in the process.

 

As mentioned, when we first met, I grew up in the Orkney Islands and left almost three decades ago, yet the memories of those formative years have cast a long shadow. In my heart, I always wanted to go back.

 

And a few months ago the opportunity arose, when I suggested visiting a new acquaintance’s croft in the north of Scotland, he suggested the idea. David is a retired lawyer and got in touch with me after I wrote a book about events in my younger life, when living in Orkney.  We got along. David had a sense of humour, bordering on bare-faced cheek of a much younger man. He was active, looked active, smiled freely and was quick to make humorous observations. I would call him now and again and we would discuss a shared fascination of British archaeology.

 

“Take another step,” David suggested, “let’s go to Orkney.”

 

The idea was to visit as many islands as I could and see as much of the unique archipelago as I could cram in to my memory bank.  So, I booked a pod in a great eco-farm & camping site, called Wheems.

 

Wheems was close to the sea, where I intend to swim at every opportunity, being convinced of all the health benefits sea salt swims offer. I had – albeit 30 years ago - stayed there before so it was also ticking one of the personal boxes from my past. The eco-conscious family that lived there arrived in the early eighties and began their own middle-class, self-sufficiency dream, so successful, they decided to make an enterprise out of their tasty organic produce. I was even friends with their eldest son, Darren at the end of primary school, a few miles down the road, just before the daunting transition to secondary school in Kirkwall, twenty miles away.

 

But something else was intended here; a spiritual journey. I wanted to spend as much time meditating and reframing the Orkney Islands in my mind. So, I chose one of the 6 well-separated, that offered a sparce bit of comfort, separated form phones, emails or electronics. I as hoping to re-connect away from management duties and corporate responsibilities.

 

“I’ve booked the tent space next to your pod. No comforts for me!” exclaimed David.

 

In the last week of august, I found myself making he long trip back to Orkney.