Category Archives: UK

Black sheep

Posted on 5 Nov 2016 by lornaofarabia

So, I haven’t really wanted to mention this. It’s unfortunate and a little embarrassing. But lately there have been some news articles drawing attention to the topic so I might as well face facts. You know that wonderful little island in Scotland that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Islands, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Planes, trains, and automobiles

Posted on 19 Jul 2016 by lornaofarabia

Stornoway, Lewis, Scotland to Alhambra, California, USA in one go. Not the most exciting post, but taking pictures gave me something to do for 50 hours. Sunday, 7 am. Stornaway. 7:10 am. Nice taxi driver offers us a lift to … Continue reading →

Posted in UK, USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy to be here

Posted on 16 Jul 2016 by lornaofarabia

It’s that time of year again… when lads and lassies don kilts, wristbands, and anoraks to stand in the rain and listen to rock and roll played on the bagpipes. It’s HebCelt 2016, and these are my people. There’s good beer, too. We got … Continue reading →

Posted in Islands, Music, UK | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

St. Kilda

Posted on 15 Jul 2016 by lornaofarabia

I love islands. The two places I return to again and again are the island of Ikaria in Greece and my location at this moment, Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. I keep a sort of life list of other islands … Continue reading →

Posted in Islands, UK | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bookish

Posted on 19 Aug 2015 by lornaofarabia

Edinburgh is a literary city. Maybe it’s the winters: we were here for a week in February 2012 and I’ll attest that the weather then was perfect for broody author types (and reader types too). It’s no wonder “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” … Continue reading →

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Butt to Barra and beyond

Posted on 28 Jul 2015 by lornaofarabia

Walkers and cyclists on a quest to travel the 150-mile length of the Outer Hebrides use the Butt of Lewis and the little island of Barra as endpoints. Butt to Barra is the Hebridean equivalent of John O’Groats to Lands End. We … Continue reading →

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Around Lewis

Posted on 23 Jul 2015 by lornaofarabia

On Lewis we stayed in a cottage just down the road from the Standing Stones of Callanish. HebCelt took up three full days, but we had two weeks and a car to get around in. Here are some pictures from our time … Continue reading →

Posted in Islands, UK | Tagged , | 2 Comments

My man Murdo

Posted on 21 Jul 2015 by lornaofarabia

I’ve written before about my ongoing investigations into the roots of the MacIver family tree. But despite many research hours spent in Lewis and Harris’s libraries, cemeteries, and family history center, I’d come away from previous visits unable to “cross the water.” On this trip I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Islands, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

HebCelt 2015

Posted on 18 Jul 2015 by lornaofarabia

Andreas and I had a blast at the HebCelt music festival in 2013 and knew it would be a highlight of our summer in Scotland this year as well. The bands were all new to us with no repeats from two years … Continue reading →

Posted in Islands, Music, UK | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Camden town

Posted on 10 Jul 2015 by lornaofarabia

Our flat in Camden is a big funky old place with Victorian furniture. The owner is an artist, and it’s got charm and character. I do kind of wish it also had internet, but the lack gives me a reason to check … Continue reading →

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