Archaeology, IT, and back to Archaeology. I decided to move to the Hebrides last year. My reason for doing so was about the beauty of the various islands I had visited, the community, and the clearer connection with history, heritage, culture, and the natural world that I saw on each isle; and of course now I live on Mull. The tricky part had been trying to work out what I could do to sustain a life a bit further from the major airports and roads that had become a key part of my commuting life over the past few years. Well actually it was really more of a what can I do that is not IT? B&B? Cafe? Cafe/Bar? Bakery? Tours? I had lots of ideas, and explored many of them, but there was one thing that I kept coming back to. Could I perhaps go back into archaeology? How? It had been a while and most of my contacts were in Northern Ireland.
Viðey ABC
Went to Viðey island today which sits in the Kollafjörður Bay just to the north of downtown Reykjavík. By now
Landmannalaugur to Þórsmörk
So, the hike. The pictures are going to paint this much better than my words can, so I’ll be brief.
Hot Pots and Laugavegurinn
Since leaving Reykjavík for the West there has not been a day that’s gone by without a dip in a
Bildudalur to Ísafjörður
I drove up over the pass, snow melt creating the start of streams that would later become falls, rivers, or
Here be Giants (and trolls)
Columnar Basalt – Giant’s Causeway’s got nothing on Iceland. The Causeway, whilst still utterly impressive of course, and where my love of basalt columns started, is just outdone by the sheer quantity and variation of columns here in Iceland. So whether it was built by Giants, it’s a prone troll woman lying in the fjord or its some kind of groovy feature of relatively fast cooled basaltic lava I love it. These are care of others (On t’internet, shamelessly stolen for effect), much more professional than my holiday snaps…
Old homes, farms etc
A recurring theme, not yet played out in full…
Hanging Ravens of Önundarfjörður
Fishdrying was (is?) common in the area of the Westfjords I’m in now and on the way to Flateyri I
Mid-life crisis? A bit introspective?
Travelling for this brief time has made me think and be thankful. I lived in a tent for a bit (5 weeks in total) and was truly thankful for a bed, for electricity, cooking facilities and warmth. I worked on trails, clearing lupins doing outdoor work and was thankful that I didn’t have to do this 365 days a year (or even 225). I picked up hitchers in the rain, booked into a hostel when my tent broke and was thankful that I had the money and flexibility to get the car and not have to rely on the tent. I’ve met a lot of folks whose preoccupation is not about financial wealth creation and been thankful that there are many types of folks who bring a little balance to a world that seems obsessed by consumption and production (by being teachers, medics, conservation workers, weavers, etc (I won’t shy away from a debate about where these sit in the
The ‘main’ road to Rauðasandur
Watch it all or especially from 00:01:30 in I drove at a bit slower speed than the folks in that video, but for those that know me and my general nervousness about driving on gravel roads with steep drops at the side, you’ll know what a feat this was. I am sure the 2 french hitchhikers I was transporting were delighted!
where the raven landed 