P U F F I N T R I P T Y C H
I was once, in my late teens, at a midsummer’s eve party in the Borders, at about midnight I met a man outside in the garden, in tears.
He was a Shetlander, missing the ‘simmer dim’ of his homeland and he persuaded me that if I possibly could then I should visit the islands and experience the beauty of a land where night never fell.
The next day I hitch-hiked to Aberdeen with my rucksack and tent, boarded a ferry and slept on the deck under the stars… Thirteen hours further north there were no night stars, just a magical twilight.
During my stay on the islands, I made my way up to Muckle Flugga at the northern tip and after dodging bonxies and terns, reached the dizzying cliffs. There I met my first puffins, and as I crawled anxiously, camera in hand towards them, and the cliff edge, I was delighted to find that they were walking up closer to investigate me. I’ve had a soft spot for puffins ever since…
These are from a little closer to home, those who know the East Lothian coast will recognise the skyline.
900mm x 420mm, European oak and polished aluminium