Wednesday word of the week – Toward

Toward is the less common variant of towards. Both are prepositions meaning in the direction of or getting closer to something. Eg todays word count of 1,237 words helps toward my goal of finishing the next Little Mallow book. Toward (or towards) can also mean contributing to the cost of. Eg each book sale goes towards funding my cake habit.

Toward (but not towards) is an old fashioned word for going on, or in progress. Untoward is not as might be expected the opposite. That means unexpected or inconvenient.

Toward is also the name of a castle in Scotland. Two actually, old Toward castle (pictured) is a ruin which the public are welcome to explore. You can get a better look round, and more information here.

Wednesday word of the week – offer

Probably the most common use of the word offer is when it’s used as a verb to mean presenting something (or someone, or an idea) for acceptance or refusal. “Can I offer you some cake to go with your tea?” What’s offered can, in some cases, be called an offering.

 

In marketing terms, an offer can be a reduction in price “everything half price” or more for your money “10% extra free” or maybe there will be a free gift for a limited period.


Also as a verb, offer can mean to provide. “The mobile writing retreat offers great views of Scotland.” (Some of which are shown here.)

As a noun, an offer is an expression of willingness or readiness to do something. “I’ve had offers to supply me with cake in case I run out.”

Sadly that’s a fictitious example! 

 

The first book in my cosy mystery series, Disguised Murder and Community Spirit in Little Mallow, is currently on offer at 99p in the UK (or 99c in the US).

I hope that proves to be an offer you can’t refuse! It offers hours of entertainment.

Papa Westray

We’re not STILL on Orkney – but I am still processing the photos and video taken there. The photos will take months, but the penultimate video is now finished. It’s of our day trip to Papa Westray.

Wednesday word of the week – heist

Heist is a word I’ve heard, read and pretty much understood, but I don’t think I’ve ever used it – until now.

It’s come to my attention because Amazon have labelled my new book as ‘heist crime‘. That didn’t sound quite right to me and naturally I wanted to check if it was accurate. Heist crime sounds so American and fast paced. My Little Mallow books are quite gentle and very English.

Not being at home, I had to use an online dictionary, which tells me that in UK English heist can be a noun meaning a robbery. There are definitely robberies in the the story .

In American English heist can also be a verb. The example they give is ‘he heisted a Pontiac’. I’ve concluded that although I’d much prefer ‘cosy crime’ or something with mystery in, heist crime isn’t actually wrong.

Dependable Friends and Deceitful Neighbours in Little Mallow

The second book in my Little Mallow cosy mystery series is out today! Dependable Friends and Deceitful Neighbours in Little Mallow is available as a paperback, ebook or through kindle unlimited here. You can also buy the paperback from most other online book retailers, order through your local bookshop, or request it in the library.

The picturesque seaside village of Little Mallow is suffering a spate of robberies. Arnold Stewart, verger of St Symeon’s interrupts a burglary in progress and saves the church’s antique silver. His friend, schoolteacher Ellie Jenkins, is another victim. Who can be responsible? And are they also guilty of other, far worse, crimes?

Naturally, police officers Crystal Clere and Trevor Harris are investigating, and young Adam is asking many, many questions. Arnold’s kind-hearted employer Reverend Jerry Grande is praying for answers, and for those involved. Cameron isn’t so much interested in solving the crime as keeping Arnold safe and showing him the beauty the world has to offer. All those people are old friends of Arnold’s.

His new friend Aurora is more interested in solving the mystery of Castle View. There’s definitely something odd going on at the house next to Arnold’s flat. Against his better judgement Arnold finds himself involved. He’s even more suspicious of the neighbours to his other side. They’re hiding something – he really hopes he’s wrong about it being a body!

Can Arnold and his friends untangle the lies being told in Little Mallow?

Get the book here.

Wednesday word of the week – swappy

Thanks to Jim for this one. The winds in Orkney are sometimes described as swappy, meaning they seem to keep changing, or swapping direction as they’re diverted around cliffs, hills and particularly buildings. Maybe that’s why so many street names include ‘wynd’ (pronounced wind) ?

Other common words for road or street, common in Scotland, are Loan and Brae.

More Orkney flowers

I previously blogged about the Northern Marsh Orchid, Heath Spotted Orchid and other purple wild flowers of Orkney. Another wild orchid which grows on Orkney and flowers in early summer is the twayblade. It’s less dramatic than the purple forms, rarer too, but worth searching out.

Other (non purple) wild flowers include yellow flag, meadow vetchling, bog cotton, moon daisies, ragged robin, eyebright, bog strawberry, clover (known as Curly Doddies in Orkney) yellow rattle, buttercups… I even saw a moonwort – OK, not exactly a flower, but I was delighted to see one for the first time.

Click Mill – and more puffins

The click mill, near Dounby, Orkney is a water powered mill, which would have been used to grind beremeal. It gets its name from the sound it made during operation – and although not often activated now, this one still runs if water is diverted into it.

Also, we saw more puffins! Gary took the shots of them flying, as it needs his extra big lens and I can’t move that as fast as a puffin can shift.

St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney – upper levels

By now you might be wondering, ‘Is that woman ever leaving Orkney?’ Well, actually after 5 1/2 weeks we have – but I haven’t finished showing you everything we’ve seen, so there will be just a few more blog posts.

We’d already been inside St Magnus Cathedral, then discovered there are tours to the upper levels. Unfortunately, as only six people can go at once, it’s not easy to book a couple of spaces. We did get one though, and Gary kindly said I could go.

There are five levels to visit, via increasing narrow and scary spiral stairs, through a museum about one transept, up through where the clock mechanism is located, into the belfry and out onto the parapet surrounding the spire. The photos are from the least alarming parts of the tour, as in other places I was holding onto ropes with both hands!

Random facts –


The cathedral was begun in 1137 and in use soon after, although it took a few hundred years to be completed.

There are now several streets of businesses in front of it, but at the time of construction the sea reached almost to the front steps.

From the top you can see the Bishop’s and Earl’s palaces, and at one time there was a castle very close by.

Very rich people could be paid to be buried inside this, and other cathedrals. Not so pleasant for the living who came to services soon after, and possibly the origin of the phrase ‘stinking rich’. When the church was extended the remains of these people were reburied outside. Their gravestones now line the inside walls.

In the churchyard is a grave of someone who died on 30th February – as far as is known, they’re the only person in the UK to have ever died on that date.

Knap of Howar, Papa Westray

The Knap of Howar is the oldest known house in Europe. It’s located on the island of Papa Westray, which we reached by plane from Kirkwall (Mainland Orkney) to Westray and then on to Papa Westray on the world’s shortest scheduled flight. I filmed the entire (less than two minute) journey and got a certificate.