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Lorna Brown Orkney Podcast TTT Robert Rendall Season 2 Travel

Season 2 Episode 35: Traveling the Mists of Ancient Orkney with Lorna Brown

Skara Brae

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. 

Thank you for listening in.

Join me as I travel across the ocean to Orkney, where the fresh sea air and rugged landscape captures the spirit of daring souls.  I am delighted that I am meeting up with my friend, Lorna Brown of See Orkney Tours, who was our family’s intrepid guide through the mists of ancient Orkney.  We touched the Standing Stones of Stenness and traced the prehistoric path of the Ring of Brodgar. 

Travel plans may have been placed on hold, but for today imagine that you have joined Lorna and me on the white sandy beach that leads up to Skara Brae, a 5000-year-old Neolithic village. Do you feel the chilly breeze off the ocean?  It is sunny, a perfect day to begin our adventure.

So, put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation.I am your host Rebecca Budd and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Lorna Brown

A special thank you to Lorna for sharing the stories of Orkney. She has promised to come back for another conversation.  Until then, you can meet up with her at See Orkney Tours

Until next time, keep safe and be well.

Robert Rendall, Poet

Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and The Lyon in Mourning Project – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

S5 E12: Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and the Lyon in Mourning Project Sing me a song of a lad that is gone, Say, could that lad be I? Merry of soul he sailed on a day Over the sea to Skye.   Billow and breeze, islands and seas, Mountains of rain and sun, All that was good, all that was fair, All that was me is gone. Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone By Robert Louis Stevenson Vocals and music by Julianna WagerWelcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. The 1745 Jacobite rebellion has been romanticized in literature and media.  However, this was a difficult and complex period.  The stories of those who lived during this time have been captured in “The Lyon in Mourning” manuscript, which was compiled by Rev Robert Forbes.  The tragic Battle of Culloden shattered the hopes of restoring the Stuarts to the throne.  The communities and social structure of the Scottish Highlands were changed forever.   Dr. Leith Davis, Professor of English at Simon Fraser University and Director of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Scottish Studies, is currently investigating and creating a Digital Humanities project on “The Lyon in Mourning”.   This project is a collaboration with the National Library of Scotland and SFU’s Digital Humanities Innovation Lab.  Today, I am joined by Julianna Wagar, Dr. Davis’s research assistant, to share her thoughts on the Lyon in Mourning project. Julianna recently completed her BA at Simon Fraser University in English, Gender, and Women’s Studies. She is currently working towards her MA in English at SFU. Her research interests include eighteenth-century Scottish literature, women’s literature, and Scottish women’s travel writing. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting dialogue on Tea Toast & Trivia. I invite you to meet up with Julianna and Dr. Leith Davis at the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University. The Centre, located at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby campus, provides a focal point for faculty, students, and all who are interested in exploring Scottish history and culture and the connections between Scotland and Canada in the contemporary global landscape.  It is a place where the past reaches out to our time and reminds us to live boldly, with courage and hope. Until next time we meet, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you. Music by Trabant 33 "Dreams of the Brave" Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/zhMobBG9tX/
  1. Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and The Lyon in Mourning Project
  2. Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene on Dead of Winter and Creating Epic Stories
  3. Brian on Transitions
  4. Macbeth’s Witches Chant with Shehanne Moore and Catherine Cavendish
  5. Rachel McAlpine A Poet’s Voice on Aging

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

16 replies on “Season 2 Episode 35: Traveling the Mists of Ancient Orkney with Lorna Brown”

Such an interesting episode, Rebecca and Lorna, and especially timely for me. I just finished reading a lovely novel, “The Bookshop on the Corner,” which is set in Scotland. The main characters go to Orkney for a holiday, but not much is told about the place, itself. Now I know more! Great history, photos, and that dialect…wow!

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I am delighted and thrilled that you joined Lorna and I on this adventure. I was looking for the book “The Bookshop on the Corner”. Is the author, Jenny Colgan. Thank you for the introduction. Looks like a great book. Your comments and visits are very much appreciated.

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Listening to Lorna speak was like music to my ears. What a delight to learn that Norn is the Orkney language, in addition to being the name of the three fates of Norse mythology. This word was my youngest daughter’s nickname, although it was an accidental pronunciation of her actual name by her brother! Your question to Lorna, Rebecca, about gardening was my own when she mentioned how farming replaced hunter-gathering culture in Orkney. It seems such a cold, windswept place at the top of the world, so I was pleased to hear it has a mild climate. Your previous video tours of Orkney were so tangible, so thank you for this podcast. Simply wonderful…so evocative…but I’ve never been there!

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When I toured the Orkney farmhouse and barn, I was reminded of my grandparents place on this side of the ocean. There were many similarities – the piano, the hymns, the Bible quotes on the wall. I felt I had entered a sacred place where long ago conversations about the daily events were held safe in the walls. I loved the Orkney climate, which is not to hot or not too cold. But what I remember most is the fresh wind coming off the ocean. I am so glad that you joined Lorna and me on this adventure. I have asked Lorna to come back and speak of the Orkney folk tales and legends. There are many stories in those islands. Hugs and more hugs.

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I am looking forward to hearing them too. My son, who is the travel agent of our family, arranged for us to meet up with Lorna and her daughter Carrie when we first arrived in Orkney. We had first visited Orkney in 2014 but only for a short duration. When I arrived back home, I realized that all the “Orkney” photos had mysteriously disappeared. I somehow lost the camera chip that held all the photos. Looking back, I believe that the selkies had intervened and were calling us back. The second time, I was prepared. I would NOT lose any photos. But the selkies had worked their magic and there will always be a part that has remained with them.

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A wonderful conversation, Lorna and Rebecca. I’ve remember the Orkney Islands being mentioned on the BBC weather forecast when I lived in England. It’s so interesting to hear from someone who actually lives there and to learn something of the history. The festivals sound like such fun occasions. 🙂

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So glad that you joined Lorna and me at Skara Brae, Sylvia. Here’s a thought – why don’t we travel to Orkney for the St. Magnus festival, together. The acoustics are fabulous – The whispers at the back of the church were clear at the front. I can only imagine what the music would sound like. Hugs coming to your side of the continent.

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I enjoyed learning a little more about Orkney. I remember the photographs from the visit you shared with us in an earlier post. I can’t begin to image what a thrill it must have been to be the person to discover 5,000 year old houses!

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As in all houses, small and large, there is a story that surrounds Skaill house. I must remind Lorna to tell it as she is a wonderful storyteller. I am amazed that the landowner, William Watt, had the foresight to preserve the site. Legend has it that, in 1850, an enormous storm tore away the sand and grass to reveal the village. When these events occur, it is as if history will not be held back, but will find ways to remind us all that we belong to a greater journey, that others walked this world before us, that we too will be embraced by the sands of time. I am so glad that you joined Lorna and me. Hugs!

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