BattenDaffodil

 Like many, I found myself downloading TikTok during the lockdown period. Isolating due to COVID, I was grappling with boredom, and before I knew it, three hours had effortlessly slipped by as I mindfully swiped through TikTok's content stream. It's intriguing how I was consciously scrolling subjecting myself to a series of short, dopamine-inducing bursts every mere 20 seconds. TikTok emerged as a novel conduit for connectivity, a digital lifeline in a world where physical distances were mandated—precisely 6 feet apart. Initially, it served as an antidote to monotony , offering a delightful assortment of frivolous dances, homemade bread recipes, and ingenious DIY tips. Yet, now, three years down the line, opening the app exposes one to a starkly different reality: a barrage of pleas for virtual gifts, content creators compromising their dignity for views, weekly controversies, and incessant live streams peddling plastic tat that are destined to disintegrate within a week. It...

The Orkney Islands constitute an archipelago situated in the northern reaches of Scotland, which boast a population of approximately 23,000 residents, with 20 of the 70 surrounding islands being inhabited. These islands are steeped in a profound history where the threads of Neolithic and Viking cultures intricately intertwine. Despite their popularity these islands are often regrettably overlooked and sometimes frequently forgotten on maps of the UK, in the most recent scandal the UK government in it's incompetence used a map of the UK with Orkney and Shetland missing. Local MP Alistair Carmichael raised the issue in the House of Commons calling the move 'insulting'. The phrase 'out of sight out of mind' feels common here. But what kind of existence does life offer to those who perhaps live at the apex of being "off the grid" within the UK? As you first arrive on what the locals fondly refer to as the 'mainland,' the absence of conglomerates like M...

We've all become well-acquainted with the incessant drumbeat of the 'cost of living crisis' reverberating through the news. It's as if we're trapped in a ceaseless loop of ominous predictions and unsettling bulletins. The cost of food continues its upward march, housing expenses are reaching astronomical heights, and the notion of something for nothing feels like a distant memory. Picture my disbelief when the chime of an incoming email heralded the arrival of a message from LV=, my car insurance provider. The contents were enough to make my heart sink: a notification that my insurance premium for the coming year was about to take a considerable leap. A staggering jump from a seemingly manageable £597.23 to an eye-watering £1076.21 per annum! Yes, you read that right—a jaw-dropping 80.75% surge! To provide some context about my personal driving circumstances, I reside on a quiet island in Orkney, far removed from the spectre of car-related crime or the rush-hou...