Rendall in the 1930s

How many people now could walk down their street and tell you all about every family in every house, far less walk round a whole country parish and mention everyone there by name?

Jim Nicolson was born in Rendall, in Orkney's West Mainland, in July 1926. The only child of a farming family, he has lived all but 16 months of his life just a field's breadth away from his birthplace. With a deep love and respect for farming and the community he has lived in for over eight decades, Jim is blessed with a retentive memory and a keen eye for detail.

In Rendall in the 1930s - a Boyhood Journey, Jim invites the reader to take a journey back in time - to walk with him round the Rendall he knew as a boy, to stop at each house along the way and 'meet' the folk who lived there. They worked hard, and often their lives were tough, but in many respects they lived in a gentler time, when people knew their neighbours, skills and companionship were shared, and laughter was loud and long.

Here, then, are the people Jim knew as a boy. Enjoy the journey!