ࡱ>    !"#$%&Root EntryZ O2rZ'CONTENTS HCompObjVSPELLINGllite dish was blown off the wall; that is just how strong the wind was! Despite the sat dish installer saying  oh this will never shift in a wind! . The next morning it was wound up in little bits like spaghetti! (the chap that came to fix it last week said it didn t even need to be stuck up that high anyway and on that exposed side!) Needless to say we did not get much sleep on that stormy night! Orkney was hit very badly and suffered a lot of flooding. Four fishermen were tragically lost on a boat out of Aberdeen. It was certainly more than a Force Ten gale. I was retrieving bits of our garden the whole way along the village road up to Dunese s shop! Funny when a few weeks ago I was musing on how mild the weather was! It is a sobering fact that the weather is getting more extreme and we have to all make a contribution towards diminishing our carbon footprints. Do you leave electrical gadgets on standby like your television? The phone charger left in the plug? Boil a full kettle instead of a half full one? Turn lights off if you are not using them? Mind you it is a little harder up here with fuel costs as everything nearly has to be imported on to the island. Heating oil ironically is quite cheap at the moment but we have to think what we will use when that runs out! I was looking at a B&Q advert in The Guardian and seeing that they are offering a Wind Turbine for 1500 including installation (wonder if that includes Shetland though?) and Solar Panels sans installation. I am sorely tempted to get a wind turbine to help do my bit. Reflecting back on waiting in the queue for security at Gatwick when I was coming back to Shetland; it was amusing to see how much crap people take with them on holiday or a flight. We, as a family of five, would take twenty five kiCHNKWKS HTEXTTEXT86FDPPFDPP:FDPCFDPC<FDPCFDPC>STSHSTSH@STSHSTSH@2SYIDSYIDP@SGP SGP d@INK INK h@BTEPPLC l@BTECPLC @ FONTFONT@~STRSPLC "A:PRNTWNPR\AFFRAMFRAMETITLTITL*FDOP DOP HF"hap that came to fix it last week saShetland Diary Back from a quick trip down South to surprise a mate at his wake! Worth it seeing your face Bob!! Plus visit an ailing friend in hospital who is doing fantastically well after a pretty major operation. I had not thought about going down but then my dear and very kind missus forced me to by buying the ticket. It was really nice to see everyone at the Man of Kent and sup some decent beer for a change! Not really one for retail therapy but had to get a few bits and pieces. Felt guilty flying really after seeing and reading about the Stern Report on climate change. Everyone has been talking about climate change for so long but now we really have to buckle down and tackle it. If it helps stop the ferocity of the winds that stuck us in Shetland last Thursday night then that will be a good thing. The storm was forecast but no one envisaged just how strong and scary it would be. I was doing my driving job in Lerwick and the sea was breaking right over the top of the seawall flooding the yards in Gremista. The wind was pretty vicious there and picking up faster. I was allowed to get home early but it was no problem driving home with the wind behind me. When I drove over the top of the hills down towards Bigton the wind was blowing the car all over the road. I had to park at my neighbours as my wife rang me earlier and told me that the harling ( a rather big version of pebbledash for those who don t know what harling is ) ( NB: pebbledash for those who don t know what that is; well it is a sort of large gravel stuck on the walls of your house to break up the velocity of the wind and rain against your major investment!! ) was blowing off the wall and the car would be safer away from it. I just managed to cross the road almost on my hands and knees. The satelos of luggage for a week when one person checking in at BA was encumbered down with at least five large bags on a trolley plus hand luggage! I mean they are only going to be away a week!! Anyway it was nice to go down South to see people. I met up with two good friends at the Market Porter in Borough Street Market, a pub that I hope CAMRA knows all about!. We enjoyed a very nice lunch and a few pints of winter ales, something which we don t get in Shetland unfortunately. I met up with some other friends and spent some quality time with them plus my aunt and uncle. It was especially nice to see them again. Lots of people ask me about my website and how much they enjoy the news and pictures. I think it must be something about the nature of the pictures I take which show the rawness and stark beauty of the Shetland landscape. I have had some marvellous queries from people all over the world who either have stumbled on to the website by mistake and are curious enough about our archipelago to ask me further questions eg; the gentleman from Senegal who sent me a query through the web response form asking if Shetland had a lot of rain? Well I had to tell him that we did have a certain amount didn t I? Word of mouth is how things work really and I have to say this how my site works. People tell their friends about it. I was speaking to a lady at Gatwick, whilst waiting for my delayed flight, and she was going to live in Spain which must have been a big change from living in the States. It says something about the state of the world if people are leaving their country of birth in such large numbers! I refer to the figures of emigration from the UK that were published recently. Apparently Americans are making the same decision& .Perhaps the powers that be should sit up and take notice but the question is are they going to take notice of the Stern Report? Enough hot air! I have referred to Malachy Tallack in my News and Events page already. He very kindly sent me a copy of his new album called  Edges & Spaces which I shall be listening to when I have a free moment. I have been playing ballet music in the car, much to the disgust of eldest daughter, at the moment working out exercises whilst driving to Lerwick. I also hope to listen to the new Shoormal album soon. They just have been on tour down South to ecstatic response and long may they go on. I also must mention Zetcast.com (see the link on my home page) which is something that has recently been started up. Check out some of the music links not only on Malachy s website but the clips on Zetcast are worth listening to. So back to Shetland s predictable weather which I have to say is quite refreshing after being subjected to the choking fumes of London traffic! It was unseasonably warm down there, people were walking around in shorts and T-shirts for goodness sake! It was nice to get back to a proper climate i.e. a Force 7 wind and driving rain! Brings you swiftly back to reality! Anyway tomorrow is another day; the 3Cs are going to help me make the Christmas cake. Better late than never! After all it is only eight weeks away! I will be publishing our Christmas wish in the next edition!! Incidentally if anyone would like us to send them some gorgeous scrummy smoked Shetland salmon then we could arrange it for suitable remuneration of course& & & & & & . leaving their country of birth in such large numbers! I refer to the figures of emigration from the UK that were published recently. Apparently Americans are making the same decision& .Perhaps the powers that be should sit up an 0828486888(2"'( ) @S    X x@8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."4888X  "  "PS" 8 "@M " $ ."f8 "@M " $ ."38 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ."8 "@M " $ ." ,, " " tt88:88<>j, 0@Times New RomanArialLucida Handwriting " " "@ TTTTFEPSON Stylus DX4800 Series< 4d EPSON Stylus DX4800 SeriesDLLName32=E_FUICADE.DLLP TS_URLTSupportURL PSOLVER4  : @ TTTT@ TTTTd2 .winspoolEPSON Stylus DX4800 SeriesUSB001F"\""V"$c"` "``""A."@"\""V"$c"` "``"."Nov 1 2006.wps""p"pp (" )"ce to get back to a proper climate i.e. a Force 7 wind and driving rain! Brings you swiftly back to reality! Anyway tomorrow is another day; the 3Cs are going to help me make the Christmas cake. Better l Z O2Quill96 Story Group Class9qy2y2y22y22y22y22Ty2[2y22 y2 2y22xy22y22y22y22y22y22y2