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The Shetland Diary |
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http://sgvtribune.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=23939532&event=768746&CategoryID=0
Now if you click on the link above you, paste it into your browser will should see a picture of my lovely American email pal Terry and her friend Homer. Terry first emailed me a couple of years ago when I wrote an article about living in Shetland for The Arthur Ransome Society magazine. Normally I would not have put my email address to an article but since this is a small publication for members only I did and I got lots of really interesting responses including the lovely Terry! We have kept in touch ever since. She lives in California in a place called Whittier and is a rather amazing lady as she is always busy and has a very lively and engaging personality for her age which I shan’t divulge because as all of you know you never ask a lady her age!
Last weekend saw the Johnmas Foy celebrations down on Victoria Pier with all the contestants from the Bergen Shetland yacht race plus the tents with various arts and crafts plus Shetland food and drink specialities and of course nothing here happens without music so plenty of local bands playing till the small hours. Sadly I missed it as I was working on the Bigton to Maywick Fun Run, a virgin event organised by the Bigton Hall Committee of which I am a member, and it was great fun. Blazing hot too. I took my folding chair and sat at the crossroads ostensibly directing traffic! I only saw a few cars and some sheep including one car load of lost Norwegian yachtsmen who were looking for the St Ninians’ tombolo as there were a lot of boats staying in the bay.
The following day we went on a trip with Elma to Eshaness and the Hillwick St Magnus Hotel which has just been bought by a local couple and is being renovated. It was originally built down south in the 1900’s and bought up (Victoria Ikea!) in flatpacks and erected at Hillswick. Cruise ships would then sail into the bay and disembark passengers so they could spend time staying somewhere and travelling around the local sights. The food at the hotel is very good honest grub and the Sunday carvery is recommended. We also had home made desserts which were scrummy (this is from a person who doesn’t often eat dessert!). Good value for money and the only niggle was the slow service but whether that was down to staff shortage or what who cares. It was nice to not have to cook or wash up and enjoy the atmosphere of what could and hopefully be a very useful landmark for Northmavine, the north west side of Shetland’s mainland especially for attracting visitors. This area is truly a lovely place to go. This day we were there the temperature was mid twenties which is very hot for Shetland and when we got to Eshaness the sea was as flat as a mirror, unusual in itself as normally around this part of the coast there is always a swell. Elma met a couple who had heard of her. They had come up from Northumbria in their camper van for two weeks in April and were still up here as they loved it so much!
Speaking of being in a camper van, I had the luck to go fishing with Leslie Watt, a good friend of Elma and someone who I got to know through the play we did several years ago for Shetland Drama Festival. Leslie took me to a couple of lochs including one where I caught one trout with earthworms and one trout on the spinner and one by Leslie. It was a pleasant evening. We had also decided to discuss the panto that is coming up at Christmas and possible plotlines and characters were looked at over leek and ham soup and sarnies.
I also went fishing in the rain at Vaster a few weeks back, then drying out incredibly quickly. I can’t remember that rain as it has been so hot here and only a little bit of fog to date! The earth of course is now really really dry and the danger is having a lot of rain suddenly as that will cause problems..
The annual pilgrimage of tourists and biker rally coming up to Simmer Dim has passed. Where did the 21st June go to? I remember I was filming the day before that in the Bod of Gremista for a short film which is being entered in the Shetland Screenplay festival. I played a piratical type character, long dirty wig with lots of bling and a mobile phone. We also did some filming on The Swan which is an old boat that has been renovated and sails around Shetland during the summer I think. Anyway it was great fun! I hope it does well in the festival.
I was given a male Golden Pheasant by the man who gave me the pea hens originally. I went to change the water, before the male arrived, and she had been sitting on her eggs and I just opened the hatch of the run and she bolted out of the house door and flew out into the garden! Shit! What do I do? Fortunately as she had been sitting on non fertile eggs for a long time her legs were a bit spaigied (sore) and I was eventually able to catch her….well I grabbed her tail and all the feathers came out in a handful! (don’t worry they grow back) but I got her and put her back in. Of course when the male arrived she was completely all of a dither, more than normal, and she left the eggs which I had to remove. She has accepted though that he is part of her life and they are sharing the outside perch which is a good start. Hopefully I might get some pheasant chicks though apparently pheasants are terrible parents? We shall have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
I was getting slightly concerned about the slow Garden growth but now because of the very unusual hot weather everything just went mad! Bizarrely giant spinach which I planted just four weeks ago has shot up and flowered! Not a good sign! I had to pull rows of greens as they were no good flowering and the chooks can only eat so much! Also I have had absolutely no luck with cucumbers. They just died on me! Just have no idea why?
Chipping off harling and mortaring! Well I decided I was going to give it a go. Never mixed cement for years. Last time was helping me Dad build a kiln! This was very different however as I had to get to stick and be smooth. I thought I had it cracked but then found out the reason the cement was crumbling was because it was out of date! Damm and after I had spent all that time in very hot weather wearing a thick boiler suit, chipping away and mixing and applying. Anyway Mr. Clarkson our carpenter was down doing our sunroom and as we had to go and get some wood from Allan of Gillick I decided to buy some fresh cement and redid it all. Result! It stuck and although there are a couple of little hollow sounding places it looks alright. I am going to put a covering of rough sand and cement over the top to make it look more in character and then next year will tackle the next wall which is a bit bigger than that part which I completed. Still with all the useful advice, most of it after I had done it, I will know what to do next time and hopefully get it done quicker.
Getting the sun room fixed had been a priority for some time as the bottom of the window frames were rotting and there was no double glazing so in Winter it was like a fridge. Now once it is insulated and finished I will be able to use it properly!
New chickens to come eventually. I am waiting to get some from a friend but it will take awhile. Apparently the Crofter rules are very strict about the number of poultry allowed! 50 of any type of bird ie chickens, ducks, geese then you have to register as a poultry breeder. I need to enlarge the run for ours upwards! I also need to sort out the problem of rats which appear to living under next door’s garage floor. I came around from the garden this afternoon and saw this largish grey thing leap out of the pheasant cage and through the long grass into a hole. Said hole now sealed off! But no doubt the little sods will find another exit hole! I hesitate at putting poison down because it might get accidentally eaten by the chooks which would not be much fun.
I spent some time, golden time to be precise, at Lower and Middle C’s school teaching some greek dancing! This was something organised by the parents and apart from my efforts there was Charades, Reflexology, camping! Tree planting! amongst other topics.
As I said we had the Bigton Fun Run and the most unbelievable weather for it. The weather has been like this for a week now. I went to Lower and Middle C’s sports day yesterday and roasted! Then this morning it was the leaving P7 assembly for Middle C as he is off to high school after the hols. Have to wait another four years before it is Lower C’s P7 assembly. They grow up so quick….
So yes it is that time again. The end of another school term for the Cs and six weeks of holidays. I have planned two classes for the hols and have had a bit of work at the Town Hall to help bide me through them. It has been a funny old year so far but hopefully things countrywide will get better for everyone. We are off down South for two weeks so I will have to organise garden and chicken and pheasant sitters!! I hope it won’t be too hot down South. It has been bad enough here….bring on the rain…well just a little bit please!
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December 2006
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