January 2024

As Up Helly Aa looms, a song about the Norse from a parochial point of view, and news about what I’m up to on the big day itself (Tuesday 30 January) Live shows! commentary! Women vikings! Apologies for the lack of Beatcrofting recently, but I’m getting ready, with the Shetland Webcams team, for the frenzy…

Can you bring sufficient personal light to make it through a Shetland winter? You can listen to this sonic newsletter, all the words and tunes in full, on Mixcloud by clicking the link here: https://www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2/unpromoting-shetland-come-and-have-a-go-if-you-think-youre-hard-enough/ You know Shetland, the TV series? It’s been the biggest boost to tourism in these Northern Isles since…well. Ever. That…

A song by the enigmatic artiste currently known as Elvis Voe’s Fitful Head Too many dogs  There’s too many dogs There’s too many dogs in Troon Plastic bags in the South Beach dunes Too many dogs in Troon A French bulldog and a Bichon Frise A Labradoodle and a Pekinese Owned by men in shorts…

21 songs and an essay about leftovers You can listen to this lightweight essay on Mixcloud, read by me, complete with interludes of actual music as specified below, by clicking on this link: https://www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2/and-on-the-12th-day-of-christmas-my-true-love-said-to-me-hoover/ On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love said to me: “Hoover!” Or in my case, “Henry!” The generic term…

I’m told the French call Shetland Les Îles du Vent, the Islands of Wind. As the gales drop, temporarily, it’s time to actually hear that sigh of relief… I’ve recorded this as a three-minutes-or-thereabouts write’n’read. This is  the new year, the back-to-work, leftovers-in-the-dog 3rd of January. And something is wrong. Susan was wandering about claiming…