Shetland
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Fed up with wrestling The Mighty Isuzu through the White Hell, I decided to get the bus today. Which, despite the conditions, has never stopped running the 35 miles into Lerwick and the 35 miles back. £5.40 return. Ginny, intrepid driver, joined me in praising our gritters and snowploughers (ploughees?) for the fine job they’ve…
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I’ve already been out on the water more this April than in the whole of last summer – mainly due to the easiness of using the Bic Ouassou kayak. And the astonishing weather. This morning in Hillswick it’s like summer – genuinely hot in the sunshine. It’s flat calm, too. Bruce (local blacksmith and all…
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I am kind to our chickens. Or hens, as Monty Halls was sternly informed “we call them up here” during last night’s Escape To River Cottage (North) Only With a Marine Commando And His Demented Dog on the telly. Alas, our hens do not repay that kindness. Failing to lay eggs and, despite being fed…
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Brutally cold, ice on powdered snow, and very windy. Don’t let the brightness fool you! Now, after dark, the wind is really gathering force. We’ve already had one power cut, both the peat fires are on, and both tomorrow and Monday are looking grim. And yet.. The truth is, I love this sense of isolation,…
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Arrived safely in Lerwick after a 14-and-a-half hour trip from Aberdeen via Kirkwall…pretty impressed that the Hjaltland left on time, though, as she was apparently sitting off Aberdeen until after 1.00pm. It’s all a bit of a mess at the moment, with the other ferry, Hrossey, in for her scheduled drydock inspection (following repairs after…
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I did a bit of work on this last week, and while it was sent out to various news organisations, I can see why it failed to make headlines…it has a (very) disgruntled ex-employee, pictures taken several months ago, and rather too much balance for its own good. Maybe I should have gone all-out for…
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More geocaching, this time to try and find a cache near Weisdale called ‘Shetland Overview’ James was exceedingly ill-equipped in his uber-trendy Converse All-Stars, but fortunately it was an easy trudge to the site. This is the view, one of Shetland’s finest. On the way we released a sheep that had become stuck in a…
