Skullduggery

A brief and sad tale.
I was working at the desk and Polly was fast asleep on the couch the other afternoon, when there was a loud bang. Something had hit the large glass windows and hit them hard. Even Polly woke up (she kinda hibernates in this winter weather). Outside on the terrace was a newly dead meadow pipit, still warm. But it was not it that made the bang. It was the kestrel who had just caught it!

The kestrel was almost knocked out and also on the terrace with its wings spread out, not knowing what had happened or where it was. I picked it up and put it on the stone ledge by the terrace. Several times its eye started to close and its head droop. Each time I stroked it, muttering the lines I had heard from the last bit of TV drama I had watched, 'stay with me'.

Gradually, it took almost 20 minutes, the kestrel recovered and eventually got up and flew away.

I'll need to stick something on the window as other birds have hit it before. I think that from some angles they see through the windows and out the smaller ones on the seaward side and think they can fly right through.

First time I have handled a kestrel, a beautiful little hawk ... the pipit was beautiful too. I buried it.

The Icing on the Flan

Wonderfully still, sunny - with just a little snow - and freezing weather in Shetland since Xmas while, it seems, the mainland (England predominantly according to the BBC) come to a stop under deep snow. Yesterday, so beautiful in the morning that I took a walk to Breiwick and fell three times before I had gone 100 yards. The ground is like concrete with an icing finish! However, it was very enjoyable, though very cold out of the sun. Although there is very little snow around Bousta there's a good coating over Ronas Hilland inland (yes, I know that term is a bit of a joke in Shetland).

All the lochs are frozen over ... weird to see the sheep nonchantly taking shortcuts across the surface. I just hope that those who have settled temporarily on the little loch islands get off before the thaw! This is Burga Water on the way to Walls. Even the sheltered voes are frozen.

After my walk I made a smoked-salmon flan (a la Gudrun) using my new dish from Joy, the Durham's potter-neighbour. Must get another one next time.

The flan was good and is not finished yet!

Xmas at Shutesbury

Maya's room, generously donated to me for the stay ... and the warmest room in the house!

So I spent Xmas, and a couple of weeks beforehand, with Gudrun, David, Maya and Sage at Shutesbury ... they seemed happy, if not humoured to see me. They really were, and so was I to see them.

It was just as I remembered and hoped for ... snow and sunshine, forest trails

and frozen ponds and lakes. Though I had forgotten just how cold it could be, strolling out there.

The kids and I (just a kid too) went down to Lake Wyola several times to play 'chucking stones and star-bursting plates of ice' on the frozen surface. Coming from Scotland, iced ponds scare me, and the kids enjoyed stretching my terror ... 'that's far enough ... c'mon, we said a metre ... okay maybe two ... no more.' Of course, when DAD arrived things were different ... 'of course it's safe.' Sage and I also did a bit of exploring and tracking. If they don't have rabbits (everyone disputes that the tracks I saw belonged to them) they've got 'b..... big squirrels!'

It seems ... dare I say it ... that the Durhams are settled (just don't phone me up Gudrun with an opening 'Daaaad ....'). So I took a photo of the house and 'garden' before things change. There are a few trees down, a new deck, a planned 'mud room' and some cladding and fresh paint to come.

I had lots of yummy food from both cooks and managed a wee contribution of Tart and Tangy Beans, fish cakes and an apple tart (I am beginning to sound like Betty!). We played game with neighbours and friends ... especially taken with that French werewolf game. I'll need to get that for July ... no longer 'next' July!

I got some books for Xmas, what else is there? Well, there's a knitted skull cap from Gudrun. She was knitting all day/night long to finish various presents. I also got myself an applemac pro!! By the way Gudrun/David, when I got home I had a message on my answer phone from the Bank. I shall phone and thank them for their diligence later! For the others ... the bank stopped me using my card in Mass, even though I had told them I was going!! And this is the Bank of Scotland that squandered trillions!!!

While the Durhams slowly froze on the Pond I took several photos ... this one is a good 'serious' portrait of the family.

The day I left, it was raining and above freezing. When I arrived in Glasgow it was -6 degrees, Lerwick was -1 and Bousta +2!

It was only three week but five days after leaving, I am still putting my hand in the left hand side of the drawer to get the teaspoons (they're on the rhs in my drawer). It was a lovely time, thank you to all the Durhams and especially Maya for her room and Sage helping me with my tracking skills and finding the way to the pond..

Oh yes, Polly was happy to see me ... wouldn't even let me close the bathroom door for the first day without miaowing to check I was still there!

Ah ... happy, carefree days

Although this photo is dated 1953, it was actually taken in 1956.

Nigel had drawn my attention to a website for Merchant Navy training, on which was the Dolphin Training Ship at Leith. I had glanced at it but saw that none of the dates for the photographs coincided with my training on the Dolphin, so did not look at them closely.

At Beth and Nick's wedding, if you remember, we took a flat in the old bonded warehouses at Leith, and I told you that it was right next to where the Dolphin use to lie.

Anyway, I looked more closely at two of the photos the other day and suddenly realised that I recognised some of the boys ... and gradually, I found that I could recognise them all and remember their characters. Especially the one at the desk nearest the camera ... me!
I was a very young 16 over 50 years ago!

In another photo on the Dolphin looking up the basin to a little bridge, is Nigel (in 1953/54). he is at the back to the immediate left (as we look) of the flagpole. I think I was better looking than him at 16!

Looking at these two photos brought back a little story to mind. Every morning we used to race two lumbering old lifeboats (3 oars a side and a coxswain at the helm) to the end of the dock and back ... through that little opening under the bridge where there was not room for two lifeboats abreast. Oh what fun we all had (when it was our turn to be coxswain) trying to get our nose in that opening first and the fights that erupted when we got jammed side by side in the middle! The man in charge of the Dolphin was Captain Tait (who is the older man standing at the front in Nigel's photo) and sometimes he used to watch us out of a porthole where he thought we could not see him.

You can imagine that when we were rowing we did not always obey whoever was the coxswain. One day, when I was coxswain, the guy at the desk beside me in the photo ... who was much bigger than he looks there ... started playing up. I saw Captain Tait at the porthole out of the corner of my eye and made just enough of a gesture to this guy to let him know that the Captain was watching (without letting the Captain know I saw him). Then I shouted at the guy in my best 'commanding' voice, to sit down and row. With much muttering and threats under his breath he just had to sit down and apparently obey me.

He beat me up later but I got 'good at taking command' on my end of year report ... and it was worth it.

On another occasion I got knocked out by an oar, and on another I fell into the dock from the top of the steps down to the boats ... just missing them as I hit the water!

Ah, happy, carefree days!

By a strange coincidence the guy who is supposed to have taken the photo (with me in it) is a guy called Derek Blair. We recently emailed each other (as I wanted a photo of the Dolphin for the emigrant book ... so many Shetlanders were there before going to sea and moving away from Shetland) and discovered that he had relieved me on a ship in 1958 (I was going in leave and he was joining the ship). We can't remember each other (what does that say!) but we must have met and chatted: he's now in Tasmania.

Just a bit of fun.

Mum, evening and heather

Mum really enjoyed Alice's music therapy this week. I only took her back into the wheelroom once, otherwise she stayed with Alice for 45 minutes. She listened, talked, danced and watched and laughed with Alice, who was very good with Mum. It was lovely to see her having some quiet moments and enjoyment (of some sort).

Once I brought her in I cut up an apple so she would sit down for a moment and then I left and just watched through the door. Mum didn't want to play any instrument but she clearly enjoyed Alice's company and her music. She'll do another one next week and weekly thereafter all going well.

Wonderful sunset over Little Bousta these cloudy evenings.

The flowering heather, ling this time rather than the usual bell heather, has been fantastic this year. I have never seen it this way in Shetland, must have been all the sunny weather.

Mum in good form

Sorley took a few photos of Mum before he left yesterday. She was in good form.
'I wasn't going to smile, but ...' 'What are you up to?' Definitely a 'No'

Listening

Trying to ignore me

Wiping a smile off my face

A laugh

Considering

It was tea time and Marianne (whom we knew years ago when we were at Little Bousta) came in. Mum went off, Sorley said 'goodbye' and Mum muttered something ... might have been 'goodbye' too.

She is very settled at the moment and Anne-Marie (Manager) thought she was actually communicating more, recently.

Music therapy tomorrow.

Garden wall finished

28th June ... Going 2nd July ... going

15th July ... gone!

At last I cannot see the new house from the sitting room. I put the last stone in place with the help of Sorley last week, photographed by Ben. Today I put some dwams in the wall and cemented them in. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll put in the uprights for a gate.

View from the Little Bousta side. I/we still have to complete the wall to join the yard wall. This will run in front (north) of Sorley's house.

It has been a still, warm day with the fog slowly creeping in.

This was at teatime. Now, 8pm, and I cannot see the skerry in front of the house. Sorley rang me at 11am from the top of Collafirth Hill as he set off for the Lang Ayre on the other side of Ronas Hill where he is going to camp tonight ... hope he finds his way! Tomorrow should be misty and sunny. Hope it lifts for Sorley.