Nigel's visit

I just found these in my downloads from Nigel. The first should have been in the previous blog showing Nigel's gate before I painted and hung it ... and before I re-did the wall.Nigel and I at teabreak.
The guide who lost his clients ... and his way.

Garden

Couple of additions to the garden. This is my 'fishvane', a piece of driftwood with fin and tail. Mind you, the wind has to be Force 4 and up to make it spin. I'll have to work on that.When Nigel was here he kindly made a new gate for me to replace the rusting wrought iron gate we brought from Forneth. I rebuilt the wall to fit, painted it 'company colours' (baby blue) and hung it so it is now in action ... a great improvement.Next project is to rebuild the wall between the old and new garden.

A Kist of Emigrants

At long last ... David will know the feeling ... I have passed the last CD of material to Shetland Times today. I have seen the proofs and I think the book will look good. I think it could have looked better but ST do not have a designer. On the other hand, most readers are probably just interested in the people and the photographs. The cover design was difficult. I saw a friend's design in the archives (he made the piece that hangs above my bath also) called Diaspora (it's made of wood) and thought it ideal. It also gave me the inspiration for the title ... the boxes and chests at the bottom of the boat. I wanted a title that didn't suggest that the book contained all the emigrant stories but a collection, and I think that a 'Kist' (or chest) does just that.

Diaspora is actually quite funny and that has worried me a little in case the people who gave me their emigrant forbears' stories get upset ... some, naturally, take their stories very seriously!

The background (this is a mock-up) is supposed to be the grain of a box and the title a stencil stamp on it. It's going to be slightly larger than A4 and will cost 30 quid.

The book is to be launched on the evening of the 14th June ... first night of the Hamefarin ... and is supposed to be one of the 'highlights' of the Hamefarin! That kinda worries me as there is not a lot of excitement in launching a book. We'll probably show the illustrations on a large screen (it will be in the Museum lecture hall) and have some music, nibbles and wine. I have also persuaded my old friend, Jonathan Wills to be MC; he will be very entertaining! And Jamie, Elizabeth and Tim will be there too. Most of the time I will be signing and trying to remember who people are ... I have had over 100 contributors whom I have mainly corresponded with by email and they will expect me to know them or remember their story. Ah well, it will be fun ... I hope.

I have got tickets for all of us to the big Hamefarin concert, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham and Catriona MacDonald among others. It's Tim's birthday the day after so we'll go and have a meal at Burrastow. Should be quite a week.

Snow and Mum

Dug myself out yesterday! Although cold (-6 last night and around 0 today) and covered in snow it is all very beautiful and a little strange. The oystercatchers have been back a week and are calling, while it was warm enough to have lunch in the front porch with the doors open! While I was sitting there I saw the kestrel again on a rock above the beach ... now been here for around a month.

Mum was in her room, quiet but in good form.

Showing just a degree of patience ...

'That's enough, now give it to me!'

She has a new pair of shoes (I got in Lerwick on Monday) as she has worn out the slippers she was given at Xmas! She's good.

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!