Award!

Last night I was at the Museum restauarant for the judging of the short listed buildings for two architectural awards. This was the Orkney and Shetland section of a Highlands and Islands competition and the 7 short listed buildings had been selected from some 30 entrants. There were two categories ... New Life for Old Buildings and New Buildings. We were entered in the former and up againt 3 others. The finalists for each to go through to the grand final in November in Inverness. I was there with Richard and Victoria, Fred and Magdelena and a couple who owned a new building Richard had entered. I have to say that I had mentioned this competition to Richard some months ago!

First, yesterday morning, I had had a visit from the four judges (all architects). They were all very complimentary about the extension, inside and out, and the setting ... I had a good feeling!
Richard's photos must have been taken last autumn as I have finished the wall below. Well, Richard won the category with the Muckle Bousta extension!! The judges commended everything it seemed. They were especially taken with the high quality of the detail and finish (need to thank Archie and Andrew for that) and the way the extension adds to the old house. Richard had entered it as 'phase 2', which I did not know when the judges were here. One of them had said to me 'of course, this is still in progress, isn't it?' I had the gumption to say 'yes' but didn't know what he was talking about! Richard had meant that phase 1 was the old house; phase 2 the extension; and phase 3 Sorley's house!! In fact the chairman of the panel said to me last night that Muckle Bousta could have been entered in a category for 'place in a settlement (Bousta)' and that when Sorley's building is up we must do that!

The evening didn't end there. Richard then won the other category with a building he had designed for close to Clubbs. I was speaking to the couple who were the owners and we found that we had met, way back in 1974 when we were living at Netherton, when Dirk was overseeing some dredging for one of the first oil developments (a shore base across the bay from Netherton). This is their house below. They live near Southampton and have another house in Italy. When I suggested we might meet in Inverness in November he said unfortunately not, that they would be busy picking olives in their grove ... ah well.

I'm really delighted for Richard that he won and that he scooped both awards! So they go on to Inverness in November. I'm quite tickled of course to be part of it ... I did have a wee influence here and there.

The meal was not very great but the company was good anf I had a fascinating discussion with Magdelena about Slovenia and with Fred about his wool (fleece) insulated water (heat reservoir) tanks he is working on with Oxford University. Had a wee dram when I got back at midnight and smugly stroked the cat.

Sandness Hill

Last Friday, Elizabeth (Crossroads) came in the afternoon for 3 hours to look after Mum. It was a beautiful day so I took off for Sandness Hill (249m). Great feeling to be out in the open spaces listening to curlews, skylarks and ravens. From the top there was a great view back to Bousta in the distance across Sandness. The bare gravel in the foreground indicates that the climate here can be arctic-alpine! Bousta is in the middle of the picture on the near coastline ... if you look very, very hard. Looking south west gave me itchy feet but the old leg muscles said otherwise. That's the walk back to the Dale of Walls that I think Sorley has done.
The view north to Ronas Hill takes in the Melby area of Sandness.
The white house on the far end of the row of houses on the righthand side is Sand Cottage where Gudrun, Maya and Sage will be staying.
Using the full zoom this is all you can see of Muckle Bousta. Sitting at my desk and turning my head to the left I can look up and see the top of the hill from where I took the photo.

This is an old (relatively, Gudrun) poem that I just had published in a Borders poetry journal.

Leaving Edinburgh

When Gudrun left that morning
for the Guildhall in London,
Tricia went to Marks and Spencers
to buy curtain rings,
I went home over the Bridge
listening to Tippet in the fog
and Beth went back to the flat
to have a good cry and
await the plumber.
On the counter were her earrings,
in the sink, her hair,
and in the music, her song.
Now that she has gone, somehow
we have to come to terms
with the Gudrun she left behind.

You may know it but hope you like it.

Wallpaper

Sorley kindly took these pictures as my camera seems to refuse to focus properly at the moment ... just too lazy to take it in to an expert in Lerwick, probably something trivial. We are really pleased with the results, though Richard has reminded me that the colours will fade over time. I have no problem with that. It has really made the room a little more intimate and throws out the colours pof the pictures, especially Roger's little Mediterranean village.
Sorley also helped me move the resting chair out into the front porch, much appreciated by Polly. I have the feeling that she thinks she's a dog sometimes, the way she stretches out on the hearth in front of the stove. She has also turned into a night animal and loves to go out when it is dark. The other night I had to leave the outside door ajar at midnight when I went to bed. I woke at 2am and went down to find her in the porch.

Went to Bressay for the day yesterday on an invitation from my old pal Jonathan: still, cold and sunny (the weather, not Jonathan, full of warmth, knowledge and bonhomie as usual) Took a walk along the coast while he was gathering waar (seaweed for the garden) to a very old graveyard with the remains of a medieval church with the graveyard extending up and over an old broch. In the graveyard is also a pictish stone with wonderful and enigmatic carvings. A very refreshing day for the body and the mind. Jonathan offered me a job guiding on his boat for a week in May but I had to turn it down, would have been fun, though I doubt I am up to the physical aspects anymore!

More summer visitors returning by the day, red throated diver the day Sorley left and yesterday the wren and twite back in the garden. Daffodils now upright again after the blizzard, but the tulips - or what remains of them - look very sad!

Spring solstice

So this is the spring solstice. Now I know why we wait until 1st May to wash our face in the morning dew ... it is distinctly salty here today with a touch of hail and snow, all the way from the Arctic and in a hurry to be somewhere else. I phoned Richard at 9am this morning to say that we would not be in for lunch. He told me he had been out tying things down. Of course, this is the night that Sorley is supposed to be on the boat ... I doubt it ... keep you posted.

It is really a day for settling by the fire to finish the new Andrea Barrett (very enjoyable) or in Polly's case ...
We hope the spring or autumn solstice is better with you. Or at least you have a good book to read or cat to watch.

Polly

Well, here she is, Polly, who is about 3 we think. The first night she miaowed like a baby, but I stuck it out, remembering what Maya said, not to let her become a 'fussy pants'. She was right, Maya, that is ... not a sound since. Saturday was the end of her first week and coincided with a sunny and warm (relative) day. So we sat in the porch (first time this year) with the door home and she made a few forays around the front of the house. She perseveres with Mum who gives in and strokes her.

When we got her she was rather matted - she has long and thickish hair - and we were advised to take her to the vet and get the lumps cut out under sedation. Well, we did, and she wouldn't speak to me for 24 hours afterwards: i think to do with putting her in the cat basket. The girl at the vets is Sandra's (Lunna) sister. We recognised each other and she asked after Gudrun ('heard a lot about Gudrun'). Anyway, I bought a comb so that we could prevent Polly getting matted again. I tried it out yesterday and found out quickly why she had got matted in the first place. One stroke of the comb and, as quick as a cobra, she wrapped herself around my hand with drawn claws, took my hand in her mouth and bit, not to break the skin but just enough to let me know what she could have done! We looked at each other. 'Okay,' I said, and she walked off with her tail in the air. Trouble is that it cost 30 quid to get her dematted in the first place. Any advice cat lovers?

Saturday, I tried Gudrun's yoghurt soup recipe. It's the sort of soup you take, either before you go out in the freezing cold for 4 hours or when you've just come in after 4 hours! And, I only put in the minimum of hot stuff. I really liked it but unfortunately Mum didn't, now I have about five pints of it in the fridge. Mind you, when I made minestrone the other day I found that Mum was pushing all the kidney beans aside. I did a little rearranging and I had kidney bean soup and she had minestrone-lite.

Outside-In

Hi folks. There was a great sea rolling in last Saturday morning so John came up with his camera from Little Bousta to take some photographs ... Lillian came too and we had hot chocolate as usual. Actually, the tide had come in a bit by the time he came and things were not so spectacular as they had been at daybreak ... after an 80mph or so gale. The day before it had been planned to have our new (Peggy Angus) wallpaper put up in the living room. Emma had printed the paper and a guy called Richard Swales - who had come to Shetland several years before to decorate Vaila Hall for the new owners and who had stayed - was coming to do it. I explained that I was rather nervous of putting up such unique paper. He told me that the first papering job he had had on Vaila was to hang one complete roll of Victorian paper on the staircase in a oner and each roll coast 80 quid ... so he was kinda relaxed about doing our living room.

We left him to it and being a Friday made off for a run and then to Richard and Victoria for lunch. There we learned that Emma and I had miscommunicated! She thought I only wanted to paper one gable end, I wanted both. Richard Swales had prepared the paper and found that there was not even quite enough to do one and decided not to start!! Ahh ... I nearly cried since I had spent the Thursday evening taking all the pictures down (after making sure by measurements that I knew exactly where they were to go back) and moving the furniture (gradually) on my own. Thinking also that Mum and I would be out the way. Also Richard S had told me that he was starting a long job on the Monday so if he didn't do it then it would be a month or so!

Anyway, Emma, bless her, printed two further rolls on the Saturday and Richard S returned on Sunday to hang them. Meanwhile I took Mum off to Sumburgh for Mother's Day lunch ... I tell a lie, I didn't know it was Mother's Day, but it did seem to impress people. On the way back we passed through Bigton and nipped down to St Ninian's where I took this pic of the sea over the tombolo.


But the paper ... looks fantastic doesn't it?It is composed of circa 10 inch repeated blocks of birds and beasts ... just a wee idea for Maya there ...? I've tried to take a picture of the whole wall but for some reason the left hand side of the picture never comes into focus. I'll get there. It has made an amazing difference to the room, making it feel (psychologically)much warmer and the colour of the paper seems to make the colour in the pictures stand out much more than they did against the old white background.

Aussie Peter was supposed to start putting the forest fence up in the walled yard today, but there has been so much rain trhe ground can't hold it anymore and he reckoned if he dug a hole for a strainer it would just fill up ... he would have got pretty wet too. So he's starting tomorrow ... weather permitting.

On Friday on our way to lunch with R&V I am planning to visit the cattery at Tingwall. I am still not sure I am doing the right thing in getting a cat, but without one there will be no garden (and probably no trees) because of the rabbits. The last time I felt like this was when we were going to get married. Well I suppose that has been a success ... so I should stop worrying

Despite

Despite Jonathan's idyllic little portrayal of Shetland on the CD we sent, there are days when it is just not possible to lie on the beach and get a suntan. If one was desperate for a brown skin it would be quicker to lie in the peat and get pickled. So I thought, to quell the overpowering desire to jump on an aeroplane (and become a Viking, Sage) I would send this little Jonathan antidote. But the picture here is not at all as barren as it looks. Since Victorians came out people have been asking me what I am going to do next and I have been saying ... 'oh, nothing at the moment I think'. Then out of the blue I was invited to meet the HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT in the Council and subsequently asked to submit a proposal for a book on Shetland Emigrants for the 2010 hamefarin. Well, I have just signed the contract with the Islands Council. They agreed to everything I asked ... why didn't I ask for more ... ever had that feeling? Shortly ... I will let you know ... there will be a piece on the Shetland Hamefarin website about it with an email address for people to contact me. By the way, sons and daughters, you all have bit parts in this, after all you are all Shetland emigrants, I might get my dad in too. So now I just have to get my head around spreadsheets and get on with it.