Misty Shetland

Lots of activity today at Sumburgh airport, 5 planes and 6 helicopters including this on coming in from an oil rig

Looking south into Sandwick from our house

Taken from Sumburgh Head looking north to Fitful Head which is covered in mist

Taking time out to look at the seabirds at Sumburgh

Looks like filming has more or less finished for the BBC1 Drama `Shetland' due to be shown next year. They have been round many places in Lerwick , over to Burra and down in the south mainland. 

One case of Covid yesterday with a person coming back from Scotland, its never far away and we still have to take precautions

Lots of tourists in Shetland, most in Holiday homes and Caravans as Covid has made an impact on accommodation.

 Cunningsburgh one of 4 church due to close in the south mainland

The nights are drawing out and it will soon be Simmer Dim (21st) although we have  daylight at midnight when its clear.

A Busy Shetland

The weather has been very changeable these last few days after a superb week of sun. Now its foggy and windy but that is what Shetland is all about.

The Eclipse has now come and gone, much like the weather on the day, just having three brief glimpses in between cloud

Had a trip to Fetlar in good weather, good to get reacquainted with the island, not a lot has changed and few people visited on the day. Perhaps another 6/7 cars of visitors.

Brough Lodge Fetlar

We are now getting lots of visitors from down south and from Europe but not as many as usual as accommodation is fully booked with the restrictions due to covid. Did hear that all the ferry spaces have been booked up till early August, good job we booked in February

Foggy Sumburgh lighthouse

Filming has again been taking place around the islands for the BBC1 Shetland drama and others have been filming including Ben Fogel.

St Ninian island sunset

I have been surprised by the number of folk wanting to move to Shetland and a lot have never visited before. Housing prices have risen as a result and there is virtually no rented accommodation available

Looking north at Sumburgh farm with Sumburgh Hotel in the distance

Old tractor at Quendale

Although the Aurora season is now over until August you will be able to look through my new book `Shetland Aurora Hunter' The ultimate guide to understanding and photographing the Aurora in Shetland, which will be out in a couple of weeks. It looks at the Aurora in Shetland back to the 1700's,  and is well illustrated throughout. More details soon.

Spiggie

Sumburgh Hotel

Its snow go in Shetland

 Shetland has just about come out of a three week period of snow, ice and very cold conditions. Apparently this has been the worst weather in the last twenty years

We have had a Robin around the garden this winter always nice to see

Its not been at all bad in the south mainland with only a little snow on the ground but it has been bitter.

Lerwick

It was a surprise when the Shetland  Times posted that Lerwick was a no go area with all the roads impassable, its only 12 miles up the road

Lerwick Harbour

The snow continued up north of Lerwick , especially this last weekend when heavy snow hit Yell and especially Unst

All ferries stopped taking cars over as all the roads became blocked , even the snow plough was abandoned in high drifts.

Temperatures may not have been as bad as parts of Scotland with -24 degrees, we had -8 but you have to add the chill factor.

Lerwick today was completely different all the snow disappeared over night in heavy rain and gale force winds, even the ferries had to be cancelled again for a second day with hardly anything on the shelves at Tesco

I went down for my Jag (Jab in Shetland terms) phoned first thing this morning and i was in for 2pm all very well organised and have had no side effects, Diane is in tomorrow but at Lerwick , both glad to have it.

Planning a holiday south is on hold until we know what's happening but hopefully we will get down in autumn.

Channerwick

Snowy Shetland

A lot of Shetland folk are saying this winter has been the coldest and snowiest  since 2010, its certainly the worst since we moved up 7+ years ago

 It was odd that in the south mainland we have virtually none yet 10 miles north in Lerwick they had a good covering so much in fact that the police gave a warning not to drive into the town as cars were getting stuck in a number of places

The top scenes are from Gulberwick which always seems to get a good covering and perhaps has the most accidents recorded, at Black Gaet

Looking across to the cliffs on Bressay

Meanwhile a few days later in Lerwick the snow and ice can still be found with the day temperature often not going above freezing. 

Jimmy Perez house above, used for the filming of the BBC1 drama ` Shetland' hopefully they will be back later this year to start filming

We more than 3.000 vaccinated in Shetland its hoped that life will return to as normal as possible, we have now gone 12 days without any new cases