Father Christmas in Shetland

The days in Shetland are now drawing out although its been mainly cloudy recently so we haven't seen much benefit

There is still much debate with the Shetland Fishing fleet as to whether there will be any benefit when we leave the EU. Most think the government will just use fishing rights as a give a way.

A large number of foreign fishing boats have now left Lerwick and have gone back fishing

Lerwick at the end of the day

Lifeboat ready for action

Low winter light in Scalloway

We do get some beautiful clouds in Shetland, join us on facebook at Shetland Clouds

Its not Christmas in Shetland until Father Christmas fly's past in the Coastguard Helicopter. They cover most of the south part of Shetland but this year didn't really stay long in Sandwick, they may have been called back to base.

Shetland celebrated its second Christmas a few days ago with Foula and a few other spots working off the Julian calendar.

The Up Helly Aa season kicked off yesterday with the Scalloway fire festival. The Jarl squad was larger than normal and made visits, in the rain, to a number of homes, schools and youth clubs in Scalloway.

The big one, in Lerwick will take place on the 29 January, just hope the weather is dry

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Father Christmas arrives

Hope you are all having a great Christmas, its been still and mild in Shetland which is a change.

Father Christmas gives us a pre Christmas visit just to see how many houses survived the Hurricane which struck the other week

What looks like the Christmas star over St Ninian's tombolo, in fact its the moon

A season of good will to all and i took this photo of a cheque being presented to Walter & Joan care home in Scalloway from the Shetland Women's Guild. More good will from all those who made a contribution towards fire damage to a Lerwick house which caught fire, no one injured but house a mess. Donations reached almost $12000 on Christmas eve, Shetland people never cease to amaze me.

Will be back in the New year so in the meantime have a good new year. In the meantime check out Shetland Aurora Hunter on facebook

Uncovered by a storm

Storm Barbara (90 mph) forced the cancellation of the visit by Father Christmas to the south mainland villages by helicopter. 

Bressay was hit by lightening with many home loosing power and with the ferries out of action it was hours before it was restored. Over 100 homes without power in Tingwall and a further 30 up at Sullom again due to lightening strikes

Today Storm Conor hit and this was even stronger at 105 mph (recorded at Scatness) so we haven't been out much. The roof on the next door's shed was ripped off and the rest was vibrating badly, lucky this was at then end of the storm.

You could feel the vibration through our house and see the windows flexing as the wind thumped against the building. We do feel safe as these Norwegian houses are very well built,  but newer wooden houses may not be up to the same construction specifications.

All the photos here are from Jarlshof, covering 4,000 years of human settlement. First the Neolithic period at 2700 BC remaining occupied until 1600 AD

With oval Bronze age houses and Iron age broch and wheelhouses, Norse longhouses , Medieval farmsteads to the Lairds House dating from 1500 , it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe

It was ideally positioned next to the sea in the south mainland but remained hidden until a storm, like today, in the early 19 century uncovered the site.

Excavations started in 1925 and stopped in 1950

From Walter Scott 1821 Novel the Pirate

"Amid this desolation, the inhabitants of Jarlshof had contrived, by constant labour and attention, to keep in order a few roods of land, which had been enclosed as a garden, and which, sheltered by the walls of the house itself, from the relentless sea-blast, produced such vegetables as the climate could bring forth, or rather as the sea-gale would permit to grow; for these islands experience even less of the rigour of cold than is encountered on the mainland of Scotland; but, unsheltered by a wall of some sort of other, it is scarce possible to raise even the most ordinary culinary vegetables; and as for shrubs or trees, they are entirely out of the question, such is the force of the sweeping sea-blast."

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Also other blogs

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www.amazingshetland.co.uk (Canvas prints)

Christmas visitors

Well Christmas is almost here and Christmas eve we always enjoy the visit by Father Christmas. He flies in the Coast guard helicopter over Sandwick and other nearby villages.

                                      Coast guard HQ Sumburgh Airport

                                                                                                  Ready for take off

                                                                                                         Here he comes

 Father Christmas may however be side tracked, one pilot said a few years ago they has just set off to fly over the villages when an emergency call came in so they diverted to pick someone out of a sinking boat. You can just imagine Father Christmas being lowered onto the boat to save someone - no one would believe his rescue story. Don't think they will be over today with the gales

                                                                                                           
                                                                                                            Grutness

 We love to get out on a winters day when the sun is shinning, the landscape always takes on a nice warm colour especially with low light. This week however has been filled by heavy rain, gales and a visit from Storm Barbara yesterday with winds around 70 mph and very large hailstones. Today went out to car and nearly got blown away, very difficult to walk against the wind.

On Christmas day it is expected to be around 95 mph so i don't think we will be going out

                                 The plane now landing at ` Sumburgh Lighthouse'

We decided that due to ferry disruption we would go  to Tesco on Wednesday as we heard that things  were already running out, a good job we did as we only just managed to get all we needed, except for bread.

Have a great Christmas and thanks again for looking at this blog
You may also like to look at the following

shetlandsfp.blogspot.co.uk
shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
www.amazingshetland.co.uk

and come and join a new facebook group - `Shetland Aurora Hunter' - send me a request to join.