Shetland past

Spring is progressing fast, the nights are so light you can read a book outside at midnight, nearly `Simmer Dim'

Lots of old derelict  crofts can be found around Shetland and there is always something of interest inside. Many people now preferring to build new houses.

This one is at Quendale. There is now about 23,000 people living in Shetland but at this time of year many visitors arrive and most struggle to find accommodation. Its a bit of surprise to many to find 4 hotels up for sale while a brand new one, the Brevik Hotel may end up being knocked down and a replaced by a 91 bedroom hotel owned by the Premier Inn.

A recent report shows that 53% of Shetlanders live in fuel poverty, with 22% in extreme fuel poverty. Electricity is a lot dearer in Shetland and bills continue to rise to pay for the new Wind Farms. Most Shetlanders don't want these turbines all over Shetland and the decision as to whether they will go here will be made very soon.

We applied for a grant for insulation but they couldn't install underfloor insulation as the gap was too small and because we already had 100mm of loft insulation they couldn't put any more in. You have to make your house as warm as possible and these old croft with there massive stone walls are very difficult to insulate

The other night we attended a very good concert at the Garrison theatre, Shetland for Wirds'`. This was founded in 2004 to encourage the use of written and spoke dialect as a valued and essential part of the Shetland heritage.

The concert included poems, song, film a play and music  the Shetland way. I just love hearing the Whalsay dialect so make sure if you visit you make time to go an experience this speech.  At one time the teachers were made to rid Shetland dialect from the schools in favour of the English language and now with over 1/2 the Shetland population from `outside' then its vital that the Shetland Dialect and their ways are preserved.

Please take a look at my other blogs and website

http://www.amazingshetland.co.uk
http://shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
http://shetlandsfp.blogspot.co.uk
http://ww2preserved.blogspot.co.uk

#shetland,#Garrisontheatre, #Shetlanddialect,#Whalsay, #Shetlandheritage, #amazingshetland, #windfarms, #Simmerdim

Simmer Dim

While the rest of the UK have had very hot weather, up to 32 degrees in places, Shetland has had strong winds, cool temperatures 11- 16 degrees together with some thick fog. Thinking back to when we visited  Shetland on holiday, back in the late 1980's it was even cooler mostly not more than 10 degrees in June, often with hail.

                                                                                        German ship in Lerwick today

Shetland however does benefit from the long days, nearly 23 hours daylight, known here as the `Simmer Dim'. Last weekend the Simmer Dim Motorbike rally took place with around 400 folk attending, its always a sell out weeks before the event.

                                                                                      National Geographic Orion & Marco Polo

The roads seem busier with many tourists visiting, while Lerwick harbour is full of yachts, many from Norway. A lot of these visitors have been attracted to Shetland by the recent BBC TV series Shetland which should be back on our screens later this year, it will feature Shetland, Glasgow and Norway.

Two friends are due to arrive in Shetland soon, one for a day on a cruise and the other making the usual yearly pilgrimage to Walls in the west mainland. It will be good to meet up with them.

For our holiday this year we are heading back to Sheffield to see family and friends, just a 620 mile 22 hour journey via Orkney. The ferries go by this route a few times a week, you arrive in Orkney around midnight so anyone going here for a break will have to know where they are intending to stay.

In the bay at Fladibister, a number of oil related ships have been gathering. Two are oil tanks waiting for the next order so they could end up anywhere in the world but the two larger ones have parts of an oil rig which will be transported north once the gigantic crane arrives on site.

Shetland is awash with colour at the moment, the wild flowers look superb with lots of Orchids mix in with others. We even have two Northern Marsh Orchid growing in our lawn, first time we have seen them here. Like elsewhere in Shetland i have cut round them, they are so special.

My photography class today in Lerwick - more on this next time

next time we take a closer look at the south end of Lerwick

check out my other blogs

shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
shetlandsfp.blogspot.co.uk (Wildlife)

and on facebook - Shetland Aurora Hunter- just send a request to join

www.amazingshetland.co.uk (Canvas prints)