Whispers of Fair Isle

This peerie black coo made his arrival mid morning on Friday, 2 weeks earlier than we expected but we were never really sure if mum came back into season or not so were not really sure when to expect him.

He’s a strong healthy wee lad, had a bit of a start with him just getting him to take onto mum for feeding, but brilliant neighbours helped me out patiently while we milked mum and got the wee lad fueled up a bit then spent a 2 days working to get him taking from mum. Mum and lil man doing wonderfully now.

Must say, that was fast and yes, it is a great improvement, it doesnt take forever to log in now.

What a day of wind ! himself & I attempted to get the sheep and do feet today, but i couldnt stand in the wind never mind keep my balance enough to grab and tip sheep in it, mayhaps tomorrow.  So instead, i spent a good part of the day running around doing all those little things you always mean to do but never find the time, phoned the seed merchant and ordered a load of stuff so feeling a little more organised than i was yesterday.

I had hoped to get a day starting to sort out some of the garden today, but the ground is still a fair bit to wet to go hochin around at it with spade and fork. I’ve got a huge clump of dog rose that i want to dig up, split and replant alongside the outside wall to our main garden area at the house in the hope that the prickles will stop folk from jumping over the wall into garden to view the bird trap rather than walk 3 feet along the path and use the gate.

Having one of those really frustrating days today, the trouble with being a mainly self taught learner at the fiddle, is the lack of folk to sort you out when you do something wrong. I play with an old neighbour once at least once a fortnight if he’s feeling up to it but the rest of my learning has been through my own stubborn determination to learn to play the music that is my life. Its been one of those days where i’ve been on the brink of just giving up, sometimes it all seems to hopeless and far out of your reach, but i guess we’ve all had days like that, just gota pull myself together and go back to it with tripple the stubborn determination to beat the moment and win.

Tags: crofting, Fair Isle, fiddle, folk music, lonely life, nature, remoteness, wilderness

The sun is out, skys are blue with whispy cloud, little mist out there to remind us of what it could be like, but, thus far its staying away. Washings out on the line, opened all the windows to give the whole house an air after a very wet 2 weeks.

Worked myself very hard this morning learning Ashokan farewell, complicated timing in places but ive been sticking with it, determind to become master of it, just spending an entire hr on it has produced great improvements, still have a bit of work to do to get it spot on, but its getting there & im happy with the progress.

The pond outfront is now becoming full of life, the ducks are paired up and some seem to be starting to nest already, we’ve also seen a frog or two making a brief appearance, spring is round the corner.

and the plane eventually arrives.

One big kid back out to school, the other home for a weeks holiday (and if she makes cheese scones like these every day, i am going to be so ill by the end of the week ! (its a wheat thang) )

It looks like, sorta anyways, well there is that slight chance, that spring may be kinda sprung. Bulbs are up, daffs and crocus & snowdrop are flowering, willow has buds on it, weeds have started to grow. The pressure to get out there with garden spade as soon as the ground drys up increases with every day lost to yet more rain.

If only we had snow to make it worthwhile.

Blanket closure on all Shetland schools today due to high snowfalls, only, we had rain so Fair Isle no longer has snow except in few deepest darkest crevices that the sun never reaches, Go Figure.

Anyways, kids went down the brae to play for the day with a school friend, so having the day to dwaddle about, i got everything fed then headed to S. Senior to play a few tunes, but having as ive been away and not played my fiddle since last week, the fingers ached by the time i came home, serves be right for being a slacker.

Dad is still stuck on shetland & starting to get bored of it.  With last nights snowfall most of the stores in lerwick were closed today as staff couldnt get into work, eldest daughter had the day off as the bus from hers had ran adrift (virtually) and was stuck so no buses running till they got that one shifted. Not that she minded.

I’ve reached that point in the day where ive tidied all i can be bothered to tidy, washed all that needs washed, scrubbed what needed scrubbing and am wondering what else to do with my time, these hollow long moments of nothingness are a fact of life up here.

Small uns are asleep following a mega session of draughts and snakes and ladders, himself is away as the boat went tonight to lerwick for its annual refit, he’s due back tomorrow, but its snowing again, so lets wait and see, only me & the cats (who’ve been allowed inside for a few hrs on the sneak and all 3 insist on sitting on my knee here) tis bliss, I do seriously enjoy these rare moments of solitude of an evening when one can just sit in quiet contemplation.

I’ve set my alarm to see that i get up a few hrs before the kids get up so i can ensure we dont have frozen water pipes when the need for water is high and give me time to get everything fed and watered before the small uns claim to be half starved and in need of nourishment.

I live in hope of getting time to go for a walk with the camera tomorrow, hope because ive been doing some editing work for an old friend, and *touch wood* my part of the job is, as of 30 mins ago, done, but, there may always be that phone call in the morning ” im emailing file, changed such and such, need it back in 45 mins” that we’ve had 3 times already these past 2 weeks, its been fun working on his project, but boy am i ready for it to be done, finished, ended.  Much as the need to be constantly working and forging an income is constantly over our heads, I also need to get on with some repair stuff around here before spring arrives, calves are born and cows want to be back outside in safe pastures and the cruise ships will be starting to arrive before we know it so i must get my addition to the knitwear stock available seriously bumped up, my sock darning pile needs to be attacked, and worn out socks seriously need to be replaced.

Water problem solved by multiple buckets of warm water followed by a thick layer of fulled fleece to protect the guilty piece of ground from freezing up that deep again.

when things start to go aray the moment you awake.

Went to fill the kettle this morning, put it under the cold tap, turned tap on and nothing came out, dang and drat it, we’re frozen ! Hauled out the emergancy bottled water supply to use for coffee, filled endless buckets with hot water (left the stove burning all night) and put them outside to cool for the cows, hens, dogs, cats, pigs.

Cursed said water shortage an hr later when I realised that i couldnt even put the washing machine on & attempt to get rid of the *man at home alone* laundry mountain that built up while i was away.

So, having to spend my morning trying to get the bread dough to rise and walking round the house every 5 mins listening for those tell tale drip drip signs of a burst pipe, so far so good !

Made it home, although it was one of those days where you wondered if there was going to be a plane, but you had to be in place anyways, just in case.  Tingwall put a hold on all flights this morning due to the conditions of the runway, and an afternoon flight was looking really iffy, but, just in case, i still had to head to the airport for 2pm. On getting there the deep snow and hardly cleared access road did little to allay ones thoughts of not returning home that day, but, it seemed the well sanded strip was sanded to perfection and shortly afterwards we were airborn, gliding over lands caressed by a soft blanket of snow that struck you as being a huge blank canvas awaiting springs colourfull paintbrush to create its annual masterpiece of new life and growth anew.

Behind me i left 8 inches of snow and a partially frozen sea at Scalloway harbour, to arrive on a land with little more than a light sugarfrosting of iced crystals & glittering heathers.

Needless to say, small ones were delighted to have mumma home again, and bless dad, he made a valiant attempt at hiding the bag filled with goodies for oncoming 6th & 7th birthdays & easter, so good was his attempt, that not even I know where said bag is to be found.

But, that aside, the small ones still had a few bags of goodies to tear apart and get excited about, although, for some reason they did not find the ample supply of new wooden spoons worth even the smallest bit of excited screaming, all screaming, it would seem, was reserved for the contents of the bag from world tastes, popadoms , spices, chapati flour, ocra, rice paper, seaweed, wasabi, all the goodies our cupboard had became somewhat lacking in over the winter.

Eldest daughter and I had such a fun today, we scoured the charity stores for *dressing up goodies* silly hats, stupid bags, fancy scarfs you name it. Now we can glamour to our wee hearts content on those *stay inside wet days*