Friday 21 June 2013

I couldn't see the sun

I never made it for simmer dim last night. It was cloudy with a little mist so I couldn't see the sun coming up and that's the main bit for me, which meant that I went back to bed instead of going out for the simmer dim.

It's just left two o'clock in the afternoon now and it's brightening up a little but I won't get my hopes up.

Songs of Thule

Thursday 20 June 2013

Simmer Dim

Firstly, I have to apologise to everyone for not writing here lately. I have had thoughts on other things and that has taken me elsewhere but I'm back, at least for today.

Today we will enjoy Simmer Dim. The sun came up this morning at about 03.35 and will go down again at around 22.38 this evening. The sun will be back up tomorrow morning at 03.36 which means that tonight will be very short indeed.

It certainly won't be very dark tonight, regardless of the weather. There are twenty-three and a quarter hours of visible light today and I personally see it as a twenty-four hour day because, to me anyway, it won't get truly dark tonight. Dusky perhaps but enough light to stop me getting lost.

I am hoping that tonight the weather will be good as I would like to be out for a few hours tonight to enjoy Simmer Dim. If it happens the way that I would like then I'll tell you all about it tomorrow and hopefully have some photo's to show you.

A Black Country Lad Explores; The Wildlife of Shetland's Simmer Dim

The Simmer Dim

Saturday 23 March 2013

What's the weather like?

This says it all about the weather this year and tells us just how poor it is in comparison to last year. What do you think, is it just a cold spring or is it a sign of what is on the way?
Thanks to the BBC for the copy. It shows yesterdays
weather and a year before that.
I certainly hope that it gets better quickly but looking out of the window and seeing that the snow is still coming down doesn't help very much, does it!!!

Saturday 9 March 2013

Should have waited

I should have waited a few minutes before I put out the last blog. Then I could have mentioned that the sky was going to be covered over by clouds, throwing snow everywhere.

I can't complain, I love it and hope that by tomorrow it is at the very least, six feet deep and lasts for a week. That's Shetland weather for you, always paradise :))

More Mistakes

I've done it again, I thought that spring was with us so I put the peppermint and the strawberry seeds that I'd just potted out to the wee greenhouse-on-the-wall that I'd recently put up. They haven't risen yet, not a single one of them has even stuck a finger up to test the temperature.

Peppermint leaves
Perhaps they know the truth, perhaps they know all too well that it's too bloody cold for them to come up yet. If they wait another month then they will come up smiling and the paranoia will leave me alone, at least I hope that it will leave me alone.

That's Shetland for you :))

Monday 25 February 2013

Hillswicks weather and its internet connection

Blue sky over the water

Unfortunately, we no longer have the clear blue sky that we had for the last few days. It really was lovely and well worth going out and enjoying while it lasted. Now we have a little cloud cover and a very, very light breeze blowing at around four or five knots so not worth getting worked up about.

And because it's a Monday all the children are off to school and all the working adults are doing their bit to support society, or more likely, to support themselves and their family. This means that I have no problem getting connected to the internet – at the moment!!!

There are times when things are a little different though. First thing in the morning, between six and eight, every day of the working week, it can be almost impossible to go on the net. Every day of the working week, from four o'clock in the afternoon until perhaps six o'clock in the evening it is more use washing the windows because again, you won't get onto the internet then either.
All these promises that they make!!!

There is, of course, a reason for these problems. In effect we live, here in Hillswick, Northmavine in Shetland, at the end of the line and all the people further down the line suffer this problem less and less as they get to the beginning of the line.

Now I don't know about you but this annoys me. I pay for this service just like everyone else but I don't get the same service as those further down the road and I do not get any discount for that.

I do know that they can install what they call a “Cabinet”, please don't ask me what it is because I don't know. What I do know is that it is the solution to the problem we get in this area, as told to me by BT.

Please, please, make a real nuisance of yourselves. Moan and groan incessantly at British Telecom. If we don't do that then things won't improve.

The price won't go down either, it will only go up.