Do you believe in God?

If you do, can I ask you a question, a plain, simple question?

Why, what reason do you have to believe in what the church (of whatever type) either sells you or tells you?

 Perhaps you believe in what your parents told you, but did they give any reason or did they just tell you that there was a God and that was why you had to say your prayers every night and have faith and go to church on a Sunday?

 I always preferred to use my own mind, to question what I was told and to ask for proof. And the result? From a very young age I have known, in my heart, that there is no God because there is no proof, there is no showing, no indication. Nothing more than a row of different churches, praying loudly.

 What about you, what do you think?

One of the differences between Northmavine and the south end of the mainland of Shetland.

I have now lived here in Shetland for just over twelve and a bit years, starting down at the south end in Scatness, where my mother had lived very happily for about twenty-five years and winding up here in Hillswick, in Northmavine, approximately seventy miles north of my starting point.

Hillswick and Scatness are very different places. For a start, Scatness is very close to Sumburgh Airport so there are a much greater amount of buses going up and down to Lerwick which is a great benefit to the people living there. It’s not the same in Hillswick, where there is a bus down to Lerwick at 7.30am and 10.00am and one home at 5.10pm. There is also a shoppers bus, leaving Lerwick at 3.10 for Hillswick and the surrounding areas every second Tuesday and on a Sunday there is nothing, time to get a taxi – if you can.

Very different to the south end where the buses operate seven days a week. I’m tempted to think that some of us here in Northmavine should benefit from the same service because we might need to get to the airport on a Sunday, or perhaps to Lerwick on our day off to go to the museum or the swimming pool for a little relaxation in the same way that the people in the south end can do, without any problem, seven days a week.

 It does surprise me that nothing has been done about this. Why not? Why has no-one shouted and cried about the non-existent Sunday service, or the fact that there is no 10.00am service on a Wednesday?

Why is it impossible for us here in Northmavine to enjoy a couple of pints with our family and friends in Lerwick on a Friday or Saturday evening and then get a bus home?

We don’t get the same service that the south end get, do we. I don’t know why but it isn’t fair, is it???

Radio, radio

The part of Shetland that I live in, Hillswick in Northmavine, is a really beautiful place but it does have one problem. The electricity supply can be a bit dodgy as I found out at Christmas last year. The power went off at quarter to three in the afternoon on Christmas day and came back on twenty-six hours later. No lights, no computer, no radio, nothing. I've just ordered a radio that I can wind up and also runs on solar power. Hopefully, the winter coming will have a better power supply but at least, if there are any breaks, I can wind up the radio. The good thing is, you can use it at the beach or in the bath too. Good, eh!!!

Neolithic Shetland

Shetland, many thousands of years ago, was covered in trees until neolithic man arrived. He cut them all down and used them to build houses or bows and arrows or fires to cook food but whatever he used them for, he used them all and that is why Shetland now is covered in peat.

Because of this, I believe that some trees should be grown back. It cuts back the wind, therefore protecting the stock of sheep and allows some crop to be grown which allows the generation of natural earth. This sends the land, in quality, back thousands of years, which has to be good.

So I do my little bit in my back garden. I grow a couple of very young willows which, in a couple of years I will be able to take a couple of cuts off of which I will start and that will mean there are four. I also have a black hawthorn which I am looking forward to doing the same with.

It's a great pity that more people don't make the effort to return Shetland back to what it originally was but some do and one day, in more than just a few years, it may just happen.

0345am

I woke at 3.45 this morning and the curtains above my bed were light. Now that's early, in Shetland, in style!!!

ShetlandSun weather and sunrise/sunset

Tomorrow is Monday

It’s the middle of the day now. It’s been like this since kick-off this morning, bland, no wind either. The sun can’t see through the light cloud so it’s even more boring outside than in.

I think that I’ll probably remain here, sat on my backside all afternoon, getting up for the odd cup of coffee in case I die of thirst.

I suppose that Shetland is just like the rest of the world when you see it this way. Of course, it might well brighten up tomorrow. There’ll be a bit of a breeze, the sun will be beating down, prices will have trebled and your computer will be knackered.

Just the day to go out and cut the - apart from the fact that you lent the lawnmower to your neighbour a fortnight ago, a week before he moved house, taking your lawnmower with him.

Oh well, tomorrow is Monday, just perfect to break your heart on the gaffers shoulder. That is, if he doesn’t burst into tears first because the wife left him on Saturday. Nothing to do with the wife leaving but she took the car with her.

Oh no. Here comes the neighbour with the lawnmower :(

Feeding the birds

The bird-feeder was empty so, obviously, the birds weren’t spending too much time in my back garden. I can’t say that I blame them for that but I do like to see them so I decided to deal with the problem.

I went into the shed and there it was, the food for all the birds. I decided to take it round to the back garden and fill the feeder there so around to it I went with the feed.

When I got there I laid the big bag of bird-food down and turned around to get the feeder to fill it up.

 Guess what happened when my back was turned?

Yes, you’re right, the big bag fell over and the feed inside poured out, lots and lots of it, bird feed so not that easy to get back into the bag, especially when the grass hasn’t been cut for a while.

I did my best though and filled the feeder too. After all, that was the job that I was there for.

But the amount of food for the birds that has been left on the lawn is working well, the birds love it.

They go nowhere near where I intended though:))