The shortest day of the year

It's only four days until Christmas now and it's also the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. The sun will come up here in Shetland at 09.12 and will go back down at 14.55 which means that the sun is up for just under six hours, a very short day indeed.

An hour before sunrise

Come the middle of June things will have changed. The sun will go down at about 22.30 and will come back up at about 03.30, meaning a long, long day and an almost non-existent night as at this time it is never really dark, only dusky for a while.

I find this quite difficult at times. At the moment I'm comfortable living in a predominantly dark environment. Come the spring and it starts to change, becoming very much the opposite and for a while it's hard work coping with the change but I will get into it – and soon after it will start to go the other way again and it's time to settle into that yet again.

Some things never change and yet, they change so much. From winter to summer, the time that the sun goes down changes by approximately seven and a half hours and the change in the morning is similar.

I wonder why I can't sleep sensibly?

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!!!

The power cut that we suffered over Christmas

Here in Hillswick, in Northmavine at the north end of Mainland, Shetland, UK, the electricity went off at 14.45 on Christmas Day and came back on the next day, Boxing Day at 16.50. That is twenty-six hours and five minutes with no electricity.

I wonder how many Christmas dinners were destroyed here but more to the point, I wonder how many people complained about the power cut and therefore got the same cheque for £54.00, through the door today as I did.

I bet that I'm the only man that did it. I bet that I'm the only man that knows that if everyone complains the service will be improved and the power cuts will stop happening.

But I'll also bet that they haven't stopped talking about it yet. It's amazing how long you can spend talking about the results of doing bugger all.

Imagine - the power's back on!!!

Quarter to three on Christmas Day the power went off and stayed off for twenty-six hours, coming back on at ten to five this afternoon. It probably went off because of the wind that was gusting between 90 - 100 mph. Wind is a problem to the electricity supply which is delivered above ground and has been, to this area, for approximately thirty-five years.

Talk about technology. We're about thirty-two miles from the power station, power supplied above ground, not under, power cuts averaging about once a month, that last between a few minutes to a couple of days. Around here we have electric lighting, heating and I also have an electric cooker and in reality it's worth about as much as a chocolate watch.
What a marvellous power station, sending top quality electricity nowhere near me to destroy the turkey that I threw out for christmas. I'm sure that I wasn't the only person to enjoy cold pie and beans for dinner yesterday, followed by a Boxing Day tin of coke today, perfectly chilled to room temperature because the fridge-freezer was off like everything else, that went with the sandwich, after the cornflakes to start, when today's lunch was enjoyed while looking out the window, watching the horizontal rain pour past.

I just hope the people that provide delivery of electricity enjoyed the same 

Christmas that I did.

Next year I will be buying a cooked turkey because considering the crap 

service that is provided around here, it's not worth taking the risk.

I got home - eventually!!!

This Christmas and New Year was wonderful. I spent it four hundred miles south of home with the lady that I love and the biggest wee man that I've ever known. Nine years old and a great guy. I hope everyone had at least half as much pleasure and celebration as me, this time around it was brilliant.

There was a problem though - getting home. I got the boat up from Aberdeen, Scotland to Lerwick, Shetland overnight, landing at seven-thirty in the morning and I caught the first bus up to Brae, which is about twelve miles from home. There is a bus that leaves the garage in Brae at about twenty to ten and goes up to Hillswick where I live and that was the bus that I stood waiting for.

Up to this point the journey had been fine. I slept well on board the boat, the first bus was on time to pick me up, all went well until the nine-forty bus came along. It drove up towards the bus stop, the driver waved - and carried on driving. The next bus is in the late afternoon so I invested twenty pounds, angrily, on a taxi.

After calming down I set out to find out why this had happened. I contacted the council who informed me that there is a summer-only service, from Brae to Hillswick at that time in the morning but it is only a summer service.

That, it turns out is true but it is also true that throughout the year there is a ten o'clock bus leaving Hillswick every morning bar Wednesday. To provide that service the bus leaves the garage in Brae at - yes, you've guessed it - twenty minutes to ten.

Surely this is a bit silly. During the summer there is a superb service up to Hillswick, available to all and sundry but off-season the residents of Hillswick cannot go home in the morning, people who wish to visit friends or family cannot catch a bus to do so, even though the bus is making the same trip that it makes in the summer. People in Hillswick cannot pop down to shop, or visit for a short time and then catch the bus home an hour and a half later.

All because a bus that travels up five mornings of every week of every month of every year only picks up passengers in the summer.

It's a long walk - or twenty quid in the taxi!!!

It's been Christmas and the New Year hasn't started

We're right in the middle just now, a brilliant Christmas has just been and a perfect New Year is only days away. Hope that yours is as good and I wish you many more!!!

Can't get much closer to Christmas

Christmas is coming

Not long now, only a few days away, so lets get started, can't complain about Christmas!!!

Snowing - on a Sunday?

Yesterday I got to my destination and after Aberdeen harbour starting to ice over and the road down being covered in snow, I decided to tell everyone that it had been a good trip down (regardless of what I thought) and ask if the kettle was on. Hmmm...had to do it myself!!!!

Now it's Sunday and it's snowing - oh, great, I love it!!!

But the love of my life is on the way home and the relevant weather report is not too good, fingers crossed that she and the wee man get back alright. I'll keep you posted!!!

While we're waiting I think I'll do what I usually do, I think I'll put a record on. It's getting more and more like Radio Two around here every day!!!

Getting ready to go.

Morning everyone!!!

I'm not going to do much here today because I'm packing. Yes, that's right, I'm packing up my clothes for the trip south where I'm lucky enough to be spending Christmas with the love of my life.

I'll pack my clothes today and get on the boat tomorrow. We'll sail overnight and I'll climb off on Saturday in the morning, in sunny Scotland, with a great big smile on my face.

Because of the travel etc, my posts here may be a bit here and there, if you know what I mean. It won't be easy until I get on the boat because it's blowing a gale and pouring down with snow but I will get to the harbour, regardless!!!

Right, nuff said, time to unpack what's in the bag before I put the clothes that I've just washed in, ready to go.

Hope the snow stops!!!