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?

The sun and the rain and the wind

What has happened to Hillswick, here in Shetland. It's supposed to be the end of spring with summer starting next month and.......

And the wind is gusting 30 to 40mph and because of that it makes the cool weather feel bloody cold. The clouds are light but where is that sun, it's not been seen yet today and surprise, surprise - it's just started pouring with rain again. By the time the summer weather starts, Santa Claus will be getting stuck in my chimney.

Maybe it's just a bad start to the year. Maybe the second half will be all sweetness and light, the sun will come out and not be troubled for three months and we'll spend a fortune on suntan lotion.

Aye, maybe ;))

Or maybe it'll just settle a little bit, maybe the wind will slow down and if it does that then it won't feel so cold. Here in Shetland it might even feel warm - if the wind slows down a bit.

As I see it, it's just one of those years, all a bit pear-shaped regardless of what you try for, what you want and what you hope for.

I'm just glad that I've got a clothes drier because outside, all it would get is a rinse :))

Weather ain't what it used to be

Not only is it blowing a gale but it's snowing as well - and it's ten days until summer starts but don't be silly and put your thermals away until next winter. The way that it's going, winter will go through spring, summer and autumn, meeting itself at the end of the year so be careful ;))

I have some black viola's to put out in the garden but the later that I do it this year, the better I think. They are coming on really well, as are the pansy's, but the closest they are getting just now is the front window.

So watch out everyone, weather ain't what it used to be :))

The day has been saved

The day has been saved after all!!! I arrived in Lerwick and did what I had to do, jumped on the bus to Brae and got a lift home from there, brilliant. It's amazing how generous people can be ;))

Now that I'm home, I'll probably spend most of the day watching the birds feeding themselves. They still don't eat summer food as quickly as winter food. The winter food must have been smaller and therefore easier to get at. Doesn't matter though, they persevere and they win in the end.

We are into the second half of spring

Some year this is turning out to be. We are well into May, we are into the second half of spring and when I got up this morning it looked like there was potential.

The sun was creeping out from behind the clouds so I got all the rubbish ready to be picked up and took it out for collection. When I went out it was perfect, no wind at all, so still that you couldn’t believe it, beautiful. I’m back inside and it is lashing down with hailstones.

What is going on here? There is still no wind, you can see that from the way that the hail falls – straight down, no angle to it at all. I’m wondering how long it will last, will it continue and turn life into winter again or will it resort into rain and wash all the hail and icing away – or, with a little hope, will the sun come out and put a smile to life in the second half of spring, to our journey into summer.

I have a couple of flowers that are just about ready for planting out, black viola’s and pansy’s. If it stays like this it will be a bit too cold for them.

But the second half of spring, with the sun putting just a wee bit of warmth around them, now that would be perfect.

The birds have disappeared

I can't believe it. When I wrote earlier we had green grass up here - we don't any more. Winter has returned with a vengance and the snow is pouring down, all lovely and clean.

The birds have disappeared, home to bed I suppose and by the look of the sky, it's going to be a long shower. I bet that it's an early night for me tonight.

Good idea to take a flask of tea with me though :))

Summer snow!!!

It's the middle of May and summer has been cancelled. It snowed last night and it snowed again this morning. Not only that but my poor wee birdies are probably frozen but they're still smiling, cheery little chaps that they are ;))

I'll have to check out the feed that I put out for them, though. Not so sure that summer feed is really that appropriate for them in this somewhat wintery weather. They are certainly not eating it quite as quickly as the robins eat the winter feed that I put out first.

It might warm them up a wee bit if the sun comes out though.

Fingers crossed :))

They're getting to know all about it

The robins are getting to know where the food is and they are also getting used to me having a cup of coffee in the living room as well - and all so quickly too.

Now, they take no notice of me, they just get stuck in, scaring away the little sparrows as they go about their breakfast, lunch or tea.

I'm surprised too. Along with this feeder I bought winter food, expecting it to arrive after the summer stuff. It really doesn't seem to have mattered to them though. Having said that though, when the summer order does arrive it will be put away for a month or so. Timing of the seasons here in Shetland does run a bit late, in fact it runs a bit confused at times so I'll be a bit more careful in the future.

In fact, I may make sure that both are out at the same time and then we'll perhaps find out whether it's winter or summer. A bit of confusion here I think. Where have Spring and Autumn gone. They might be around for a short spell, I suppose ;))

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!!!