Apologies

I've been having some problems with other people posting here on my blog. I don't know who these people are but they do not have permission to post here. If any more turns up please accept my apologies, I will deal with this as soon as I can find out how. If anyone knows how to block this garbage I would appreciate it if you would let me know. 

How long will the summer last this year?

I enjoyed spring a lot this year, it was really nice - calm and warm. I must admit that it was so good that in the middle of April, up in Unst, I whipped of my breeks and jumped into the sea. It would be fair to say that it was refreshing.

Since then it has remained quite good, no sunburn but summer hasn't finished yet. With luck it'll last well into October because it always helps people's mood, if nothing else.

A recently planted Black Hawthorn has unfortunately been damaged by one of my friends. I won't tell you what Chris's name is but he was doing the lawn and buggered the tree with the strimmer. It's so thin and young that I'm going to try to get it to root again and hopefully get it back in for the spring next year. It was planted a few months ago and was coming on so well, fingers crossed that I can save it. If anyone has any tips on it I'd be grateful!!!

The Tall Ships Race

I haven't managed to spend any time in Lerwick for the Tall Ships race this this time around. I passed through on Thursday and couldn't miss the crowds of people enjoying themselves. I also spotted the tail-end of the march going down the Esplanade and the tops of a few masts but that was all I'm afraid.

I will see it next time around, no worries about that!!!

I've done something useful

I hope that I've done something useful at long, long last. I put in the Met Office widget, set for Lerwick, at the left hand side there. If there is a majority reply saying that it would be preferred set for Scalloway or Wolverhampton (folk live there you know) then I'll change it, ok.

The hidden power of smiling

I found this very interesting so I copied it into here in the hope that you would find it interesting too!!!

The price of petrol

I've just read an article in MailOnline regarding the price of petrol down south. It bears absolutely no relation to the cost of living here in Shetland.

Stores cut unleaded petrol to 69.9p a litre

by RAY MASSEY, Daily Mail

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Supermarket chains yesterday slashed the cost of unleaded petrol to below 70p a litre at some filling stations - the cheapest for two years.

The move came as the Morrisons group, which has 88 forecourts and 114 stores across England and Wales, sold unleaded for 69.9 pence a litre, a drop of about two pence.

The price is about 12 pence a litre less than last year, and was last seen in April 1999.

A spokesman for the firm said customers would reap the benefits of a fall in crude oil prices through savings at the pumps.

Asda immediately said it would match the cut, announcing that from today none of its forecourts would sell petrol for more than 69.9p.

A spokesman said: 'Some of our stations may be lower than that, of course, but that is the maximum.'

Tesco said it would also match the low prices and added: 'If we have a Morrisons within three miles of one of our stores we will match that price.'

And Sainsbury's said unleaded would cost 69.9 pence at all its 225 UK filling stations stores from today.

More filling stations are expected to follow as petrol retailers have vowed to keep prices 'competitive'.

But critics said the cuts, while welcome and likely to continue, were only shadowing the drop in crude oil prices.

They added that British motorists were still paying the highest prices in Europe, and blamed the high taxes - around 80p in the pound - imposed by Chancellor Gordon Brown for the scandal.

Yesterday, the Allstar Fuel Report by Arval PHH, Europe's biggest fuel and fleet management company, said UK unleaded petrol prices have fallen week on week since the September 11 terror attacks on the United States. They have dropped from an average 76.7p per litre to 75.2p. During the same period, the price of crude oil has fallen from between $28 and $30 a barrel to between $21 and $23.

Martin Hender, director of fuel at Arval PHH, said the fall in oil prices was due to a combination of recession fears, a downturn in global oil demand, plentiful supplies and the fall-out from the September 11 tragedy.

He added: 'UK fuel prices have fallen by 7 per cent from 12 months ago. But what is needed now is action from the Government on the rate of tax on petrol, which remains the highest in Europe.'

John Bond-Smith, president of the Retail Motor Industry Federation, yesterday called on the Government to appoint a regulator to monitor excessive profits made by oil companies while retailers were squeezed out of business.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-80407/Stores-cut-unleaded-petrol-69-9p-litre.html#ixzz1QOVgUjH9


It really makes a huge difference to the cost of living, in effect cutting the cost of food as the cost of travelling to and from the shop is hugely different up here when compared to the price down south.


Can that be considered fair or reasonable?

The difference in the bus service between the north and south of Shetland

If you live in Lerwick, Shetland, or south of it, you find that there is a superb bus service. If you live north or west of Lerwick then things are vastly different.

Lerwick to the airport at Sumburgh, the bus service runs seven days a week, up to Lerwick and back again, on and on, often with very few, if any people aboard.

Here in Hillswick, thirty-five miles north of Lerwick where I live, things are not the same. There are no buses on a Sunday at all. If you want to go anywhere on a Sunday you either drive yourself, get a lift or walk - that's it - unlike Lerwick, where the buses go round and round, or back and forth to the airport.

During the week we have a minimal service, down to town in the morning and back home in the afternoon. Six days a week there is a bus leaving here at 07.30, getting to Lerwick at about 08.50 and five days a week there is a bus leaving here at 10.00 which gets in at 11.10 - but not on a Wednesday - oh, no, there is a bus into town, getting you in at 08.50, and leaving town at 17.10. A large gap of approximately eight hours in between. Very nice if you want to watch the tide come or go. It's similar Monday, Friday and Saturday except there's a 10.00 bus down to town but even that can mean a long, expensive day out. There is a bus from Brae, coming in in the morning for visitors (three months a year) but nothing to take them away later in the day.

Why? Why is this the situation when we need the use of public transport too. Some of the people using the airport come from up here. Some of the people living up here would benefit by being able to go shopping on a Sunday. Why is there no similar service for us, why does Lerwick and south of Lerwick enjoy a massively better service. Some of us up here do not drive for a variety of reasons, as is true of those south but they have a decent bus service looking after them while we do not.

And being a Wednesday today, after a hospital appointment I caught the 11.30 to Brae and walked for about six miles with my thumb out. I got a lift all the way home from there from a very kind neighbour but that is not possible or suitable for everyone. What does the rest of our society do when those at the south end are going up and down on the bus?