On the trail of craftiness. Elizabeth Atia enjoys the creative skills of the isles. Wild orchid hunting

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1 Oil on the lens Tom Kidd s breathtaking pictures of Shetland in the 1970s On the trail of craftiness Elizabeth Atia enjoys the creative skills of the isles A dream home Mike Finnie advises on building a house in Shetland Connecting Creativity Issue No 13 Summer Wild orchid hunting Jon Dunn goes looking for the rarest of rarities - the Small White

2 8 Contents On the trail of craftiness 4 Elizabeth Atia enjoys the creative skills of the isles Oil on the lens 8 Tom Kidd s astonishingly powerful photographs of Shetland in the 1970s Building a house 14 in Shetland Beyond all the construction heartaches a dream home may lie, says Mike Finnie Making a difference 17 by design Alastair Hamilton looks at the work of Redman Sutherland Architects A prominent posterior 20 and proportionally tipped pelvis Mona McAlpine on midwifery in Shetland, past and present Hoolie in Hackney 26 Kerstin Rogers attends Shetland Night in London Mackerel healthy 30 and delicious Both catching and eating can be a real pleasure, writes Marian Armitage Restoration Diary 33 Aaron Pottinger continues telling LaurieGoodlad about restoring the Skidbladnir Wild orchid hunting 36 Jon Dunn goes looking for the rarest of rarities the Small White Noss The perfect day out 40 There s much more to Bressay s neighbouring island than just gannets, says Kevin Briggs Putting your mind to it 42 Helen Smith finds inspiration in Jim Thomason s Levenwick garden Summer in 42 My Shetland Garden Misa Hay shares some recipes for the versatile rhubarb Degree Show inspirations 48 Final year students on the Contemporary Textiles course at Shetland College UHI are busy getting ready for their degree show Shedding light on the 48 Shetland Nature Festival 2015 is the UNESCO International Year of Light Shetland s Summer Calendar 54 Alastair Hamilton looks at the endless summer days and what they offer us North summer

3 20 Editor s Note Misa Hay, Promote Shetland 36 Shetland s summer is really special and the light nights are one of the islands most appealing features. It doesn t get completely dark between mid May and early August. Instead, we have a kind of unfinished northern sunset. We call this time the simmer dim and on the longest day, the sun is above the horizon for almost 19 hours. Since summer is the perfect time to explore our beautiful isles in this issue we are setting off on to the Shetland Craft Trail to meet some of our accomplished local makers and artists. Trough a selection of Tom Kidd s photos we will travel back in time by a few decades. Tom spent 10 months in Shetland between 1975 and 1979 and photographed the place and its people during the first oil boom. In the larder two things are an essence Shetland summer mackerel and rhubarb. But what to do with these lovely ingredients in abundant quantities? Marian Armitage reveals some of her favourite mackerel recipes and I m going to preserve rhubarb for the winter in various ways. And for those who couldn t attend The Shetland Night in London earlier this year we re bringing a short report of the event that took place in Hackney. Are you thinking to relocate to Shetland? Or perhaps get a new home? One of the most popular ways to get a house in Shetland is to build your own or get someone to build it for you. Mike Finnie and Alastair Hamilton bring some useful information on how to go about getting your dream home. Summer in Shetland also brings some fantastic events. I can t wait for this year s Shetland Nature Festival and put my name down for a few workshops already is the UNESCO International Year of Light and this theme will be central to this year s festival. And then there are the traditional favourites the annual Noss National Nature Reserve and Sumburgh Head Open Days It s shaping up to be a busy summer and that s great. Editor: Misa Hay Design: Left, Cover image: Jon Dunn Contributions and suggestions are more than welcome. Submissions can be made directly to the Editor by to misa.hay@promoteshetland.com Disclaimer: Although Promote Shetland has taken reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the magazine at the time of publishing, it cannot guarantee that the information published is and remains accurate. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Promote Shetland. Events can be subject to change, we recommend you check details before travelling. /promoteshetland A Promote Shetland initiative 60 North SUMMER

4 Shetland, famous for its puffins, ponies and sheepdogs, also breeds a unique and wonderful creative lifestyle. A wide range of artists call these wild, rugged and remote islands home, whether they were born and bred here, inspired from generations of Shetland craftspeople or were drawn here by some unseen but distinctly felt call, not unlike a homing pigeon coming home. Many of these artists are part of the Shetland Arts and Crafts Association, a group founded in 1995 with an aim to support and encourage artists and craftspeople living in Shetland. In 2011, select members of the Shetland Arts and Crafts Association opened the doors of their studios and workshops to form the Shetland Craft Trail, making their creative spaces available for exploration by Shetlanders and visitors to the isles alike. Following the signs nestled in nooks and crannies throughout the islands, I recently spent several weeks visiting as many of the Craft Trail members as I could. My adventures began in Vidlin, on the east side of Shetland, with husband and wife team John Porter and Jane Porter Jacobs. John, originally from America, is retired ceramics professor. He was on sabbatical in Greece when he met, and subsequently married Jane, a native Shetlander who was painting and exhibiting in Athens. Jane works with watercolour, acrylic, paper and collage while John produces unique wheel thrown stoneware and porcelain ceramics with glazes reflecting the colours he sees from the surrounding landscapes. Shetland peat ash and talc from the island of Unst both often find their way into John s glazes. Jane s studio and John s workshop, with their stunning views, are both open to visitors. In Scalloway, Cecil Tait of Paparwark Furniture reveals the art hidden inside locally grown sycamore and ash. He sees beauty in a piece of wood and makes bespoke Nordic inspired items using traditional techniques, enjoying the designing process as much as the creating. His sawdust-filled workshop (is it just me or does sawdust smell amazing!) is open for visitors during weekdays. In Weisdale, a team of creative individuals work with molten metal using the ancient lost wax casting process used by the Saxons and Vikings. Established by Jack Rae in 1953, Shetland Jewellery is renowned for its stunning contemporary and traditional On the trail of Shetland Craftiness Elizabeth Atia enjoys the creative skills of the isles 4 60 North summer

5 Top left: Ninian in Lerwick, here they make all their own modern and fun Shetland knitwear; Left: Jane Porter Jacobs at Vidlin; Right: Shona Skinner runs Britain s most northerly art gallery, The Shetland Gallery. designs in gold, silver, platinum, brass and bronze, inspired by Scandinavian mythology, local wildlife, and traditional Celtic designs. Visitors are more than welcome to visit and view the workshop in action. On the remote island of Fair Isle, just a short plane ride away, textile artist Mati Ventrillon, originally from Venezuela, creates her own unique garments based on the traditional knitwear the island is so famous for. Mati, of Fair Isle Knitwear, believes that every garment, lovingly created by an artist, carries a piece of the knitter s soul in it. You are not just buying an item of clothing when you purchase a Fair Isle sweater, you are buying a work of art with a long history, a story, woven into its threads. You ll also find Kathy Coull on Fair Isle, and although I didn t get a chance to catch up with her, she runs workshops and offers tuition in traditional and contemporary textile crafts including hand-spinning, knitting, weaving and felt making at her Fair Isle Textile Workshop. On the far west side of Shetland, in Sandness, Jo Tonkinson of Journeyman Leather works with English bridle leather and traditional saddlery skills to create belts (including the popular traditional Shetland knitting belts), bags and tack. While I visited Jo put the final touches onto some dog leads, demonstrating the different stitches which could be used. Also in Sandness, and new to the Shetland Arts and Crafts Association this year, is Morwenna Garrick Textile Designs. Look out for the bright purple door, the entrance to her studio, where Morwenna weaves vibrantly coloured mercerised cotton and traditional Shetland wool into various items. She loves to play with colour, and will often combine colours you normally might not find together. When I visited she was weaving a vibrant, pink baby blanket. Visitors are more than welcome to have a go on the loom themselves. In Lerwick you will find Joanna Hunter at Ninian, who make all of their own modern and fun Shetland knitwear in the studio behind their shop on the street. Visitors are more than welcome to visit the studio and see the design process from start to finish, but be warned it is a working studio so it might be a bit chaotic! Alternatively you could sign up for one of their colour workshops during the Shetland Wool Week in September. Just down the street from Ninian you will find Dawn Seigal at N-graved, busy machine and hand-engraving just about everything she can! Dawn is also new on the Craft Trail this year, and visitors are welcome to come into her studio and view metal, wood, glass, leather and slate engraving. While I was visiting I watched the hypnotic machine engrave a stainless steel piece of art. Moving up north to the island of Unst, fused-glass artist Cheryl Jamieson of Glansin Glass works magic with broken pieces of glass, transforming them in her studio into stunning pieces of artwork inspired from the heritage, history, archaeology, knitwear and geology of our islands. Making fused glass is addictive, Cheryl says, when you open the kiln you never know what you ll find! It s a thrill every time! u 60 North SUMMER

6 The Craft Trail has something for every personality and every taste Left: Jo Tonkinson of Journeyman Leather works Below left: New on the Craft Trail is N Graved using metal, wood, glass, leather and slate engraving Below right: Cheryl Jamieson of Glansin Glass works In Yell, Shona Skinner runs Britain s most northerly art gallery, The Shetland Gallery, showcasing the high end of Shetland arts and crafts. An artist herself with a background in drawing, painting and textiles, Shona now works primarily with free machine embroidery. She was working on a stunning Shetland landscape piece while I visited. Her studio in the gallery, is open to visitors from Easter until September. Also in Yell you ll find Andy Ross at Global Yell, who was in the process of setting up a weaving studio next to The Shetland Gallery when I visited. He was away at the time of writing, but I hope to catch up with him once the studio is up and running. On the south mainland, in Scousburgh, Elizabeth Johnston at Shetland Handspun spins, knits and weaves pure, naturally dyed Shetland wool into various garments from shawls to fingerless gloves. Her studio, filled with beautiful spinning wheels, is open to visitors, and Elizabeth runs workshops throughout the year. Visitors, individually or in groups, are welcome to come in and spend an hour, or a week, to learn whatever they want about wool. If she s in she s open and she s happy to answer any questions. Just a hop, skip and a jump up the road and you will find Julia and Stephen Downing of JuSt Shetland, both with an infectious passion for weaving. During my visit I had a tour of their home, containing an extraordinary number of looms and spinning wheels, and watched Julia card the softest cashmere and weave the finest silk into a stunning shawl. Julia and Stephen work with baby camel, silk, cashmere, alpaca, linen, mohair and locally sourced Shetland fleece to create beautifully crafted garments. Visitors are encouraged to have a go at carding, spinning and weaving themselves. Further on down the road, in Quendale, you ll find Hannah Nelson at Quendale Designs. Hannah is also new to the Craft Trail this year, and she works with knitwear traditionally stretched on wooden frames. She also uses modern techniques to achieve silk printing (not to be confused with screen printing!), transferring digital imagery she has designed onto silk scarves. She is also experimenting with other fabrics and soft furnishings. Depending on the day visitors are welcome to view the samples she is working on, maybe see a print run on the go or admire knitwear being stretched. Travelling further north again to Sandwick, you ll find Ruth Brownlee busy painting away in her studio overlooking the sea. Ruth paints stunning seascapes in mixed media blues and textures, capturing the weather, the light, and the sense of space and openness which is Shetland. Visitors are always welcome to have a look around the studio and view her work on display. Next on my travels - the alternative Shetland Knitwear, Neilanell. Expat Canadian Neila has a fantastic little design studio nestled on the outskirts of Sandwick, filled with colour, texture and inspiration. She brightly 6 60 North summer

7 Above: Elizabeth Johnston at Shetland Handspun spins, knits and weaves pure, naturally dyed Shetland wool Left: Wendy Inkster, the creator of Burra Bears. dyes and then spins Shetland wool, using the tradition of knitting to create contemporary designs instead of redoing traditional knitting. Shetland is about innovation, Neila says, it s about freedom and integrity and all these strengths are worked into her unusual, stylish garments. In Levenwick, a chance phone call to James B. Thomason transported me from reality to a world of energy, paint, carpets and colour. James is an award winning artist who doesn t like to limit himself to one genre. If he fancies painting it, he ll paint it - from landscapes, abstracts, imaginative, portraits, collage and Australian themes. He s also a keen gardener, and visitors are welcome to browse his studio and gardens which have recently been featured on television. In Burra you will find Wendy Inkster, the creator of Burra Bears. Upcycling old Fair Isle jumpers into quirky bears full of personality, Wendy has made quite a name for herself, world over. Members of the public are welcome to visit for a tour of the studio, or even bring their own old jumper to have it made into a bear. Just down the road from Burra Bears you ll find Mike Finnie at Red Houss. I was unable to catch up with Mike during my tour, but Mike works with silver jewellery featuring Fair Isle patterns as well as watercolour paintings and hand-printed cards. Also on the trail, but I didn t get the opportunity to visit, are the newly added Shetland Tannery, where husband and wife team Tom and Natalie Ratter in Northmavine tan local sheepskins, goatskins and work with Shetland cow horns. They finish cowhides and hand finish sheepskin slippers, cushions and rugs and are currently extending their range to accessories. They are also currently developing salmon skin leather. Visitors are welcome to browse their workshop. The Craft Trail has something for every personality and every taste. To get a sneaky peek into people s creative spaces is an experience unto itself. Getting to know the people behind an object, be it a jumper, a pillow or a glass dish, is really something special and it adds to the story of that piece of art. What I noticed while on the Craft Trail was how infectious their collective creative passion was. There are so many different people working with different mediums, with different opinions and ideas, but one thing links them all: their passion. Everyone was more than happy to answer my million and one questions, sharing their knowledge with obvious enthusiasm. When I returned home I wanted to start making something myself (I did, actually, I made an awful lot of sawdust!), and I now want to learn how to spin, and weave and work with fused glass. Most places on the Craft Trail are open daily during the summer months, but do phone ahead first to avoid disappointment. Their contact details are listed in the Shetland Craft Trail leaflet which you can pick up in the tourist office on the street in Lerwick. When shopping for crafts in Shetland look out for the Shetland Arts and Crafts logo North SUMMER

8 OIL ON THE LENS Tom Kidd & Shetland in the 1970 s He makes Shetland look like war-torn Poland wrote one aggrieved islander when Tom Kidd s book of photographs, Life in Shetland, was first published. And yet it s the joy and humanity I always see. Tom s eye for people, and the ability to catch the exact, intimate moment that best expresses their personalities, is extraordinary North summer 2015 by tom morton Photographers looking at these images should remember two things: they were shot on Kodak Tri-x film with a couple of Nikons and mostly using a 35mm lens (though with occasional use of 24mm and 135mm lenses). That means there was none of the incessant image-capture of the digital age; with film (Especially as an impoverished youngster straight out of Napier College and existing on a Kodak bursary) you husband your resources, choose the shot as the action is happening. And that 35mm lens meant Tom worked up close and personal. He met, talked with, befriended his subjects. It really isn t about the gear. Especially, it s not about that expensive long lens, the thing that keeps you distant. Tom s pictures are not about distance. They re about closeness.

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10 Tom Kidd s memories of Shetland Fellow Napier photography student Charlie Robertson was the first person to point me in the direction of Shetland. Charlie was from North Roe, and saw the changes happening. When I arrived on the St Claire with a small case strapped to the back of my tired Suzuki 50, he helped find me a place to stay in Hillswick, took me to meet his wonderful parents, Jimmie and Annie, and introduced me to his cousin Mary Blance at the BBC. My time in Hillswick was a fine introduction to Shetland, but the Kodak bursary money soon ran out. Stewart Pollock, who was building council houses at Voe, took pity and gave me a labourer job, working alongside joiner Big Robbie Cummings and a motley crew of other trades. Fun times followed. One of the perks was living in Voe Hall during the week. Robbie took me under his wing, and was good company, apart from his guitar playing and Babs Dickson stories just kidding, Robbie. After a year or so away from Shetland, I returned to continue my project. This time I stayed at a fine B&B in Scalloway, and then with Bertha Mouat and family in North Nesting. Bertha was a great help. She introduced me to friends and neighbours like Bertie, John and Jeanie, all of whom I photographed on many occasions. I think the pictures all started coming together during that time. The longer I spent on Shetland, the more I warmed to the people and the place. Sadly, my headlong charge to further my photography meant that I lost touch with some of the friends who had been such a help. More recently, The Bonhoga gallery showed some of the photographs and Tom Morton put together Black Gold Tide and has been the key element in the images appearing again. All the pictures will, I hope, become part of an online archive, where visitors can comment with names, places, activities and caption the photographs - never my strong point as any journalists I have worked with will agree. In the meantime, many of the photos can be seen at and North summer 2015

11 The best press photographers I have worked with over the decades have been the ones with highly-developed social skills, sometimes essential because they had to be able to talk themselves out of serious trouble. Tom likes to interract with those he photographs, and to produce Life in Shetland, he spent 10 months in the isles between 1975 and 1979, at first in a remote Northmavine cottage, then mostly in Bed and Breakfast establishments where he met all sorts of characters. And that really was a time of characters. As the North Sea began to give up its riches, Shetland was the klondyke, the motherlode for anyone connected with the oil industry, and thousands flocked to Sullom Voe in search of the incredible rates of pay on offer. Over 1000 a week in 1977 was a vast fortune, though that included punishing overtime and often dreadful working and living conditions. But at the same time, Shetland was still full of fascinating - and fascinated - local folk who had come through two world wars and for whom the advent of oil was an object, an interlude, of interest and amusement. Given the vast numbers of service personnel who had garrisoned Shetland in both wars, the swaggering, moneyed bears were no real burden. The traditional crofting and fishing life of Shetland was still very much in evidence, and the (mostly good natured) interface between the two communities (with the occasional crunching collision) is another aspect of Tom s work. Where did the incoming, strong workforce stay? Yes, there were the camps, at Firth and Toft, not-so-small towns with every modern convenience, including sports halls, bars, dancehall and cinemas. There was the infamous redundant cruise ship Rangatira. But there were the caravans, the cottages, the guest houses and huts, too. There was the presence at hall dances of travelling men, and the inevitable jealousies and confrontations. Relationships, marriages, births, abandonments. There was the discrepancy between what an unskilled cleaner could earn at say Firth Camp and what that person s father had been earning after a lifetime of experience. Sometimes a daughter might earn double her father s income. It was a strange, topsy-turvy, tense, exciting time. Shetland would never be the same again. And always the shadow cast by money. Cash. On an individual, corporate, national, international level. The contract to build Sullom Voe was a so-called cost plus one, without the penalty clauses which have cost Petrofac so dearly in the Laggan-Tormore project. North Sea Oil was crucial to the British Government of the day for political reasons and the giant oil terminal in Shetland had to be built, regardless of cost. The UK s self sufficiency in energy was the aim, without the traditional dependence on coal. Anything that got in the way wasn t scrapped. It was dumped. Buried. There are all kinds of stories of what lies in the now-landfilled Orka Voe, between the new Total gas plant and the oil terminal. There s a very good reason nothing has been built there. Buses, lorries, Land Rovers, vast quantities of heavy machinery, some it unused - are all reputed to be down among the peat, dispensed with when their usefulness was at an end, or when someone realised they d been unnecessary from the start. Money, in the making of the Sullom Voe Terminal, truly was no object. And as the thousands of men who came to build it worked, played, drank, partied and left their mark on Shetland, or indeed stayed and settled, Tom Kidd was there to capture, with an incredible sense of ease, care, craft and insight, their lives, their hopes, their dreams, their liveliness and their exhaustion. Life in Shetland. In 2015 of course, with eight cruise ships or accommodation barges moored up in various parts of the isles, not to mention a packed hotels and hostels, Shetland is in the midst of a new klondike, even as oil prices tumble and energy firms look to save money. Looking back to the 1970s through Tom Kidd s eye, it does seem harsh, hard, everything in stark black and white. But is it really that different? 60 North SUMMER

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13 60 North SUMMER Tom Kidd and 60 North would love your comments on the pictures, and especially information on the people and places shown. Please The complete archive of Tom s Shetland pictures is online at where prints can be ordered. We will be featuring more of these stunning pictures in future magazines

14 Building a house in Shetland Beyond all the construction heartaches lies a dream home, says Mike Finnie. Hopefully. One of the most popular ways to get a new house in Shetland is to build your own, or get someone to build it for you. Affordable land prices, frequent family connections to available sites, and the lack of a sizeable commercial housebuilding industry have meant that for many people building their own house is an attractive option. But if you are new to Shetland or you ve never been involved in building yourself a house where do you start? Firstly, before you start to look for a piece of land, you need to spend time deciding what you need. You need a house for how many people? How long will you need the house for? What happens when your circumstances change or your family all leave home? Will your house be a stepping stone to something else or will it be your long-term home? Think about how your house can change to meet your needs as your family changes or you get older. You can design something which would suit your family now but could, for instance, be split later to give you a smaller home and a selfcatering unit to let out. Or you build a small house now and design a future extension, perhaps putting in the site services as part of the first stage. Where would you like your house to be? Think about what public services you need access to: schools, shops, doctor, public transport or to be near to a main road if you will be commuting to work. And think how your needs might change in the medium or longer term. As your children grow up you might find yourself providing a constant Once you have a potential site in mind you need to start thinking of a design for your house taxi service to access out of school activities or to get into Lerwick. A remote site can be idyllic in the summer but become a struggle in the winter battling against wind and rain to get to a shop or doctors surgery. Many side roads will not get priority gritting or snow clearing so if driving to your work is a priority you ll need to consider that. Although the land for a remote house site can be cheaper you ll need to think about the time you ll spend travelling and also the fuel costs. You ll always need a reliable car if you are not on a bus route. Once you have decided what you need and have an idea where you would like your house to be you then need to start doing some serious donkey work. You can check the local press and the solicitors websites North summer

15 where there are sometimes plots of land for sale. You can put an advert in The Shetland Times. It s more likely that you ll have to spend time looking around the areas you d like to live in and start asking questions about land availability with local people. If you can find the Clerk to the Common Grazings (each area will have one) they might be able to assist by pointing you towards people who might consider selling a piece of land. At the same time as looking for land you need to do some research into the planning policies which will apply to you. The starting point is Shetland Islands Council s Planning website. By appointment, the Planning Service can provide advice. Before that it s well worth looking up the Council s Local Development Plan. This is a substantial document which covers a huge range of considerations when selecting a site. Helpfully the document does identify sites where development is likely to be looked on favourably and which can be serviced by existing infrastructure. It also includes maps which show specific designations such as conservation areas, sites of special scientific interest and national scenic areas all of which may impact on where you can build a house. On the planning website you ll also find The Shetland House, a housing design guide which includes useful information and guidelines to help your planning application gain approval. You ll need services on your site and it s worth asking the service providers if and how they would be able to provide these to your site. You ll need to think about an electricity supply, phone, drainage and water. Increasingly you ll need internet and mobile phone access which may not be good in rural areas. As well as asking the service providers it s worth asking people in the area how good or bad these services are. You ll need to consider the cost of providing these services. If you are a distance from these supplies the cost of servicing a site can be substantial. Some rural settlements have drainage schemes but for much of rural Shetland you ll be looking at a sustainable drainage solution to serve your site. You ll need advice from SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) and an engineer to design your proposals. There are classifications for the different qualities of agricultural land and you ll need to avoid building on the best land. When you ve spent time and found what could be a suitable site it s worth arranging a meeting with a planning officer to discuss what you d like to do. You can discuss potential problems before you start incurring the expense of getting plans drawn up. You ll also need to start making enquiries about buying the land. Much of Shetland is crofting land and each croft may be owner occupied or subject to a crofting tenancy. You ll need to employ the services of a solicitor experienced in crofting law to advice you of the procedures you need to go through. A solicitor can tell you about decrofting land and the timescales involved. Once you have a potential house site in mind you need to start thinking of a design for your house. If you have a good brief a list of what you need your house to do for you (rather than just a list of rooms) this will get the design off to a good start. Don t design your ideal house before you have a site for it you need to know were the best views are, where sunlight will come from and will you approach the front or back of the house from the road. You don t want to be in the situation where you end up with your living space facing north, or into a hill or never getting any sunlight. Think about the weather yes it can be bad anywhere in Shetland but if you have a west facing site with a great open view it might be a struggle in a severe south u 60 North SUMMER

16 Settlement at West Sandwick,Yell If you re not daunted by a complex and lengthy process you could consider a restoration project u westerly getting from your car to the house if your main door is facing into the wind. For your own security you need to consider if someone else will be able to build in front of you remembering that in planning you have no right to a view. What size should your site be? Most house sites are around 1000 square metres, which is adequate for a family house, two or three parking spaces and a garage. A bigger house site might sound ideal but unless you are in a sheltered location or are willing to invest time and money in building dykes, shelter fences and establishing shelter belts of trees it s likely that you ll have to spend the summer cutting large areas of grass. When you know what you want you can start designing. Local architects have a lot of experience in designing houses that are suitable for Shetland. If you are new here you might find that what would work on a site much farther south wouldn t be suitable for an exposed site in Shetland. The majority of new houses in Shetland are based on a timber construction, with external cladding of timber or blockwork with some sort of rendered finish. Timber offers a faster construction period, ideally avoiding the worst of the winter weather. You have a wide range of roofing options including natural slate, tiles or metal sheeting. Windows and door should be suitable for very high exposure. You can maximise solar gain by facing your house towards the sun and perhaps having an internal sun space which will transfer heat into the rest of your house. Wind chill has a big impact on heating your house, simple things like reducing window sizes on a north facing wall can help. Having one door to the house can reduce draughts. Once you have a design you ll need to submit an application for planning consent. A pre-application meeting with a planning officer should highlight any concerns they may have and can save you time and expense in amending final drawings. You ll need to submit your drainage proposals along with the planning drawings and also information on vehicular access from the public road and on site parking and turning. Once you are fairly certain that what you propose is feasible in terms of cost and is likely to receive planning consent you may want to start the process to purchase the site. If the site needs to be de-crofted this procedure takes time. Any offer you make to buy the site should be conditional on receiving planning and any other consents required. As well as needing drawings to submit for planning consent you need drawings to submit to Building Control. These are a much more detailed set of drawings with specifications for the materials you are using as well as structural design information and heat loss calculations. You need to receive Building warrant before you can start any work on site. Now you have to decide who is building your house; are you doing much of the work yourself? Do you need contractors in to do some work for you? Who will do the plumbing, electrical and heating work? If you plan to do some of the work yourself and bring in other tradesmen as required you ll need some project management to ensure that work progresses as fast as possible without delays waiting for key people or materials to arrive. The good thing is that self-build is a normal way to have a house built in Shetland. You ll find that the required skills, knowledge and advice is readily available in the local construction industry. If you re not daunted by a complex and lengthy process you could consider a restoration project. Shetland has many old buildings suitable for restoration if the owner is willing to sell. There are a number of Shetland buildings on the Buildings at Risk register, some in remote and spectacular locations. Whatever you do, don t underestimate the time and effort you ll need to put into any building project. Your reward will be getting a house that fits all your requirements North summer

17 reating buildings be they houses, offices, shops, public halls or health facilities entails spending a significant amount of money; often, they re the C largest investment that an individual or a business makes. It makes sense to gain maximum benefit from the expenditure and that s where architects like Redman Sutherland come in, because they believe that they can make a real difference. Based in the village of Scalloway, they undertake work of all kinds throughout Shetland. Jim Sutherland had previously worked for Shetland Islands Council and Richard Gibson Architects before branching out on his own in Suzanne Malcolmson and Iain Malcolmson joined in Bernard Redman, now retired, worked with the firm from 2000 until Jim, Suzanne and Iain all studied architecture in Edinburgh. Jim has worked in Croydon and Aberdeen, Suzanne in Cambridge and New York and Iain on Tayside. The trio are ably supported by Andrew Hunter, their Architectural Technician, and Janice Hamer, who s in charge of all the administrative tasks. Although Shetland s architectural practices have always designed buildings for the Council, local housing associations and businesses, it used to be the case that few individual homes emerged from their studios. With little speculative housing activity by developers in Shetland, the solution for many lay in a kit house, either locallyfabricated or imported from mainland Scotland or Scandinavia. Alastair Hamilton looks at the work of Redman Sutherland Architects Making a difference by design However, that is changing. Jim, Suzanne and Iain agree that people are much more inclined to use an architect nowadays and that television programmes such as Grand Designs have had an influence. As Iain says, People have seen what is possible. When I was growing up, I didn t know what was available, even although I was really interested in design. Suzanne is in no doubt that people s expectations of what they will have and how they will live have been changed. As interesting, thoughtfullydesigned houses appear in greater numbers all over Shetland, she says that more and more people realise that they, too, could have something really good, instead of something that s just all right. Suzanne emphasises that getting to the root of the client s needs is at the core of what they do. I think we try our best to make sure they get as good a job as they can - and to challenge, sometimes, what they want. What s more, good design may not, in the end, cost any more. As Iain explains: We have an appreciation of how things work in design terms. Although they pay a fee for the design service, at the end of the day they will have a building that suits their needs. We spend a lot of time at the beginning trying to get at what they really want out of a building. Sometimes, at the start, they can be looking for something bigger or more complicated than they actually need. Eventually, we distil it down and give them exactly what they want. It s not necessarily any more expensive at the end of the day, in fact we can probably save them money on the actual building. Henderson House An interesting design that suits its surroundings. This house is at Sound in Lerwick 60 North SUMMER

18 Right: The before and after shots of the restoration of Anderson Buildings. It has transformed Scalloway s Main Street Below: Redman and Sutherland s software allows the client to walk through an extraordinarily realistic virtual home Bottom: Suzanne worked with Historic Scotland to find a satisfactory lime harl for this historic Shetland house We spend the money wisely on the parts that money needs to be spent on, thinking about how the building is going to work over the long term. Suzanne adds that one of the things she s said to people is that the architect s fee is often less than the price of a kitchen and people will change their kitchen, over a ten-year period, at the drop of a hat. Jim says that they can add substantially to the value of larger schemes, too. Sometimes, that involves challenging the received wisdom about a site or a project. There may be a belief that only so many units can work on a site, but as he says, good design can overcome the constraints and maximise the site s potential and viability. It s all about opening up possibilities. Clients often find it useful to see examples of past work, but a particularly useful tool is a state-of-the-art computer-aided design program with 3D capability. As Suzanne says, it means that the client can go on a virtual walk through their new house and see it before they commit themselves. That does help a lot. The service doesn t end with design. The practice applies for all the necessary permissions and certificates; manages the tendering process; inspects the work in progress and makes final checks when it s finished. As Iain says, Any building work now involves so many processes, so many consents you have to go through, that you would really be struggling to do it yourself. Once upon a time, the only things required were planning permission and a building warrant; these days, all kinds of other requirements, from percolation tests to energy performance certificates, need to be dealt with. We can bring in expertise on heating, ventilation, lighting and acoustics, he continues. Folk have become more sophisticated and that s good for us, it s also good for the built environment. Standards have risen a lot. All three emphasise their role in making the most of any given space. They particularly admire the work of Glenn Murcutt, an architect born in London who has practised in Australia, for his classic modernism, usually open-plan. He often has long, thin kitchens, then a dining space and a living space. Iain adds that Murcutt also gets to know his clients really well, and the end result is something which is beautiful but very simple. However, all three say that architecture in Scotland is in good health, too, reeling off the names of a number of practices whose work they admire; and they all pay tribute to the late Isi Metstein, their absolutely fantastic professor at Edinburgh. They all mention Scandinavian influences, too; and Suzanne has always been a bit of a Le Corbusier fan. It s his design philosophy, cutting to the chase, she says. She feels that buildings need to look really simple and effortless. If it looks complicated, then you ve not got it right. Redman Sutherland s workload is wideranging. As well as large and small housing developments and a variety of commercial and industrial work, they undertake feasibility studies and have been involved in a number of conservation and regeneration projects, several of them within a stone s throw of their Scalloway office. Jim says: Scalloway s become quite important to the practice over the years. In this block, we ve North summer

19 Main image: A spacious extension to a house in the Lerwick Lanes Conservation Area succeeds through simplicity of form Below: Redman and Sutherland undertake work for public and private clients all over Shetland; this example is in Cullivoe on the island of Yell. worked on every building from one end to the other apart from this one. In fact, conservation work is an important part of the practice portfolio. Suzanne is accredited for it by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and she emphasises that in conservation, as in every other aspect of practice, the key is keeping abreast of developments. The use of lime in construction is one example, where the preferred techniques have changed a lot in recent years. She has undertaken a research case study with Historic Scotland at a large old haa house a Shetland laird s mansion in the west mainland. There had been a problem with water penetration through the external walls and Historic Scotland was interested in finding a solution, so we stripped it back and repointed it using a hot lime mix. Such jobs aren t necessarily commercially driven, because Suzanne feels a responsibility to help care for these buildings that are part of the community fabric. For example, she has been involved in regular surveys of church property and was able to identify a possible source of grant aid and help them with an application. An architect s training is long but, as Jim says, what they do is a craft, a set of skills that they ve honed. It takes a long time to qualify as an architect, but that reflects the need to absorb so much knowledge. Much of it isn t about grand designs; it can often be about managing space in existing buildings. But, as he also points out, it s about having a vision for the project, and knowing what s possible. It s by creating that blend of vision and practicality, supported by the best technology and training, that Redman Sutherland believe they can make a difference North SUMMER

20 A prominent posterior & proportionally tipped pelvis Mona McAlpine on midwifery in Shetland, past and present 20

21 In ancient times and primitive societies midwives had knowledge and skills in an area of life that was a mystery to most people, it was assumed that they had supernatural powers from supernatural sources. Midwifery had and still does have both a science as well as an art aspect - manual as well as magical and mystical. Hence the midwife was often revered, often feared, sometimes accepted and sometimes tortured. During the 15th and 16th century inquisition, midwives were often burned at the stake for being the early companions of the devil (The Witch Hammer 1487). Barbara Tulloch and her daughter Ellen, the last witches to be burned in Shetland, were executed on the Gallow Hill above Scalloway. I have never been able to find out why they were thought to be witches...could it be they may have been midwives? Until well into the 19th century many Shetlanders believed in the powers of witches and trows and new mothers and newborn infants were supposed to be especially vulnerable to the influence of trows exchanging their sickly and ill babies for human babies. These facts were certainly known to my Grandmother Midwives. They were brave to take on such responsibilities and were clear in their Christian beliefs dismissing the trows and witches stories as being nothing more than superstitious nonsense. 21

22 nyone born in the middle of the last century and caught up in the speed of the rapidly changing 21st must wonder: has it gone about as far as it will go? What with the constant evolution of technology, medical science and so on, for better or worse, we will undoubtedly change as the world around us continues to change. Midwifery does not escape this. As a midwife, trained in the days portrayed in the TV show Call the Midwife, I have personally seen tremendous changes in the profession. I can also say that by and large these have been decidedly positive. Who would have thought back in the day that parents could one day be told the sex of their unborn, could access a window into the womb through scanning the uterus? That babies could be conceived outside of the womb and sometimes carried by a surrogate mother, or that genetic engineering and manipulation could be applied to make sure their unborn infants would not suffer from a devastating genetic condition? Who knows, perhaps one day we will be able to order a designer baby complete with the preferred colour of eyes! These facts can of course lead us to a minefield of ethical and moral debate. But that is another story. Midwifery in the UK By and large the service in Shetland mirrors that of the midwifery service in the UK. After all Shetland is one of The British Isles, so all health services enjoy being governed by that most wonderful of institutions, the NHS. All nurses and midwives who practise in the UK must be on the Nursing and Midwifery (NMC) register. The midwife Training to become a qualified registered midwife is a three year direct entry course. All midwives are employed by the NHS except those who decide to opt out and become self-employed Independent Midwives. Alongside the steep rise in insurance premiums, coinciding with the rise in a culture of litigation has made the self- employment route less attractive. There are no Independent Midwives practicing in Shetland. Midwifery Service in Shetland Recently midwifery has moved away from the medical model to become midwifery led, meaning that midwives are truly autonomous and are supported in this by The Royal College of Midwives. Certainly in Shetland where there is an integrated maternity service this is the case. The childbirth experience is woman centred with freedom of choice and for all low-risk mums it is midwives who are in charge and doctors are not involved unless their input is required. A midwife should have a hawk s eye a ladies hand and a lions heart This 16th Century quote says it all and still does stand the test of time From the outset of pregnancy when most mums will have done a home pregnancy test, contact with The Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit in Lerwick will be made and a midwife will then complete a first referral form. Mothers who live in Lerwick will be looked after during the antenatal and postnatal period by midwives at Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit. Mums who reside in the rural areas will be looked after by midwives attached to her GP Practice. All low-risk mums will be booked to deliver their babies in the Maternity Unit unless they opt for a home delivery. Because of Shetland s geographical position some compromises do have to be made. The Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit is part of the main Gilbert Bain Hospital. It has an atmosphere of joy with highly experienced, kind and competent staff. It is Baby Friendly meaning that the staff are trained in the promotion of breastfeeding. Midwifery skills are constantly monitored, improved and upgraded; these include medical examination of the new-born baby and prescription of medication. Fertility services are offered and are linked with services to women who have recurrent miscarriage. The midwives are also involved in hypnotherapy and childbirth education as well as parenting advice and sexual health services. Promotion of breastfeeding is high on the agenda due to the Baby Friendly status. The Unit has a birthing pool where mum can ease her discomfort in a lovely warm bath, and can, if all is going well, deliver her baby under-water. Along with five beds, two labour wards and a team of midwives and GP s on call, who could ask for more? The main hospital has two theatres, three general surgeons and three anaesthetists so if the low risk labour suddenly turns high risk, emergency services are available. At the moment there is no resident full-time obstetrician, although 22

23 Above: Christina Nicolson (Sinclair) Carried on the tradition, born in Below: Margaret Abernethy (Nicolson) The Matriarch, seen here with nine of her grand children. Daughter Teenie is holding the baby of the family William, who grew up to become Captain William Sinclair A midwife s tale... The office of a midwife is an ancient calling and much of its history has been lost in the annals of time, but true to say, labouring women the world over have an innate need for an understanding, kind and competent person to be with them during one of the most momentous milestones in their lives. From this need we get the name midwife, derived from the old English, mid meaning with and wif meaning woman. Midwifery has been part of my family since time immemorial, so it s not surprising that from early childhood my ambition was to follow in the footsteps of my maternal forebears. With a population of only 23,000, the Shetland Islands lie in the rich oil fields half-way between Scotland and Norway, roughly 200 miles off each coast and splits the North Sea and The Atlantic Ocean. I was born and brought in these remote Islands during the World War Two years, life was incredibly tough going for the inhabitants, who had lost many of their men folk, the highest loss of life per capita of any county or shire in Britain. This was due to the fact that in addition to men fighting in the armed forces, many Shetland men, including members of my own family served in the Merchant Navy. As a happy secure little girl this meant nothing to me as I spent most of my time, when not in school, running free with my siblings and friends. In those far off days communication was difficult. Television, computers and mobile phones did not exist and telephones and radios were primitive affairs compared to all the fancy smart phones, internet and apps we enjoy today. Messages, even urgent messages were brought by telegram boys on bicycles. Reading was encouraged and even to this day I am an avid reader. But by far the best was the storytelling and the oral history handed down through the generations that appealed to my curiosity and imagination. Up until the turn of the 20th Century the world was still relying on untrained midwives to deliver the majority of the world s babies. Many of these women were highly skilled and were mentored and trained with older women before taking on deliveries themselves. From the stories I heard around the peat fire with the Tilley lamp hissing in the background my grandmothers belonged to the line of women who practised their art and their skills and passed this on from mother to daughter. Although I can trace my ancestors back to the 1700, it was my great grandmother Margaret Abernethy, known in the community as Baa Mam who s history and stories fascinated me. Baa Mam then passed on her knowledge to my Grandmother Christina Nicolson (Teenie) known to us all as Midder who willingly took the baton. However times were a-changing. By the time it came to my own mother Mary Helen Sinclair s turn, the Scottish Midwifery Act of 1915 was passed (although in Shetland it did take some years before this was implemented). This turn of events effectively prevented my mother continuing her involvement. Even so, mother continued to attend confinements along with Midder and had many an interesting story to tell. After leaving the Pre Nursing College (The Haugh) in Elgin and on completion of my General Nurse training at Stirling Royal Infirmary I finally was able to follow my heart and embark on my midwifery career. This took me to Queen Charlotte s Maternity Hospital in London and then onto Glasgow where I practised mainly Home Deliveries, often 23

24 attempts are being made to employ a gynaecologist with obstetric input. GP s continue to input the service. Because the Shetland Isles has a population of around 23,000 people the unit does not warrant a Neonatal ICU or Epidural facilities, so the next step is: Aberdeen Royal Maternity Hospital As the name implies all modern medical facilities and technology is available here. The city of Aberdeen lies 180 miles south of Shetland, an hour away by plane or a 12 hour ferry journey. All high-risk mums are encouraged to deliver their babies at ARMH courtesy of the NHS. There is dedicated Island Accommodation attached to the hospital where the lady in waiting and her partner can be housed until delivery day. Accommodation is on a first come basis, women/couples from Orkney and rural Aberdeenshire can also use this accommodation. Points to Note Shetland midwives and Aberdeen obstetricians can communicate by video link. If a mum opts to have an epidural anaesthetic as her preferred pain relief option she will have to deliver her baby in ARMH. It is interesting to note that since the evolution of midwifery, whereby the labouring mother is empowered and encouraged to use the birthing pool and to adopt a position, both during labour and delivery, that is most comfortable for her, the need for pain relief medication has been greatly reduced. All women who are booked to deliver at ARMH are transferred out of Shetland at 38 weeks plus six days. Neonatal emergencies are managed initially in the Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit until the Scottish Neonatal Retrieval team arrives in a fully equipped plane. The team will include a neonatologist, a neonatal ICU nurse and a paramedic. Da Annexe In conclusion I cannot possibly finish off without saying something about a famous institution known the length and breadth of Shetland. Despite the maternity unit now being incorporated into the main building of the Gilbert Bain Hospital, many folk, especially those of an older generation still refer to this section as Da Annexe. Until the first Gilbert Bain Hospital was opened in 1902, there was no general hospital, let alone a maternity hospital in the islands. People in need of surgical treatment had either to rely on the services of a limited number of General Practitioners, or take a hazardous sea voyage to the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. In 1850 The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh appointed a Committee to inquire into the suspected deficiency in Medical and Surgical services that existed in the Highlands and Islands. It was found that in Shetland the lack of a qualified doctor was compensated, in many parishes, by ministers of religion giving advice and medicine. In some remote areas, the midwife was the only person who undertook the treatment of disease. It must be remembered that these midwives or Howdies as they were sometimes called were mostly untrained women. However there is evidence that those in contact with a doctor received a certain degree of training to assist at confinements. In Hillswick the Parish raised a collection to send a woman to train as a midwifery nurse. In 1912 a further inquiry was carried out to gather evidence about the medical and nursing services, there was by now a doctor available in most parishes. In Lerwick two maternity nurses were employed, one trained in Edinburgh and the other in Glasgow. In addition there was a District Nurse. The Queen s Institute of District Nursing was formed in Queen Victoria s Jubilee Year The Institute pioneered District Nurse training and in some areas of Shetland, District nurses were employed, but this was somewhat sporadic. Frequently still, mainly in country districts, women depended on untrained midwives to attend to their needs during pregnancy and childbirth. Doctors were not contacted unless something went wrong. By this time obstetric forceps had been invented and many a Shetland baby would have been saved by an experienced General Practitioner adept in their use. Over the next twenty years under the direction of The Medical Officer of Health for Shetland, funding was made available for Nursing Associations to be set up all over the Islands. By 1932 there were 15 associations with 20 district nurses employed. Complicated cases of confinement and suitable antenatal cases were sent to the Gilbert Bain Hospital. Cases of puerperal fever and pyrexia were looked after at the County Isolation Hospital. During the Second World War the Tingwall Manse and adjacent huts were used as an emergency hospital with maternity provision. When peace was declared the Manse was handed back to The Church of Scotland and the campaign for a suitable maternity unit began. On Tuesday 21 October 1947 in a group of huts at Midgarth, which had served as part of Lerwick s naval base known officially as HMS Fox, the Midgarth Maternity Annexe was opened. The newspapers at the time, somewhat with tongue in cheek, referred to the annexe as HMS Stork! And on Thursday 23 October 1947 the first baby was delivered. As an annexe of the Gilbert Bain Hospital the unit shared the facilities of the main hospital. On 15 June 1962, mother s babies and the staff of the Midgarth Maternity Annexe were transferred to the Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit at the New Gilbert Bain Hospital. I would like to acknowledge and thank my cousin Douglas Sinclair and Margaret Mouat Senior Midwife at The Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit for their help and input in the compilation of this article. 24

25 in the City s Slums. Then it was on to Edinburgh where I completed my District Nurse training at The Queen s Institute of District Nursing and finally my Health Visitor training at Queen Margaret s College, also in Edinburgh. Then it was back to Shetland where I was employed as A Triple Duty Nurse (Nurse Midwife and Health Visitor). My first appointment was on Fair Isle, famous for its beautiful knitwear and also the fact that it is the most remote inhabited island of the British Isles. Fair Isle has no resident GP, the nearest doctor being a four hour sea crossing away and in my day we didn t have the luxury of a plane or helicopter. Looking back I know that this was quite a responsibility for a young nurse. But then I was young with all the confidence of youth. I loved my sojourn on Fair Isle and will never forget the kindness of the Islanders who took me to their hearts. The stunning beauty of the Isle and the many walks and bird watching still lives on in my memory. After my two years Triple Duty experience in Lerwick, where I met and married my husband Iain, it was time for another adventure. This time it was off to South Africa where we spent the next 30 years! Above: Mona Smith (McAlpine) born in Below: Mary Helen Sinclair (Smith) Legislation on the way but she attended many a home birth In conclusion The midwifery stories handed down to me were by and large positive ones. I often wondered about the reality of maternal and infant mortality. My mother and grandmother were two very positive ladies and I used to think that perhaps they made light of their experiences. There were of course stories of obstructed labour, childbed fever and babies that did not make it, but these stories were few and far between. Then I came across documentation of studies into bone structure that supported 100-year-old research on the ease by which Shetland women gave birth prior to the First World War. In May 1871 Doctor Robert Cowie published the first edition of his history of Shetland and its people. Dr Cowie had this to say. Among island women complications in the process of parturition are extremely rare, the great majority of labours being natural and speedy. He attributed this to the fact that island women were involved in heavy manual labour carrying straw baskets called kishies of either fish or peat on their backs (a matriarchal society at that time because the menfolk were either away at the fishing grounds or in the Merchant Navy). These kishies averaged 56 kilos in weight and were used day in, day out and often carried four miles a day. This resulted in prominent posteriors causing the brim of the pelvis being proportionally tipped forward, and the regular carrying of heavy loads producing a strong pelvic girdle. The larger, forward angled pelvic bones means more space between the pelvic blades. More - space easier births. Dr Cowie s studies have not been followed up but today s Shetland woman is physically different from her 100 year old ancestor. Poor posture and dilution of the Shetland genes have meant that child bearing hips are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Be that as it may, I am living proof of the child bearing hips! They certainly stood me in good stead during my two labours. However there is anecdotal evidence to prove that sitting at computers is not good for pelvis posterior or posture. So I d best get up and go carry in a kishie of peats for the fire. 25

26 By Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmitelover Shetland Night London in A Hoolie in Hackney North summer

27 ou enter a warm fuggy dimly-lit room at the top of a building in urban Y Hackney, an unlikely place to recreate the atmosphere of the far north Shetland Isles. The points of candlelight cast an amber glow, reflecting the free shots of whisky on entry and the excited faces of people attending the annual pop up dinner known as Shetland Night. Bowls of potted salmon, seawater biscuits from Oceanic Oatcakes, beetroot and golden Shetland butter are passed around. I am given a bramble cocktail to follow on from the whisky shot, purple berry syrup jingling amongst the ice and vodka from Blackwoods Gin. A trio of fiddlers, including Jenna and Bethany Reid, take us on a journey far away from the East End of London. Pots of heather decorate the tables. Filmmaker Shona Main presents her 30 minute documentary Clavel about a Shetland sheep farmer. The crowd laugh, at the ram s amorous butt-butting antics and the fact that the farmer, James Robert, admits he cannot understand the livestock auctioneer either. Mind, us Londoners need subtitles to understand his queer growl, seemingly travelling from yon back in the mists of time, a native crofter s speech. The organ at Bigton church inspires the soundtrack. u 60 North SUMMER

28 hona then presents an S extraordinary 1932 b/w short from a pioneer of the documentary form, Shetland granny Jennie Gilbertson who recorded Shetlanders shorning, carding, spinning wool from sheep. This film is made more immediate, experimental and atmospheric with a live soundtrack by Shetland violinist Barry Nisbet, composed by him also. Barry is the brother of Helen Nisbet who founded these annual celebrations of Shetland food and culture. She is waiting tables while wearing some cheeky tights with a winking eye painted on the back. Talented family. The dinner begins with the freshest seafood soup; a pretty plate of mussels and smoked haddock then a table groaning with giant flakey mutton pies, bowls of buttery bashed neeps, nests of dark kale. There are a North summer

29 I miss the community, the safety, the fact that as kids you have so much freedom in Shetland mix of native Shetlanders here and Londoners; the crowd is young and metropolitan. Amy Gibson, 39, has lived in Bethnal Green for 16 years, but originally hails from Lerwick. I ve come here because I m a Shetlander, my parents are still there. I like the anonymity of London and I prefer the weather here. I remember how tough the winters were in Shetland, you went to school in pitch black and came home in pitch black. But I miss the community, the safety, the fact that as kids you have so much freedom in Shetland. The meal ends with an alcoholic trifle then tables are pushed back, the musicians start up and the crowd links arms and start to dance. I visited Shetland in the simmer dim of 2013, this night made me want to return. on Twitter About Kerstin Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmitelover launched the supper club/pop up/ underground restaurant movement in the UK in 2009 with her eponymous supper club The Underground Restaurant. Since then, hundreds of supper clubs have started in London and around the UK. Her site Find a supper club is the central online resource for supper clubs to advertise their dates and locations. According to Cision, the msmarmitelover.com blog is 29th on the list of top UK blogs on any subject. She is part of a new generation of writers and chefs who use social media to promote food via blogging, facebook & twitter. The Books List Supper Club: recipes and notes from the underground restaurant. Harper Collins, 2011 MsMarmitelover's Secret Tea Party. Square Peg, November 2014 V is for Vegan. Quadrille, April 2015 Get started in food writing. Hodder Staughton, June North SUMMER

30 Both catching and eating can be a real pleasure by Marian Armitage Mackerel fishing in Shetland can be to coin a phrase a small scale pleasure, or it can be a useful supplement to a summer s income or part of a business worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. And yet there was a time when mackerel was considered by some to be barely worth eating good for bait, though. Mackerel is caught by the Big Boats after the herring in October and November. At the height of a good season 1000 tonnes can be landed in a day at the Shetland Catch Plant in Lerwick ( from Shetland Boats as well as those from Scotland and Europe. The fish is frozen ungutted and round and is exported to Africa, principally Nigeria and Egypt; the Far East: Japan, China and Korea and some Eastern European countries especially Poland where much of it is smoked. At the moment there is no market in Russia because of the export ban but this excellent fish caught off Shetland is in high demand around the world because of its high quality due to the much higher fat content and a dryer flesh than mackerel caught elsewhere. The operation at the Shetland Catch is extremely slick. Boats land their catch right outside the factory and the fish is pumped ashore from refrigerated tanks on the boats and within 15 minutes it is in boxes in the blast freezers. The fish may only have travelled a few miles from behind Bressay, Yell Sound or just east of Whalsay. Smaller inshore boats typically foot in length catch mackerel in the summer usually from June to October. These are line caught and landed in the country areas such as Cunningsburgh, Dunrossness, Scalloway and Brae. These are often the parttime crofter/fishermen whose boats may also look to creels for lobsters and crabs. The fishermen have a quota which is divided and agreed between themselves and which matches fish stocks. These catches are then sold at the fish markets in either Scalloway or Lerwick for both the local market as well going sooth for consumption all over the UK. Going aff (off to the fishing) on a fine day, in early morning or in the evening is one of the greatest pleasures of a Shetland summer. The long hours of daylight and often full sunshine and the company of friends or maybe just the selkies and scorries (seals and seagulls) provides an opportunity to put the world to rights or to contemplate the beauty of Shetland s varied landscape from a different viewpoint. Mackerel is an extremely healthy fish to eat. It is rich in the omega 3 fatty acids which are associated with brain development; smooth functioning of joints, healthy skin and eyes and better mental health. In addition it is a good source of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D which are essential for bairns and adults for eyesight and strong bones. Catching the fish is of course only stage one. Often the fish comes in a glut so it is

31 useful to have several ideas of things to do with such a quantity. Without doubt mackerel is at its best eaten very fresh and cooking them on the boat or on the beach with the sun going down and the waves lapping over the rocks and sand is about as good as it gets. Barbecued mackerel is a staple at the Shetland country shows in the summer and in my view beats a beefburger any day! Otherwise place the mackerel on a foil lined grill pan with nothing more than a grind of black pepper and if you like a touch of mustard. They will only need 3-4 minutes on each side and the lightly charred skin will be easy to remove. Lightly salting mackerel, vacuum-packing then freezing (much better than just freezing) or poaching in equal quantities of vinegar and water are all methods of extending its useable life. The other excellent treatment for mackerel is in the smoker: smoked mackerel either plain or with flavours if you prefer, is quite delicious either eaten as it is or made into a pâté with an equal weight of ricotta or half- fat cream cheese, lemon juice and black pepper. Mackerel coated in oatmeal then fried is another favourite, although I find this quite heavy so tried using a light coating of Beremeal which gives a lovely result and makes it possible to eat even more mackerel at one sitting! Mackerel can be salted by simply placing them in a dish and sprinkling with coorse saat then leaving them for 24 hours. This is a good way of quickly dealing with a glut of round, gutted and trimmed fish. Another method is to place fillets in a dish and cover with brine (50g salt to 300ml water and a couple of slices of lemon) for 24 hours. In both cases they need to be well rinsed under running cold water before use. If you would like to be more adventurous you will find a very good recipe for baked mackerel with a stuffing using rhubarb in Shetland Food and Cooking and here are three more ideas. Mackerel with Tomato Serves 4 This is very easy and straightforward and I like to make it in a pan which can be brought straight to the table 1 onion chopped 1 clove garlic finely chopped 2 tablespoons sunflower or rapeseed oil 400g tin chopped tomatoes Plenty of chopped fresh parsley 4 large mackerel fillets 1. Soften the onion and garlic in the oil without browning for a good 5 minutes. 2. Add the tomatoes, mix well, season with pepper and a little salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes. 3. Lay the mackerel fillets on top and simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes turning once. 4. Eat hot with potatoes or bannocks. This is also good served cold the next day but do refrigerate overnight.

32 Run Down This is a Jamaican recipe with a really exciting combination of flavours and textures. The recipe asks for Scotch Bonnet peppers which are seriously hot and are grown in Shetland at Transition Turriefield in Sandness. (turriefieldveg.co.uk) I have used a medium red chilli. It is traditionally served with boiled green bananas and dumplings but is equally good with boiled or steamed potatoes. 400ml tin coconut milk 2 tablespoons sunflower oil 1 onion chopped 1 clove garlic finely chopped 8 cherry tomatoes 1 red or orange pepper 1 chilli deseeded and finely chopped Salt mackerel cut into large pieces: 4 small round fish, boned or 4 large fillets well rinsed Small bunch fresh thyme to garnish 1. Soften the onion and garlic in the oil without browning for 5 minutes. 2. Add the peppers, spring onions, chilli, spring onions and cook f or another 5 minutes. 3. Pour in the coconut milk and bring slowly to the boil stirring very well. 4. Finally add the salt mackerel and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. 5. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme and serve with plenty of taaties or rice. Mackerel Salad Use plain grilled, barbecued or poached mackerel when cold. 4 mackerel fillets 1 tablespoon Mayonnaise I tablespoon plain yogurt 1 red skinned apple thinly sliced 4 spring onions thinly sliced, diagonally 8 medium sized small salad potatoes steamed till just done and cut into chunks. 2 teaspoon chopped gherkins or capers (optional) Chopped parsley for garnish. Mix everything together and that s it!

33 RESTORATION DIARY Skidbladnir Aaron Pottinger tells Laurie Goodlad about restoring the Skidbladnir In the last issue of 60 North we looked at the history of the Duncan firm of boat builders. Since then, work on the Skidbladnir has continued to gather pace and with summer around the corner, we can get things moving in the right direction! Photography David Gifford With its roots firmly embedded in Scandinavian tradition, the history of the Shetland Model can be traced from Norwegian ancestry and the arrival of Norse colonisers around AD 900. Renowned for being incredibly strong, the boats that developed and which are a familiar sight in voes and marinas today are capable of bearing up to the often rough conditions in and around Shetland waters. One of the reasons they are so strong is due to the way in which they are built. They can be categorised into three distinct groups the yoal (of which there is a Ness and Fair Isle type); the fourern (fourareen) and the sixern (sixareen) meaning four and six-oared. Collectively known as Shetland models these boats are clinker, rather than carvel built. The Skidbladnir is an example of a Shetland Model, of haddock boat design, a descendant of the fourern, and all the boats built by the Duncans of Hamnavoe were crafted using this clinker technique Walter Duncan, developing a distinguishable style which is easily recognisable, even today. Clinker boatbuilding methods were developed in Northern Europe and favoured by the Vikings and Norsemen who came to colonise our shores, with the famous Viking Oseberg and Gokstad ships being of clinker construction and dating to c. AD 800 and 890. The Gokstad ship carried three small boats, of which two survive, one færing (four-oared) and one seksæring (six-oared); these are very similar in design to the Shetland fourern and sixerns. The earliest example however, is the Nydam ship, built around AD 325 and excavated from a bog in Schleswig, Northern Germany. These early boat building techniques were introduced and are still used today as a preferred method for building. Due to the scarcity of trees in Shetland, timber (and often completed boats) was imported from Norway (Stuart Bruce 1914: 296). Boat building skills developed through time to suit the changing needs of fishermen. A style that was unique to Shetland began to emerge with regional variations throughout the isles. This makes the Shetland Model a difficult breed to define, however, locality and boat building traditions, passed down in shed s such as the Duncans of Hamnavoe have created a collection of stylistically similar boats which are uniquely recognisable today and known collectively as the Shetland Model. u 60 North SUMMER

34 Methods The method of lapstrake or clinker building uses overlapping planks during hull construction, these planks are firmly secured to the stems. This differs from carvel built boats which employ a method of securing planks edge to edge. Clinker built boats from Shetland are all built from the bottom up and the hull takes its shape from the relatively few broad boards, clenched together over their overlapping edges. They are then, retrospectively reinforced with baands (ribs). This produces a lighter, more flexible hull compared to the other main traditional carvel style, where a skeleton is first constructed and then skinned with planks. The Skidbladnir has retained much of her Norwegian style with a double-ended shape. However, her design is less symmetrical than her cousins (yoal, fourern and sixern). The Skidbladnir, like all Walter Duncan boats, sits with the appearance of a bird on the water, with a broader bow and gradually tapering stern. She is a modern variation, built for use with an inboard engine, rather than the traditional four or six-oars. Tom Henderson described this type of boat as the maid-of-all-work around the Shetland coast. Owing much to the traditional fourern, this style of boat is extremely versatile and adaptable. The design enables use for a multitude of purposes, such as fishing, carrying large loads (peats for example), or simply as a means of inshore transport for ferrying people and livestock. In an advert from Shetland Marine Limited in 1964 it was possible to buy a 19ft. Shetland Model for the following prices: bare hull with rudder fitted, 220; Complete boat (no engine/stern gear), 380 or a complete boat with 4 horse power Stuart Turner engine, 520. The accompanying pamphlet states that there are no more seaworthy boats than those built on the windswept shores of the Shetland Islands. Today you would struggle to buy such a boat new, the craft has been in steady decline as people replace wooden, high maintenance boats with tupperware, low maintenance pleasure boats. For those who are willing to put in the endless hours scraping and painting every year, there is nothing more rewarding than a long summer day spent at da haddocks in a small wooden boat. Progress The pace of work over the winter, despite good intentions, has been slow. My optimistic ambition to launch in summer 2015 has fallen by the wayside and it is looking more and more like summer 2016 (or beyond!) before she will be ready to grace the waters around Hamnavoe once more. However, work has continued and now as spring emerges the Skidbladnir is beginning to take shape again. The Skidbladnir is made from larch which has traditionally been the wood of choice as it is strong and hardwearing. Not easy to get hold of, larch used in boat building comes from trees up to one hundred years old, which have been well maintained to ensure knot free wood. Boards with knots are weaker and don t bend easily, tending to split or snap under pressure. The durability of larch has made it a popular wood for use in boat building. I enquired about buying a larch tree; however, the cost both of the tree and shipping to the foreign nation of Shetland made it a very expensive prospect! Thankfully, the Duncans were to come up trumps again. A number of planks were stored in their shed, untouched, since building ceased in the 1970s. A new section of the aft stem has been made to replace rot in the existing one. The new part was carefully cut and shaped from a solid piece of larch; providing the main support to the keel the boat s backbone. New planks to create the top boards and gunwales have been made, using the old boards as templates. A new gunwale was ripped to size in order to replace the existing one which was rotten. Once cut, the for ard end was planed down to size to allow it to slip into the existing hinny-spot North summer

35 Photography by David Gifford (three-cornered piece of wood in the bow of the boat which connects the gunwales to the stem). We decided after much deliberation not to remove the baands as this would have affected the overall structure and shape of the boat. Traditionally the baands were fitted last, finely crafted to create a tight fit over each board. In this case we fitted the gunwale around the existing baands to preserve as much of the original boat as possible. The gunwale was then steamed for an hour (wood is steamed for approximately one hour per inch of thickness); this softens it so it can be curved to the shape of the boat. The gunwale was then quickly removed, whilst piping hot and gently bent and clamped before being left to cool overnight. It was later test fitted and final adjustments were made, tapering it towards the forward stem to allow a tight fit between the hinny-spot and the new plank (to be fitted later). The top boards were roughly traced on the raw larch, much of the originals were missing areas due to rot. They were then planed into shape and run through a planer thicknesser (to 16mm). Using a home-made wooden clamp which Arnold replicated from one made by Davie Bruce of Skaw, Whalsay (now in Shetland Museum collection) we were able to test fit the new gunwale and planks. This clever design of Bruce s is used to set the angle of boats boards in relation to the stem and holds them in place, allowing one man to work alone if necessary. However, we discovered whilst trying to bend the top board that without the support of the side-decks there was too much flex within the boat s structure and we ran the risk of misshaping her. After discussion with shipwright Gordon Smith, who served his time under the watchful eye of boat builder Jack Duncan, we decided to change tactics and measure up and fit new keel bolts before securing the top boards and gunwale. The plan now is to fit internal supports across the beam, securing every second band, ensuring her shape is retained before rolling the boat onto the port side to remove the old keel strap. Once this is removed we can drill through the keel and fit new bolts and a strap. She can then be shoarded with wooden blocks to stop the keel moving and the stems can be plumbed into line and braced up to the workshop. Extra supports will then be added to the central baands to provide extra support before attaching the new planks, gunwales and baand heads. Further Reading Henderson, T. (1978) Shetland boats and their Origins in Baldwin, J. R. (ed.), Scandinavian Shetland, An Ongoing Tradition, Scottish Society for Northern Studies. March, E. J. (1970) Inshore Craft of Great Britain in the Days of Sail and Oar (Vol. 1), London: Chatham Publishing. Morrison, I. A. (1978) Aspects of Viking Small Craft in the Light of Shetland Practice in Baldwin, Munro, A. (2012) Small boats of Shetland, Lerwick: UHI and Unst Heritage Trust 60 North SUMMER

36 hunting in Shetland Jon Dunn goes looking for the rarest of rarities the Small White North summer

37 What makes an orchid different? There are many variations between orchids, but the single feature above all others which defines a plant as an orchid is the fusion of the stamen, the male section of the flower, with the pistil, the female piece, into just one structure called the column. This is often visible protruding from the centre of the bloom. An orchid is a hermaphrodite, requiring no bird or bee to transfer pollen from plant to plant. It fertilises itself. Orchids are probably not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Shetland in summer. The ubiquitous cliff-top Puffins amidst Sea Pinks, certainly; perhaps Otters coming up through the kelp to eat a fish on shore; maybe even Killer Whales hunting seals close enough to land that one can hear the snort as they exhale. But orchids? You d be forgiven for thinking they re the preserve of the tropics. There are over 20,000 species worldwide, and most of those are found in hot steamy places. And while Shetland is many things, hot and steamy are adjectives that rarely apply As you may hear when you come here, we re closer to the Arctic Circle than we are to London, and as far north as St Petersburg in Russia or the southern tip of Greenland. Finding orchids here seems a little unlikely, excepting those showy Phalaenopsis cultivars that our local Tesco has for sale with the cut flowers. But there really are wild orchids here, and some of them are not only numerous but widespread too. Where better to start our journey than staying in Tesco s car park for here, on the grassy mown areas that border the asphalt, are to be found rich royal purple flower spikes Northern Marsh Orchids. These gorgeous flowers may not be as tall and flamboyant as their cultivated cousins for sale inside the store, but a closer look reveals their intricate patterning and fabulous texture. They re often to be found growing in people s lawns all over Shetland, and it s a testament to their good looks that they re often carefully mowed around by the appreciative householder! So there are orchids here and these Northern Marshes are the tip of a small but spectacular iceberg in the islands. Britain is home to fewer than 60 terrestrial orchid species, and at least nine of these are to be found in Shetland. Not bad considering how far north we are, how geographically Main image: Lesser Twayblade Above: The Small White Orchid isolated our location is, how exposed our islands are and how extreme the climate here can be, and the relative shortness of our growing season. I spent some years living in Kent, a county in the south of England blessed with some distinctive and localised orchids in isolated pockets of that rapidly urbanising area. It was natural then that when I moved to Shetland twelve years ago I would see what I could find here by way of the local orchids, and so a small quest began. And some of our orchids are really very small indeed, and took a little finding Our most numerous orchid here in the islands is undoubtedly the Heath Spotted Orchid, a close relative of those purple Northern Marsh Orchids. As a rule, they prefer a more acid soil and are to be found 60 North SUMMER

38 Clockwise from right: Heath Fragrant Orchid; Early Marsh Orchid Unst; Bog Orchid, and the Early Purple Orchid Opposite page clockwise from left: Heath Spotted Orchid Fetlar; Northern Marsh Orchid, and the Frog Orchid It s hard to resist a flower that looks like raspberry ripple ice-cream! in less fertile areas where their delicate white and purple-traced flowers often stud the ground in a dense constellation. They re highly promiscuous, and readily hybridise with the Northern Marsh Orchids, spawning offspring with flowers and leaves that look like a halfway house between both parents. Sometimes though, these hybrid young will look fairly similar to one or other parent often a trap for the unwary orchid hunter hoping to see their first Northern Marsh Orchid in Shetland. Last year at the opposite end of the archipelago, up on Unst, I was showing guests some Golden Plovers in a remote corner of the island when we noticed some distinctive pale pink orchids growing alongside a shallow damp streambed; these proved to be Early Marsh Orchids, my first sighting of this internationally rare species in the islands and immediately my new favourites of all it s hard to resist a flower that looks like raspberry ripple ice-cream! Unst is a productive place for the orchid hunter, and one location in particular is very special the seemingly desolate Keen of Hamar. At first glance, this stony hillside appears bleak and stark, but a closer inspection reveals a wealth of botanical delights including some alpine species that are rare elsewhere in the UK and, most famously of all, Edmonston s Chickweed, a flowering plant found nowhere else in the world but in this small area of Unst. Not surprisingly then in such a botanically rewarding location there are some orchids to be found too. The season kicks off there with Early Purple Orchids, and shortly afterwards the sharp-eyed will find subtle Frog Orchids amidst the stony debris. Early Purple Orchid has a name that succinctly describes what the plant does it flowers earlier than the other species, and it s purple. Frog Orchid, on the other hand, is rather less obviously named. Is it because the unopened hood formed by the sepals looks like a closed, slitted frog s eye? The flower as a whole bears little resemblance to its namesake, and yet the name has been in use since the 17th century. While the reason for the name has been lost in the passage of time, these green and burgundy flowers are a satisfying reward for the orchid hunter s slow walk across the hillside in search of them. Later in the summer, the Keen of Hamar hosts one of Shetland s rarest orchid species while relatively common on the UK mainland, it is only here in the islands (and in one small area on the hillside itself) that we can reliably find Heath Fragrant Orchids in mid-july. These are pale pink flowers with long spurs; but their sweet, clove-like fragrance takes a leap of faith to discern. Rather like one more orchid species on the Shetland list, Heath Fragrant Orchid was historically reported from elsewhere in the islands, but hasn t been seen latterly in these locations. With such small flowers, and such a huge area to search, who knows where else some may yet lurk? And some orchid species found in Shetland are positively tiny dwarfed by the previous species, both Bog Orchid and Lesser Twayblade are undoubtedly overlooked and more common than we give them credit for. Both favour the damp, peaty hills that abound across Shetland, and while known from a handful of sites there are surely more out there just waiting for someone to stumble across them. It took me several years of searching a known North summer

39 location on Yell for Bog Orchid before I finally got my eye in and found one and that after spending for the best part of four hours one sunny afternoon, painstakingly traversing on all fours a damp hillside absolutely determined that I wasn t going to give up until I found one and then, finally, there was a diminutive green flower and beyond it, many more. Orchids seem to do this to people they inspire a certain mania, a determination to see them that transcends that for other plants. There are many tales told of orchid hunters in the tropics who risked life and limb and sometimes succumbed in References: Rare Plants of Shetland by W.Scott, P.Harvey, R.Riddington and M.Fisher (Shetland Amenity Trust, 2002) A Naturalist s Shetland by J.Laughton Johnston (T & AD Poyser, 1999) A Flora of Shetland by T.Edmonston (Aberdeen, 1845) Orchids of Britain and Ireland by A & S.Harrap (A&C Black, 2009) pursuit of the rare or unknown. Tropical disease, inhospitable terrain, wild animals, and latterly armed militia have all inconvenienced or even killed those looking for orchids. Pity, for example, Tom Hart Dyke who, in 2000 whilst travelling in Central America looking for orchids, spent some nine months held captive in the deep jungle by guerrillas There s no such danger for the intrepid orchid hunter here in Shetland you re instead far more likely to be accosted by an inquisitive sheep or a feisty Great Skua! That s not to say though that there aren t some discoveries to be made There are surely more isolated and hitherto unseen colonies of rare Early Marsh Orchids out there; Bog Orchids and Lesser Twayblades are probably commoner than we think; and who knows, you might just find some more Heath Fragrant Orchids away from the Keen of Hamar. No matter what, you re likely to see some beautiful Heath Spotted and Northern Marsh Orchids on your travels. But what of the real prize, the Holy Grail of Shetland s orchid flora? That would be something that hasn t been seen in the islands since before 1845 reported by Shetland s famous botanist Thomas Edmonston on Bressay. As the name suggests, Small White Orchid isn t going to win any prizes for showiness, and would be easily overlooked. Present in northern Scotland, on Orkney, on Faroe, and in Iceland and Norway, one would have to assume that it was here once and might just be here still finding this rare gem would be the highlight of any Shetland orchid hunter s time in the field and I know what I ll be looking for this summer, as every summer since I moved here. One day, maybe I ll get lucky and until then, I ll carry on enjoying all of those other beautiful orchids that grow in this seemingly unlikely location North SUMMER

40 There s much more to Bressay s neighbouring island than just gannets, says Kevin Briggs NOSS the perfect day out On a fine day in Shetland, there are lots of opportunities to enjoy the outside. There is a plethora of beaches and many hills upon which to wander, as well as wildlife and stunning scenery in abundance. One place that has it all in relatively close proximity, combined with a vigorous walk, is the island of Noss off the coast of Bressay. Last summer, on a windless day when the temperature reached a giddy 24 C, we decided to take the family on an adventure. First there is the brief ferry journey from Lerwick to Bressay, which lasts approximately 7 minutes. Whilst it is possible to walk the three miles across Bressay to get to the Noss boats, you may want to save your feet. Instead, you can take your car and leave it in the parking area whilst you descend the hill to the sea. The 200m crossing definitely forms part of the experience. There is a ferry service operated by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), though you would term the craft more a dinghy. The boats hold a maximum of five people plus the warden in one go and you are required to don a life-jacket. Seating is not made for comfort and comprises a metal box in the middle or a seat on the side of the vessel. Being low down to the ground, you feel every wave, but this time the sea was flat calm and we passed serenely through the water. Despite some early morning haar, upon arrival we met a beautiful blue sky with wispy clouds and some genuinely hot summer sun. For a trip to Noss, conditions were more than perfect and it was fine to be bedecked in shorts. Once off the ferry, the warden took us to the visitor s centre which is stationed in one of the few old stone buildings that exist on Noss. After paying the nominal fee for the crossing, we were advised of where to walk. The route was fairly simple: follow the coast. Veering too close to the beaches would put you in contact with tirricks (arctic terns) protecting their nests whereas in the centre of the island, great and arctic skuas nest. The great skuas (bonxies) are likely to swoop down to ward off any predator. Bonxies are a protected species and, with around 400 nesting pairs, the island s colony is one of the world s most important. I found to my cost how protective a pair of nesting arctic skuas (skootie allans) can be. Having inadvertently wandered near their breeding ground, I had to duck low to avoid one heading straight at me. I certainly got a view closer than I could ever have expected! Noss, whose name comes from the Norse name for nose, is managed in partnership between SNH and the owner, who grazes his sheep on the island. Apart from the landowner, wardens, sheep and summer visitors, the sea birds have the island to themselves for most of the year and are therefore protective of their territory. The tirricks are mesmeric birds to watch as they hover before diving, changing direction perpendicularly as if there is a large puppeteer in the sky pulling their strings. However should you stray too close to their nests, a number of them will take to the air and shriek, before diving at you. Rather than warn you, they are more likely to make contact so you are best to keep your distance. Local advice suggests that you should put your hand up vertically to protect your head. Unusually, last year s tirricks had fledgling chicks. Recent breeding seasons have been fallow but thankfully fish stocks have been more plentiful. The warden explained how gannets have succeeded by North summer

41 flying further to find food, and they have a more varied diet. Puffins and guillemots tend only to survive on a diet of sand eels. It is a positive sign that the seabirds are flourishing. The bonxies predatory instincts allow them to survive as they feed on eggs, small birds and chicks. On Noss, it was surprising to see a different side to the bonxies. On the grass outside the visitor centre, a bonxie could be seen nestling on the ground, unconcerned by its close proximity to human visitors. The warden explained that this was Bill who, with his friend Bob, has become a tame companion to the Noss wardens this year. Bill was more bothered by a passing tirrick who was determined to swoop at him while he sat ruminating on the grass. Although the walking is mainly following tracks over grassland, some of it is marshy near the few burns that traverse the island. The SNH leaflet warns of the ground being uneven and steep in places and you need to keep an eye out on the ground to avoid the many rabbit holes. An island tour is about 8 km and will last about four hours, but the warden will advise you of shorter routes if required. The dinghies run every day except Mondays and Thursdays during the summer months, except for cancellations because of fog or bad weather it is best to call the helpline in advance. Owing to the sheerness of the cliffs, it would be unwise to undertake a walk in poor visibility. A good place to stop and eat is Rumble Wick where you can sit by the cliff edge and watch the seabirds: fulmars, gannets, shags, guillemots and puffins are all in close proximity. The puffins pay so little heed to their human admirers that you can sit alongside them as they show off their finery, before taking flight. They are comical looking birds and their wings beat incredibly fast and you think they are going to crash upon landing. Yet with their colourful beaks and black and white suits, they are everyone s favourite, bringing a smile to their adoring public and lifting spirits. The puffins however are not the island s main attraction. Fortunate visitors may see harbour porpoises in the sound between Bressay and Noss and others may spy otters playing in the kelp by the jetty, yet most people come to see birds with a wingspan of more than 1.8m the gannet. The vertical, inaccessible cliffs are a perfect location for gannet colonies to thrive and you can see Upon the highest cliffs on Shetland s east coast, you can see up to 8500 pairs of breeding gannets them in abundance and up close. Inevitably this means a climb to the highest point of Noss the Noup rising to a height of 180m above sea-level at its peak. The gannetries are unmistakable and are an experience for all of your senses. Before you see them, you will hear the loud calls echoing across the cliffs and then your nostrils fill with the fish-filled aroma of guano. It is not an unpleasant smell and you know it means the cliffs are alive with birds. Upon the highest cliffs on Shetland s east coast, you can see up to 8500 pairs of breeding gannets. It is surprising to see such large birds seemingly cramped together on the side of the cliffs. Sharing their location are also 45,000 guillemots, as well as razorbills and fulmars. As you ascend to the peak, there are various natural viewing points for you to view them in their full glory. It is an amazing sight as the cliffs teem with gannets and the air is full of their echoing calls. Following a rapid yet arduous climb to the summit of the Noup, you are rewarded with a stunning view of Shetland all the way down to Sumburgh Head and across Bressay to mainland Shetland s east coast. Strangely, owing to the acoustics of the cliffs, once you start to descend the sounds of the gannets fade quickly as they are contained in a natural amphitheatre flanked by the cliffs. Walking becomes somewhat easier and you get a view of the moorland on which you will see nesting bonxies. The descent will take you past geos cut into the landscape, with Whiggie Geo particularly eye-catching. The last inflatables leave about and it is a good minute walk from the Noup back to the visitor s centre, so you need to leave yourself enough time. You will need to bring your own provisions, sun cream and a waterproof owing to the rapidly changeable weather conditions. By the time we had left Noss and returned to our car, the top of the hill was already covered in mist. For the walker and nature enthusiast, a visit to Noss has something for everyone. A reasonable degree of mobility is required as the access path to the inflatables is quite steep and there are steps leading from the ferry on Noss that are prone to getting wet. For those who are able, it is a real chance to get away from everything where you can enjoy being at one with nature. It was a perfect way to spend a lovely summer s day with the family North SUMMER

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43 Putting your mind to it Helen Smith finds inspiration in Jim Thomason s Levenwick garden im Thomason s garden in Levenwick is a source of inspiration and a fantastic example of what can be achieved when you really put your mind to it. As I head through the gate I m welcomed by yellow and orange daffodils standing to attention, with their trumpets heralding in the spring weather. When I spot Jim he s hard at work and accompanied by his faithful border terrier, Archie. Archie s also hard at work patrolling the ponds and keeping a watchful eye on the frogs. Jim is as colourful as his garden I m not the first person to stop by to interview Jim his garden has featured in several gardening and lifestyle magazines and it came equal ninth place (along with Rosa Steppanova with Lea Gardens) in Alan Titchmarsh s competition of Britain s Best Back Gardens on ITV; no mean feat, with over 600 entries from across the UK North SUMMER

44 im is as colourful as his garden. He s well travelled - having lived in London, the south of England, Greece and Australia. He s rubbed shoulders with some very interesting people; while in London he was employed as a gardener by Ella Winter, second wife of screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart, who won an Academy Award for Philadelphia Story. While in the capital, Jim opened an art gallery and also wrote poetry. He had a poetry book published and sold it door to door in posh areas, often providing readings at dinner parties. He s had exhibitions in various countries and has recently returned from holding an exhibition in Australia. Gardening has always been in Jim s life. His love for gardening started when he was young; watching his mother work with Livingstone daisies, he appreciated the joy that the flowers gave her. He developed and nurtured his talents to provide himself with a satisfying career as both a garden designer and as an artist. It s a successful mix, as each profession complements the other well. Jim tells me that being an artist, gardening lets you be creative and you become known for that. The garden that Jim has created and tended at his home Nonavaar is on a sloping site, with gravel paths leading you past flower beds, ponds and statues of Buddha. The view down over Levenwick to the coast is astounding. As I meander through the garden I marvel at how one man could have the time and energy to tend to this garden, design other gardens and paint. When Jim moved to Nonavaar 12 years ago, the first thing he did was replant a lot of areas; he established flower beds and built walls. He explains that he houses plants in rooms, so that taller plants shelter the more delicate ones. He prefers herbacious plants, as they re strong and disappear in the winter, so they don t get the weather. He uses a lot of bedding plants and grows them in his greenhouse, this enables him to bring on plants that give his garden that all important splash of colour in the summer. As we enter the greenhouse, the warmth and tropical smell meets me - I have to admit, I love the smell of a greenhouse. Jim s garden is full of plants that thrive in Shetland and can be spotted in many gardens throughout the isles - red hot pokers, bachelors buttons, lupins, sea North summer

45 Shetland born Jim Thomason achieved great success in Australia with various exhibitions before returning to Shetland about 15 years ago where he designs and creates gardens. His own garden was recently featured on TV recognised as a national gem in a harsh climate. pinks, alliums and southern wood are all there. Then you see more unusual plants such as tree peonies, gunnera (looks a bit like rhubarb), a monkey puzzle tree, and at least two New Zealand flax; it fares well in Shetland, but Jim warns me to be careful where I plant it, as it can grow big! When I ask Jim how he goes about designing a garden for someone else, he tells me he first asks the client if he can go inside their home and look at their garden from their window. He explains that with the Shetland climate, not many people sit out in their gardens for long periods of time - but they do like to view their garden from inside, so it s important that the he gets that perspective. It s also important to look at the geology of the land and work with it. Jim tells me he doesn t like to see soil in his gardens, he likes all space to be fully utilised and explains that this really helps with weeding - as there simply isn t space for weeds to grow. Come summertime, the garden at Nonavaar will be a riot of colour, with no soil in sight. For him, a garden really is a labour of love; it s also a great form of exercise. You have to put time into your garden; spending at least an hour a day in your garden will ensure you keep on top of it. Jim says he continues to work on his garden in the winter by tidying up and having bonfires. That means that come spring, a lot of the hard work has already been done. He explains that to be a gardener in Shetland you have to be dedicated, but that the rewards can be wonderful. Before I head home Jim presents me with a root for a bush that has silvery foliage. He has momentarily forgotten the name of it, but says it will fare well beside me - for some reason things with silvery leaves do well in Shetland. When I returned home I planted it in the flowerbed outside my kitchen window. A lovely old lady I knew long ago, told me I should create a memory garden - a garden that is made from plants given by friends and relatives. That way I would always remember them. Now, when I wash my dishes I ll look out and remember the lovely morning I spent with Jim Thomason; artist, garden designer and poet. Jim s garden is open to the public as part of Scotland s Gardens. Open 2.00 to 5.00pm Thurs and Fri March Sept and Sat Wed by arrangement. Phone ahead on , or if you spot the sign on the main road you know it s okay to drop by. Admission is North SUMMER

46 Summer in My Shetland Garden Misa Hay shares some recipes for the versatile rhubarb It s almost midsummer and things in the garden are fairly coming on, despite the weather not beeing great this year so far. In this issue I ve decided to concentrate on something that s an essence of Shetland summer rhubarb. In Shetland rhubarb seems to grow in abundance in almost every garden and you ll also often find it growing wild around old abandoned crofthouses. So probably because it grows far better than anything else here, it formed an important part in the Shetland diet. In the past I tried to grow rhubarb but unfortunately with not much success. Until the time when my neighbour dug out a piece of her established plant and gave it to me. Since then we ve been enjoying this super versatile crop in abundance. And to get wonderfully crisp, vividly pink stalks, we force the plants in the early spring by placing and old garden incinerator over the crowns. Rhubarb thrives in a sunny position with welldrained fertile soil and it will respond well to spring top-dressing of well rotted manure. Although the edible stems of rhubarb are traditionally treated like a fruit and eaten as a pudding or as a jam, it is truly a vegetable so it is also wonderful with meat or fish or in chutney. Here are some of my favourite recipes North summer

47 Rhubarb cordial Ingredients: rhubarb sugar vodka Ingredients: 1.5 kg chopped rhubarb 600g caster sugar 4 unwaxed lemons 1 vanilla pod Method: 1. Place the rhubarb, split vanilla pod and lemon zest in a pan with 100ml water over a low heat. To zest the lemon I use a potato peeler which makes the job really easy. And it fills your kitchen with a wonderful uplifting smell too! Cook slowly until the juices start coming out of the rhubarb, then turn the heat up a little. Continue cooking until completely soft and mushy. 2. Put a sieve in a large mixing bowl and line it with a piece of clean muslin or a tea towel. Ladle in the rhubarb and leave it to drain for several hours or overnight. 3. Measure the juice: for every litre add approximately 600g caster sugar. Pour into a pan on a medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Turn off the heat before it boils. Add lemon juice, pour into sterilised bottles and seal. 4. Serve 1 part cordial with 4 parts sparkling water and don t forget to add slices of lemon for an extra zing. Or even better for a special summer treat add it to your Prosecco! Rhubarb Schnapps Method: 1. Chop the rhubarb finely to expose maximum surface area. Pulsing it a few times in a food processor makes the job much faster. Place in a glass jar add the vanilla pod (cut in half; lenght wise), cover with vodka by approximately an inch or so, seal, and allow to steep a month. Over this time, the flavour and colour will leach out of the rhubarb, leaving the alcohol pink and the rhubarb yellow-white. 2. When the rhubarb has finished steeping, strain it from the alcohol, and filter the solution through several layers of cheesecloth. 3. Measure the final amount of alcohol this is your base number. In a saucepan, heat 1.5 times that amount of water, and 1/2 3/4 that amount of sugar, depending on how sweet you like things. To give an example: 4 cups rhubarb alcohol would need 6 cups of water and 2-3 cups sugar. Let the sugar syrup cool, then add it to your filtered alcohol. 4. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Let age for at least a month before enjoying. Rhubarb schnapps keeps at any temperature, but is especially delicious straight from the freezer. Rhubarb Jam Makes 10 jars Ingredients: 2kg rhubarb, 1cm chunks 2kg granulated sugar inch long piece of root ginger, peeled and julienned zest of one orange, thin strips vanilla powder (optional) Method: 1. Tip the rhubarb pieces into a large bowl, along with the sugar, ginger and vanilla powder. 2. Leaving the mixture sit for 2 hours, turning with a spoon every 30 minutes. 3. Once most of the sugar has dissolved, tip the contents of the mixing bowl into a large sauce pan and bring to a brisk boil. 4. Boil the orange peel in a small amount of water for 20 minutes, strain and add to the rhubarb mixture. 5. Turn the heat down and simmer for approximately 40 minutes, until the rhubarb has broken down. 6. Transfer the jam into sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool. Store in a cool dark place, once open in the fridge. Pickled Rhubarb I love experimenting with rhubarb as it is very versatile. I came across an interesting pickled rhubarb recipe in one of my favourite books about food preserving called Salt Sugar Smoke by Diana Henry. Makes 3 jars Ingredients: 4 stalks of rhubarb 600 ml red wine vinegar 1kg granulated sugar 1 small cinnamon stick 4 whole cloves Method: 1. Heat the vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. 2. Cut rhubarb into pieces and poach briefly (approximately 2 minutes but keep an eye on it so it doesn t become too soft which can happen very quickly). 3. Spoon the rhubarb into sterilised jars and cover. Wait until the vinegar sirup cools down and pour it in the jars. Seal and store in a cool dark place. Pickled rhubarb is delicious with mackerel, pâté, pork or cheese North SUMMer

48 Right: Examples of Robyn Inkster s work, and sat at her machine Shetland s culture, history & environment inspires work for inal year students on the BA (Hons) Contemporary Textiles F course at Shetland College UHI are busy getting ready for their degree show. In this fourth and final year of their studies, students must research, devise and develop a personal programme of creative work. They study with a high degree of autonomy, focused on developing and refining skills and creative ideas to produce a coherent and resolved body of work. The degree show is a forum for students to display and promote their skills and celebrate their achievements, as well as being a spring board for their professional careers. The work of these six final year students shows a diverse range of creative interests and approaches. What is clear in one way or another is the impact and influence Shetland s historical, cultural and natural environment has had on the direction of their work. u Degree Show North summer

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50 The pieces are conceptual so are therefore open to interpretation from the viewer Shetland music is the force underpinning Eleanor Hynd s textiles. Using selected yarns she weaves crochets and knots her materials, creating intricate and expressive forms. In Eleanor s words the focus and inspiration for my honours year and degree show has been my response to Shetland music. My intention has been to capture the energy of my emotion and create three dimensional sculptural forms and convey this to others. Kharis Leggate on the other hand has developed a range of woven textiles for blankets and upholstery using Shetland wool. Her colours and weave designs are inspired by the exterior details on an old croft house on Yell. Kharis explains, I have a lot of emotion connected with Westsandwick and, in particular, the house there. Along with old crofthouses in the area, everything about the land and sea, how the use of them by people over time can be seen, is something I love to think about and feel a connection with. It has been Shetland s industrial environment that has attracted Robyn Inkster s attention. The bold geometric shapes and forms have inspired designs for a knitted textiles collection for interiors. She has been working with computer aided design systems to design and make use of both domestic and industrial knitting machines at the college. Robyn says: Knitting has been something I always wanted to learn I watched my Nan knit from a young age and was mesmerized by it. The patterns and colours and sheer speed were influential. In contrast, Jennifer Hutchison has been exploring her inner activist; using her sewing and embroidery skills as a means to communicate personal and political issues. Her aim is to engage, share, communicate and inform others. As Jennifer outlines, I became aware of Inner Activism in January after a college visit from Sarah Corbett of the Craft Collective. For me it is about making connections between how the persona (a person, myself), can be affected by political power structures in relationships (close ones and that with strangers) and how my personal reactions can be perceived as political and have a broader outcome. Inner Activism can cover other things too, such as in our relationships with consuming, but I chose to focus on relationships with people. I aim to have a small collection of night dresses at the final degree show and hope they resonate with some and cause others to ask questions. Cloth and how it can affect our emotions and evoke memories has North summer

51 Left: Jennifer Leask and her piece, Don t confine yourself been Connie Flynn s focus. As well as researching the material, Connie has looked at the historic and symbolic significance of the humble apron to inform and develop her work. Connie has been recycling, reworking and embellishing particular fabrics - piecing, layering, quilting, stitching and felting cloth as a means to realise her ideas: My current work is called Cloth Connotations; the concept of the work is about how cloth can stimulate a mood, feeling or memory depending on our very own experiences. The concept has developed into a collection of utilitarian half aprons constructed in a variety of functional and decorative cloth. Last, but not least, Shetland seabird colonies have inspired Mhari Smith. Concerned by the impact of plastic debris on their lives and habitats, she has been developing a body of creative work that can convey this manmade intrusion. Her pieces combine a range of mixed media textile techniques which include hand weaving, knitting, crochet and macramé. Says Mhari explains: When I realised the full impact plastic has on the seabirds of Shetland I became compelled to create a series of works which highlight this issue for my honours year degree show. Each piece will work to express a gradual shift from the natural to the synthetic. The pieces are conceptual so are therefore open to interpretation from the viewer. Hopefully this small insight into the student s creative worlds will entice you to come along to the Degree Show and find out a bit more about the students and their work. The Show is open to the public Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm from the 8 19 June at Shetland College UHI, Gremista, Lerwick Left: Kharis Leggate s detailed piece, and hard at work Right Connie Flynn with Cloth Connotations 60 North SUMMER

52 Shedding light on the Shetland Nature Festival 2015 is the UNESCO International Year of Light, and Robina Barton asks: what better place to celebrate light and all its benefits than Shetland in the summer? North summer

53 Left: Climbing taster Above: Mountain hare Right: Gannets Below right: Volcanic cliffs at Eshaness The theme of light will be central to this year s Shetland Nature Festival which takes place from 4-11 July in partnership with European Geoparks Week. The International Year of Light is a global initiative which highlights the importance of light and light based technologies for our lives, our future and the development of society. Another festival focus this year is creativity, with a week of workshops devoted to drawing and painting. Wildlife artist and Shetland Ranger Howard Towll will lead an introduction to drawing seabirds from life, by direct observation of the seabirds on the cliffs at Sumburgh Head. Shetland artist Diane Garrick will lead classes in botanical drawing and watercolour painting from live plants. Diane is particularly inspired by flowers and their medicinal uses. Shetland has a history of using locally picked herbs to make creams, teas, salves and tinctures, to treat colds, flu, stomach ache, improve the complexion, disinfect wounds and ensure rapid healing. Diane s workshops will be complimented by sessions with herbal plant expert Amy Hardie, who will introduce herbs found abundantly in Shetland, and show how to make salves with oil, flowers and beeswax. Festival goers will also have the chance to learn to make their own nature journal with bookbinder Lotte Kravitz. There will be plenty of opportunities to see Shetland from a whole new perspective with coasteering, kayaking, snorkelling and climbing led by experienced and enthusiastic guides. By popular demand, the education team from Edinburgh science centre Our Dynamic Earth are returning to the festival for a second year running and will be found at venues around the islands with a new range of activities to inspire, entertain and inform. The festival also looks forward to welcoming an artistic production by Edinburgh based arts agency Vision Mechanics. Drift is inspired by the true story of Betty Mouat, the Shetland crofter, who spent eight days drifting alone in the North Sea. Soundscapes and installations on the island of Unst will evoke the feeling of being adrift, isolated and unaided. Traditional favourites, the Noss National Nature Reserve Open Day and Sumburgh Head Open Day will bookend the 2015 festival with fun for all the family. Guided walks will journey through an extinct volcano and a desert landscape, introduce puffin colonies and rare plants and even show how to spot an otter. Festival goers can explore the magical island of Mousa with the RSPB and wait in the Iron Age broch to witness the incredible phenomenon of the tiny storm petrels returning by night under cover of darkness. They can find out why Shetland s peatlands are so special with the Peatlands Restoration Project, or wander through woodlands at Kergord and unearth the place of trees in folklore and religion, discover the wonderful world of bugs and moths with Shetland Biological Records Centre or have a peerie hock for creepy crawlies at the Crofthouse Museum. With so much going on it s just as well Shetland has such long summer days! The festival programme is available on the website and booking is now open. Keep up to date with the Shetland Nature Festival Facebook page North SUMMER

54 Shetland s summer really is special. Nowhere else in Britain enjoys longer days and in fact there s no complete darkness from mid May until early August. In the weeks around the summer solstice on 21 June, it s bright enough to contemplate fishing or even golf right through the night. On clear nights, an unfinished sunset simply drifts across the northern horizon. Not surprisingly, every form of life in Shetland makes the most of all this light; for example, birds settle only briefly; and, although the human calendar does include some outstanding indoor events, people revel in the islands outdoor opportunities. Shetland s natural wonders are the focus of several summer events. For example, the RSPB organises walks at the Mires of Funzie on the island of Fetlar, where the wildlife to be seen includes the rare and beautiful Red-necked Phalarope. This is the best place in Britain to get close to these fascinating little birds, remarkable that the rearing of the chicks is left entirely to the male. Agriculture Back on land, Shetland s agricultural shows get under way in the second half of the summer, beginning at Voe on 1 August and continuing with Walls on the 8th, Cunningsburgh on the 12th, Unst on the 29th and Yell on 5 September. The very best of Shetland s livestock and produce is on display. However, the shows also offer a wide range of other exhibits, ranging from knitwear to photography, and the islands amateur bakers and cooks compete for honours with scones, sponge cakes, preserves and much more. Indeed, with all this activity, the notion of setting down with a scone, jam, cream and a cuppa is very appealing; and that s where Shetland s Sunday teas come in. All over the islands, volunteers organise afternoon teas in community halls, the proceeds going to charity. On Unst on Between 5 14 June the Shetland JAWS Festival features an eclectic programme of jazz and world sounds, with a garnish of poetry. The 2015 line-up includes such outstanding performers as singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, virtuoso saxophonist Tommy Smith and the superb Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, plus the Criterion Jazz Band, Drum Explosion, Melanie Harrold, the Bevvy Sisters, Christine Tobin, Alex Cluness & Christine De Luca. It s a cracking programme. 26 June, a different tradition will be celebrated in a concert by Lau, voted best band in the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. any given Sunday, there may be a choice of three or four halls, in various parts of the islands, and it s not unknown for die-hard enthusiasts to take in more than one afternoon tea. It s understandable: the fare on offer always includes a mouth-watering range of home-made cakes, traybakes, scones, biscuits and sandwiches. Depending on the hall, it might extend to more exotic offerings such as empanadas. All of this is washed down with bottomless cups of tea and coffee. This admirable tradition has attracted attention well beyond Shetland and, in September 2009, filled an entire edition of The Food Porogramme on BBC Radio 4. However, Shetlanders adore music at least as much as chocolate gateau, so there s no rest for musicians. June Jazz sounds Lau in Concert Bergen-Shetland and 1000 mile Doublehanded From June, Lerwick Harbour welcomes the Bergen-Shetland Race and 1,000-mile Doublehanded Race. The latter begins in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, sails to Bergen and joins the other race from there to Lerwick. The town s picturesque old harbour is packed with beautiful yachts, but these are great social occasions, too, with old friendships renewed and around 250 visiting sailors experiencing the very best of Shetland hospitality North summer

55 July Nature Festival On a larger scale, the Shetland Nature Festival, from 4 11 July, features all sorts of events throughout the islands, aimed at offering local people and visitors the very best opportunities to explore our endlessly varied natural environment. In an island community, it s no surprise that so many activities focus on the sea. All over Shetland, there are sailing and rowing regattas right through the summer, invariably accompanied by barbecues and dances. Several classes of yachts compete in most regattas but there s particular affection for the traditional Shetland model, a double-ended vessel that can trace its origin back to Viking galleys. In the rowing races, crews in larger, six-oared versions engage in friendly but intense inter-district competition. The boats are developments of the type that was once the mainstay of the Shetland fishing industry. There are i nternational yacht races, too, reminding us of Shetland s historical links with nations around the North Sea. Stand up If stand-up comedy is your thing, Shetland is well established on the British circuit, with recent appearances by among others Bill Bailey, Ross Noble, Kevin Bridges, Dylan Moran and Mark Steel. Next up, on 14 July, is Jeremy Hardy, of whom the Guardian wrote: In an ideal world Jeremy Hardy would be extremely famous, but an ideal world would leave him without most of his best material Costa Fortuna Other sea-borne visitors include many thousands arriving on the steady stream of cruise liners that visit the islands during the summer months. The ships vary greatly in size but include some impressively large craft, such as the Costa Fortuna, weighing in at 102,000 tonnes, carrying 2720 passengers and 1027 crew. On 24 July, she ll dwarf everything else in the harbour. August September Fiddle Frenzy The folk theme is picked up again at Shetland Fiddle Frenzy, which draws on the isles extraordinarily rich fiddle heritage, pulling in participants from all over the world for a week of musical exploration and performance running from 2 to 9 August. Reel Festival The Shetland Reel Festival from August is a newcomer to the scene, taking place on the northernmost isle of Unst and featuring many of Shetland s best-known musicians, together with a selection of visiting American artists. All of this may seem like enough to fill more than one summer, but in fact is far from the end of the story. Dozens of other local events take place right across the islands, ranging from Lerwick s colourful Midsummer Carnival to the Party at the Pier in Cullivoe, Yell and UnstFest, Britain s most northerly community celebration. With so much going on, it s no wonder that Shetlanders may seem a little bemused when visitors ask (as they often do) how we pass the time at 60 degrees north. Screenplay Then, as the summer nights begin to draw in, it s time for Screenplay, Shetland s annual film festival, which kicks off on 29 August and runs until 6 September. It s curated by well-known film critics Linda Ruth Williams and the BBC s Mark Kermode. The programme always includes a great choice of film screenings, including some featuring the work of local young film-makers. There are also talks and panel discussions, quizzes and parties. In 2014, the programme included 95 events North SUMMER

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