Whats new

Well, there’s been quite a bit going on in the last week or so. I will start with last weekend, big Sis invited me, me Man and me lass (and her pal) for dinner on Saturday night. So we arrived to what I thought would be mountains of rich buttery, creamy yummy food, but she had decided to ‘go healthy’. This may have had something to do with the previous week when she invited other sisters, families and wir Mam for tea and ‘did wir Mam in’, with all the rich food (she was up the whole night with indigestion). We began with a bottle of Bolly (got to have the real thing), and not even a nibble or crisp in sight. But seriously, the dinner was lovely, a huge platter of simple fresh fish to start, lobster, prawns, smoked trout, crab and some kind of seaweedy thing that was really rather nice. The main course was chicken with cous cous, roasted veggies and a tiny tiny jug of juice from the meat, to which I managed to persuade her to add copious quantities of white wine and cream! Mmmmmm! We finished with what I can only describe as HEAVEN! (she must have been feely guilty as all the food was soooo healthy) a chocolate cheesecake with a baked bottom and as much real chocolate and cream as it could hold, and god, it was good! We finished upstairs with more pop and were sent home just after midnight. I got home thinking another drink would be a good idea and settled down with a bottle of beer in front of a live Coldplay concert on Sky!

Sunday night and I was off up to Busta House to meet up with my American Knitting friends. Gregory Courtney of the Simply Shetland knitting book and his gang were back in Shetland for their annual Tour, and they wanted to meet up and see some bears! I also brought Mam along with her Fair Isle Rowes, Jayne Kelly with her fabulous jewellery and the Muckle Gravit. We joined everyone in the dining room of pudding and then went through to the Long Room where I did a little intro and then we settled down for coffee and passed around the Gravit so they could all have a go and add a bit. What a lovely night, and even Mam enjoyed it (her that ‘doesn’t really like that kind of things!’). We left to promises of all 20 of the group calling along my house on Tuesday to see the Teddy Shed & Sparky dog.

Tuesday arrived and true to their word, the Jamieson’s bus parked up outside and all 20 of them poured in. They had to take turns in the Shed as it can only hold about 6 at a go (tightly packed). But Sparky was the star of the show (3 year old Parsons Jack Russell, looks like Eddie off Frasier), I dressed him in his Kilt, and the cameras started clicking, he loved every minute!


Friday
QUESTION: Have you ever been told off for talking to someone whilst filling your car with petrol?
I was!, on Friday, in Lerwick at a garage I have gone to for the past god knows how many years, I wouldn’t care but there wasn’t even any cars behind my car or the car of the person I was talking to, but she came out of the shop waving her hands and saying 'excuse me!', gesturing that we hurry up, so much for customer service, I was furious and I will be looking to buy my fuel elsewhere from now on, just a shame that they are the cheapest in Town. Maybe she had the PMT/Grumpy Old Women syndrome? Who knows.

After the Island Games

So it’s all over, and my, didn’t it fly by, here’s a rundown of my week working at the Flavour of Shetland Event hosted by Shetland Islands Council (a 5 day event to promote Shetland through music, food and craft), selling Burra Bears and Mams makkin Fair Isle Rowes (aka Fair Isle Poncho).

Monday
Monday dawned fine and bright (here’s hoping for the rest of the week). I arrived early as I wasn’t sure how long it would take to set up, and we were supposed to open up our tents at 11am.
It was busy pretty much right from the off. There were big Liners in the harbour which meant lots of visitors. Mams Fair Isle Rowes (aka Poncho) were a huge hit, almost sold half the stock, which I thought was going to last all week (phoned mam and told her to keep makkin, no sleep, just keep makkin!). I did sell Bears too, but the Rowes seem to be the latest craze!
Only one problem, the BBQ, all day the wind blew the reek right on the front stalls, which included me, so went home rather hearse and a bit reeky, hoping I wouldn’t end up with smelly Rowes and BBQ bears, hopefully it will be sorted tomorrow! Treated to a selection of live music all day in the main tent, what a lovely atmosphere, like holidays! Went home 8pm.
Oh, also got a photo taken for da Paper (that’s the real Paper) with Patricia Ferguson (minister for sport, culture and few other things for by), good publicity, a bit of free advertising, I seem to be good at getting that.

Tuesday
A bit quieter today, but sales went well. Fair Isle Rowes still flying off the hangers, sold nearly as much as yesterday, getting worried now that there will be nothing left for the rest of the week, so I will take in my 2 Rowes tomorrow as samples. Bears went well today.
YESSSSSS – they moved the BBQ round the back so fresh air aplenty today. Finished around 8pm again. Big Sis put in a Tea takeaway with Sister Susie, 3 kinds of tatties (creamy, mustard and a third I forget), sausages with onions and gravy, mmmmmm, every Shetland persons dream – lots and lots of tatties (well one of my dreams, guess that’s mams doing). Oh and a cheesecake with poached peaches and a raspberry coulis (she’s so Nigella).

Wednesday
Got into a routine now, come in early, set stock out and get coffee from Peerie Shop Café before 11am. Eating Toffee Crisps and Peanut M & M’s like they are going out of fashion!
Colder today (and you know how I hate the cold), I am actually getting used to being outside, although I did have my scarf today (yes scarf in the middle on July, must remember to take gloves tomorrow).
Sold around 8 Rowes today, really not many left now, although Mam has been knitting and I got a late delivery of another 4, but 2 simply sold before they were out of the bag. Having to take orders.
Did an interview for the Shetland Times about how the week was going, did big promo on Mams Makkin, again good FREE advertising. Stayed in till 8pm again.
Oh, yes, one of our photographers, John Carolan is doing an exhibition of 100 Shetland women, and he asked if I would take part, so he came in and clicked away for a while, me all wrapped up in a Stripey Rowe (a new design from Mam, and a scarf and feeling very cold), god alone knows what I will look like, but I have seen John’s work, and it’s really good, so hopefully he can work his magic on me!

Thursday
A lot brighter this morning, although even with the cold, it doesn’t seem to matter, as it’s really has been a lovely week, such a good atmosphere, with all the folk, the music, the crafts and the food (I highly recommend the Hot Smoked Salmon Wrap, mmmmmm), I will say it again it’s like being on holiday, not work!
Rained really heavy in the afternoon, but even that was ok.
Rowes still going well (guess the cold weather is helping!).
Got lots of coffee today, told me Man that if he is coming down to visit just get coffee on the way (only Nescafe available on the Pier, and we don’t do that!).
Getting a double Cappuccino now, extra strong, I will have withdrawal symptoms next week!

Friday
It’s the last day, I can’t believe it has gone so fast.
Saw the Paper this morning, they put in the photo, but I look every so slightly crazy, like when you point a camera at a peerie bairn and ask them to smile and they put on a really huge grin – well that was me! Good write up though.
Thankfully it was quite nice in the afternoon, Shetland was in the final for the Football against Guernsey, and they won (I think it was 2 nil), now although I have little interest in football (me Man being a devout Aberdeen fan), It was lovely that they won, we watched it on the big screen on the Pier and could hear the cheers from the Gilbertson Park seconds before they scored on the screen. So it all ended on a good note. Couldn’t tell you what medals Shetland got, although I did hear it was quite a few (not really into Sport).
Big party on Friday night for most folk, although I packed everything up at 8pm, and loaded up my car, then had to go and get me Man’s car and loaded that up too.
Got home about 9.30pm. Now after a whole week working 11am till 8pm, you would think I would have wanted to sit down and have a drink (big Sis very kindly left me a bottle of fizzy chilling in the fridge – Thanks Rachey!), but I got home and all I wanted was a ‘cup o tae’, and that’s what I had along with the white ham salad sandwich Big Sis gave me for lunch (I had already eaten by the time she came with lunch).
I took me peerie dug, ‘Sparky’ out for a walk, felt guilty leaving him for most of the week. And then as I was about to go to bed, I got a phone call from me Man to see if I wanted to pick him up, so I got in the car and went back to Town.

Suffice to say I made up for it on Sunday by having lots of lovely red wine with a very tasty Chinese takeaway (after spending the day in my pyjamas, on my new sofa, it finally arrived, in my lovely decorated sitting room, we did get it finished, watching all the programmes I had recorded from the last 3 weeks, having had no time previously to watch as I was up to the lugs in Burra Bears).
So that was pretty much a perfect end to very enjoyable week.

And I got the photo’s that John took, they are lovely (not meaning I am lovely, but made me look half normal, not like the one in Paper) but they are so natural, and black and white, I think that does me justice.

I went into Town yesterday and put an ad in the Personal column of the Paper, to let folk know about this Blog, so if you read the ad and are now reading this, let me know!

Island Games

Having spent the last few months (actually seems much longer) up to the lugs in Burra Bears and Mams Rowes, the Island Games are finally here. Yes, the Natwest Island Games (I think thats what they call it) has arrived and after a very wet (torrential rain) Opening ceremony last night, today dawned fine and sunny, which was just as well as I had to set up on Victoria Pier for the Flavour of Shetland event which is being run over the next week to co-incide with the Island Games. Its 5 days of live music, food, drams and fantastic high quality crafts (that'll be the longest week's work I've put in for a while then), that's 11am to 11pm every day.
So as I said it was a beautiful sunny day, and we arrived at the Pier just around 4pm to set up, and everything was looking good, and all went well. We were even treated to some live music from the kirky folk.
So here's to next week, and lots of sales for those fantastic Burra Bears and the new high quality Mams makkin Fair Isle Rowes!