Shetland

How to sum up the place?  Well it's beautiful landscape - mostly open grassland, very few trees or hedges.  Big hills like Lakeland fells.  Agriculture seems largely to be sheep farming and associated haymaking.  There are some of those sweet little ponies - what are they called? - around too.

Water is everywhere.   Lochs dot the landscape and the coastline has valleys which have been gradually flooded by the sea creating the voes everywhere and the scalloped coastline which is so pretty.  And while most land is covered by grass or low scrub, the verges of the roads are crammed with flowers at the moment: clumps of giant purple clover, campions, and a variety of yellow flowers I don't recognise.

And the roads!  Wonderful smooth tarmac.  I have hardly seen a single pothole.  Every tiny crack has already been marked for repair,  even on the smallest roads.  Few vehicles, and considerate drivers.  The downhills are long, open, smooth, fast; the uphells are, well, long. (Did I spell that right?)

The people seem industrious snd helpful.  The cars you see are purposeful - the district nurse, postman, and many workers' vans.  I guess people don't come to Shetland for an easy life.  Most live in very small groups of houses away from amenities.  But every village seems to have an active community; a community shop, a campaign to save the local school, a curry night on Wednesday in the village hall, a toilet-themed garden outside the public loo (really!).

I guess the main industries are fishing, farming, tourism and the big money-earner, oil.  With a surprisingly mild climate, it has a lot going for it if you don't need a convenient shopping mall, secondary school (boarding school at Lerwick I believe) or need to be somewhere else for work.

Oh, and there is the Norse influence too.  Shetland and Orkney used to belong to Norway until the late 1400s, when they were sold to Scotland as part of a dowry for James III's wife, I think.  Most people feel more Norwegian than Scottish - interesting when independence is being discussed.

Well I hope you like the essay...  normal service will be resumed soon.