Laplandica

According to an old diary, Tomas O´Tarson* was disliked since birth. His parents abandoned him as a child and, reluctantly, the parish had to take responsibility for the lad. To pay for his upkeep, Tomas was forced to work as an apprentice grave digger at the old Kirk of Quendale in the southern part [...]

…get to my plate? A question not many of us have, as we may be seated in front of a plate of “Grilled Salmon with Hot Cheese Roulade”, “Char-broiled Salmon Steaks” or a classic “Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. Still, having lived a landlocked life, it’s a question I’ve had in my head the many times [...]

…was a subject for comment today, as we were preparing to jump into Jeppe and take a walk on Houss, the southern point of East Burra, Shetland. A local resident came by and, as I was putting my walking stick in the vehicle, the person said something like, “Well, ya taking your spear with ya?” [...]

…having a good time and enjoying a bit of fun has different meanings from different areas of the islands. We’ve already learned that agricultural fairs are popular and are established forms of wholesome family outings. On the other hand, piano bashing events seem to be a new development in island entertainment.
So, it was with [...]

…was again feeling a little under the weather. Last Friday, Jeppe cracked his right-front brake pads and needed immediate attention. Some Jeeps can be such big babies when sick! But, when in another country, Where does one find a reliable Jeep doctor to take care of a loved vehicle?
Burra Isle, on central mainland Shetland, has [...]

…a completely different experience. For two people, having lived a life on land with forests, rivers and mountains, the sea is almost an infinite challenge. It is a different world of its own! So we discovered when our landlord invited us out for a few hours of fishing in this ocean we are living next [...]

Ännu en fiskdag. Denna gång besökte vi fiskaffären i Lerwick där en mycket pratsam dam snabbt insåg att vi inte visste mycket om havets fiskar. Efter att ha gått igenom sortimentet med oss fastnade vi för “dogfish”. Damen föreslog att vi antingen skulle ånga den eller koka den i krossade tomater. Dessutom inhandlades fyra stora [...]

En av de trevligare sakerna med att vara i utlandet är mat. Det är alltid trevligt med ny mat eller hur? På Shetland förväntade vi oss att det skulle finnas allehanda fiskar och skaldjur; och det gör det minsann. Man går bara till fiskaffären och där ligger de alla på rad och väntar på att [...]

…is important when calling to Great Britain. Earlier, I’ve emailed friends that the international code number for here was 0045. This will only get you to Denmark.
Please use 0044 when calling Great Britain and nothing else! Thanks!

…we were met with grey, wet and windy weather. Behind us were six days of traveling through Sweden, Norway and the ferries necessary to cross the sea between Scandinavia and Scotland. The trip was longer than anticipated, but the weather was neither hot nor rainy and was just perfect for a long drive. Naturally, on [...]