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Wanting to move to Shetland


jenesequa
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a kid is still a baby goat.....

 

Just so that there's a minor chance you'll shut the pootle up about it...

 

From http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?query=kid&title=21st

kid1 noun 1 colloq a child; a young person. 2 a young goat, antelope or other related animal. 3 the smooth soft leather made from the skin of such an animal. Also called kid leather and kidskin. adj, colloq younger • my kid sister. verb (kidded, kidding) intrans said of a goat, etc: to give birth to young. handle someone with kid gloves see under kid glove.

ETYMOLOGY: 13c as kide: related to Norse kith young goat.

 

kid2 verb (kidded, kidding) colloq (sometimes kid someone on or along) 1 to fool or deceive them, especially light-heartedly or in fun. 2 intrans to bluff; to pretend. 3 tr & intr to tease. kidder noun. kiddingly adverb. kid oneself to fool oneself about something • kidding himself all was well. See also kid-on.

ETYMOLOGY: 19c: perhaps from kid1.

(my emboldening)

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I moved from London to Shetland for some peace and quiet - 14 months later, I'm still here, and often feel I'm still on holiday while work just gets in the way!

 

Lots of positives - my hardened city veneer is being chipped away and I really enjoy being part of a community... talking to my neighbours, seeing people out and about, being pushed out of snowdrifts when the wind is blowing a gale. The cheery ferrymen, being inspired by people who have so many talents (knitting, musicianship, cultural knowledge) and all the drivers of Whalsay who wave to every person they pass, whether they are on foot or in a car. I felt awkward at first, now I get miffed when the occasional person doesn't do it, haha. I live by the motto of 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.' However, month six of winter was quite a challenge. But I love the way Shetlanders embrace the good weather when it hits 14 degrees - time for skimpy tops, shorts and beachwear. I love the heritage, the museums, the exhibitions. I walk up to four times a week, go island hopping, take hundreds of photos to put on Facebook and have gained new interests, such as auctions, boat spotting and oystercatchers :P The main negative, for me, is wanting to pop back home for a stag weekend, family event or concert - and it costs a minimum of £250... and that's booked way in advance. However, I feel healthier, mentally relaxed and inspired by my surroundings.

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I moved from London to Shetland for some peace and quiet - 14 months later, I'm still here, and often feel I'm still on holiday while work just gets in the way!

 

Lots of positives - my hardened city veneer is being chipped away and I really enjoy being part of a community... talking to my neighbours, seeing people out and about, being pushed out of snowdrifts when the wind is blowing a gale. The cheery ferrymen, being inspired by people who have so many talents (knitting, musicianship, cultural knowledge) and all the drivers of Whalsay who wave to every person they pass, whether they are on foot or in a car. I felt awkward at first, now I get miffed when the occasional person doesn't do it, haha. I live by the motto of 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.' However, month six of winter was quite a challenge. But I love the way Shetlanders embrace the good weather when it hits 14 degrees - time for skimpy tops, shorts and beachwear. I love the heritage, the museums, the exhibitions. I walk up to four times a week, go island hopping, take hundreds of photos to put on Facebook and have gained new interests, such as auctions, boat spotting and oystercatchers :P The main negative, for me, is wanting to pop back home for a stag weekend, family event or concert - and it costs a minimum of £250... and that's booked way in advance. However, I feel healthier, mentally relaxed and inspired by my surroundings.

 

....and there we have it, a well worded review from someone in the know on this subject! :D

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I moved from London to Shetland for some peace and quiet - 14 months later, I'm still here, and often feel I'm still on holiday while work just gets in the way!

 

Lots of positives - my hardened city veneer is being chipped away and I really enjoy being part of a community... talking to my neighbours, seeing people out and about, being pushed out of snowdrifts when the wind is blowing a gale. The cheery ferrymen, being inspired by people who have so many talents (knitting, musicianship, cultural knowledge) and all the drivers of Whalsay who wave to every person they pass, whether they are on foot or in a car. I felt awkward at first, now I get miffed when the occasional person doesn't do it, haha. I live by the motto of 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.' However, month six of winter was quite a challenge. But I love the way Shetlanders embrace the good weather when it hits 14 degrees - time for skimpy tops, shorts and beachwear. I love the heritage, the museums, the exhibitions. I walk up to four times a week, go island hopping, take hundreds of photos to put on Facebook and have gained new interests, such as auctions, boat spotting and oystercatchers :P The main negative, for me, is wanting to pop back home for a stag weekend, family event or concert - and it costs a minimum of £250... and that's booked way in advance. However, I feel healthier, mentally relaxed and inspired by my surroundings.

 

I would say you took the words right out of my mouth, but i could never of worded it as well as that, very well said. :D

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I moved from London to Shetland for some peace and quiet - 14 months later, I'm still here, and often feel I'm still on holiday while work just gets in the way!

 

Lots of positives - my hardened city veneer is being chipped away and I really enjoy being part of a community... talking to my neighbours, seeing people out and about, being pushed out of snowdrifts when the wind is blowing a gale. The cheery ferrymen, being inspired by people who have so many talents (knitting, musicianship, cultural knowledge) and all the drivers of Whalsay who wave to every person they pass, whether they are on foot or in a car. I felt awkward at first, now I get miffed when the occasional person doesn't do it, haha. I live by the motto of 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.' However, month six of winter was quite a challenge. But I love the way Shetlanders embrace the good weather when it hits 14 degrees - time for skimpy tops, shorts and beachwear. I love the heritage, the museums, the exhibitions. I walk up to four times a week, go island hopping, take hundreds of photos to put on Facebook and have gained new interests, such as auctions, boat spotting and oystercatchers :P The main negative, for me, is wanting to pop back home for a stag weekend, family event or concert - and it costs a minimum of £250... and that's booked way in advance. However, I feel healthier, mentally relaxed and inspired by my surroundings.

 

Thank you so much :D

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I have recently made the move up from a biggish town (about four times the population of Shetland as a whole) to here. This is a full move with wife and kids in tow (not goats). Yes people are right that petrol is expensive and it can get cold, there is not the same choice of shopping and there is no cinema but in some ways that is what I love about the place.

 

It takes some getting used to but you will manage and if you don't see it as a big problem and think your way round about it it does lead to a nice little lifestyle.

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Like I said in my first post I'll get shot down in flames and that's just what's happened.

 

Pretty pathetic though when folk have to resort to insults in their arguments instead of just accepting that what I'm saying is indeed the other side to Shetland.

 

cdboy's post is wonderful and I love the way he(?) has accepted Shetland and understands it.

 

But it's just not always like that and it's only fair that folk are made aware of that.

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Kavi, some folks don't want to hear it, I generally find anyone who looks at all the positives without planning for the negatives are foolhardy. I don't get the feeling that the two newest "I'm moving to Shetland" candidates are foolhardy.

 

While most folks will shoot you down in flames I have to agree with some of what you say (maybe not the way you say it). What we don't seem to see on Shetlink is when folks don't settle down ok on the isles and decide to move on, I doubt this is because nobody who moves in to Shetland ever moves away but because some folk don't like to look at things in their lives which weren't the success they hoped for. Two neighbours of my mother being prime examples of deciding to leave the rat race then finding life on a croft isn't necessarily wine and roses either which ultimately led to one of them leaving completely and the other spending winters off the isles.

 

Life in Shetland isn't going to get any easier but that is the case with a hell of a lot of the mainland. Should folk move to isolated communities in hope of a better way of live, I think yes as long as they can integrate into the community and accept that the way of life can be dramatically different in good as well as bad ways.

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Andy and I have done a lot of research, not exhaustive but enough to understand the challenges we will face (most of 'em anyway) we aren't perfect (well I am almost :wink:) and hope to integrate with the community we move to and become a real part of the way of life.

 

What I am looking forward to the most (I'm wearing the rose coloured glasses now :oops: ) sitting in front of a real fire toasting bread, drinking hot tea with a really good story book. No doubt the reality will be: Run out of fuel, no milk for my tea, and worst of all missing pages from the crucial part of the story. However I work with my glass half full so will have bread and jam, black tea, put on another layer, and let my imagination finish the story. :P

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Kazza and Drewyd good luck on your move to Shetland and welcome to Whalsay if here is where you decide to come. Thanks to all the posters who have said positive things about Whalsay, it really is a great place to live if it suits your circumstances.

 

As with any place it has its advantages and its drawbacks. Commuting is a bit tedious and can be disrupted in the winter as well as being a significant cost but plenty of us seem to manage. Employment prospects on the isle are not zero but they are not abundant either. A plumber may be able to find a job.

 

You will find most people to be very welcoming and helpful if you need anything no matter what part of the island you move to. There is a significant drinking culture but it rarely causes any trouble. The six day long regatta in the middle of the summer is one thing you would probably really enjoy.

 

Hope this helps!

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We are moving up from Caithness next week and, like Shetland, there is a sizeable 'incomer' (white settler :wink:) element down here.

 

In my experience, they fall into two distinct categories:

 

The first view their new home as some sort of extension of Middle England, they make little effort to integrate and mix with their communities and cannot see Scotland (or Shetland if referring to up here) as a separate political and cultural entity.

Or, if they do decide to become involved, it is to tell the locals 'how they should be doing things'..guaranteed to make them welcome (not) and result in accusations of the natives being a 'clique' when they eventually get ignored...they then proceed to complain about the lack of shopping centres/multiplex cinemas/weather/dialect.

And then invariably disappear down South with their tail between their legs a couple of years later wailing that the locals are 'Anti English/Incomer'.

 

The second category respect local sensibilities, make an effort to become involved in the community (without trying to 'take over'), get to understand how their community works, make an effort to meet people and accept that

they need to take things steady and fit in with those around them - not expect everyone to fit in with them.

 

 

We've had ten good years here, never had a problem...but I've seen a few that have.

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