JimIvens

I charge £12 to strip clean and service fishing reels. I am waiting for the day that a garage owner brings me a reel to fix

That is disputed at a few locations. I would welcome hearing other peoples views on the legality of trout fishing in Shetland. Most folk I have spoken to seem to think that you can fish anywhere anytime. I have never seen any legal documents to support this. In fact the only thing I have seen written down is the SAA's position. If other documents exist saying anything else, I would like to know just to clarify the position.

It is a commonly held myth that loch fishing is 'free for all' in Shetland. As in all of Scotland, the angling rights are held by the landowner unless they sell them. SAA have negotiated exclusive rights to many of the lochs in Shetland including Benston, Tingwall, Asta, all of the waterboard lochs and many others that would be too tedious to list here. Spiggie and Benston are fly only, but spinning is permitted in any of the others. SAA stock the lochs it controls with localy sourced brown trout and it stocks the burns with seatrout, which is why when the seatrout fishery is struggling throughout Scotland ours is still robust. It is worth spending £25 on a membership for that reason alone, and children and OAP's are free.

Spiggie Loch is a nature reserve owned by the RSPB and they can dictate the usage of the loch. They have rented the angling rights to Shetland Angling Association with the proviso that no internal combustion engines are used. Shetland Angling Association has put the restriction on its members that 'fly fishing' is the only angling method to be used. Only SAA members are allowed to use the loch which contains wild brown trout and seatrout. It is a Nature Reserve. There are no rainbow trout or other introduced species in the loch.

When we moved to Shetland 20 years ago, we bought our house based on the sea level rise prediction of half a meter by 2010 and rising at an increasing rate to 10 meters. We still live on a hilltop and I still fish on the same beaches that I always have.

Why not? If you are a weather spotter you can experience a whole gamut of weathers in just a few hours.

I will never eat revels without a bucket again!

One of the greatest resources that Shetland has is its unspoiled wildlife. Simon King has done a great job in promoting tourism in Shetland. If only we could follow it up by keeping Shetlands profile high and the cost of getting here low, we could all do very well out of the tourist trade. The problem is that there is no political will to cash in on this potential bonanza as the money would be spread around much more evenly and not in the pockets of the few. Oh by the way. On the few occasions that I had the chance to speak with Simon King he came over as a genuinly nice person who was fully aware of the luck he has had in converting a hobby into a career.

When I was an ambulance man I found that all dogs bite. If the owner is in bother the dog becomes worried and when some stranger aproaches the boss they tend to do what they can to protect them. Having been bitten by a wide variety of dogs I would have to say that the smaller the dog, the more agressive it becomes. The advantage of small dogs though is that they are easily controlled by throwing a blanket over them. Bigger dogs are more difficult. We once had to get the police to shoot an alsatian that had savaged its owner very badly and then would not let anyone near her. She nearly bled to death before we could help her. So I would say to you dog owners that iff you are feeling ill, dont take your dog for a walk and if you are at home and have called an ambulance, please shut your dog in another room.

My shop was closed for a few days in the snow, so you lot owe me several billion pounds. come on, pay up then!

You know, sometimes I think people start a thread just to get an argument going. I think it's sad that people get pleasure from winding others up.

The best way of keeping neighbours cats out of your garden is to get a cat of your own.

You woudnt be able to find a space for a picnic on Forvick. Due to the amount of citizens and the infra structure being put in place, the planned building is currently about two miles high and rising. Just a few more citizens amd he will be building a space port on top.

Ah, I remember when the first 'Kwakers' hit this sceptered isle. Sitting astride our beefy Triumphs, Beezas and Nortons we laughed heartily as the little aluminium sewing machine pulled along side. Then, bent over our handlebars with the throttle wound hard against the stop, we ground our teeth as it left us in its dust.

Jan is on a hiding to nothing here. She does her best for the 'waifs and strays' of the sea mamal world. She consults the vet and the SSPCA to ensure that her actions cannot be considered 'cruel'. Jan gives a fighting chance to some animals whos only alternative is a lingering death. All power to her elbow. She has my support.