Muckle Oxters

A big thing fur me and da family is da feeling o safety. I'm lived in twaree idder places and dir wis always da worry aboot being burgled, mugged, scammed or whitiver else. I hadna realised how much o a tax da takes until I moved back and felt da relief o no hivin tae lock da car or hoose door, or worry aboot a crack ower da back o da head at da bank machine.

I'm corrected twaree folk, and da conversation usually goes alany da lines o Sooth person: "...The Shetlands..." Me (with an accent): "It's actually Shetland" Sooth person: "Shiitland?!! The land of shiit?" Me: "The Shetlands is fine" -- Apologies tae da admin folk - I'm bypassed da swear filter because it wis ruining my anecdote by correcting Shiitland to 'Turdland'. I'm fly, so I added an 'ii' ** admin edit - given the dialect context, your 'ii Shiitland' is permissible! **

I winder if it works da idder wye aboot. Whit do English folk think o Shetlanders usin dir language? I tink we'll soond weirder tae dem dan dey do tae wis!

So da "Scottish government backs plans to introduce testing at entry points" https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2021/02/26/scottish-government-backs-plans-to-introduce-testing-at-entry-points As @Roachmill says, mibee da ship has sailed (pardon da pun) and da vaccine will be workin it's magic by da time aa da details are worked oot

I hope Cadet Calamity taks more care o his surfboard dis time. It widda turned ower my peerie punt if I'd collided we it when I wis oot we me handline!

Personally, I wid hae nae budder we livin near a turbine ot twaa. I've biden in some deepooperit areas sooth no far fae industrial sites an busy roads and dat wisna da best, and da proposed turbines look brawly elegant in comparison. I hae sympathy fur da folk who are gettin turbines right on dir doorsteps though. Mony o dem have decided dey hate da turbines already, but I hope dat wance da construction phase has eased and it quietens doon again dat it'll no be as bad as dey wir dreadin.

Da principle o testin aabody comin in tae da isles at ports and airports seems lik a very sensible idea. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/islands/2927305/covid-testing-at-island-entry-points-to-be-discussed-with-ministers/ But I canna help tinkin dat if we get dat set up, why can idder places no demand da same? Whit reason wid dir be to no allow ony idder town or area to hae tests on da roads in and oot? Whit maks wis different?

Yis, dir 'saft arrrs*' seem tae be da main budder. (*soft pronunciation of the letter 'r', rather than pliable buttocks)

I dunna get it? She looks nothin link Ian Krankie

Aathing is heading in the right direction.. https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2021/02/23/first-minister-to-outline-steps-towards-easing-covid-restrictions/ So, how weel do you think Nicola Sturgeon is handling dis? I tink she's doin brawly weel

I, for one, and very happy dat da fellow wis reunited we his surfboard. But no as happy as da global media it seems!

Wan o da regular points o objection tae Viking is dat hoose prices near da turbines will go doon. It liklee seems logical, but I winder if dirs evidence tae back dat up? I canna mind ony o da objectors presentin onything solid. Presumably dirs data fae idder similar developments?

Dis came up in conversation da idder day. Somebody I was spikkin tae was sayin dat dey didna lik it when 'non-Shetlanders' tried to use dialect. Dir point seemed to be dat if dey couldna use it properly den dey shouldna use it at-all. I disagree. I tink we da dialect in decline, particulary we young folk less liklee to use dialect, I think it is splendid dat folk born elsewhere tak an interest in it. If it is left tae wis 'thoroughbred' Shetlanders den da dialect will be dead in a generation or two. It can sound a bit funny though! Whit do you tink?

Can you use a debit card on da ferries yet? Surely, in dis day and age... etc etc!

Da shipping and flights pages are a heck o a time sook! Aa da helicopters aboot da rigs look lik swarms o fleachs!