Muckle Oxters

Dat'll liklee be da Scalloway Coop goin ahead noo tae https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2021/11/29/planning-recommends-scalloway-co-op-approval

Nothin dat excitin has happened tae my account. I don't think there's ever been ony attempts tae hack ony o my accounts at ony website. I don't think I've ever had ony cold callers or scam attempts edder. I feel a bit left oot.

I find da whole conspiracy theory business to be interestin. No for da theories demsel, but I winder what it is dat drives some folk tae be so paranoid tae belive dat aabody is lying tae aabody else. Yis, dirs plenty o examples when folk hiv indeed been lied to, but no aabody, aa da time, tae aabody else! It seems tae be a mindset rather den onything else, and you canna seem to discuss onything we determined conspiracy theorists because quantifiable evidence doesna hold ony value, and dey'll use wan evidence-less theory as evidence for anidder een! Dey'll claim dey've done dir research, but da research is often joost readin dubious internet articles.

Shetland black tatties are splendid! Dey hae kinda concentric white and purple rings in dem, and dey ir usually a bit peerier dan a normal tattie. Da eens I grow ir slightly on da mellie (floury, I suppose) end o da scale

Fish n tatties! And every variation o fish n tatties you can tink o!

It maks a lot o sense dat folk widna be allowed to drive and wander freely aboot a rocket launch site!

Da minimum wage, set by da government, is £8.91 an hour. 'Real Living Wage', which a lot o local business go by, is a voluntary minimum o £9.50. Dir's info here https://scottishlivingwage.org/ It doesna tak intae account da higher costs o livin on islands, but it's 6.6% better dan da minimum wage.

I'd be vexed if I wis wrang and dirs a lot o employers payin minimum wage, but I dunna ken o mony, even in catering, and I've had a skoit aroond local vacancy listings and I dunna see ony edder. Whit sectors is it dat's payin minimum wage do you tink? Minimum wage is £8.91 an hour if you're ower 23, and I believe Tesco pay £9.55 and Coop pay £9.50.

I doot you boys irna very familiar we da local employment market if words lik ‘slavery’ and ‘peanuts’ ir bein bandied aboot. Shetland wages are well above national average, including at da lower end o da scales, and I ken few employers payin minimum wage unless mibee fur teenagers we Saturday jobs. Da cost o living is higher than average, so it’s tae be expected dat wages wid be higher, but da labour shortage is across da board - no joost we da lower ends o things. p.s. Splendid job we da blaming o Brussels in da first place’ Ghostrider. Classic Brexit denial

Weel, dis is interesting https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2021/09/03/businesses-struggle-as-number-of-local-job-vacancies-closes-in-on-400-mark/ I canna mind dir be so much wark available since da early days o Sullom. I ken quite a few local businesses dat can get staff for love nor money (I expect offerin money wid be da better route!) I winder if ony Brexit supporters will pit dir hands up and admit dat dey wir warned! Unless, of coorse, dis is whit Brexit supporters actually wanted?

I winder how many folk dat are complaining aboot da Co-ops will stick tae dir ethical guns and no use dem if dey open?

I'm had a few hardwood windows and doors fae Bultern and Mulhern - https://www.yell.com/biz/bulter-and-mulhern-shetland-689356/ Highly recommended

I don't tink the cooncil hae any powers to stop folk feedin dem, and I tink it's only legal to cull dem if dey ir a risk tae public safety or tae idder animals. Dir wid be nae point onywye unless da food supply wis stopped as mair wid joost come. I mind no-say-lang-ago da Abderdeen Cooncil haein a hell o a time we folk feedin dem and leavin grub lyin oot aroond bins. Dir was nothin da cooncil could do apart fae advising folk. I doot you might be best to gadder some evidence dat dey ir a public safety risk. Or an air rifle... You hae my sympathies. Dey ir airborne ersehols!

I tink da problem is dat dir will be less shops. Or mair accurately, a bigger shop we lots o peerie branches. Fae my point o view, da most worrying thing wid be da demise o da local shop's 'fancy goods' departments. Dey're cultural institutions!

Good luck we da search. Seein as you're lookin for something after da tourist season is finishin, you might be lucky and get a tourist-y guest hoose - they'll usually be gettin quieter at dat time o year and might be pleased for a longer term let. Dis is a good place to start makin enquiries https://www.shetlandvisitor.com/ Once you start phonin around you'll probably find that folk will know folk that will know folk that hae something suitable!