Patzel

no, it was not thinking about any risks for children.... I was only wondering what regulations there are in Scotland about electric fences generally spoken. To answer your last question: normally the "shock" of an electric fence does no harm to a child. It's only dangerous for people with a pacemaker. My son (and many other children of friends who also have horses) grew up with horses and therefore also with the "risks" of an electric fence. They even did some sort of testing their courage... who dares to touch the fence and so on. If an animal gets entangled in a fence, can't get away and gets those "shocks" (which are much more uncomfortable for a sensitive animal nose than for a human being) every other second (depending on the clock rate) then this can be extremely dangerous for the animal. They panic and really bad things can happen. This is why one should never electrify an ordinary stockfence and rather invest a little bit more money in the so-called horse wire and erect a more professional fence. Perhaps like this http://www.gallagher.com.au/energizer.aspx?mktprodid=1039 Don't be too worried about the kids. They don't usually get entangled in a fence and touch it only once.

An electric fence is illegal? Is it not the same as in Germany, Austria, Italy etc. where an electric fence can be alongside a public road as long as pedestrians have 1 m between the road and the fence AND there is a warning sign every 100m?

recommendation very much aprecciated! that's the next task... Government Animal Health Branch have already sent all the papers... since all are registered and have passports it's rather simple importing horses but it's much more difficult with those two darlings... probably they are the only ones in the European Union who have official permission by the authorities not to have to wear their ear tags (I am allowed to keep the ear tags with their passports and their records in my drawer... after having fought for this some years) http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4060/imgp2660t.jpg[/img]

any recommendations? Are the horses there well looked after? Some of my ponies will travel earlier than ourselves to Shetland and I would want them to be well looked after while we travel back and forth. The equestrian centre offers stabling and/or holiday care. Does anybody know about the facilities? I would also consider offers of other trustworthy horse people who are brave enough to handle my wee devils for a period of up to 8 weeks. But: a stable will be necessary because (due to the fat grass in Bavaria) my ponies are not used to 24/7 grazing! And unfortunately they need a very good fence (electric). One of them is a cheeky runaway, the curious lady does find life much more interesting outside a fence. That's her (the grey one in the background): http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8977/p1010728g.jpg

Save money on your bills SolarExchange helps you save money and control your bills. Solar panels can generate free electricity all year round (even when it’s cloudy) and most households can save about a third per year on their energy bills. Over 25 years, this could save you thousands of pounds. Generally spoken - yes, solar energy is a good idea. But... if the panels generate free electricity (in an amount which makes it worth to feed into the grid) then how can it be that only a third on the individual energy bill can be saved? Does that not sound as if the amount which the owner of the house can use of this energy is limited? We do have a lot of solar panels on roofs here in Southern Bavaria. And the average size on a farm house does generate enough electricity for normal domestic appliances. Only washing machines or dishwashers need more energy which cannot always be generated when needed (problems of solar energy is still the batteries). So the average solar installation here is far too big for the need of one house and therefore farmers feed into the grid for an additional income (which is for many the only reason why they install such a system at all...).

sign posts? poor bees are dieting (and even starving) in many parts of the world anyway which might at some point cause serious problems for mankind so I do think one can live with a little bit of devastating bee poo but one cannot live without the bees.

so I'm going to look for a small female elephant then...

It's not very often that I have to look up an English word in the dictionary... but what is a tusker? The only definition I found was "elephant bull" but that can't be correct.

we use some old (antique) farm machinery such as horse drawn mowing machine, hay turning machine, hay baler etc. Who does maintenance and servicing for those on Shetland? Anybody on Unst or Yell? Or would it be better to get them all serviced and repairs done in Germany before we move? Spare parts for (German maker) Fella, Bautz and Fahr I should probably best bring with me? Also some of our equipment like the hay cart still have old wheels made out of wood and iron, carriage shafts are mainly wood.... Is there a cartwright (business or experienced amateur)? And about transport: As far as I have seen some (farming) equipment is extremely expensive in UK. So it might probably be the cheapest way to fill a lorry with my equipment instead of replacing it?

Definitely yes! Also the cars of pet owners might need to be serviced from time to time and an emergency visit at the vet cannot be planned in advance. So what's the problem sitting beside a chicken? They don't bite... I had to travel with the bus to the vet once (near Munich/Germany) with one of our pygmy goats (when my car got the MOT done) and people were delighted. Everybody wanted to pet him. Of course our goat is well trained and does behave perfectly in all situations

That's also my first impression The quote I got (not online but after email-conversation due to special requirements) is really competitive (far below local solicitors) and they respond to questions within a short time. We'll see... a final judgement will be possible after the transaction is completed.

The dwelling house is not unoccupied at the moment. The present owner lives there and has been living there for the last 8 years... It's just an ordinary house. Renovation means for me: painting the internal walls, replacing the open fire with a Kachelofen, replacing the carpets, perhaps install a wooden floor etc. so definitely nothing due for permission or consent. Yes, this might be a problem. If something like the Storegga slide was to happen again I would probably be the first to know. According to Norwegian scientists there is a certain risk and estimates are that a tsunami caused by a huge landslide off the coast of Norway would take about 3 hours from the Norwegian coast to Shetland, Orkney and North-East Scotland. I have mentioned this subject when I wrote to the SIC and was told that new projects will from now on generally be checked for flooding risks. But one doesn't have to be a scientist to know that this would be more than usual flooding due to stormy seas. To have higher ground nearby is a comforting thought.

This other building we'd intend to inhabit ourselves (just an ordinary dwelling house) is not in need of renovation. It should only be fitted with solar panels but the planned size doesn't require planning permission (according to another letter from the SIC). Redecoration (internally) and some repairs definitely yes, but massive renovations work no. In my opinion it is a historic building, as far as I know originally designed for mainly commercial use (fishing station?). It will possibly be classified as a byre (in the future) when livestock lives in it. But a "conversion of a byre for equestrian use" would mean that it was a byre just now and would be converted which is simply not the case. that's a comforting statement obviously for SIC it was not clear. As far as I know agricultural developments do not require planning permission at all (unless they are major or have environmental impacts). At the moment there are sheep and poultry roaming freely inside and outside the roofless Haa. So where is the environmental impact a turf roof would cause? And a fence? If there is no fence cattle destroy the surrounding ground in winter. If a fenced area is not surfaced properly the ground will transorm in a muddy mess within a short time. That would definitely be an environmental impact. Does anybody have an idea why SIC doesn't encourage our plans? To the contrary they block off reasonable development. I was hoping to get a letter back from SIC which says: for the proposed works planning permission is not required as long as the works do not differ from the plans.... or something like that Am I asking for too much?

I'm not gonna rush into buying it if not everything is sorted out beforehand. If the property is sold to somebody else in the meantime that's bad luck and it would mean I'd have to look for a similar property. I am not under any pressure...sitting on my own farm here. If it's meant to be ours it will be ours... this it what life experience tells me. The worst case szenario would be: moving with all my livestock and family there and then find out that the property cannot be used the way I need it. I do need a stable and a paddock for the winter and if SIC makes problems about the Haa then I definitely have a problem. And this szenario I want to avoid. some additional cash will be needed to clear out all what's lying around in the outbuildings @ Ghostrider ignorance? I wrote: ... please find attached ... some modified photos which might give an impression about how I would want to renovate the Haa of Funzie and the other buildings. Since Shetland had a tradition of turf roofs it would be appropriate to continue with this tradition. The outer appearance of the Haa should not be altered to a great extent (if at all). The inside should be used for sheltering my cows and ponies in winter, sub-divided by barriers of steel and wood. Under the roof provisions should be made for storing winter fodder (hay in small square bales). The floor might need concrete or tiles... ...due to the fact that our draught horse weighs about 750kg he should not be kept on a wet pasture in order not to ruin the ground. So a large paddock should be fenced around the Haa covered either with sand (pref. natural sand of a beach if available and use is allowed) or with small round pebbles... This was the answer: ...please note that planning permission will be required for the restoration/renovation works proposed to transform the existing abandoned crofthouse into a habitable dwellinghouse, as will the other aspects of your proposed works which may all be incorporated into one planning application form submission, provided that these proposed works are contained within the vicinity of the property you intend to inhabit an can be outlined within a red line to encapsulate the full extent of the proposed boundary of development works... ... full planning permission should incorporate all aspects of your proposed works including: the restoration/renovation/extension of the former croft house, the conversion of the byre for equestrian use/livestock storage, details of the proposed paddock including details of boundary treatments, details of hardstanding area/s proposed for cultivation purposes... 4 copies of location plans, site plans, elevation drawings, floor and roof plans, sections and details of external material finishes and colours proposed... It's a turf roof I would want to put on the Haa and a fence around it and cover the place round the building with pebbles or sand... it's not a bl... luxury villa I want to build... colours proposed? Being naive I thought turf roofs are green... Crofthouse? Byre? Both is not correct for the Haa. Strange: noone cares if it's a roofless structure, falls into bits and is used for storing junk but to "convert" it to equestrian use... oh! would THIS not be a good use? http://http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4556/haa2.th.jpg Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/i][/u]

thanks Ghostrider! Funny thing is that I have already sent a letter to the SIC - well this was planning department because the main issue was about a possible planning permission. But the letter included also all questions regarding livestock which I asked to forward to the departments involved. Obviously someone was not very keen to deal with the whole lot or to forward anything internally so I got a letter back + the form for planning permission + the information they don't know who's dealing with the veterinary issues mentioned. This was rather disappointing... Reminds me of German bureaucracy... noone knows nothing... Funzie being in zone 4 which means one needs planning permission for erecting a new or altering or renovating a new "dwelling house". In my case I will only consider buying the place if I can put a turf roof on the Haa and use it for stabling my livestock in the winter. This was classified as converting the building into a habitable dwellinghouse and therefore planning permission required... aha... don't really intend to share my bed with a cow if I can avoid it... yes, and a paddock is a hardstanding area which means exact plans will be needed what size around the building will be covered (with sand) etc. So SIC seems to want to know beforehand the position of every single fence post and other details I can't be bothered to mention now. Can it be that SIC would rather prefer historic buildings to collapse?

does anybody know where to address veterinary issues to? Is there a Shetland veterinary authority? Need to find out if any quarantine rules apply, whether any additional vaccinations should be given before relocation, what sort of papers and certificates are needed etc. I think I might have gathered all information needed but prefer to have some written confirmation.

it can happen... we had very cold (continental) winters here in Bavaria in the past and cows spending a lot of time in the paddocks could get problems. Same can happen to the private parts of stallions so it's better to check regularly and make sure everything is allright.

Freight vessels do not always have stabilizers... perhaps they are not keen to have a lot of seasick youngsters running around? And I reckon there are only life-jackets in adult size onboard (because most passengers will be lorry drivers). Without stabilizers it can be a very unpleasant journey...

who does turf roofs?

thanks for your help got permission

does anybody know whether one can download a photo from Shetlopedia? For the purpose of showing the council (has to do with planning permission etc.) how I would want to renovate the Haa of Funzie we downloaded two pics of the Haa from Shetlopedia for creating a before and after image. My own photos were not suitable. I was going to ask first whether it is allowed but could not find any contact email. Any ideas? [***Mod edit - merged to Shetlopedia thread***]

http://www.texas-trading.de/de/stallausruestung/rind/tuer-und-abtrennug/serie-ex4.html I found some barriers in the www but not the heavy strong ones I am looking for. A 750kg horse rubbing his bottom does need strong barriers... the ordinary lightweight version didn't work.

this one worked... whether I ended up with the bank or with a Shetland sex-shop we'll see... if or when a letter comes back

no I am not Italian (sono tedesca) but for decades I went to the Lago di Santa Croce for windsurfing every weekend. Don't be afraid of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. It would definitely not be a good idea to try it in the dense London traffic for the first time, but in Shetland it won't be a problem at all. Just follow the other cars for a start... they are (usually ) driving where they are supposed to.

found this one too today but didn't work must have changed? Still looking...