Vivari

1] Lucinda Williams 2] Jason and the Scorchers 3] Brian Gair and Violet Tulloch

Jason and the Scorchers "Absolutely Sweet Marie" is about the best cover version I've heard.

Ghostrider wrote I recall that they were both Albions and that Henrys one (PS4040) was repaired after the crash and survived for a number of years . I remember when the first one was on order being told it would be a "10 wheeler" and when I finally saw it thinking that it was cheating to include the double wheels at the back in the total. The other one had a number something like FRS541D, when it came it was orange and probably triggered the change in colour for the fleet.

Ghostrider Wrote I'm old enough to mind when the Brindister trucks was brown and blue.

The truck was an early 60's four wheel drive Dodge - PS3621. This was most likely taken in 1969 but possibly 1970, the first photo I ever remember taking and being pleased with.

A reminder of snowy days in the past. http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab59/vivari1/SnowPlough.jpg

I have heard that some former whalers used to add Brasso to their home brew having first filtered it through an unsliced loaf. I would imagine it was a bit rough upon the head the next morning.

It is interesting to read Ghostrider's post regarding the bombs dropped in Bigton during the war, however I believe that two incidents have been combined into one. I recall that as a boy I was told about these events by people who had been living in Bigton when they happened. We were told that the bombs at Vatsetter were indeed dropped by a German plane, in addition to the one at the edge of the loch there was another bomb on the hillside to the West and I'm pretty sure I was told another in the hill to the East. I have definitely seen the holes left by the first two. Apparently, following this incident, the Germans announced that they had bombed Noss Hill. According to my father, the bombs (I'm pretty sure there was more than one) dropped in the Bigton Parks were jettisoned from a British Aircraft. People speculated that the plane had possibly been struggling to gain height.

For Shetland Blacks you could try this link http://www.scottishfoodanddrink.com/view_item.aspx?item_id=17348 I'm not sure if the Shetland Blacks they selling are supposed to be for seed but the ones they sold me a couple of weeks ago are sprouting beautifully. As regards Kidneys my folk grew them when we were small and in my opinion they were the best tatties ever. If anybody knows where seed might be found nowadays I would be very interested. The closest I got was some round blue tatties from a farm in Aberdeenshire - they were Arran "Somethings "I believe - they were good but not the same. Champions were very good as well and I grew them for a few years.

= "A very small amount" is I think a commonly used expression throughout Shetland. = " A short space of time" is in my experience much more localised.In fact if I heard someone say that I would immediately conclude they were from Sandwick.

Quote: The Sandwick folk used to say "a peerie little" for the same thing. I recall this being translated as "a small small" by an amused Bigton relative.

Rasmie Wrote This ties in very well with what I remember, my Sandwick grandparents often spoke about "Barbara a Golga" and it always seemed to me that there had been an extra "edge" or something unusual about the attitude of people towards her. In later years when I saw from John Stewarts "Shetland Place Names" that Golga meant gallows and that it was "Called Gallowtown for a time by Scots lairds" that gave me further pause for thought. The story I remember best about Barbara was that she once aquired a piglet which she housed in a barrel, as the pig matured he took on the shape of his accommodation and "grew roondaboot". I also have a vague memory that she came to a sad end, nobody had seen her for some time and when people plucked up courage to enter her house she was found in the fireplace covered in soot and ashes apparently having suffered a stroke. She was taken to the hospital but later died. Having consulted the Bayanne website I reckon this was in 1929.

Quite a number of years ago in the context of a discussion about the kirk that had once existed in Ireland. I was told "Maikie Jeemson fan da stane fae dat tap a da steeple" Oh, I said, I had never hear that "Oh Yes" replied my informant - "Steeple Cottage". While I kind of visualised what such a stone might have looked like I didn't think to ask for further details. I assumed that the stone was found during the building of the cottage.

I have been told that when Steeple Cottage was being built a shaped stone was found that was believed to have come from the top of the steeple. I never heard what happened to the stone though.

I guess it depends on how you define "humane" but I have found a couple of ways to get rid of moles. 1/ Out of date marine distress flares inserted ino the mole tunnels and ignited - I'm not sure if this kills them but it seems to make them go away. So far I've restricted myself to hand held flares despite encouragement from my daughters to try rockets. 2/ Reverse a car up next to the mole tunnels, block up all the mole hills, insert a tube from the exhaust into the nearest tunnel and run the engine for half an hour. That seems quite effective.