I have been watching the weather forecast avidly as today’s is a humdinger – another storm.  This morning has been devoted to getting all my outside chores done as quickly as possible before the weather disintegrates.

As I am now without any help from my girls (all now safely back at their respective universities), everything falls down to me again.  It was nice to have help while it lasted.

So I brought Taktur down from his hill field to be fed his food.

While he ate, I listened to Sherlock Holmes on my iPod sheltering in the lee of the container/shed.  I took a few grotty photos as well.

BeAnne, as ever, was around offering help and support.  She likes to help herself to the bits that Taktur drops.  Anyway, she never leaves my side no matter what the weather does.

Once Taktur had made a clean bowl, I returned him to his field.  Next I took Jack out for his little walk to the end of the track and back.  He grumbled about getting out of bed but is still enjoyed it once outside (OH walked Loki as he goes further and BeAnne refuses to go with him).

Then I went into the house, shut the door and bolted it behind me.  With that the storm gathered pace.

I might have had a little snooze on the sofa this afternoon.

Well exactly what I thought happened.  We got there after a fairly hair-raising journey (I decided on the Yaris in the end because it has less windage) all in good time.  Daughter checked in her luggage and herself, was given her ticket, we wandered around the shop, sat down and waited for the flight to be called.  About 15 minutes later it was announced that all subsequent flights had been cancelled.  So we trudged up to the desk, were given a new ticket for the next day and started our perilous journey home.  It was pitch dark, the wind was cruel and ceaseless, plus intermittent rain.

I almost lost my nerve as we drove up the road out of Walls when the car was hit with a huge gust and swerved but slow and steady gritting my teeth, we got home safely.

According to data from Sandness, it was 70mph gusts.  I told Flybe.  I warned them in the morning and they still expected me to drive in that for three hours in pitch dark to be told they were cancelling.  If the passenger does not show, they forfeit the ticket and Flybe refuse to give you another.  That is not a lifeline service.  That is utter disregard for their passengers.  There really is no excuse since we are all connected with computers and phones.  So much information is required when we book the ticket, that Flybe could’ve easily cancelled the flight earlier and saved a perilous dangerous drive to the airport.  We all knew full well there was a huge storm coming.  It was not rocket science.

/end of rant.

Anywho, today we tried again, only this time Daisy was going during the daylight hours so I took my camera in case there were some good waves about.  We left in good time, again, and had a few pit stops for pictures.

This is one end of the runway where the planes were landing.

Pretty impressive!

This is the other end – which was amazing.

So I dropped Daisy off, we said our goodbyes and I drove back home again.  Whiteness Voe was looking good in the last of the winter evening sun.

You know what they say – “Red sky at morning, sailors take warning;  Red sky at night, sailors’ delight”.  There is a bigger storm on its way tomorrow.   Flybe probably use this traditional method for their weather forecasting too.

I am feeling very scared.  This is the forecast for the rest of today – storm.  Not good.  I have to drive my daughter, Daisy, down to the airport (50 miles away) in this for the 19.40 flight to Edinburgh.  I phoned the airline only to be told that if you don’t turn up and they decide to cancel the flight, you lose the money and they have no responsibility to put you on another flight.  I said that it was ridiculous to endanger folks’ lives asking them to drive in a known storm but they would not budge.  My only hope apparently was if the police deemed it “unsafe to travel”.  I phoned the police and there was no reply.

Ho hum.

So it looks like Daisy and I will be scaring ourselves witless driving in a storm.  I think we will leave early and get there before it really hits.  I would rather sit at the airport than try and drive in it at its’ worst.  If they cancel the flight, then we will both drive home – the storm will be blowing behind us.  I will wait until I see the flight actually take off just in case they cancel when on the runway.

So I have done all my chores early.  I trudged Jack up and down the tracek.  Fed Taktur – he almost puts the head collar on by himself.  The others are still grumbling that I have stopped feeding them.

Much dissent in the ranks.

The wind is gathering now.  I have done a quick check around the house and hidden stuff that is likely to blow away like the wheelbarrow.  The chosen car is turned around (my Land Rover twin cab Defender with All Terrain BFG tyres) ready to go and full of diesel.

I shall think only calming thoughts and take Rescue Remedy.

Wish us luck!

Today is Daisy’s last day here in Shetland – she is off back to university on the mainland tomorrow.

After riding her Bimble, who has recovered from being lame (Haakon is still lame), I offered to drive her over to Sandness to say goodbye to Lyra, her very special 2 year old Shetland filly.

Luckily the herd were all standing at the top of the field, waiting for us looking rather soggy and fed-up.

Daisy climbed over the gate, nearly getting stuck in the mud, and was quickly absorbed into the herd for cuddles.

I stayed on the dry side and took photos over the gate.

It was very obvious that the grass in this field had run out and everyone was looking miserable so we quickly drove down to Jo’s, recruited her, took some head collars and a bucket of food to rattle back with us to the field.

I held the gate open to the “new-ish” field, Jo rattled the bucket and Daisy stopped any thoughts of escape.  It worked like a charm and the 11 ponies trundled over to their next field without an independent thought.

Yes, they were in this field before but it has a bit of grass on it and it will be far easier to put a bale of silage in.

Also there is a monstrous storm looming tomorrow and there is more shelter.  I feel happier now.  The ponies will be fine.

Velvereta pulled a wonderful face!

It is shitting down outside.  That is actually a little used meteorological term for what is going on outside and I am very bored of it.

To cheer myself up, I searched out some old summer photos when it was so hot (remember hot?) that we took the dogs and children swimming in the loch.  The loch is situated in Sandness and is lovely and shallow with a peat bottom and warms up like a bath on sunny days.  Wild flowers grow on the bank and it is the most perfect place to be on a summer afternoon.

This is July 2006.  BeAnne was a few months old (and now I have just worked out she will be 8 years old this year) and there is Celt (lurcher), Flibble and Cassiepups (Jo’s two collies).  All the other three dogs are very sadly deceased so while it is lovely to see them all again, I am sad too.

I remember this day very well and it is lovely to see the photos again. Little BeAnne was beginning to show her long puppy fur.  She arrived in April looking like a Rottweiler puppy and she was the cutest thing ever.  Then the fur started to appear!

To start with she was not sure of the water.

But then, when she saw the other dogs enjoying themselves, she began to enjoy herself.

Someone threw in a flipflop for the dogs to retrieve and BeAnne made it her mission to get it each and every time, undeterred by the bigger dogs in her way.

As my grandpa would say, she was “fierce as maggots”.  This is also her first time swimming and she embraced this watersport like a pro and still looks for any opportunity to swim.

Golly, I am fed up with this winter.

I love hearing the laughter and the splashing – I remember summer! (once)