Blogging Miscellany
Posted: Sunday, 03 June 2007 |
I was told the other day that I didn't blog much any more. I argued the point, but on reflection, it's probably a true enough statement. So now I have a spare moment I'll do a 'miscellaneous' blog. (Nuthin aboot anythin in particular, just a few bits and pieces.)
I work in the local school and this term is becoming busy. It always does, cos we try and squeeze all the activities we can into the 'summer' term in the hope that the weather will allow us to do them.
Last week I was helping out with a week of sailing, taking kids back and foreward from school for a session with an RYA instructor on sailing Picos. Picos are little moulded plastic dinghies that are great fun to learn sailing in, and are nearly indestructable. I had been scared to take my nice camera oot on the safety boat in case it got wet, so got permission to take a school one instead. I had been really careful, wrapping it in a plastic bag and keeping it in the peedie cubby hole on the boat. However, best laid plans and all that...... you know what happened. (It didn't end up in the drink, but it got dripped on while we were hauling someone into the boat, and now it doesn't work.)
In fact last week was hectic, as my sister, her 2 kids, and our parents came up for a visit. It was really great to see them all, and chaos reigned all week. They've all gone now, and my house is once more back to merely background levels of chaos.
Two caddie lambs added to the mayhem. I've got them till July, it's not much bother for me as they are in my back garden, so it just takes a minute or two to feed them. The local cats don't really know what to make of them.
For the last year I've been working on starting a small photography business. (and no, the lamb pic above is not indicitive of what they look like!) I sell them in a few Shetland shops, and am gradually working on getting a website going. On Saturday I had to get an early ferry as I was hanging some for exhibition in a cafe on the main street in Lerwick. It's all starting small, I do a lot of landscapes, and some corporate work, and 'fly-on-the-wall' wedding stuff. Don't think it'll make me a millionaire, but it's interesting, and nice to work at something I enjoy.
My oldest daugher starts at the Anderson High School in Lerwick tomorrow, and right now she is upstairs packing a few things to take for her stay in the hostel. I will miss having her around a lot, but it's really great to see her moving on and getting on with her life.
This week I also booked my ticket to Norway. This was really the highlight of my week, as the reason for going there in summer is to see my bloke, who I've not seen for months. (I feel a bit old now, at 37, to say I have a boyfriend, but I guess that must strictly speaking be the classification he falls into.) So if booking tickets to see him is so exciting, what WILL I be like when it comes time to actually go there? Now I feel like a teenager again!
I work in the local school and this term is becoming busy. It always does, cos we try and squeeze all the activities we can into the 'summer' term in the hope that the weather will allow us to do them.
Last week I was helping out with a week of sailing, taking kids back and foreward from school for a session with an RYA instructor on sailing Picos. Picos are little moulded plastic dinghies that are great fun to learn sailing in, and are nearly indestructable. I had been scared to take my nice camera oot on the safety boat in case it got wet, so got permission to take a school one instead. I had been really careful, wrapping it in a plastic bag and keeping it in the peedie cubby hole on the boat. However, best laid plans and all that...... you know what happened. (It didn't end up in the drink, but it got dripped on while we were hauling someone into the boat, and now it doesn't work.)
In fact last week was hectic, as my sister, her 2 kids, and our parents came up for a visit. It was really great to see them all, and chaos reigned all week. They've all gone now, and my house is once more back to merely background levels of chaos.
Two caddie lambs added to the mayhem. I've got them till July, it's not much bother for me as they are in my back garden, so it just takes a minute or two to feed them. The local cats don't really know what to make of them.
For the last year I've been working on starting a small photography business. (and no, the lamb pic above is not indicitive of what they look like!) I sell them in a few Shetland shops, and am gradually working on getting a website going. On Saturday I had to get an early ferry as I was hanging some for exhibition in a cafe on the main street in Lerwick. It's all starting small, I do a lot of landscapes, and some corporate work, and 'fly-on-the-wall' wedding stuff. Don't think it'll make me a millionaire, but it's interesting, and nice to work at something I enjoy.
My oldest daugher starts at the Anderson High School in Lerwick tomorrow, and right now she is upstairs packing a few things to take for her stay in the hostel. I will miss having her around a lot, but it's really great to see her moving on and getting on with her life.
This week I also booked my ticket to Norway. This was really the highlight of my week, as the reason for going there in summer is to see my bloke, who I've not seen for months. (I feel a bit old now, at 37, to say I have a boyfriend, but I guess that must strictly speaking be the classification he falls into.) So if booking tickets to see him is so exciting, what WILL I be like when it comes time to actually go there? Now I feel like a teenager again!
The Shetland Race
Posted: Wednesday, 13 June 2007 |
Every year a whole bunch o yachts (I suppose the correct term is 'fleet') race from Bergen to Lerwick and back in late June. They do stop for a break in Lerwick, mind you, and have a bit of a party. This race has appealed to me ever since I first heard about it a few years ago, and this year I'm GOING!!!
I'm crewing (I use the term 'crewing' loosely, this will be an extrememly steep learning curve for me!) for my boyfriend (I made a decision that I can call him 'boyfriend' after the conversation that followed my previous blog), but maybe the race will make or break us as a couple! What if I do something terrible like lose a sail overboard? What if I spew the whole way across and am totally useless as crew? What if I take a wrong turn and lose valuable miles and lose us the race? There are so many What If's I think I'll make another decision. I am going to be positive. Ok. That's that sorted. I am going to have a great time and enjoy myself.
Oh dear, I think I have been reading too many of Thewhitesettlers blogs, I'm just writing anything that comes into my head here. (And I've also just noticed all the brackets too. This is a tad disturbing...)
If you are interested in the Shetland Race, there is a website you can visit,
http://www.shetland-race.no/
(I tried to do a proper link here, but it vanishes as soon as I save the post. Any hints anyone? Arnish maybe?)
The boat that I'm crewing on is called Niki. Last year I was on the Swan in Norway (see some of my previous blogs if you want to know about the Swan) and min kj忙reste visited us on Niki, here's a pic.
So, this is the start of summer for me. Actually a bit of a false start (lets hope we don't get one of those in the race), cos I have another week at work after the race. But then I am off to Norge for the holidays to see my boyfriend! (As long as we can still stand the sight of each other after the race......)
Ouch! I just gave myself a smack for not being positive!
I'm crewing (I use the term 'crewing' loosely, this will be an extrememly steep learning curve for me!) for my boyfriend (I made a decision that I can call him 'boyfriend' after the conversation that followed my previous blog), but maybe the race will make or break us as a couple! What if I do something terrible like lose a sail overboard? What if I spew the whole way across and am totally useless as crew? What if I take a wrong turn and lose valuable miles and lose us the race? There are so many What If's I think I'll make another decision. I am going to be positive. Ok. That's that sorted. I am going to have a great time and enjoy myself.
Oh dear, I think I have been reading too many of Thewhitesettlers blogs, I'm just writing anything that comes into my head here. (And I've also just noticed all the brackets too. This is a tad disturbing...)
If you are interested in the Shetland Race, there is a website you can visit,
http://www.shetland-race.no/
(I tried to do a proper link here, but it vanishes as soon as I save the post. Any hints anyone? Arnish maybe?)
The boat that I'm crewing on is called Niki. Last year I was on the Swan in Norway (see some of my previous blogs if you want to know about the Swan) and min kj忙reste visited us on Niki, here's a pic.
So, this is the start of summer for me. Actually a bit of a false start (lets hope we don't get one of those in the race), cos I have another week at work after the race. But then I am off to Norge for the holidays to see my boyfriend! (As long as we can still stand the sight of each other after the race......)
Ouch! I just gave myself a smack for not being positive!
WOW! Now that was FUN!!!
Posted: Thursday, 28 June 2007 |
Well, this is me back home safe and sound after the Shetland Races, without even as much as a teeny weeny spew over the side. And so I don't keep you in suspenders, me and my 'boyfriend' are still together, he didn't shout at me once, and I didn't lose anything important over the side. (Well, not anything belonging to him, that is....)
In case I have lost you here, I have just returned from taking part in the Bergen - Lerwick - Bergen sailing races. I went as crew on my boyfriends boat, and I have to admit to a slight trepidation before the trip. Not about the sailing across the North Sea part, but about the potential for disaster in the relationship stakes.
You know - in a confined space and under stress; him seeing me at my worse (yes there were showers on board but its not easy washing your hair while standing on a moving floor which is at an angle of about 40 degrees); me seeing him at his worse (the sailing is only a small part of the event - there is a substantial amount of partying that goes on ashore, with sore heads aplenty the morning after!). But we got through the whole thing very well indeed, so no worries there.
ANYhooo, the whole experience was (and here I am searching for words that will do the trip justice), well, it was amazing, beautiful, educational, unforgettable, unmissable, fun, and absolutely fandabedozy.
I am a great believer in visual aids, so enuf o the writing and on to the pix.
Niki, our home for the week, in Bergen the night before the race. I arrived in Bergen with James, a friend from Orkney. As soon as we got there we changed into shorts and slapped on the factor 20.
Taking a closer look at the roller furling on the fore sail.
Just off the Norwegian coast and the wind suddenly died. The fleet sat around for about 9 hours waiting for it to blow up a bit. This is James, from Orkney.
Jan Ove, James and my bloke, playing the waiting game. I think they spotted a whale or something here.
I guess if you have to be stuck somewhere for 9 hours this was as good a place as any!
After the wind eventually turned up, we headed for the Oseberg platform which we had to go round on the way to Lerwick.
As soon as the fleet rounded Oseberg, the spinnakers were up! This was my first experience of spinnakers, and I think I need a whole lot more practice. And on this point my bloke is in complete agreement with me!
It took us somewhere around 36 hours to get to Lerwick.
Did I mention that I did not lose anything of my boyfriends overboard? Well that was true, but I did happen to drop my purse in the drink in Lerwick harbour. Oops! An extremely nice, helpful, and brave norski man from the neighbouring boat got it back for me.
The sky was a different colour altogether in Lerwick! But it stayed dry, and there was a lot going on to entertain us all.
Not my best side maybe, but I was happy!
The race home to Bergen. (This is not our favourite angle of shot. We prefer to be looking at the bows of the boats behind us.)
Handling spinnakers is a tricky business!
I had to include this shot for my mum. I'm sure she thinks we were drinking beer and rum the whole way over.
Two yachts battling it out near the finish line. That's Norway in the background.
The finish line. It took us about 25 and a half hours to get to Norway.
Derek, who swapped places with James for the return journey, relaxing in Bergen after the race.
Well, to sum it all up, I loved every minute. But if you want to know how we did in the actual race, I would say, in the words of my skipper, "We prefer not to discuss that!" Better luck next year!
In case I have lost you here, I have just returned from taking part in the Bergen - Lerwick - Bergen sailing races. I went as crew on my boyfriends boat, and I have to admit to a slight trepidation before the trip. Not about the sailing across the North Sea part, but about the potential for disaster in the relationship stakes.
You know - in a confined space and under stress; him seeing me at my worse (yes there were showers on board but its not easy washing your hair while standing on a moving floor which is at an angle of about 40 degrees); me seeing him at his worse (the sailing is only a small part of the event - there is a substantial amount of partying that goes on ashore, with sore heads aplenty the morning after!). But we got through the whole thing very well indeed, so no worries there.
ANYhooo, the whole experience was (and here I am searching for words that will do the trip justice), well, it was amazing, beautiful, educational, unforgettable, unmissable, fun, and absolutely fandabedozy.
I am a great believer in visual aids, so enuf o the writing and on to the pix.
Niki, our home for the week, in Bergen the night before the race. I arrived in Bergen with James, a friend from Orkney. As soon as we got there we changed into shorts and slapped on the factor 20.
Taking a closer look at the roller furling on the fore sail.
Just off the Norwegian coast and the wind suddenly died. The fleet sat around for about 9 hours waiting for it to blow up a bit. This is James, from Orkney.
Jan Ove, James and my bloke, playing the waiting game. I think they spotted a whale or something here.
I guess if you have to be stuck somewhere for 9 hours this was as good a place as any!
After the wind eventually turned up, we headed for the Oseberg platform which we had to go round on the way to Lerwick.
As soon as the fleet rounded Oseberg, the spinnakers were up! This was my first experience of spinnakers, and I think I need a whole lot more practice. And on this point my bloke is in complete agreement with me!
It took us somewhere around 36 hours to get to Lerwick.
Did I mention that I did not lose anything of my boyfriends overboard? Well that was true, but I did happen to drop my purse in the drink in Lerwick harbour. Oops! An extremely nice, helpful, and brave norski man from the neighbouring boat got it back for me.
The sky was a different colour altogether in Lerwick! But it stayed dry, and there was a lot going on to entertain us all.
Not my best side maybe, but I was happy!
The race home to Bergen. (This is not our favourite angle of shot. We prefer to be looking at the bows of the boats behind us.)
Handling spinnakers is a tricky business!
I had to include this shot for my mum. I'm sure she thinks we were drinking beer and rum the whole way over.
Two yachts battling it out near the finish line. That's Norway in the background.
The finish line. It took us about 25 and a half hours to get to Norway.
Derek, who swapped places with James for the return journey, relaxing in Bergen after the race.
Well, to sum it all up, I loved every minute. But if you want to know how we did in the actual race, I would say, in the words of my skipper, "We prefer not to discuss that!" Better luck next year!
Blogs fae a thirty-something mum of 4 born in Fife, brought up in Orkney, and living in Unst.
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