| Fogbound
in Shetland
It's foggy. I feel like an extra in "Brigadoon". The airport
here in Sumburgh is only across the road and yet I can't see the wall
outside the bedroom window. We're supposed to be going home today after
fourteen days in Shetland. That might not be the case.
In "Brigadoon"
you'll recall the Scottish village only emerges from the fog once every
hundred years, stays a while and then should you remain, you too disappear
for a hundred years. I'm beginning to think this may be the case for us
too.
It's 28 degrees
in Jersey and the sun is beating down. Here in Shetland it's 12 degrees,
there's low cloud, drizzle and yes, more fog. Hard to believe it's the
17th of July.
Our party
is in good spirits nonetheless. I suspect the spirits include several
measures of "Highland Park" still coursing through our bloodstream
after our farewell party last evening.
The good
folk at 大象传媒 Radio Shetland gave us a bottle as a leaving gift. It's distilled
in Orkney but is the most northerly single malt produced in the British
Isles. It proved to be most acceptable.
We're delayed
at Sumburgh Airport, which is where I'm writing. Actually Roger Bara's
not delayed. His booking didn't exist. He's not scheduled to leave now
until five tonight, he flys to Aberdeen, on to Gatwick and then on
Monday morning onward and home to Jersey. Not what we had planned.
Then again,
I hadn't banked on being stuck in Shetland - nice as it is - for yet another
day. The rest of us were supposed to leave at 1100. As I write the fog
shows little sign of lifting. The irony is Roger could get home before
us.
You know
there isn't even a boat in the morning....the boat doesn't leave for Aberdeen
until Tuesday and it's fully- booked. If we don't get away today, it could
be Tuesday or even Wednesday before we return to our own "septic
isle".
Then there's
the programme with our baggage. The 大象传媒 on tv, on radio and online doesn't
travel light. Our half tonne of technical equipment was shipped to the
airport yesterday. It'll be sent on to Jersey bit by bit over the next
five
days, flights permitting. The problem was our suitcases....
Roisin and
Isla have two each. Simon has a bag bigger than Herm and Crispin has bags
and cameras and tapes. Even his smooth-talking couldn't convince the check-in
operator to allow him to take everything on board as hand luggage. I fear
Crispin may be losing his touch with women....
We had to
prioritise our bags. Rosh wanted her make-up bag to go through first.
Isla faced a dilemma. Should it be the one with her clean underwear in
or the one containing her essentials? Ken said all his bags were a priority.
We're guaranteed
one piece of luggage each should travel with us to Heathrow, then we have
to collect everything and carry it across London to Gatwick on the bus
service which runs between the two airports. Deep joy.
The rest
of luggage - we're told will eventually end up in Jersey. Not much help
when four of our party are bound for Guernsey. Still, we'll borrow that
problem if and when it arises.
Shetland
is a lovely place. The welcome we've received from islanders has been
second to none. It's just that we're ready to go home. I'm sitting in
the Visit Shetland Tourist Office writing this. I'd recommend a trip sometime
soon.
Just remmeber
to come in the summer, when the weather's better!
Submitted by Matthew Price
on 17 July 2005 at 18:00
听 |
