Matthew Price will be bringing you a regularly updated
blog on his experiences at the 2005 Island Games in the Shetland Islands.
As well as Matthews experience look out for special guest contributions
from the rest of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Games team and photos from behind the
scenes at the Games.
 |
| ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island
Games Team |
SUNDAY,
17 JULY
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
´óÏó´«Ã½ 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 ´óÏó´«Ã½ 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 | Permalink
| Comments
| 16 July 2005 at 18:00
SATURDAY,
16 JULY
From
north to south
It's our last full day in Shetland. The games finished yesterday evening
with a famous victory for the host island in the football final.
 |
| Shetland
v Guernsey |
Shetland
beat Guernsey 2-0 at Gilberston Park I one of the biggest sporting upsets
in recent Games history. For my part it was a privilege to organise the
first joint broadcast between ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Guernsey and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland.
It was quite
an achievement. There's no means of broadcasting out of Gilbertson Park,
so special facilities and a high-powered broadcast line had to be arranged.
Then there
were the commentators to be found. Jersey's Brent Pilnick was the obvious
choice. He's not Sottish and he's not from Guernsey either! His summarisers
were ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Guernsey's Simon Fairclough and Brian Spence from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio
Shetland.
More than
a quarter of the population of the Shetland Islands - around six thousand
people - packed into the park for the final.
Those who
couldn't make it were tuned to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland on 92.7FM. Back in the
Channel Islands all hopes were resting on favourites Guernsey to play
to form and trounce the local opposition.
It wasn't
to be. First one goal and then another were dispatched to the back of
the net by the home team.
The crowd
roared and you could hear the cheer all over Lerwick. Walk down "the
Street" and all you could hear coming out of very shop was our Brent
commentating on the "biggest football match ever staged in Shetland".
What a result.
One ´óÏó´«Ã½ working
together - linking the most northerly station in the British Isles with
one of the most southerly. Even ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Jersey got in on the action
and carried some of the match live too.
What an upset.
Of course - had Jersey sent a team to compete in the football, I am certain
they'd have run away with the gold.
But without
Jersey in the final, what more could I do when faced with a choice between
Shetland and Guernsey? Yes I was rooting for the home side and boy did
they play a blinder!
I cannot
think of a more fitting way to end the Island Games in Shetland than with
the home Island taking Gold in one of the Games' best set pieces. A fairy-tale
end to a magical event.
And it was
a proud moment to hear our own Jersey-born Brent calling the outcome of
such a super match on two far-flung radio stations.
Submitted
by Matthew Price | Permalink
| Comments
| 16 July 2005 at 18:00
FRIDAY,
15 JULY
"rumpy
pumpy" cakes
I've not been eating very regularly. I've not been eating very healthily.
I've not been eating at all. But then neither have my colleagues. The
Island Games are all-consuming.
 |
| Food
Glorious Food |
Once
we leave our breakfast table, a sixteen hour day has become the norm.
We meet in the hotel lounge at twenty to nine each day and plan our coverage
on radio, on tv and online.
Then
we're dispatched to all four corners of the Shetland Islands to follow
the fortunes of the Channel Island competitors. As you'll have seen we
sometimes need to take a ferry, possibly cross a magnificent bridge or
even catch a bus.
Colin - my bus-driver
- bade me welcome the other morning when I climbed aboard the 10.57 service
from Sumburgh to Lerwick. The fare was just two pounds for a forty minute
journey which took in every village and hamlet between the two towns.
And what a wonderful mix of people it was my privilege to meet.
Young and old alike,
this is a true community service. A box for the school in the next village
was dropped on and then subsequently collected a mile or two up the road.
Shopping was bought for neighbours in the next place and delivered by
mutual friends. Teenagers - on holiday from school - village hopped to
meet their mates. And I just watched some of the most rugged, beautiful
and hypnotic scenery pass me by.
Sometimes,
when we're working non-stop, you need a little light relief. Covering
the gymnastics the other day we discovered the island which boasts the
best National Anthem of them all. Roisin Gauson felt it had a wonderful
tune and a bit of "rumpy pumpy" about it! As you might imagine,
the very mention of "rumpy pumpy" or might that have been "rumpity
pumpity" immediately caught the attention of Roger Bara.
 |
| Matthew
Price as a doorstop |
He asked
to hear the tune in question, so a television tape of a gymnastics medal
ceremony was produced and the tune played out. Within seconds it was off
to the piano (They have one in the studio at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland) and Roger
was giving us his own improvised rendition of the national tune of Bermuda.
My role in all this, to prop open the studio door so everyone else could
enjoy this musical interlude.
Over the past week,
strange things have happened. I inadvertantly ordered Ken Park a vegetarian
meal last night. Not a good idea. Ken's view is if there's no meat, it
can't be proper food. I redeemed myself with a side order of mussels in
white wine to accompany the delightful lasagne in question. A bag of custard
donuts secured complete absolution from my sins this morning.
We've also taken to
eating a strange selection of food-stuffs to sustain us through our odd
shift patterns. We snaffle the biscuits from our hotel rooms and pool
them on a "need-to-eat" basis.
We acquire a variety
of crisps, nuts and cakes from the aptly named "filling stations"
and corner shops around the island. And every so often someone volunteers
to go to "the street". That's the main shopping thoroughfare
in Lerwick. It's five minutes walk down Pitt Lane from our base at ´óÏó´«Ã½
Shetland.
It's down-hill all
the way….but the walk back requires crampons and oxygen, so steep
is the hill. The trip's worth it. We're regulars at the plethora of fast-food
establishments in Lerwick. So much so, we've even had them re-tune their
tellys to satellite channel 958.
Don't tell
the Editor of "Reporting Scotland" but "´óÏó´«Ã½ Spotlight for
the Channel Islands" is fast becoming the evening news programme
of choice in Shetland!
And then
there's the tea-shop with the most "direct" waitresses in the
world. Roger Bara and I have taken a shine to their "cheese toasties".
Still at our age, you have to get your excitement where you can. Their
egg rolls aren't bad either. But it's the menu that's most perplexing.
In bold letters it informs you "our egg salad rolls contain salad".
There's no
arguing with that. I wouldn't say the service is bad, nor is it not attentive.
It's forthright. Orders are requested with brisk efficiency, the food
is disptached promptly and the bill must be paid on demand before you've
even sipped you tea or mucnhed your toastie. Must be a local custom?
Whilst I've
been here in Shetland covering the most exciting of international competitions
at this XI Island Games, enjoying such a variety of performances in fifteen
superb sports, I have been unable to attend Jersey's most important sports
event.
 |
| Laura
and friends at JCG sports day |
Yesterday
my absence was noted at the Jersey College for Girls annual Sports Day.
My seven year-old daughter Laura and her friend Reuben Taylor (´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio
Jersey''s Phil Taylor's son) were competing in a range of races aimed
at Key Stage Two Classes.
The reports I've received
is they're both potential Island Games competitors of the future. Isn't
that typical. Just as I gain my own Island Games status, my sporting potential
will be eclipsed by my daughter…..Suppose I'd better get used to
it.
Submitted by Matthew Price |
Permalink
| Comments
| 15 July 2005 at 18:00
THURSDAY,
14 JULY
Falling
flags and yellow socks
It's a tough life on the road for the ´óÏó´«Ã½. It's been one of those days
when I've been forced to sample some local delicacies here in Shetland.
But first I have to report I was taken to account at the breakfast table.
 |
| Matthew
Price arriving at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Shetland |
I
reported yesterday about our waitress Rhanna. She keeps us fed at breakfast
time. It seems not only did I spell her name incorrectly, but I attributed
it's origins to the wrong author.
Rhanna Turbeville is named after the fictitious
island created in a book by Christian Marrion Fraser and not Sir Walter
Scott. I've made amends by inviting her to join us at Brent's 25th birthday
party on Saturday. It's fast becoming the hottest ticket in Sumburgh.
Still, look on the bright-side, at least we only got served white toast
this morning - things are looking up!
Whilst I'm in an apologetic mode, Jacquie has also requested
clarification. She was the recipient of the bouquet. She would like it
to be known she didn't give the flowers to her Grandmother as I erroneously
suggested yesterday.
Her Grandmother
is from Orkney and is presently staying with Jacquie's family in Shetland.
It transpires she just likes to re-arrange the blooms, not claim them
for herself. Jacquie says she likes the flowers, but denies any knowledge
as to who might have sent them. It seems the accompanying card contained
a cryptic message and was un-signed. (Perhaps you could en-lighten her?).
 |
| ´óÏó´«Ã½
Jersey Team |
On top of
all this excitement, I've also met the man who broke his leg when he was
taken on a late-night visit to Jarlshof. (see my previous BLOG) He confessed
all last evening.
He's one of the excellent chef's at our hotel. It was
two years ago he went "walking in the moonlight" like our brave
colleague, but came-a-cropper in the darkness.
Darren is such a perfectionist, he stayed more than two
hours late last night to ensure our team of intrepid reporters were properly
fed after a long day at the Island Games.
When they finally returned around eleven, there was excellent
salmon, superb seafood salad and divine roast lamb on the menu.
And talking
of food, it's been a good day on that front. I met up with Tom Graham.
He's the man behind the only company in Shetland which makes ice-cream
- "Bloo Coo".
Our intrepid team of adventurers had discovered this
early on, when the mint choc chip, the chocolate ripple and the cherry
flavours all became firm favourites.
Tom once worked at "The Stocks" in Sark and
met his wife there. These days they've two young boys and are happily
settled in Shetland. I can confirm the "apple crumble ice-cream"
is to die for.
 |
| ´óÏó´«Ã½
Guernsey Team |
If that wasn't
enough I got to sample "Puffin Poo" too. This is made by the
Shetland Fudge Company. It's not as stomach-churning as the name suggests.
Given we can boast our own puffin population in the islands, there's a
natural affinity.
Caroline Browning moved from Leeds to Shetland more than
a decade ago and now makes confectionery using only local island ingredients.
The "poo" consists of marshmallow, white chocolate and coconut.
All very acceptable. Just as "Shetland Rock" too. This is blue
and white seaside rock with the new blue and white Shetland Flag right
through the middle.
On tasting it Roger Bara was immediately transported back
half a century to a family holiday at Hunstanton. Oh, the remarkable properties
of food colouring and sugar….
I'm worried about Roger. His socks have gone yellow. Not
known for his sartorial elegance, Mr Bara can "scrub-up" pretty
well when necessary. But his feet are letting him down.
Yellow socks are not especially fetching and ceratinly
not the done-thing in Shetland. Apparently they'd begun their lives "brilliant
white" but the hotel laundry service experienced a little hiatus
the other day! No names, no pack-drill and no worries. All is well. Roger's
yellow socks have been turned to our advantage. We're telling everyone
he's wearing Sark's colours.
And when it comes to "flying the flag" for our
islands, I too have a confession. Upon our arrival at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland,
we set up "Channel Island's Camp" in their large reception area.
To "mark-out" our territory we've been flying the Jersey flag
in one corner and the Guernsey flag in another.
 |
| Hotel
Staff |
We stuck
the Shetland flag in the Radio Newsroom in the interests of inter-island
harmony and understanding. Sadly the Alderney and Sark flags I ordered
never arrived. (thank goodness for Roger's yellow socks).
The problem - as you might expect - is the Guernsey flag.
It won't stay on the wall. Everyday, without fail, it falls down. We don't
know why this is. The Jersey and Shetland flags remain resolutely in place.Not
so Guernsey's emblem.
So, it falls to me to tape it up, again and again and
again…..I think that may be pushing inter-island harmony a step
too far. There's certainly no sign of the Orkney flag anywhere at ´óÏó´«Ã½
Radio Shetland…..
Did I tell you about the doughnuts? I purchased a packet
of six only yesterday. The bag said they were jam. But they weren’t.
They contained custard. Fotunately the dough was fresh and tasty, the
filling plentiful and after a long day out and about, a swift sugar burst
is just what you need.
Our engineer Ken Park enjoyed his so much, it seemed a
shame to leave a lone delicacy at the bottom of the bag. So that one went
too. Unfortunately Grant Coleman had already placed his name against it.
It was not to be and they've not been speaking since…..
Submitted by Matthew Price | Permalink
| Comments
| 14 July 2005 at 18:00
WEDNESDAY,
13 JULY
GUEST POST
(Simon Fairclough )
The
bridge to Burra
I'm becoming
one of the better travelled in the Shetland Islands on this trip.
Having
made the pilgrimage north to Unst a week ago, taking in the island of
Yell on the way, (which you may have read about in an earlier blog) I
was assigned to covering the Guernsey men's football match in Burra.
 |
| Bridge
to Burra |
Burra is
a small island off the west coast of the mainland, but unlike the larger
islands to the north it has two bridges which take you there, incorporating
a game of dare along the single carriageway of each span!
The drive from Lerwick
takes you over one of the narrower parts of the mainland (some six miles),
and shortly before the pretty fishing village of Scalloway you turn off
following signs for Hamnavoe - the "capital" of Burra.
The backdrop
for the football pitch has to be the most picturesque of any football
ground I have ever been to or played on.
And the memory
of sitting amongst Guernsey's athletes, who were supporting the team in
large numbers, whilst reporting on the match and looking out north across
the pitch up the coast will live with me forever.
 |
| Guernsey
Support |
The game
wasn't half bad either - a 6-0 win for the Sarnians over Greenland on
a tight sloping pitch, followed immediately by news of Ynys Mon's failure
to beat the Western Isles, thus guaranteeing a place in the final for
Guernsey.
I interviewed
manager Steve Ogier with the sound of the squad singing "gold"
in the dressing room behind us.
A perfect day for
everyone - I just hope the players are more in tune come Friday at Gilbertson
Park, where the Final awaits!
Submitted by Simon Fairclough |
Permalink
| Comments
| 13 July 2005 at 19:30
TUESDAY, 12 JULY
Representing
Jersey
It's official. After four years living in Jersey I am now
qualified to represent my island in international sporting competition.
The
dilemma I face is which sport? Now I'm the wrong side of forty so many
sports at which I might once have excelled are beyond me. Others require
years of training, total commitment and even a modicum of ability.
I am torn. I don't know which way to jump….although having said
that my boss did say if things didn't improve soon I'd be for the high
jump! So maybe he's spotted my sporting potential after all?
 |
| Emma
Douglas |
I've invited
callers to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Jersey phone-in to select in which sport I would
be best suited to represent the island.
So far, the
suggestions have been less than flattering….the "belly flop"
could be my gold for the taking in the pool, the egg and spoon race my
chance for glory on the track and I've lost sight of the numbers of people
who've suggested I should be shot - so maybe I have a hope on the rifle
range ?
It was my
colleague Roisn Gauson who pointed out we have real athletic talent in
our midst. The Jersey gymnast Ben Frith took Gold today in the Men's Pommel
at Scalloway.
She was there
for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Spotlight for the Channel Islands and we marvelled at the agility
and experience we saw before us. Some of the gymnasts were as young as
thirteen, others older.
The Jersey
Gymnasts did well, but those from Bermuda were even better. I've never
seen anything quite like them. In most categories they captured the top
five places….quite remarkable. (to borrow the words of David Coleman).
So how does
Jersey fight back ? Roisin had the answer. Our colleague Emma Douglas
is a former international gymnast. You'll see her most evenings on Spotlight.
But once
a gymnast, always a gymnast. When we get back to Jersey, we're enrolling
her as a member of the Jersey team - and four years from now she'll be
eligible to represent the island in Aland. (sadly there'll be no gymnastics
in Rhodes in 2007). We reckon she's a dead cert for a Gold medal.
And there's
hope for me too….Aoland are proposing Ten Pin Bowling be included
in the 2009 Games - that sounds like one sport I might be able to acquire
some ability in over the next 48 months.
So what of
our present ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Games team, I promised you an update on their condition.
We're all shattered. No-one's complaining. We knew we'd be working long
and demanding hours. The days start early and finish late.
But it's
such fun ensuring the islands receive the most up-to-date news on the
success of their athletes here in Shetland. Roger Bara, Isla Blatchford
and Simon Fairclough, along with Brent Pilnick are the early-risers. Up
at six, they bring you the results in detailed breakfast bulletins on
´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Jersey and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Guernsey.
Breakfast
is at eight when the whole team comes together. Rhana is the person we
need to thank for keeping us well-fed. She's the delightful breakfast
waitress at our hotel. (delightful is Crispin's word - not mine).
She's named
after a fictitious Scottish Island in a novel by that great Scottish writer
Sir Walter Scott. Apart from that she retains an air of mystery about
her….however we do believe she may have a surprise or two in store
when the team meets to celebrate Brent's birthday on Saturday.
There are
a number of breakfast mysteries too. Why do we all prefer paoched eggs?
Why do the kindly staff supply brown toast when we all asked for white?
How come Ken Park gets served baked beans, when they're not on the menu?
What do Roisin Gauson and Isla Blatchford do with a whole jug of iced
water ? And why does Grant Coleman never get the tea ? And then there's
the mystery of the box of "seeds" strangely spread on brown
bread by one of our number….?
By the time
it's twenty to nine the breakfast bulletins and breakfast itself is over
and then it's time for our planning meeting…..more of which tomorrow……And
the update on the flowers…her Grandmother loved them!
Submitted by Matthew Price | Permalink
| Comments
| 12 July 2005 at 19:30
MONDAY, 11 JULY
Isla
at the Island Games
(but the Pom Pom girls clinched it for me……)
Flowers
are expensive in Shetland, but the quality is second to none! According
to my colleague it would cost as much to send a bouquet to Sumburgh from
Lerwick as it would to buy the flowers themselves. I did offer to drive
them down myself for twenty quid, but he said he didn't trust me not to
say something inappropriate to the intended recipient. (maybe he was worried
I would claim them for myself as my own "romantic gesture"?).
 |
| Isla
meets Isla |
In the end,
he asked the lovely Gail to deliver the bunch of blooms on his behalf,
complete with a cryptic message. I know they recahed their intended recipient
and that she "likes flowers", but I am sad to report the trail
now seems to have gone cold. However your intrepid correspondent is on
the case and I'll report back as soon as I am able.
This afternoon was
spent at the Shetland Hotel in Lerwick. It's just outside the main ferry
terminal and is the base for the International Island Games Committee.
They gathered at two to decide who should be awarded the honour of staging
the Games in 2009. It was a straight choice between Ynys Mon or Aoland.
The Welsh put forward a strong bid promoting the redevelopment opportunities
staging the Games would offer. Aoland's bid was based on previous experience
and the determination their Games would be fun. They last staged them
to great success back in 1991.
Each team had to explain
their bid to the Island Games Committee and the two delegates from each
of the competing islands. In the end a secret ballot was held and just
before three the result was known. Of the 54 votes cast, 33 went to Aoland
and 21 to Ynys Mon. So disappointment for the Welsh, who were encouraged
to consider bidding again and delight for the Scandanavian bid. Their
team mamanger told me they were confident they'd be the best Games to
date as everyone in the islands was behind them and the news of their
success would "go down a storm".
So it's a tough call.
Why did Aoland beat Ynys Mon? There was much to commend each bid. In the
end, I think Aoland had the edge. They brought in three beautiful blonde
women at the end of their bid, complete with cheerleader pom poms and
that infectious "Euro-pop" tune that's been going around inside
my head ever since. From that moment I sort of knew the bid was theirs….in
any case I've been to Ynys Mon before. It was July 1977, we stayed on
a camp site near the Menai Straits and it rained! In those days the place
was called Anglesey and the rain was the wettest I've ever remembered.
On the other hand I've never been to Aoland and Sacndanvia sounds kind
of appealing.
Before we get to Aoland
in 2009, there's the small matter of Rhodes two years from now. I expect
the weather there may be a little warmer than we've been experiencing
of late here in Shetland, but they'll be hard pressed to beat the warmth
of the welcome we have received here in Shetland. Our colleagues at ´óÏó´«Ã½
Radio Shetland have been especially tolerant and understanding. The team
from the Channel Islands out-numbers them and, on occasions, we can seem
pretty loud and over-bearing! There's not a lot of space around here,
so we've probably claimed to what amounts to "squatters rights"
in their reception area and second studio. That doesn't stop them sneaking
back in from time to time. Today Roger Bara was turfed out of his studio
to make way for ten minutes of news in Gaelic, whilst Isla Blatchford
had to give-way to the weather for Orkney!
I worry about Isla.
My colleague from Guernsey is as self-assured as anyone and can certainly
hold her own amongst the squad here. However some evenings she disappears
off to make and receive surrupitious phone-calls. We don't to whom these
are made or from whence they come. I wonder if she's received any flowers?
Still, Isla's met
her name sake. Helen Smith - who works at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland - has been
keeping a dark secret. When we were first introduced just over a week
ago, she smiled knowingly when we explained who Isla was. Now we know
why. Helen's Dad Jimmy has his own special Isla in his life….and
as our photo shows both Isla's have now met and get along famously…..
Submitted by Matthew Price | Permalink
| Comments
| 11 July 2005 at 21:30
Sausages
for Supper
I'm pleased to report none of our
party have any broken bones! The colleague who went on the moonlight escapade
to Jarlshof returned to the hotel in one piece. I suppose it's testimony
to the warmth of the welcome we've received here in Shetland. Wherever
you go, the people we've met have been universally friendly, interested
to know more about the Channel Islands and keen to share their own memories
of having visited Jersey or Guernsey in the past.
As we're just half-way through our island
odyssey, maybe it's time to take stock and to report on the condition
of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ team.
It's almost eleven on Monday night and we're
all hunched over computer screens, editing windows and television cameras
preparing the news bulletins, television reports and web pages you'll
see and hear on Tuesday. There's a frantic air of cameraderie about
the place. In a neighbouring room there are colleagues from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio
Shetland and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Orkney doing much the same thing.
It's amazing how these so-called "friendly
games" can bring old foes together - besides the harmony that's broken
out between our Jersey and Guernsey co-workers - the Orcadians are
even talking to the Shetlanders.
On top of that, after Jersey scored a magnificent
victory over hosts Shetland in the Team Badminton event tonight, Jane
Moncrieff from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shetland still found room in her heart (and
her battered Audi) to drive me and Roisin Gauson back to base from
the sports centre. The Jersey team were in excellent form and as you'll
read elsewhere it was a famous victory! Oh, by the way, Guernsey won
the bronze…..
Our engineer Ken Park is a man of many talents.
He's gone to the chip shop, laden with a weighty order on our behalf.
The Shetlanders have a lovely way with words. What to you or me may
be a simple portion of fish and chips becomes the quaintly named "fish
supper", "sausage supper" or even "haggis supper" once the order is
placed over the counter. The Shetlanders are pleased to "batter" most
foodstuffs on your behalf and after a long and tiring day, they taste
mighty fine. (Incidentally, even if you order fish and chips at lunch-time
- it's still called a "fish supper").
So, what state are we all in ?
Brent Pilnick still has a swollen eye. His
right eye blew up the other day and we whisked him off to the local
hospital for a medical opinion. With no sense of irony they told him
he was allergic to Shetland Ponies! It seems he'd been patting one
angelic looking little foal, without realising he'd then rubbed his
eye with same hand. A course of medicine later and things are getting
better…but Brent has vowed never to go near a pony again. His
scheduled appearance at the "Horse of the Year Show" has been cancelled.
Roger Bara never sleeps. His room is home
to our make-shift studio and so is in constant use. It makes the Weighbridge
on a Saturday night look like a walk in the park. There's a constant
flow of people in and out, in various states of dress and undress at
various times of the day. Each demands their time on the computer or
behind the microphone. Roger just sits on the bed, makes a cup of tea
or looks wistfully out of the window while all this unfolds in front
of him……and yes you did hear him taking a shower during
Sunday's Jersey Today, just after the interview with the Bishop of
Tanzania!
More on the intrigues of our makeshift studio
another day…..but before I tuck into my "sausage supper" there's
just time to let you know one of our party has been to the florists….the
flowers look and smell beautiful. Sad to say, at present we don't know
who the lucky recipient will be…..
Submitted by Matthew Price | Permalink
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| 11 July 2005 at 20:30
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