#Shetland Husbands

[backgroundnoisewithaview]

If I was still the savvy Fanvideo type of person, I'd definitely make a Shetlands Husbands video to Babylon.

[ineffable-xenanigans]

Your Honor, they’re wearing each other’s cardigans

Ineffable ponies 🥰

Source: web.archive.org/web/20130209210947/http://www.visitscotland.com:80/blog/scotland/shetland-ponies-in-cardigans

[scotianostra]

December 12th 1902 saw the birth of Nan Mackinnon or, to give her her Gaelic patronymic, Nan Eachainn Fhionnlaigh, at Kentangaval, Isle Of Barra.

Nan was a tradition-bearer, whose remarkable memory, enthusiasm, and love of the Gaelic oral tradition has ensured that her wealth of knowledge has been preserved and shared with future generations. She became known as Nan of Vatersay, or Nan of the songs.

Nan was the youngest of seven children. Her father, Hector (Eachann Fhionnlaigh), was also born and raised in Kentangaval, and was descended from the MacKinnons of Strath, Skye – the historic grazing constables to the MacNeils of Barra until the 19th century. Nan's mother Mary was from Mingulay, and had strong connections with the MacPhee family, who – according to local tradition – came to settle in Barra in the 14th century. Nan grew up in what was a politically tumultuous time in the Highlands, and this influenced her early life greatly. Despite having won security of tenure twenty years before Nan was born, there remained a strong sense of injustice at the uneven distribution of land in the Highlands. Having spent her early years in Barra, in 1907 Nan's father was part of the 'Vatersay Raiders' – landless cottars from Barra and Mingulay who carried out a land raid on Vatersay, establishing crofts on the neglected land. Despite the eventual failure of the Land Raid, Nan's family were eventually given a croft in Baile, Vatersay following the purchase of land on the island by the Congested Districts Board.

Nan's repertoire was among some of the most extensive and varied of her generation, and this is reflected in the recordings of her featured on the Tobar an Dualchais website. She came from a rich musical tradition, and was said to know around 400 songs by heart, most of which she learned from her mother. After receiving her schooling on the island, Nan left home when she was seventeen and – as was common for women of her age at the time – spent a number of years in service for a variety of people in Argyll. She also worked at the herring for a time, in both Shetland and Yarmouth before going to Glasgow. One of her sisters died suddenly in 1940, leaving four young children and a husband who was away at sea for long periods. Nan returned home to Vatersay to raise the children and remained there for the rest of her life.

Nan McKinnon had a great fondness for the stories and songs she knew, and she was convinced of the importance of the oral tradition to Gaelic communities. Growing up she would spend hours practising them until she knew them in their entirety. As Nan herself commented: "[Each story] tells the ways of the people that lived in those days. The waulking songs kept news alive from generation to generation. There were no newspapers, whereas today we read it in the papers and forget about it tomorrow. But the songs kept it alive. Those happenings that happened centuries ago are still to be told in song and story. It's wonderful." Over and above her repertoire of songs, Nan was also well known for her tales and legends – often of a supernatural nature – and her captivating story style. She also had a deep knowledge of the traditions of Uist and Barra, and was recording speaking about a variety of subjects from cures to feast days, to interpretations of omens and dreams. Her knowledge of the material culture of her native island was also extensive, and her recordings include discussions about traditional diet, including about what would be eaten when food was scarce.

There are almost 1,000 recordings of Nan on the Tobar an Dualchais website, the earliest dating back to 1953 when she was recorded by Donald MacPherson for the Canna Collection, several other visited her and recorded her over the years, she must have been quite the wee celebrity on Vatersay

James Ross summed up her significance as a tradition-bearer by saying: "Nan is the type of person that the folklore and folk-song collectors dream about. There is absolutely no trace of 'memory effect' as she responds to queries … Her answers are always a direct affirmative or negative, usually … the former. She never has to search her mind, and this, together with her unstinting co-operation, endless patience and subtle sense of humour, made the work of collecting a joy."

At the link below you can listen to Nan singing Griogal Cridhe, (literally "Gregor of the Heart", or "Beloved Gregor". It is a traditional Scottish lament and lullaby that was composed in Gaelic by Mór Chaimbeul ("Marion Campbell"), the widow of Griogair Ruadh Mac Griogair ("Gregor the Red MacGregor") (1541–1570), the chief of the Clan MacGregor of Glen Strae, who was executed at Taymouth Castle, Perthshire, on April 7th, 1570. There are many versions of the lyrics

Griogal Cridhe

Chorus;

Òbhan, òbhan, òbhan i ri

Òbhan i ri ò

Òbhan, òbhan, òbhan i ri

'S mòr, mo mhulad, 's mòr.

'S iomadh oidhche fhliuch is thioram,

Sìde nan seachd sian,

Gheibheadh Griogal dhomhsa creagan

Ris an gabhainn dìon.

Eudail mhòir, a shluagh an Domhain,

Dhòirt iad t'fhuil o'n dè,

'S chuir iad do cheann air stob daraich

Tacan beag bho d'chrè.

B' annsa bhi le Griogal cridhe

Teàrnadh chruidh le gleann,

Na le Baran mòr na Dalach,

Sìoda geal mu m' cheann.

Chan eil ùbhlan idir agam,

'S ùbhlan uil' aig càch,

'S ann tha m'ùbhlan-s' cùbhr' ri caineal

'S cùl a chinn ri làr.

'Nuair a bhios mnàthan òg a'bhaile,

'Nochd nan cadal sèimh,

'S ann bhios mis' air bruaich do lice,

'Bualadh mo dhà làimh.

Many a night, wet or dry

weather of the seven elements

Gregor would get me a rocky shelter

Against the storm

Greatest treasure in all the world

They spilt your blood yesterday

And they put your head on a post of oak

A little way from your body

Would that I were with beloved Gregor

Herding cattle in the glen

Than with the great Baron of the Dale

White silk around my head

I have no apples at all

Others have all the apples

My apple with the fragrance of cinnamon

The back of his head to the ground

When the young women of the village will be

Tonight sleeping soundly

I will be at your graveside

Beating my two hands

With the above being a lament I thought I would post another song from Nan, Haoi Ho Nach Dannsadh Sibh E is a much more upbeat song, according to the notes Nan’s mother heard this song from Lewis women at the fishing. Another source tells me that this is the only variant of that song, so without t the work of the likes of Donald MacPherson, and indeed Margaret Fay Shaw, some of these songs would have been lost to the world, they are an integral, very important part of our Gaelic roots. This song is a light vocal dance tune with a love theme. The song is of the type common among the women who worked as herring gutters.

https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/108438?l=en

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Do you know any stories where a shapechanger is the protagonist?

I think the clearest example of this would be the tale type in which a sorcerer's apprentice or servant flees from his master by magically shapeshifting into various animals and/or objects. For instance:

Master and Pupil (Danish)

The Magic Book (Danish)

The Thief and his Master (German)

Farmer Weathersky (Norwegian)

But if you're willing to be a bit more lenient with the definition of "protagonist", I think there are also proper animal shapeshifters that would qualify.

Animal grooms (like Hans-My-Hedgehog) always turn human at the end of their stories, but these two serpent husbands seem to keep the power to shift at will:

The Snake Who Became the King's Son-in-Law (Romanian)

Umamba (Zulu)

The typical animal bride (like The Swan Maiden) is almost invariably kidnapped by the protagonist of the story. But in some folktales the focus shifts to the wife enough to make her feel like the protagonist:

The She-Wolf (Croatian)

Legend of O' Dowd of Inniscrone Castle and the Mermaid (Irish)

The Mermaid Wife (Shetlandic)

Last but not least, while they are harder to find, some folktales treat werewolves as a mere fact of life. These are not quite typical protagonists, but very close:

A woman reveals she is a werewolf to show her neighbor where she gets meat (Polish)

A werewolf wife does the same, making her husband afraid for her safety (German)

A workman is discovered to be a werewolf by his two companions and reacts angrily but leaves without attacking them (German)

Three werewolf sisters spend the evening in wolf form and are found out by some young men come to court them (French)

That's all I have for now! If anyone else has folktales they'd like to add, please feel free!

[harveywritings92]

[Cami is pregnant and is helping out at her middle brother’s café, (She was going a little stir-crazy being at home all day.) And is currently dealing with a very annoying woman. Who will not stop snapping their damn fingers at her, Cami is organizing the till when.]

Entitled woman: *snap,snap.* You there! The pregnant one! Where is my waiter?! We’ve been waiting for over ten minutes!”

{Soap who’s stopped by for lunch is just annoyed at this woman’s attitude, while Cami just puts on a customer service smile and replies.]

Cami: He is on his way back with your adjusted meal, ma’am. You made quite a few modifications so it might take longer.

[She goes back to the counter, about to speak to Smoke who just arrived, but then hears the snapping again. Cami turns to face the woman again…]

Entitled woman: I wasn’t done with you! Hurry up and get us our drinks! We’re thirsty!

Cami: Ma’am, I am serving some other customers right now. Your waiter will be out very soon and he will gladly serve your drinks for you.

[Cami tries to turn away but the woman snaps her fingers at Cam, yet again! they’ve had enough.]

Entitled woman: When I snap my fingers, I expect you to come!

Cami:...

[Cami gives the woman a sly grin.]

Cami: Unlikely Ma’am, the only person who can make me come with their fingers is my husband. Good-day ~

{Cue Soap choking on his food while Smoke pats him on the back, trying hard not to laugh! the old woman’s face turns red and she starts screeching for a manager! Only to find out that not only was the “rude sl*t” not an employee, but she was also the café owner’s younger sister! Needless to say, that old hag asked for her food to go!]

{Cut to Soap and Smoke are driving Cami back to her and Koing’s house.]

Soap: I would’ve punch that old bat in the throat the second she started snapping her fingers at me like I were some sort of Shetland hound!

Smoke: I don’t know how you can handle people like that on a daily bases, Cam. You must have nerves of steel!

Cami: Did you two forget that I used to be a teacher? I’m used to dealing with entitled brats!

{When König comes home, he asked Cami how her day went? Needless to say, König wishes he could been there the see that old lady’s reaction and give his Cami a much needed high-five.]

[marleysfinest]

fr tho my fight or flight is activated at the stupidest of things. sometimes it isn't even anything. I got a bad night's sleep last night and today all I can think about is "MOVE TO NORWAY. MOVE DO IT MOVE IT NOW. YOU NEED TO MOVE YOURSELF YOUR HUSBAND AND YOUR SON TO NORWAY. IF NOT NORWAY THEN AT LEAST THE SHETLANDS" like bro chill nothing happened it's not hermit hours yet

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

BBC Reveals Release Date And New Pictures For New Crime Drama Rebus

Rebus, a new crime series based on the best-selling Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin, will launch on Friday 17 May, the BBC has announced. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am, with episode one airing on BBC Scotland on Friday 17 May and on BBC One on Saturday 18 May.

Written for the screen by Gregory Burke (’71, Six Four), Rebus reimagines the iconic character John Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crosses the line.

New pictures released by the BBC show Richard Rankin (Outlander, The Replacement) in the titular role, Brian Ferguson (The Ipcress File, Spanish Princess) as John’s brother, Michael, and Lucie Shorthouse (Line of Duty, Ten Percent) as Rebus’s investigation partner, Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke.

Previously announced cast also include Amy Manson (The Nevers, The Diplomat), Neshla Caplan (The Rig, Scot Squad), Noof Ousellam (Vigil, Guilt), Stuart Bowman (The Serpent, Bodyguard), Caroline Lee Johnson (Trying, Ridley), Sean Buchanan (Censor, Mary Queen of Scots), Thoren Ferguson (The Midwich Cuckoos) and Michelle Duncan (Baptise, Elizabeth is Missing).

Shaken after a violent encounter with gangster Ger Cafferty, Edinburgh detective John Rebus finds himself at a psychological crossroads. At odds with a job increasingly driven by corporate technocrats, involved in a toxic affair he knows he needs to end, and all but supplanted in his daughter’s life by his ex-wife’s wealthy new husband, Rebus begins to wonder if he still has a role to play – either as a family man or a police officer.

In a time of divisive politics and national discord, Rebus’s ex-soldier brother Michael, who’s broke, desperately crosses the line in order to provide for his family, and Rebus starts to question if the law still has meaning, or if everyone is reverting to an older set of rules. And if so, why shouldn’t he do so too?

Rebus (6x45’) is written by Gregory Burke and is adapted from the best-selling novels by Ian Rankin. The six-part series is directed by Niall MacCormick (Complicit, The Victim, Wallander) and Fiona Walton (Shetland, Annika) and is produced by Angela Murray. Eleventh Hour Films’ Paula Cuddy, Jill Green and Eve Gutierrez are the Executive Producers of the series, alongside Tomas Axelsson and Isabelle Hultén for Viaplay, director Niall MacCormick, writer Gregory Burke and author Ian Rankin. Rebus is produced by Eleventh Hour Films and is distributed internationally by Viaplay Content Distribution. This production of Rebus was supported by Screen Scotland.

Image credits

Header image: Still from Rebus showing Richard Rankin as John Rebus, courtesy of the BBC.

Image 1: Rebus poster, courtesy of the BBC

Image 2: Still from Rebus showing Lucie Shorthouse and Richard Rankin as Siobhan Clarke and John Rebus, courtesy of the BBC

Image 3: Still from Rebus showing Brian Ferguson and Richard Rankin as Michael and John Rebus, courtesy of the BBC

SCREEN SCOTLAND SGRÌN ALBA

Posted 1st May 2024

[dream-this-nightmare-over]

when I first started watching shetland, it took me entire season to realize perez and duncan arent together. The chemistry was screaming husbands.

[harveybwabbit92]

[R/n is pregnant with Isla and is helping out at her relative’s café, (She was going a little stir-crazy being at home all day.) And is currently dealing with a very annoying woman. Who will not stop snapping their damn fingers at her, R/n is organizing the till when.]

Entitled woman: *snap,snap.* You there! The pregnant one! Where is my waiter?! We’ve been waiting for over ten minutes!”

{Takeshi who’s stopped by for lunch with 21's current host is just as annoyed at this woman’s attitude, while R/n just puts on a customer service smile and replies.]

R/n: He is on his way back with your adjusted meal, ma’am. You made quite a few modifications so it might take longer.

[She goes back to the counter, about to speak to Neos who just arrived, but then hears the snapping again. R/n turns to face the woman again…]

Entitled woman: I wasn’t done with you! Hurry up and get us our drinks! We’re thirsty!

R/n: Ma’am, I am serving some other customers right now. Your waiter will be out very soon and he will gladly serve your drinks for you.

[R/n tries to turn away but the woman snaps her fingers at R/n, yet again! they’ve had enough.]

Entitled woman, snooty tone: When I snap my fingers, I expect you to come!

R/n:...

[R/n gives the woman a sly grin.]

R/n: Unlikely Ma’am, the only person who can make me come with their fingers is my husband. Good-day ~

{Cue Takeshi choking on his food while Neos pats him on the back, He and 21 are trying hard not to laugh! the old woman’s face turns red and she starts screeching for a manager! Only to find out that not only was the “rude sl*t” not an employee, but she was the café owner’s relative! Needless to say, that old hag asked for her food to go!]

{Cut to Takeshi , Neos and 21 driving R/n back to her and Belial’s house.]

Neos: I would’ve punch that old bat in the throat the second she started snapping her fingers at me like I were some sort of Shetland hound!

21: I don’t know how you can handle people like that on a daily bases, R/n. You must have nerves of steel!

R/n: Did you two forget that I'm a high school a teacher? I’m used to dealing with entitled brats!

Takeshi: ain't that the truth! (He and R/n fist-bump.)

{When Belial comes home, he asked R/n how her day went? Needless to say, Belial wishes he could been there the see that old bat’s reaction and give R/n a much needed high-five.]

[whitedarkmoonflower]

Get to know me game

I was tagged by @thelettersfromnoone thank you❤️and sorry it took me so long, last week has been stressful. End of the year is approaching and it's always crazy on my side

Last song: "All that she wants" Ace of Base

Favourite colour: red

Last Movie/Last TV show: Shetland on BBC One

Sweet/spicy/savoury: I love savoury and I'm on good terms with spicy (to a certain limit - I have some friends from Mauritius and Georgia and for me they cook mild versions of their traditional dishes, because these people could eat glowing coals and would still say it needs a bit more chili on it).

Last thing I googled: Christmas markets in my region

Current obsession: my two fictional husbands Sihtric and Masema. Just rewatched the first three episodes of the Wheel of Time and man is Masema hot!!!

Tagging: I'm so late with this that I think everybody has already done it, so no tags, but anyone who sees this - consider this your tag if you want to. It's so nice to get to know you all here a bit more.

[thelegoninjagomovie]

sitting down very gently on your floor..........tell me about. misako

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

fun fact misako is the character that has been possessed the most times. once in the show once in the books once in shadow of ronin that’s a video game. and i think i’m forgetting one i can’t remember :P

speaking of shadow of ronin i HATEEEEE that it’s the only game where she’s playable bc they do some weird shit with her when she’s possessed….. like very strange not needed doesnt add anything to the story weird. so tired of her being forced into situations </3

the misako suicide attempt thing is actually hilarious and i still wonder how they got away with it to this day. the episode came out in 2013 which is just. idk that makes it so much funnier to me. also one episode after being introduced the writers were like ok time to make her try to kill herself

if she was a pokémon she would be mew and a whole lot others but mew is my fav rn. mewsako.

i used to have nightmares that misako would be trying to kill me and she was a fnaf animatronic. when i would be playing toontown i would always think hmm my toon is like if she was fnaf…. :) but i’m scared of fnaf and watching anything if it past like 5 is setting me up for a nightmare. and the thing is she would be the only mf trying to kill me.

my misako minifig is best friends with bowser she is currently sitting on his head

if she was a cat she would be a siamese

i think she should’ve killed garmadon. that’s her piece of shit husband. ripped him opened scourge tigerstar style

i won’t lie i think what people think misako is is actually one of the best interpretations ever. if it wasn’t the most obnoxious borderline sexist losers saying this i think it would be so funny. also a lot of it is just autism traits so thats something. <no clue if ppl still use those but it was p common back in tha day

that thing (misako) is autistic god bless her

in the ninjago movie there’s a character that supposed to be misako but u cannot convince me they are the same come onnnnn. that’s like showing me a picture of a dog and a cat and telling me they’re the same animal. theyre girlfriends the end.

i love koko the orange haired one but misako just has the autistic swag and fail aura about her

misako is the best fictional character ever i think. in my opinion :)

if misako was a dog she’s be a shetland sheepdog

typing all this got me kicking my feet and giggling. love her so much.

my animal jam character bc i’m too lazy to get on toontown

anytime i think about rewatching season 6 of ninjago i cringe because ONCE AGAIN misako is forced into a weird and disgusting ass situation i’m not getting into it but literally being forced to hear her scream about not being left alone like oh ok. KILL

it’s 2 am i’m a littol sleepy so here’s a picture of misako :) thank you for listening

cat named misako:

there’s definitely shit i’m forgetting but i’m tired thank you for presenting this opportunity to me stella i love you forever and ever and ever and ever <3 <3 <3 <3

[backgroundnoisewithaview]

That has got to mean something when you call your BFF and daughter's other father the name of your wife.

[scotianostra]

On 20/21 July 1881, the Gloup Fishing Disaster occurred, in which 58 fishermen were killed by an unexpected summer storm.

The Gloup Disaster Memorial is a statue of a woman looking out to sea with a child held in her arms. On the 20th July 1881 this depicted the scene all along the coast at Gloup, and other coastal communities in Shetland. Women waited, and hoped that their husbands and children would return. But sadly many did not. The Gloup Disaster was perhaps the beginning of the end for the Haaf Fishing. This could have been the point where it was realised that going so far to sea in relatively small boats, was just too big a risk, and cost in terms of lives lost.

The word ‘haaf’ is derived from the Norse word ‘hav’, meaning open sea. This was certainly the case with the Shetland ‘Far Haaf’ fishing. The haaf fishing was carried out from the mid 18th century, until the end of the 19th century, and the crew of a Sixareen could be as much as 50 miles from home when they set their fishing lines. The Sixareen was an open 6 oared boat with a square sail. For stability the boats set out on fishing trips with a large amount of stone ballast on board, which was dumped as fish was caught to replace it.

The sixareen crews, forced by the fear and burden of debt, were under constant pressure from the Lairds to fish, and often this pressure meant that a crew would take a chance and stay at sea beyond the point where the weather conditions dictated that it was unsafe. The Haaf season traditionally started on the 12th May, although the crews would have spent some time beforehand tarring the boats, preparing their equipment, and ensuring that the lodges they would spend their time ashore in, were fit for habitation. Weather permitting a crew made 2 trips each week, Monday to Wednesday, and Thursday to Saturday, in which time the crew, baited and set up to 100 lines for Ling, Tusk, and Cod.

20th July 1881, started as what is referred to as a “day atween wadders”, there had been strong winds for days and the boats had been kept ashore, but the morning of the 20th dawned clear with light winds, and although there was still a heavy sea running, the men were keen to get to sea. Their departure was delayed for the funeral of Jeemie Henry, skipper of the sixareen “Elizabeth”, who had died of “Bool Cramp”, the name given then to acute appendicitis.

Going over 40 miles to the fishing grounds, using simple landmarks for navigation, the boats had no idea of what was to happen. The crews were happy that the bad weather was over. If only they could have had the benefit of modern forecasts. A fast moving depression which had formed to the west near Iceland rushed in with Hurricane force winds. The crews were taken by surprise, and made every effort to reach shore, but for some crews that was impossible.

Some of the boats which made shore were to report seeing boats overturned, and with no sign of life, there was nothing they could do, they had to consider the survival of their own crew. The heroism of the skippers who managed to reach shore in that storm should never be forgotten.

tthe bodies of only seven men were found, 36 of the men were from Gloup. The 58 drowned haaf fishermen left behind 34 widows and 85 orphans.

[dansnaturepictures]

Seeing Otters on Mull: A dream come true

As I have said in previous posts I am so pleased that one of the main aims of us going on the Heatherlea Spring Into Scotland tour last week was realized when on three separate occasions with five individuals in total on Tuesday and Wednesday we finally saw our first ever wild Otters. This had long been a dream of mine and was one of my greatest ever moments of watching wildlife, so I wanted to do a post focusing on it.

I probably use the cliché about dreams coming true a lot, but when it came to seeing wild Otters it was literal as on a number of nights across a few years I did dream that I saw an Otter. It was a mammal I just longed to see in the wild, and every time I woke up and it wasn’t real there was sort of a healthy dose of disappointment that I’d not seen one in the wild. With Blandford Forum and Stour Valley Nature Reserve in Dorset places we’d tried to see them before and the hope I might see one in Winchester on the River Itchen or at Blashford Lakes where my Mum’s husband saw one once most dreams were of seeing one on a river I believe. But as we sought sea Otters at this Hebridean hotspot, there was a wonderful moment last Monday on the eve of our full day in Mull on the tour where my sub conscious thought was so in sync with my ambition and in a jokey way almost on command I dreamed of seeing an Otter in the sea that night.

I was reflecting after the sightings whilst away where the dream of seeing an Otter came from. They are obviously such beautiful and fascinating mammals, an indicator of healthy water and such a captivating and charming creature. I sort of seemed to recall that after getting into birdwatching and branching into other wildlife in my teen years seeing them on TV and reading about them made me feel enticed by this iconic animal and want to see one and excited by the prospect of it. Which is true, but it also goes much deeper. I have been fascinated by them since I was a kid. I remember as a young kid knowing of Otters and being stunned when I heard they were on the River Itchen our local river (I definitely want to see them one day here too!). I found myself really drawn to Otters as a child, something fostered by our regular family visits to the New Forest Wildlife Park when it was known as the Otter and Owl Sanctuary a fantastic place allowing for such brilliant views of wonderful animals where I had some powerful early moments when I first got into birdwatching with wild birds seen there and of course I loved the owls. I recall a great visit there as I was getting into photography as a kid too which was important. I found Otters adorable. 

Tuesday 11th April 2023 at the height of the sensational Scotland trip for us felt like that make or break day. I had had the idea that the place for me to finally see Otters may be Shetland somewhere I really want to go, but my Mum had Mull on the mind for it. The classic line she has mentioned a lot over the last year and a bit ahead of the trip was that when my sister asked her if she wanted a party for her 60th birthday on Monday she said no. When my sister asked what she did want she replied going to Mull to see Otters. So with the family all chipping in to make it happen, off we went. Since the trip had been booked though it became clear for me that Mull, somewhere I had always wanted to visit, gave us an amazing chance for Otters too. It had become a good spirited topic of conversation within the amazing tour group we had of would we see one. When looking over the majestic Loch Spelve on the way to Croggan my Mum and I had walked away from where we were parked for a minute to explore. I took a photo of a Pheasant and she was about to take a photo of one of the beautiful gushing rivers we were taken by all week. Then came the moment. We heard from one of the group something like “they’ve got an Otter”. I then instinctively ran back towards where the mini buses were parked, and we were in paradise as over those next few minutes we watched two Otters weaving through the water. Angelic and euphoric glimpses of these marvelous mammals, their fur kissed by the fine spring sunlight. As the whole group enjoyed these wonderful views, the pair proceeded to swim to shore allowing for exquisite views and disappear under a gorse bush where their holt may have been located. These were such glorious minutes of wildlife watching, moments that will stay with me forever as the dream was realised. I took the second, third, fourth and fifth pictures in this photoset of these two. 

Following what unfolded into generally one of our best ever days of wildlife watching on Mull with White-tailed Eagles what first drew me to Mull, Golden Eagles, Razorbill, Hen Harrier, Merlin hunting meadow pipits, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and more seen, Wednesday arrived and it was time to leave Mull after a little explore in the rain before a ferry towards midday. But two more Otter encounters awaited as firstly at Dervaig it was sensational as two more Otters were spotted out to sea. We enjoyed prolonged views of these two in the water, with one swimming to a rock which was fantastic. It was a real precious few minutes making the most of seeing wild Otters and really feeling the experience. One of the group put his scope up and we watched the Otters through an open door with it raining which was a magical and feel good moment in the trip. I took the final five pictures in this set here. And just as we were about to board the ferry at Fishnish back to the mainland another Otter was spotted. It was amazing to see this one as well, and I took the first picture in this photoset with my bridge camera of all the ones I took of the Otters from a distance some I was pleased with I felt this showed the facial characteristics and of course those teeth the best. We felt truly spoiled and lucky to have got to seen these Otters, and we have Heatherlea and our fellow tour guests to thank. 

With the whole cliche but not cliche thing I thought I would end with one. Seeing my first ever wild Otters on the sensational, rugged and wild Mull in many ways represented an ending as I may well literally dream about Otters again but I won’t have that same feeling of waking up and it just being a dream having never seen one. But it is my first sighting so of course it is just the beginning. I would love to see more Otters in future and would like to see them on rivers locally. As I’ve had with birds before that were unattainable for me for a long time but we finally saw such as Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl and another star of our trip Black Guillemot after finally seeing the first yeah I won’t see them every year maybe but it feels that little bit more possible to be able to see them. I like that about nature watching that there’s still always so much to see, I can’t wait to continue dreaming of Otters, but I do so now with some of the most extraordinary memories on magical Mull to relive and enjoy.

I did these two posts about the days we saw Otters: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714972457668427776/11th-april-2023-mull-otters-eagles-and-more and https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714974057045622784/12th-april-2023-day-four-of-the-scotland-trip and this one summarising our time in Scotland: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714784952556945408/round-up-of-our-trip-to-scotland-8th-15th-april

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Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @TransworldBooks

Book Description: ONLY THE MOORLAND HIDES THE MACABRE…Consultant surgeon Tora Hamilton has moved to remote Shetland to be with her husband. She moved to have a family….Not for this . . . In the peat soil near her new home she uncovers a perfectly preserved woman’s body. Runic symbols are carved into her skin. Her heart has been cut out.And as Tora begins to ask questions around the island, she…