Hello
On Friday night, our local Up Helly A was on. A fiery procession of hundreds of guizers marched down the Sumburgh Head road (from the quarries famous for the odd rarity), towing a beautiful replica viking galley. Standing in horizontal sleet, we watched the procession, enjoying the brass band and the colourful costumed squads - including vikings, alpacas, snowmen, chessmen and the Queen. The skies cleared as the procession gathered on the Grutness beach, and then with a final cheer from the Guizer Jarl and his squad, the boat was pushed to sea and the flaming torches thrown upon her.
There was something quite special about the mix of fire, ice and sea. The squads departed, and I shot off home for a quick eye-liner repair job and pick up my homebakes before going to the Ness Boating Club to serve on the bar. The Up Helly A festivals are a great community event, and the dance had folk aged from nine to ninety all gathered together in celebration. Some lucky folk who stepped outside got treated with a display of the Northern Lights around 11pm, in the background was the sound of the Cullivoe Dance Band playing a marathon of strip the willows, Boston two-steps and reels. Shetlanders know how to party and the performances and dancing were still on-going after 4am!
I got to bed just before 6am but was woken mid-morning by the phone ringing. It was my mother saying she was watching killer whales passing her house! I couldn't believe my luck, as exactly a week prior I had been watching pilot whales in Lerwick harbour. Experience has taught me not to feel too lucky until I've actually seen the whales, so I quickly readied myself and headed toward Grutness, near Sumburgh Head reserve. Imagine my relief and joy when I saw a bull whale's fin breaking the surface of the water. My brother was lucky enough to get this picture from Sumburgh Airport.
With friends Hannah, Jenny and her two boys (and canines Sparky and Apollo) we enjoyed the views of whales, with the sun glistening off their bodies as they passed towards Sumburgh Head. We took a brief jaunt up to the lighthouse, and watched as the whales moved south. It seemed as if there were a pod of three and of four, but it was difficult to say for sure. I hear there were Risso's dolphins at Fetlar and harbour porpoises in Lerwick, so the near perfect sea conditions were a blessing to nature lovers.
Whilst we've had a weekend of sleet, gales and sunshine, the signs of spring are becoming ever more evident. I saw the leaves of marsh marigolds for the first time this year, and there are ever more oystercatchers returning. The signs are all very welcome after a long, cold dark winter.
Best wishes from Sumburgh Head
Helen