Muckle Roe, Shetland

We had a good trip from Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland on the ferry. We left at 7.00 pm and arrived 7.30 am. We had a two berth cabin. The service on the ferry "Hrossey" was superb.

We are staying with Jim and Freda Johnson on Muckle Roe, an island connected by a bridge to the "mainland." It is so peaceful here. No sound of traffic. The only sound is that of seagulls. With only 24,000 total population in Shetland there is no rush and bustle. We've done plenty of walking. There are inlets (voes) everywhere in Shetland and it is impossible to go anywhere without getting a view of the sea. I was walking down by a jetty on Tuesday and a small boat came in and the owner gave me some mackerel and crabs which we had for lunch yesterday. Nothing like fresh fish direct from the ocean.

Each night I have a meeting with a different assembly. There are four assemblies in Shetland. On Tuesday we were at Brae, near Muckle Roe. The Brae assembly is the most northerly assembly in the UK. The setting for the Brae assembly is unique. You look out of the left window to see the North Sea and out the right window to see the Atlantic Ocean.

Yesterday we visited the birthplace of my mother in Hillswick, about 15 miles to the north. We were able to go in and see the family home where she lived for 3 years. It is now modernized, but was a simple croft house built of stone. It overlooks a beautiful beach. In summer it is idilic, but in winter it is windswept and often has winds of 100 miles an hour. No wonder my forebears left for New Zealand. The foundations of the Blacksmiths shop (with forge etc) still stands. This is where my grandfather worked. The smithy's shop was only a stone's throw from the house.

Yesterday we went 50 miles to the southwest of Shetland for dinner with Davy and Jean Simmons. Davy is an interesting character. He has been in the merchantile navy, a whaler in Antarctica, lived in New Zealand for a few years and now at 75 continues crofting on his farmlet. We had Shetland lamb for dinner. Scientific research has discovered that Shetland lamb is the only meat in the world that does not produce cancer. The moral is, "Eat more Shetland lamb!" We then went to Selivoe Gospel Hall for a meeting where there were some 20 people present.

We are now off to visit Ollaberry (Thursday morning) where the Williamson family came from. Ollaberry is a little hamlet on the banks of a voe. My maternal grandmother was Margaret Williamson.

We'll talk more next time in between eating mackerel, crab, oatcakes, Shetland lamb and girdle scones!