The Rectory Garden blitz and BBQ

We had a great time after church today as a small group descended on trhe Rectory Garden to hack back overgrown undergrowth. Strimmers and mowers, saws and all sorts of stuff set about trying to tame the jungle.


The BBQ was well deserved and even Eli liked that bit! The garden is finally beggining to take some shape.

Young and old, two legged and four legged friends enjoyed a warm afternoon with no rain. A BBQ was part of the plot, and of course various stops for tea and coffee along the way too.

The little dog is called Poppy and Eli just finds her so much fun. The other black labrador is called Charlie, and Eli loves having fun and games with Charlie.

Simon's Graduation in London

Now he really is a Law unto himself!!!!

What a proud and good day, though I was wilting in the heat!!

INDUCED!!

Well yes I am still here as you can see and I am now fully inducted as the Rector. Here is a pictures from the service held at St Magnus in Lerwick. Things are going really well.
I have now fully moved into the town now and live at the Rectory just behind the church, the closest I have ever lived to "the shop". The house needs ahuge amount doing to it and I suspect it is going to be cold and damp in the winter! I hope to be able to open the two fireplaces and get the chimneys dried out which could well help all sorts of things. There is a huge damp patch over my bed in the bedroom which might go once a fire is lit below. The windowes are mostly rotten and do not open so ventilation is challenging.

Eli has now survived two kennel visits and he seems to be ok with that experience which is a good thing.

Last weekend was Simon's graduation in London and I will post a picture of that in the next post.

Alive and kicking!

Hi, I know itg has been some time since I managed to get on here and update things. I have been pretty busy moving into Lerwick and beggining to get sorted with lots more still to get done.
I have also had two days of induction services and legal paraphinalia. (probably spelt wrong)

Any way everything is going pretty well really but i am tired too. Last week saw me three times on Yell.

We have had many cruise liners in to Lerwick and there are lots of holiday makers around too.

The Dog House?

Otherwise known I think as Kennels. Eli is about to experience the dog house for the first time, as I am leaving him here to go south to Telford and Cambridge for a few days.
We had a great birthday party for him the other day, and went out to supper too. so he had a great 5th birthday. It was just a little unfortunate that the restaurant didn't take dogs and the party he only saw the beginning of before being taken back to bed for the rest of it.... any way I had a good time on his behalf, so that counts.
I am taking an empty car down in order to bring it back full of things I left behind in November.

Needless to say I shall be away from the computer for 10 days.

Another job!

I know it has been some time since I updated this but I have been pretty busy with one thing and another. A week last Friday I had another interview for part time work and I was succesful in being invited to be the rector of St Magnus in Lerwick and St Colman in Yell. These are the Episcopal churches on Shetland and the most northerly anglican churches in Great Britain. (Is this where someone says I have gone right to the top!!!?)

I am thrilled with this appointment, and pretty amazed really as it came at almost the moment I had decided they were never for me. It does mean that I will be moving into the heady bright lights of Lerwick over the next few weeks. The house on Burra will be set back to holiday and friend use as soon as I can. I will also have a spare room in Lerwick which will be nice too.

They cannot afford a full time post so I will be carrying on with the care work which I am enjoying and driving the minibus from time to time for Walter and Joan, this will give me 100% and a pension comes with the new post too.

All this comes also at the time the congregation are about to move back into the church building having been having their service in the church Hall for the past 9 months. In fact ths Sunday I will be leading them back in.

The New Bell which Simon and I watched being cast just before I left Cambridge is here as you know and tomorrow I am helping to put it into the tower of St Magnus. Also quite "coincidental".

I am sorry it has taken time to get around to updating this but that about brings us two speed so far. Here is Eli on Burra a couple of days ago, and an image of the new home soon to be in Lerwick..

Into May

Getting on into May now and today the sun even felt warm at times. Off to Yell on Sunday again, after last weeks cancellation due to Ferry problems. I am still keeping busy with one thing and another and time seems to shoot by.

The Sun is creeping around the horizon now before it sets and the views are often stunning. We now have a good seven hours more daylight then at the back of November.

Simon has started his finals now so it is a tense time for him. Hannah is fine and getting one well in her work. She is off mountain biking in Wales this weekend.

It was good this week going to hear Ann Cleeves in Lerwick Library. It was very full and the fiddle player Chris Stout was excellent. She read bits from each of her Shetland saga. She hinted that there may be other books set here in the future even if in a different saga.