Podcasts about shetlands

Vikingatiden brukar ofta förknippas med krig, sjöröveri och plundring, men det var också en av de största fredliga expansionstiderna i vår historia. Vanliga jordbrukare och boskapsskötare lämnade sina hem på jakt efter större marker, samtidigt som stormän och furstar som skrämdes av de nya kungamakterna satte segel mot väster för att finna nya länder att kolonisera, och därmed bevara sin frihet.Den vikingatida kolonisationen förändrade Nordeuropas historia för alltid. Shetlands- och Orkneyöarna, Färöarna, Island, Grönland och många andra områden fick en skandinavisk befolkning. Nordbor slog sig ned på Hebriderna och Isle of Man, i norra Skottland, södra Wales och vid flera nygrundade städer på Irland, medan andra bosatte sig i norra och östra England (”Danelagen”) och i Normandie. Majoriteten av kolonisterna var bönder och handelsmän som valde att lämna sina gamla bygder i förhoppning om att kunna bygga sig en ny och bättre framtid på andra sidan havet. De grundade städer – till exempel Dublin – och påverkade såväl konsthantverk som ortnamnsskick i alla bygder de rotade sig i. Än idag är arvet efter kolonisationen fullt synligt i många delar av Västeuropa. På andra håll, som på Grönland, är det endast synligt i form av ruiner, eftersom kolonisternas ättlingar till slut försvann från scenen på sätt som ännu inte har klarlagts.I detta avsnitt av podden Harrisons dramatiska historia samtalar Dick Harrison, professor i historia vid Lunds universitet, och fackboksförfattaren Katarina Harrison Lindbergh om den vikingatida kolonisationen, framför allt i västerled.Bild: Sommar på Grönlandskusten ca. 1000 e.kr. Oljemålning av Carl Rasmussen (1875). Wikipedia, Public Domain. Klippare: Aron SchuurmanProducent: Urban Lindstedt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's talk the Orkney Saga, Orkney Earls and just Orkney history in general.For those who don't know, The Orkneys are the northermost islands in Scotland, bar Shetlands.Please welcome Judith Jesch, who has recently written a book with Birlinn Publishing on The Saga of the Earls of Orkney.Welcome, Judith!Get The Saga:https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-saga-of-the-earls-of-orkney/Get Women in the Viking Age:https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/women-in-the-viking-age-pb/Read Judith:https://boydellandbrewer.com/?s=judith+jeschFind Judith:https://oldnorse.org/portfolio/viking-warrior-women-judith-jesch-an-expert-in-viking-studies-examines-the-latest-evidence/https://bsky.app/profile/judithjesch.bsky.socialhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_JeschFind Baroque:https://www.ifitaintbaroquepodcast.art/https://www.reignoflondon.com/https://substack.com/@ifitaintbaroquepodcastSupport Baroque:https://www.patreon.com/c/Ifitaintbaroquepodcast/https://buymeacoffee.com/ifitaintbaroqueIf you would like to join Natalie on her walking tours with Reign of London:Saxons to Stuarts:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/Tudors & Stuarts:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-tudors-stuarts-walking-tour-t481355/The Georgians:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-the-georgians-walking-tour-t481358/Naughty London:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroquepodcast.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Jeffery and John Granger continue their Q&A conversations about Rowling-Galbraith's Hallmarked Man (if you missed the first discussion, click here to catch up). As usual, the pair promised to send links and notes along with their recorded back and forth for anyone wanting to read more about the subjects they discussed. Scroll down for their seven plus one questions and a bevy of bonus material they trust will add to your appreciation of Rowling's Strike 8 artistry and meaning. Cheers!Q1: What is the meaning of or artistry involved with Pat Chauncey's three fish in the Agency's fish tank, ‘Robin,' ‘Cormoran,' and ‘Travolta/Elton'?Mise en Abyme (Wikipedia)In Western art history, mise en abyme (French pronunciation: [miz ɑ̃n‿abim]; also mise en abîme) is the technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers to the story within a story technique.The term is derived from heraldry, and means placed into abyss (exact middle of a shield). It was first appropriated for modern criticism by the French author André Gide. A common sense of the phrase is the visual experience of standing between two mirrors and seeing an infinite reproduction of one's image. Another is the Droste effect, in which a picture appears within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appearSnargaloff pods (Harry Potter Wiki)“It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramble-like vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air... Harry succeeded in trapping a couple of vines and knotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of all the tentacle-like branches... Hermione snatched her arm free, clutching in her fingers a pod... At once, the prickly vines shot back inside and the gnarled stump sat there looking like an innocently dead lump of wood“— The trio dealing with the Snargaluff plant in sixth year Herbology classSnargaluff was a magical plant with the appearance of a gnarled stump, but had dangerous hidden thorn-covered vines that attacked when provoked, and was usually best handled by more than one person.Juliana's Question about the Oranda Goldfish:did anyone else notice - I confess to only noticing this on my second re-read of THM- that Travolta, Pat's third fish, dies?What do we think about this? Could this mean Mr. Ryan F. Murphy dies…? Or could it just be foreshadowing of the fact that him and Robin don't end up together? I think the fish symbolism was quite humorous and delightful paralleling such a deep and intricate plot. Just wanted to know if anyone noticed this tinge of humor towards the end of the book… As for the fish theory, Pat's three fish in the tank: Strike, Robin and the third, she calls, Travolta — ironically, named after a “handsome” man. I'm thinking JKR meant Travolta, the fish to symbolize Murphy…What I was referring to in my original comment: the three fish = the love triangle between Ellacott/Murphy/Strike. I was asking: since Travolta died in Chapter 113, do we think this foreshadows Murphy either dying physically, or just that Robin and Murphy do not end up together?John's ‘Fish and Peas' Response:It's a relief to learn that Travolta's most famous role wasn't a character named Ryan Murphy that everyone in the world except myself knows very well. Thank you for this explanation!There's more to your idea, though, I think, then you have shared. Forgive me if you were already aware of this textual argument that suggests very strongly that these Oranda goldfish have been an important part of Rowling's plan from the series from the start. In brief, it's about the peas.In Part 2, Chapter 3, of ‘Cuckoo's Calling,' Robin and Matt are having their first fight about Strike and the Agency. The chapter ends with an odd note that this disagreement has blemished the Cunliffe couple's engagement.“She waited until he had walked away into the sitting room before turning off the tap. There was, she noticed, a fragment of frozen pea caught in the setting of her engagement ring.” (73)Your theory that the fish bowl is an embedded picture of the state of Robin's feelings for Murphy and Strike, a Mise en abyme of sorts, is given credibility in the eyes of this reader by the appearance of frozen peas as the cure for the dying Cormoran goldfish. It is hard for a Rowling Reader to believe that these two mentions of frozen pea fragments were coincidental or unrelated, which means that (a) Rowling had the office Oranda goldfish scene-within-the-scene in Strike 8 foreshadowed by the Strike 1 tiff, and (b) therefore of real significance.There is another pea bit, of course, in ‘Troubled Blood' at Skegness, a passage that links Robin's heart or essence with peas.Strike was still watching the starlings when Robin set down two polystyrene trays, two small wooden forks and two cans of Coke on the table.“Mushy peas,” said Strike, looking at Robin's tray, where a hefty dollop of what looked like green porridge sat alongside her fish and chips.“Yorkshire caviar,” said Robin, sitting down. “I didn't think you'd want any.”“You were right,” said Strike, picking up a sachet of tomato sauce while watching with something like revulsion as Robin dipped a chip into the green sludge and ate it.“Soft Southerner, you are,” she said, and Strike laughed. (807-808)If you tie this in with the fish symbolism embedded in Rowling's favorite paintings and the meaning of ‘Oranda,' this is quite a bit of depth in that fish bowl -- and in your argument that the death of Travolta signifies Murphy is out of consideration.You're probably to young to remember this but Travolta's most famous role will always be Tony Manero in ‘Saturday Night Fever,' the breakout event of his acting career. Manero longs for a woman way out of his league, attempts to rape her after they win a dance contest, she naturally rejects him, but they wind up as friends.Or in a book so heavy in the cultish beliefs and practices of Freemasonry, especially with respect to policemen that are also “on the square,” maybe the Travolta-Murphy link is just that the actor is, with Tom Cruise, as famous (well...) for his beliefs in Scientology as for his acting ability.So, yes, it's fun, your ‘Peas and Fish' theory, but there's something to it.Check out this note on ‘Peas' in the Strike novels from Renee over at the weblog: https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/hallmarked-man-placeholder-post-index/comment-page-1/#comment-1699017 The fish symbolism embedded in Rowling's favorite painting: https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/rowlings-favorite-painting-and-what And the meaning of ‘Oranda:' https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/rowling-twixter-fish-and-strike-update/Follow-Up by Julianna:I'm not sure what exact chapter this is in, but let's also not forget that on Sark, Strike procures a bag of frozen peas to soothe the spade to his face injury. I also want to add that he has used frozen peas before, to soothe his aching leg too, but I could be wrong about that…I cant remember where I've read that, so it might not be true….Lastly, after reading Renee's comment, I have to say, that now I do believe that the peas might have been an ongoing symbol for Strike (a la…the pea in the engagement ring) and…stay with me here….peas are potentially, what save Cormoran, the goldfish, from dying.“The black fish called Cormoran was again flailing helplessly at the top of the tank. ‘Stupid a*****e, you've done it to your f*cking self'.” And the very last line of the book being: “Then pushed himself into a standing position ear and knee both throbbing. In the absence of anything else he could do to improve his present situation, he set off for the attic to fetch the empty margerine tub…and some peas.” (Chapter 127).My point being: this could be a way of Rowling saying, that Strike saves himself from himself…another psychological undertone in her stories. (Lake reference: Rowling has pulled herself up out of poverty ‘by her own bootstraps' we say.) Thoughts? Thanks for induldging me here, John! I am enjoying this conversation. Apologies for the grammar and potentially confusing train of thoughts.And from Vicky:Loving the theories and symbolism around the peas and fish! Just had a thought too re John quoting the Troubled blood scene. Robin calls mushy peas by a familiar term “Yorkshire caviar”. Caviar is of course fish eggs, and poor Robin, Yorkshire born, spends much of THM agonising over the thought and pressure of freezing her eggs. Giuliana mentioned the frozen peas Strike puts on his swollen face after the spade hit...maybe this is foreshadowing to their intimate and honest dinner conversation later with Robin baring her heart to Strike about her ectopic pregnancy griefQ2: Why didn't the Strike-Ellacott Agency or the Metropolitan Police figure out how the murderer entered the Ramsay Silver vault to kill William Wright the first time they saw the grainy surveillance film of the auction house crate deliveries?Tweet UrlFrom ‘The Locked Room Lecture' (John Dickson Carr) It's silly to be disappointed in a border-line absurd Locked Room Mystery such as Hallmarked Man because improbability is close to a requirement in such stories:“But this point must be made, because a few people who do not like the slightly lurid insist on treating their preferences as rules. They use, as a stamp of condemnation, the word ‘improbable.' And thereby they gull the unwary into their own belief that ‘improbable' simply means ‘bad.'“Now, it seems reasonable to point out that the word improbable is the very last which should ever be used to curse detective fiction in any case. A great part of our liking fofr detective fiction is based on a liking for improbability. When A is murdered, and B and C are under strong suspicion, it is improbably that the innocent-looking D can be guilty. But he is. If G has a perfect alibi, sworn to at every point by every other letter in the alphabet, it is improbable that G can have committed the crime. But he has. When the detective picks up a fleck of coal dust at the seashore, it is improbable that such an insignificant thing can have any importance. But it will. In short, you come to a point where the word improbable grows meaningless as a jeer. There can be no such thing as any probability until the end of the story. And then, if you wish the murder to be fastened on an unlikely person (as some of us old fogies do), you can hardly complain because he acted from motives less likely or necessarily less apparent than those of the person first suspected.“When the cry of ‘This-sort-of-thing-wouldn't-happen!' goes up, when you complain about half-faced fiends and hooded phantoms and blond hypnotic sirens, you are merely saying, ‘I don't like this sort of story.' That's fair enough. If you do not like it, you are howlingly right to say so. But when you twist this matter of taste into a rule for judging the merit or even the probability of the story, you are merely saying, ‘This series of events couldn't happen, because I shouldn't enjoy it if it did.'“What would seem to be the truth of the matter? We might test it out by taking the hermetically sealed chamber as an example, because this situation has been under a hotter fire than any other on the grounds of being unconvincing.“Most people, I am delighted to say, are fond of the locked room. But – here's the damned rub – even its friends are often dubious. I cheerfully admit that I frequently am. So, for the moment, we'll all side together on this score and see what we can discover. Why are we dubious when we hear the explanation of the locked room? Not in the least because we are incredulous, but simply because in some vague way we are disappointed. And from that feeling it is only natural to take an unfair step farther, and call the whole business incredible or impossible or flatly ridiculous.” (reprinted in The Art of the Mystery Story [Howard Haycraft] 273-286)Q3: Hallmarked Man is all about silver and Freemasonry. What is the historical connection between South American silver (‘Argentina' means ‘Land of Silver'), the end of European feudalism, and the secret brotherhood of the Masons?How Silver Flooded the World: And how that Replaced Feudalism and the Church with Capitalism and Nation-States (‘Uncharted Territories,' Tomas Pueyo) In Europe, silver also triggered the discovery of America, a technological explosion, and a runaway chain of events that replaced feudalism with capitalism and nation-states. If you understand this, you'll be able to understand why nation-states are threatened by cryptocurrencies today, and how their inevitable success will weaken nation-states. In this premium article, we're going to explore how Europe starved for silver, and how the reaction to this flooded the world with silver. ,See also Never Bet Against America and Argentina Could be a Superpower, both by Pueyo.‘Conspiracy Theories associated with Freemasonry' (Wikipedia)* That Freemasonry is a Jewish front for world domination or is at least controlled by Jews for this goal. An example of this is the anti-Semitic literary forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Adolf Hitler believed that Freemasonry was a tool of Jewish influence,[12] and outlawed Freemasonry and persecuted Freemasons partially for this reason.[13] The covenant of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas claims that Freemasonry is a “secret society” founded as part of a Zionist plot to control the world.[14] Hilaire Belloc thought Jews had “inaugurated” freemasonry “as a bridge between themselves and their hosts”[15]* That Freemasonry is tied to or behind Communism. The Spanish dictator Francisco Franco had often associated his opposition with both Freemasonry and Communism, and saw the latter as a conspiracy of the former; as he put it, “The whole secret of the campaigns unleashed against Spain can be explained in two words: masonry and communism”.[16] In 1950, Irish Roman Catholic priest Denis Fahey republished a work by George F. Dillon under the title Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked as the Secret Power Behind Communism. Modern conspiracy theorists such as Henry Makow have also claimed that Freemasonry intends the triumph of Communism[17]* That Freemasons are behind income taxes in the US. One convicted tax protester has charged that law enforcement officials who surrounded his property in a standoff over his refusal to surrender after his conviction were part of a “Zionist, Illuminati, Free Mason [sic] movement”.[18] The New Hampshire Union Leader also reported that “the Browns believe the IRS and the federal income tax are part of a deliberate plot perpetrated by Freemasons to control the American people and eventually the world”[19]Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery, a Freemasonry Novel (Wikipedia)So much for the link between Freemasonry and Baphomet worship!‘The Desacralization of Work' (Roger Sworder, Mining, Metallurgy, and the Meaning of Life)Q4: Ian Griffiths is the Bad Guy of Hallmarked Man. His name has definite Christian overtones (a ‘Griffin,' being half-eagle, half-lion, King of Heaven and Earth, is a symbol of Christ); could it also be another pointer to Rowling's mysterious ‘Back Door Man,' Harry Bingham, author of the Fiona Griffiths series?Troubled Blood: The Acknowledgments (Nick Jeffery, November 2020)In both Silkworm and Career Rowling/Galbraith's military advisors are thanked as SOBE (Sean Harris OBE?) Deeby (Di Brookes?) and the Back Door Man. Professor Granger has identified the Back Door Man as a southern US slang term for a man having an illicit relationship, but beyond this is so far unidentified.Any thoughts on her dedications or acknowledgements? Any new leads for the elusive Back Door Man? Please comment down below.Harry Bingham's website, June 2012“My path into TALKING TO THE DEAD was a curious one. I was approached by a well-known figure who was contemplating working with a ghostwriter on a crime thriller. I hadn't read any crime for a long time, but was intrigued by the project. So I went out and bought about two dozen crime novels, then read them back-to-back over about two weeks.”Could Rowling have hired a (gasp) “ghost writer”? Or was it just “expert editorial assistance” she was looking for, what Bingham offers today?Author's Notes in The Strange Death of Fiona Grifiths (Publication date 29th January 2015, before Career of Evil):“If you want to buy a voice activated bugging device that looks like (and is) an ordinary power socket, it'll set you back about fifty pounds (about eighty bucks).”This is the same surveillance device used in Lethal White, but interestingly is not used in Bingham's book. (Nick Jeffery)Moderators Backchannel List of Correspondences between Cormoran Strike series and Bingham's Fiona Griffiths mystery-thrillers (John Granger):(1) A series that has an overarching mystery about which we get clues in every story, one linked to a secret involving a parent who is well known but whose real life is a mystery even to their families;(2) A series that is preoccupied with psychological issues, especially those of the brilliant woman protagonist who suffers from a mental illness and who is a student of psychology;(3) A series that is absorbed with death and populated by the dead who have not yet passed on and who influence the direction of the investigation more or less covertly (”I think we have just one world, a continuum, one populated by living and dead alike,” 92, This Thing of Darkness), a psychic and spiritual realm book that rarely touches on formal religion (Dead House and Deepest Grave excepted, sort of);(4) A series that, while being a police procedural because the detective is a police officer, is largely about how said sergeant works around, even against the hierarchy of department authority and decision makers, “with police help but largely as an independent agent;”(5) A series that makes glancing references to texts that will jar Rowling Readers: “All shall be well” (284, Love Story with Murders), she drives a high heel into a creepy guy's foot when he comes up to her from behind (75, This Thing of Darkness), Clerkenwell! (103, The Dead House), a cave opening cathedral-like onto a lake, the heroine enters with a mentor, blood spilled at the entrance, and featuring a remarkable escape (chapter 34, The Dead House), etc, especially the Robin-Fiona parallels....(6) A series starring a female protagonist who works brilliantly undercover, whose story is about recovery from a trauma experienced when she was a college student, who struggles mostly with her romantic relationships with men, a struggle that is a combination of her mental health-recovery progress (or lack of same) and her vocation as a detective, who is skilled in the martial art of self-defense, and who is from a world outside London, an ethnicity and home fostering, of all things, a love of sheep;(7) A series with a love of the mythological or at least the non-modern (King Arthur! Anchorites!)Q5: Can you help us out with some UK inside jokes or cultural references of which we colonists can only guess the meaning? Start with Gateshead, Pit Ponies, and Council Flats and Bed-Sits!* Gateshead (Wikipedia)J. B. Priestley, writing of Gateshead in his 1934 travelogue English Journey, said that “no true civilisation could have produced such a town”, adding that it appeared to have been designed “by an enemy of the human race”.* Pit Ponies (Wikipedia)Larger horses, such as varieties of Cleveland Bay, could be used on higher underground roadways, but on many duties small ponies no more than 12 hands (48 inches, 122 cm) high were needed. Shetlands were a breed commonly used because of their small size, but Welsh, Russian, Devonshire (Dartmoor) and Cornish ponies also saw extensive use in England.[2] In the interwar period, ponies were imported into Britain from the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the United States. Geldings and stallions only were used. Donkeys were also used in the late 19th century, and in the United States, large numbers of mules were used.[6] Regardless of breed, typical mining ponies were low set, heavy bodied and heavy limbed with plenty of bone and substance, low-headed and sure-footed. Under the British Coal Mines Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 50), ponies had to be four years old and work ready (shod and vet checked) before going underground.[15] They could work until their twenties.At the peak of this practice in 1913, there were 70,000 ponies underground in Britain.In shaft mines, ponies were normally stabled underground[16] and fed on a diet with a high proportion of chopped hay and maize, coming to the surface only during the colliery's annual holiday.* Council Flats (Wikipedia)Q6: What are Rowling Readers to think of Robin's dream in chapter 22 (174 )when she's sleeping next to Murphy but dreaming of being at Ramsay's Silver with Strike and the showroom is filled with “cuddly toys instead of masonic swords and aprons”?* ‘Harry's Dreams:' Steve Vander Ark, Harry Potter LexiconQ7: The first bad news phone call that Robin takes from her mother Linda in Hallmarked Man is about the death of Rowntree. What is the connection between Robin's beloved Chocolate Labrador, Quakers, and Rowling's Golden Thread about ‘What is Real'?‘Troubled Blood: Poisoned Chocolates' (John Granger, 2021)‘Troubled Blood: The Secret of Rowntree' (John Granger, 2021)I explained in ‘Deathly Hallows and Penn's Fruits of Solitude‘ why Penn's quotation is a key to the Hogwarts Saga finale, how, in brief, the “inner light” doctrines of the Quakers and of non-conformist esoteric Christianity in general inform the story of Harry's ultimate victory in Dobby's grave over doubt and his subsequent ‘win' in his battle against death and the Dark Lord. I urge you to read that long post, one of the most important, I think, ever posted at HogwartsProfessor, for an idea of how central to Rowling's Christian faith the tenets of Quakerism really are as well as how this shows itself in Deathly Hallows.What makes the historical chocolate connection with the Quakers, one strongly affirmed in naming the Ellacott dog ‘Rowntree,' that much more interesting then is the easy segue from the “inner light” beliefs of the Christian non-conformists to the effect of chocolate on characters in Rowling and Galbraith novels. The conscience of man per the Quakers are our logos within that is continuous with the Logos fabric of reality, the Word that brings all things into existence and the light that is in every man (cf., the Prologue to St John's Gospel). Our inner peace and fellowship, in this view, depend on our identification with this transpersonal “inner light” rather than our ephemeral ego concerns.What is the sure way to recover from a Dementor attack, in which your worst nightmares are revisited? How does Robin deal with stress and the blues? Eat some chocolate, preferably a huge bar from Honeydukes or a chocolate brownie if you cannot get to Hogsmead.Access, in other words, the Quaker spiritual magic, the “inner light” peace of communion with what is Absolute and transcendent, a psychological effect exteriorized in story form by Rowling as the good feeling we have in eating chocolate. Or in the companionship and unconditional love of a beloved Labrador, preferably a chocolate Lab.Christmas Pig: The Blue Bunny' (John Granger, 2021)“Do you just want to live in nice houses?” asked Blue Bunny. “Or is there another reason you want to get in?”“Yes,” said Jack, before the Christmas Pig could stop him. “Somebody I need's in there. He's called DP and he's my favorite cuddly toy.”For a long moment, Jack and Blue Bunny stared into each other's eyes and then Blue Bunny let out a long sigh of amazement.“You're a boy,” he whispered. “You're real.”“He isn't,” said the panic-stricken Christmas Pig. “He's an action figure called—”“It's all right, Pig,” said Blue Bunny, “I won't tell anybody, I promise. You really came all the way into the Land of the Lost to find your favorite toy?” he asked Jack, who nodded.“Then I'll be your decoy,” said Blue Bunny. “It would be an honor” (169).The Bunny's recognition here of Jack as a messiah, sacrificial love incarnate, having descended into existence as a Thing himself from Up There where he was a source of the love that “alivens” objects, is one of, if not the most moving event in Christmas Pig. Note the words he uses: “You're real.”Rowling has used the word “real” twice before as a marker of reality transcending what we experience in conventional time and space, the sensible world. The first was in what she described as the “key” to the Harry Potter series, “lines I waited seventeen years to write” (Cruz), the end of the Potter-Dumbledore dialogue at King's Cross….In a Troubled Blood passage meant to echo that dialogue, with “head” and “backside” reflecting the characters inverted grasp of “reality,” Robin and Strike talk astrology:“You're being affected!” she said. “Everyone knows their star sign. Don't pretend to be above it.”Strike grinned reluctantly, took a large drag on his cigarette, exhaled, then said, “Sagittarius, Scorpio rising, with the sun in the first house.”“You're –” Robin began to laugh. “Did you just pull that out of your backside, or is it real?”“Of course, it's not f*****g real,” said Strike. “None of it's real, is it?” (Blood 242, highlighting in original).The Bunny's simple declaration, “You're real,” i.e., “from Up There,” the greater reality of the Land of the Living in which Things have their awakening in the love of their owners, clarifies these other usages. Dumbledore shares his wisdom with Harry that the maternal love which saved him, first at Godric's Hollow and then in the Forest, is the metaphysical sub-stance beneath, behind, and within all other reality. Strike gives Robin a dose of his skeptical ignorance and nominalist first principle that nothing is real but surface appearance subject to measurement and physical sensation, mental grasp of all things being consequent to that.Christmas Pig‘s “real” moment acts as a key to these others, one evident in the Bunny's response to the revelation of Jack's greater ontological status. He does a Dobby, offering to die for Jack as Jack has done in his descent into the Land of the Lost for DP, a surrender of self to near certain death in being given to the Loser he considers an “honor.” He acts spontaneously and selflessly as a “decoy,” a saving replacement in other words, for the “living boy” as Dobby did for the “Boy Who Lived.” The pathetic distraction that saved the DP rescue mission in Mislaid despite himself, crying out in desperation for his own existence, has metamorphized consequent to his experience with Broken Angel and in Jack's example, into a heroic decoy that allows Jack and CP to enter the City of the Missed.The Blue Bunny makes out better than the House-elf, too, and this is the key event of the book and the best evidence since the death of Lily Potter, Harry's defeat of Quirrell, and the demise of the Dark Lord that mother's love is Rowling's default symbolism for Christian love in her writing. The Bunny's choice to act as decoy, his decision to die to his ego-self, generates the life saving appearance of maternal love and its equivalent in the transference attachment a child feels for a beloved toy. The Johannine quality of the light that shines down on him from the Finding Hole and his Elijah-esque elevation nails down the Logos­-love correspondence.EC: All through Hallmarked Man Robin is saying to herself, “I think I love Ryan, no, really, I know I love him…,” which of course is Rowling's way of signaling the conflict this character has in her feelings for Strike and for Murphy. What is that about?* See ‘The Hallmarked Man's Mythological Template' for discussion of the Anteros/Eros distinction in the myth of Cupid and Psyche as well as the Strike-Ellacott novels Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Tamara White always has one eye on the skies. Whether she's getting her sheep ready for shearing, welcoming visitors to classes and events on the farm, or watching over the yarn in kettles of natural dye, there isn't a moment when the weather isn't on her mind. Although rain and heat make hard work of tending a flock of 100+ sheep plus calves, chickens, and other livestock, Tammy sees her work as a collaboration with Mother Nature. Most yarn production farms consist of hundreds of animals of a single breed, enough to produce consistent batches of single-breed yarn. Tammy's way is more difficult, but more fun. In addition to her original small group of Shetlands, she has an evolving mix of breeds: sometimes Clun Forest, sometimes Teeswater, and most recently Valais Blacknose, a recent Swiss import dubbed the “world's cutest sheep.” Wing & A Prayer Farm's yarn line includes a number of fiber blends, not only to incorporate the farm's different wools but also to bring the best traits of various breeds together. Creating yarns this way also invites collaboration with other shepherds and a number of small mills to whom she trusts her batch of wool. The collaboration with nature continues in dyeing the yarn. A self-taught dyer, Tammy creates as many colors as she can with plants that she can grow in her garden or forage on her property. To support her farm and community, Tammy takes on a wide range of other projects: making soap and pies, selling eggs, hosting classes, and selling breeding stock to other shepherds. It's an enormous amount of work, but Tammy talks about her farm with such joy that it hardly sounds like a chore. Links Wing & A Prayer Farm website (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wingandaprayerfarm/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/wingandaprayerfarm/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8L5mosgHz3kg3IprzfDJ8Q), and Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/join/wingandaprayerfarm) Natural dyeing, felting, soapmaking, and other scheduled workshops (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/events) Find a schedule for the farm shop (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/farm-visits) or make an appointment to visit the yarn shop and apothecary The story of Valais Blacknose sheep (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/valais-blacknose-sheep) at the farm New England Farm & Fiber Festival (https://www.newenglandfarmandfiber.com/) Find yarn, fiber, soap, and merch in the farm's online store (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/farm-visits) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you'll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Brown Sheep Company is a four-generation family business bringing you high quality wool and natural fiber yarns. We spin and dye U.S.-grown wool into hundreds of vibrant colors at our mill in western Nebraska. Our mill has something to offer for every craft, from our well-known knitting and crochet yarns to wool roving for spinning and felting. We offer U.S-made needlepoint yarn as well as yarn on cones for weaving. Learn more about our company and products at BrownSheep.com (https://brownsheep.com/). The Michigan Fiber Festival—Michigan's largest sheep and wool festival—is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info. (michiganfiberfestival.info.)

Face à la pression du gouvernement états-unien de Donald Trump, l'autonomie stratégique de l'Europe est un enjeu de plus un plus essentiel - en matière de défense, mais aussi dans la recherche et le développement technologique. À l'encontre des réflexes de repli nationaliste, la Commission européenne aide à la mise en commun des investissements et des projets. La guerre des étoiles passe aussi par l'EuropeSur le sol continental, le premier site historique de lancement se trouve en Norvège, le second site opérationnel en Écosse, tout au nord des îles britanniques, aux Shetlands. Face à Boca Chica où SpaceX est lancé en République dominicaine, à Cap Canaveral en Floride et Kourou en Guyane française d'où part la fusée Ariane, l'Europe et le Royaume- Uni (partenaires au sein de l'ESA, l'agence spatiale européenne), veulent monter en grade dans le marché spatial. Reportage, Thomas Harms.  Vigilant, l'IA qui entend prévenir les crimes en surveillant les réseaux sociauxEn Irlande, la police s'apprête à franchir un cap dans la lutte contre la criminalité, grâce à un nouveau système d'alerte développé dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche européen. Un outil précieux, dont l'usage nécessite des garde-fous. À Dublin, les explications de Clémence Pénard.  Face à la Chine ou aux États-Unis, les besoins d'investissement sont colossaux au sein de l'Union européenneL'UE se distingue par son approche éthique de l'intelligence artificielle. L'IA Act appelé IA Act entre en vigueur étape par étape ; à partir du mois d'août, il prévoit que les entreprises d'IA fournissent leur documentation technique aux autorités. Est-ce aller trop loin au détriment de la compétitivité ? À Istanbul, l'Institut du Bosphore qui promeut la coopération entre la Turquie et la France et l'UE, s'est intéressé aux moyens de développer les investissements et les technologies. Les explications de Frédérique Lebel.  En Allemagne, la tech peine à garder les étudiants indiens.Dans les universités du pays, les jeunes Indiens, très actifs dans les études scientifiques et informatiques, sont devenus en 10 ans le groupe d'étudiants étrangers le plus important. L'Allemagne tente de les retenir une fois qu'ils sont diplômés, pour qu'ils restent travailler dans des secteurs-clés qui manquent de main-d'œuvre ; pourtant ça n'est pas toujours simple, comme l'a constaté à Berlin, Delphine Nerbollier.

Face à la pression du gouvernement états-unien de Donald Trump, l'autonomie stratégique de l'Europe est un enjeu de plus un plus essentiel - en matière de défense, mais aussi dans la recherche et le développement technologique. À l'encontre des réflexes de repli nationaliste, la Commission européenne aide à la mise en commun des investissements et des projets. La guerre des étoiles passe aussi par l'EuropeSur le sol continental, le premier site historique de lancement se trouve en Norvège, le second site opérationnel en Écosse, tout au nord des îles britanniques, aux Shetlands. Face à Boca Chica où SpaceX est lancé en République dominicaine, à Cap Canaveral en Floride et Kourou en Guyane française d'où part la fusée Ariane, l'Europe et le Royaume- Uni (partenaires au sein de l'ESA, l'agence spatiale européenne), veulent monter en grade dans le marché spatial. Reportage, Thomas Harms.  Vigilant, l'IA qui entend prévenir les crimes en surveillant les réseaux sociauxEn Irlande, la police s'apprête à franchir un cap dans la lutte contre la criminalité, grâce à un nouveau système d'alerte développé dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche européen. Un outil précieux, dont l'usage nécessite des garde-fous. À Dublin, les explications de Clémence Pénard.  Face à la Chine ou aux États-Unis, les besoins d'investissement sont colossaux au sein de l'Union européenneL'UE se distingue par son approche éthique de l'intelligence artificielle. L'IA Act appelé IA Act entre en vigueur étape par étape ; à partir du mois d'août, il prévoit que les entreprises d'IA fournissent leur documentation technique aux autorités. Est-ce aller trop loin au détriment de la compétitivité ? À Istanbul, l'Institut du Bosphore qui promeut la coopération entre la Turquie et la France et l'UE, s'est intéressé aux moyens de développer les investissements et les technologies. Les explications de Frédérique Lebel.  En Allemagne, la tech peine à garder les étudiants indiens.Dans les universités du pays, les jeunes Indiens, très actifs dans les études scientifiques et informatiques, sont devenus en 10 ans le groupe d'étudiants étrangers le plus important. L'Allemagne tente de les retenir une fois qu'ils sont diplômés, pour qu'ils restent travailler dans des secteurs-clés qui manquent de main-d'œuvre ; pourtant ça n'est pas toujours simple, comme l'a constaté à Berlin, Delphine Nerbollier.

SKRYT OM SKÄRNINGSPUNKTER. Går det att öppna nördigare? Svårt att tro! Vi snackar om Caol Ila visst är värt att besöka och inser att vi kommer att behöva besöka Yttre Hebriderna igen. Det finns nämligen nya destillerier, som Benbecula och North Uist, yay! Dock åker mungiporna ner av "irländskifieringen" av även skotsk whisky – ledd av lilla nya Lerwick på Shetlandsöarna. Buu! Och getingboet har lämnat röven. Vad var det i glaset? David hade en Dufftown 8 YO buteljerad runt mitten av 1970-talet, denna: https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/36988/dufftown-08-year-old Mathias körde på Bushmills 16: https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/sprit/bushmills-8209801/ Jeroen hade Glentauchers 15: https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/sprit/glentauchers-48001/ Skryt om skärningspunkter Davids tankar om Isle of Lime Bläse: http://tjederswhisky.se/en-tioarig-isle-of-lime/ Ola Brandborns tankar om samma wirre: https://www.whisky.nu/isle-of-lime-blase/ Man bör visst besöka Caol ila säger Ronny! https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/caol-ila https://www.persabus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Striding-Man-Statue-1.jpg Kolla här då Ronny! Foto: https://www.persabus.co.uk/ Nya destillerier på skotska öar… Benbecula på Yttre Hebriderna är igång: https://whiskymag.com/articles/first-spirit-flows-at-benbecula-distillery/ https://benbeculadistillery.com/ North Uist, också på Yttre Hebriderna: https://whiskymag.com/articles/north-uist-runs-first-distillation-of-new-make/ https://www.northuistdistillery.com/ Kort om Jim Swan, som dog 2017: https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/in-depth/12859/obituary-dr-jim-swan-1941-2017/ bere barley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bere(grain) Lerwick distillery på Shetlandsöarna och deras Nørn whisky: https://shetlandwhisky.com/ Technical file for Scotch whisky finns i lite olika utgåvor, här en från 2019: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fd36667e90e07662ed92c85/ScotchWhiskyTechnicalFile-June2019.pdf Diskussion om deras whisky Nørn i Malt maniacs & friends: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MaltManiacs/posts/10162570500761197/ Raasay While we wait, exempelvis denna: https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/100088 Borders har gjort samma grej under precis samma namn: https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/127292 Hårdrockarna Trojan som lite lagom småtöntigt för oss svenskar stavar sig Tröjan: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Tr%C3%B6jan/1796 Bli medlem då! https://www.entreawhisky.se/medlem Här når du oss: En trea whisky på Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/entreawhisky) Maila till oss på hej@entreawhisky.se Davids blogg tjederswhisky.se (https://www.tjederswhisky.se) Följ oss på Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entreawhisky Bli medlem! https://entreawhisky.memberful.com/checkout?plan=74960

A l'occasion d'un atelier sur la peur de la chute qui aura lieu le 03 décembre 2024 de 19h à 21h, je reçois Agathe, stagiaire psychologue en psychologie clinique et en neurosciences, pour aborder la question de la chute, depuis les shetlands de notre enfance ! Ces petits filous qui nous aurons fait vivre, pour la majorité d'entre nous, notre 1ère chute à cheval. Galopin, Onyx, Fuji, Karamel et bien d'autres ont bercé notre enfance, laissant au passage des marques émotionnelles plus ou moins profondes à leur côté. Il est d'ailleurs intéressant de voir comment nos préférences pour ces poneys se sont construites au gré des chutes subites, avec eux, ou non… Mais je vous laisse découvrir tout cela au travers de l'échange que j'ai pu avoir avec Agathe. Belle écoute ! Inscription à l'atelier du 03/12/2024 de 19h à 21h : Se libérer de la peur de la chute : https://symbioseequine.fr/les-ateliers-en-ligne Liens utiles : [OFFERT] ⁠Tu souffres d'un trauma équestre

Am nördlichsten Zipfel Großbritanniens liegen die Shetlands. Von hier startete während des Zweiten Weltkriegs eine geheime Widerstandsoperation: Der Shetland-Bus. Kleine Fischerboote brachten Spione und Waffen über die raue See in das von Nazis besetzte Norwegen. Auf ihrer Rückfahrt nahmen die jungen Fischer Flüchtlinge auf die Shetlands. Manche haben dort geheiratet. Aber 44 Freiwillige bezahlten ihren mutigen Einsatz mit dem Leben.

Auf dem 60. Breitengrad, genaugenommen bei 60 Grad Nord, 1 Grad West liegen die nördlichsten aller königlichen Inseln: Die Shetlands. Von den Wikingern wurde diese wilde Landschaft Hjaltland, „Klippenland“ genannt. Viele Jahrhunderte haben die Skandinavier die Inselgruppe beherrscht, bis die Shetlands im 15. Jahrhundert. schottisch wurden. Und auch wenn die Shetlands zu Schottland gehören- hält man es hier mehr mit den Wikingern, sieht sich ein Stück weit als deren Nahfahren. Die Entfernung zum norwegischen Bergen ist halt kürzer als nach Edinburgh. Auch in der Sprache spürt man den nordischen Einfluss. Noch bis Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts wurde das Altnordisch, das „Norn“ gesprochen, nicht Englisch. So sagt man z.B. „midder“ statt „mother“, „faider“ statt „father“, nutzt das Verb „glaep“ nicht „gulp“ oder „swallwo“. Ganz wichtig ist das Adjektiv „peerie“ für „smal“ oder „little“. Ein Shetländer sagt also: I tak a peerie drap o milk in mi tae. Die Einheimischen haben Humor und lachen viel. Sie finden es gar nicht skurril, ein Bushäuschen jedes Jahr unter einem neuen Motto zu dekorieren und mit Regalen, Sofas, Gardinen und vielen anderen Dingen auszustatten oder bei 5 Grad Außentemperatur und heftigen Wind im Nordatlantik oder der Nordsee baden zu gehen. Der Archipel zwischen Schottland, Norwegen und den Färöern weit draußen im Nordatlantik ist zwar fast baumlos, bietet dafür aber spektakuläre Blicke auf Klippen, den Ozean und Meeresbuchten und eine einzigartige, artenreiche Vogelwelt. Dorothea Brummerloh war für uns in Shetland unterwegs.

UK correspondent Matthew Parris has the latest on the sinking of the Kiwi-captained superyacht belonging to a British tech entrepreneur. 

The rumour mill has kicked into overdrive amid discussion that Repsol is considering the acquisition of NEO Energy, even while politics has overshadowed the energy sector. While some companies are moving away from the North Sea, others are choosing to stick it out, Ryan explains, on the basis that it can't get any worse. Prax has taken a similar line, signing a deal to buy assets from TotalEnergies in the Shetlands. The buyer has taken an innovative stance and now offers a smaller-scale integrated oil company, hoping that this will allow it to stay ahead of tough times. Shell has pressed pause on its ambitious SAF plans in Rotterdam this week, as the company's broader outlook for energy transition opportunities dims. The supermajor does still have enthusiasm for some transition opportunities, such as CCS, but with costs rising and the future uncertain, biofuel dreams are suffering.    About Energy Voice Energy Voice investigates and reports on what matters in global energy, helping sector leaders understand the geopolitical and economic factors underpinning current events, and giving them a view on what's coming over the horizon. Each year, 3.4m professionals use Energy Voice as a trusted source of breaking news and insight. For more information on how you can speak to those professionals across multiple platforms to build your brand and generate actionable business leads, visit energyvoice.com/content-services. For a 30 day free trial subscription to the Energy Voice website and app, visit energyvoice.com/subscribe.      

Une petite équipe de pasteurs a passé une semaine à vélo dans les îles Shetland pour parler de Jésus et distribuer de la littérature chrétienne. Voyons comment s'est déroulée leur aventure.---------

Från 2019. En buss med svenska skolbarn kör längs en krokig väg i norska Måbødalen när bromsarna slutar fungera. 16 personer dör i en av de allvarligaste trafikolyckorna i Norden. Nya avsnitt från P3 Dokumentär hittar du först i Sveriges Radio Play. Det är sensommar 1988 och en skolklass från Stockholmsförorten Kista är på väg till norska Bergen, där de tillsammans med några föräldrar ska resa med båt till Shetlandsöarna. Men på väg nedför fjället slutar bromsarna på bussen att verka och med en hög hastighet kraschar fordonet in i en bergvägg.Tolv barn och fyra vuxna dör i en av de allvarligaste trafikolyckorna med svenskar inblandade, någonsin.Nu ställer sig alla frågan: Hur kunde olyckan ske?Barbro förlorade son och makeBarbro Byström miste sin son Alexander och sin man Kenth i bussolyckan i Måbødalen. Kenth var den som körde bussen. För P3 Dokumentär berättar nu Barbro om dödskraschen på det norska fjället och om hur haverikommissionens rapport splittrade de anhöriga.En dokumentär av: Sindre Leganger.Producent: Jon Jordås.Dokumentären är producerad 2019.

Paul Williams served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 1999 through July of 2001. To start the podcast, Paul shares his own brilliant conversion story that resulted in a challenge to prepare to serve a mission after being a member for 2 weeks. He prepared and was underwhelmed to have been called to Scotland, but he soon grew to love the land and the people. Paul shares stories of being moved to the Shetlands after a rough first month, adapting as each leadership role was given to him, and growing to love every missionary as he served as a mission assistant to the president. Paul currently lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and their 3 children. Recorded April 1, 2024

All about hand spinning yarn, knitting, owning a wool mill, farm life and everything in between. Link to the video for this episode on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/CaJbgkf3KPgThis episode is Shetland on Shetland. I take from shearing to skirting fleeces to scouring the wool, handpicking the wool and finally carding. This was the first time in many years that we have let our Shetlands grow a full year of wool so it was fun to take you all on the processing journey with me.Join Ewethful's Patreon Communityhttps://www.patreon.com/EwethfulFiberMillFor details and to purchase the online course to  learn to handspin on wheelhttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/pages/lets-make-yarn-landing-pageFor details and to purchase the online course to learn to spin longdrawhttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/products/2256545Shop for Ewethful handspinning fibershttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/collectionsFree hand spinning resourceshttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/pages/wool-educationTo shop specific items mentioned in this episodeShetland wool processed in these videoshttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/collections/fibers/products/ewethfuls-shetland-wool-rovingSweater I am wearingPattern: CalliopeDesigner: Espace TricotYarns I am using for my Calliopehttps://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/calliope-13Sincere Sheep Fingering Cormo shown in vloghttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/collections/other-u-s-milled-yarns/products/sincere-sheep-cormo-fingering-weight-yarnEwetopia Mohair/Silk yarns shown in vloghttps://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/collections/other-u-s-milled-yarns/products/mohair-silk-lace-weight-ewetopia-yarnCollaboration with Revolution Fibers – but a spinning wheel and get my beginner's online course free!https://revolutionfibers.com/pages/learn-to-spin-with-ewethful-fiber-farm-mill-revolution-fibers?_pos=1&_psq=ewe&_ss=e&_v=1.0&utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Intro%20Wheel%20and%20Ewethful%20Course%20Deal%20-%20%203%2F28%20%282024-03-28%29&utm_id=01HT0E4YAME3P6TQY6B761M11R&utm_term=Choose%20Your%20Wheel%20%26%20Learn%20Free%20%E2%9E%9C&utm_content=Choose%20Your%20Wheel%20%26%20Learn%20Free%20%E2%9E%9C&_kx=FdoZdtXesFj5yoGVuxOIt0KOtoMU25aKI4tACM0IBLutQXuZU2GdDXQbk5xUDA0k.T4GFipMission at Ewethful: My mission at Ewethful Fiber Mill is to fill making hands with small batch American grown yarns and fibers. I strive to produce lightly processed products that maintain their character, have low environmental impact and tell the stories of the animals and shepherds from whence they came.Find me at:https://www.ewethfulfiberfarm.com/Instagram@ewethfulfiberfarm https://www.instagram.com/ewethfulfibermill/Facebook EwethfulFiberFarmandMill https://www.facebook.com/ewethfulfiberfarmandmillRavelry group: Ewethful Fiber Farm & MillBlogging at http://www.beingewethful.com/ 

WARNING | This episode will contain adult contentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by Shetland superhero, comic, folk expert and Twitch-er MARJOLEIN ROBERTSON!A fabulous one here which branches out on all sorts of tangents but ONLY for the advancement of the podcast itself. A wonderful meandering and weaving conversation which radiates with history, fun and warmth and will surely leave you with a glorious impression of Marjolein if you're yet unacquainted. Marjolein is up in the top ten of Scottish cultural contributors and you'll understand why pretty quickly - this is someone with a firm connection to and grasp on history, of the Shetlands and surrounding areas, and you'll hear a ton of things you likely didn't know, nestled in among some excellent chat around comedy, Twitch, Edinburgh, and all that goodness. Fascinating and great. Listen!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureYOUTUBETIKTOKINSTAGRAMTWITTERWIKISPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BP has a new CEO, Murray Auchincloss, but very much the continuity candidate, given his long service with the company. While Auchincloss is a safe pair of hands, he will face scrutiny over perceptions that BP is underperforming its peers. Can the new man bring some razzle-dazzle in early February when the company sets out its next set of results? Shell went through its own leadership transition in 2023 but the sale of its onshore assets in Nigeria was very much an old development. Selling down these mature assets will be a welcome development for the company, but how long the sales process takes will be a key test for Nigeria's challenging regulatory environment. And finally, Shell also announced approval for a small development in the West of Shetlands this week. The move has gone mostly unremarked, failing to exercise environmental NGOs in the way that Rosebank and Cambo have. But, in a year where FIDs are under pressure, any Victory is a victory.    About Energy Voice Energy Voice investigates and reports on what matters in global energy, helping sector leaders understand the geopolitical and economic factors underpinning current events, and giving them a view on what's coming over the horizon. Each year, 3.4m professionals use Energy Voice as a trusted source of breaking news and insight. For more information on how you can speak to those professionals across multiple platforms to build your brand and generate actionable business leads, visit energyvoice.com/content-services. For a 30 day free trial subscription to the Energy Voice website and app, visit energyvoice.com/subscribe.

Vikingatiden brukar ofta förknippas med krig, sjöröveri och plundring, men det var också en av de största fredliga expansionstiderna i vår historia. Vanliga jordbrukare och boskapsskötare lämnade sina hem på jakt efter större marker, samtidigt som stormän och furstar som skrämdes av de nya kungamakterna satte segel mot väster för att finna nya länder att kolonisera, och därmed bevara sin frihet.Den vikingatida kolonisationen förändrade Nordeuropas historia för alltid. Shetlands- och Orkneyöarna, Färöarna, Island, Grönland och många andra områden fick en skandinavisk befolkning. Nordbor slog sig ned på Hebriderna och Isle of Man, i norra Skottland, södra Wales och vid flera nygrundade städer på Irland, medan andra bosatte sig i norra och östra England (”Danelagen”) och i Normandie. Majoriteten av kolonisterna var bönder och handelsmän som valde att lämna sina gamla bygder i förhoppning om att kunna bygga sig en ny och bättre framtid på andra sidan havet. De grundade städer – till exempel Dublin – och påverkade såväl konsthantverk som ortnamnsskick i alla bygder de rotade sig i. Än idag är arvet efter kolonisationen fullt synligt i många delar av Västeuropa. På andra håll, som på Grönland, är det endast synligt i form av ruiner, eftersom kolonisternas ättlingar till slut försvann från scenen på sätt som ännu inte har klarlagts.I detta avsnitt av podden Harrisons dramatiska historia samtalar Dick Harrison, professor i historia vid Lunds universitet, och fackboksförfattaren Katarina Harrison Lindbergh om den vikingatida kolonisationen, framför allt i västerled.Bild: Sommar på Grönlandskusten ca. 1000 e.kr. Oljemålning av Carl Rasmussen (1875). Wikipedia, Public Domain. Klippare: Aron SchuurmanProducent: Urban Lindstedt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shetlands-based SaxaVord preparing for 30 launches in 2024. Meat alternatives: Could algae burgers soon be on our menus? The bricks that can absorb traffic noise. Reindeer's vision superpower revealed. Also in this episode:Blue Origin to livestream its first launch in over a yearMrBeast's analytics platform ViewStats is out in betaScottish pupils: wellbeing has improved since school mobile classroom banHow Reindeer use night vision during the winterFollow us on X or on Threads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our podcast guests today are Jeri Robinson Lawrence and daughter Irina Lawrence Matthais.  This hardworking mother/daughter team has contributed a few soundbites in between Points A, B, C and X in the rush of the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival every year, but as they're the ones that everyone needs something from at all times, a relaxed moment has been hard to come by with these two.So we went to the mountain (so to speak, although it's southern Pennsylvania just west of the Susquehanna River, so there were a few hills in there).  They have plenty of things available on their website for anyone who might want some delicious shades, colors, and types of fiber, but the physical location of the farm and shop known as Flying Fibers is a place for the senses.  Sheep (mostly Shetlands, with a few Leicester and Wensleydale in the mix), chickens, dogs, cats, toddlers, and what seems like every other creature in Noah's Ark are napping, creating, munching, gamboling or just sitting picturesquely on this little homestead, with green pastures surrounded by waving wheat and banks of bee-covered lavender.  We don't know how they trained all the critters to perform so beautifully for the cameras (but not the husband, I'm afraid – he ran when we pushed “record”), but the visuals were absolutely lovely.  The scents were fantastic too -- lavender AND lanolin included.Our Shetland mascot, Jane, could not have a better home with better people.  And the world is a better place because of pretty much everything connected with this little spot of heaven.Links:https://www.flyingfibers.com/https://www.shetland-sheep.org/https://sheepandwool.com/Support the show

Triangle Energy (Global) Ltd (ASX:TEG) MD Conrad Todd speaks with Proactive following news the company and its 50-50 joint venture partner Athena Exploration Ltd have been offered five blocks in the West of Shetlands gas province which contains the Cragganmore gas field. The acreage is part of the first tranche of awards by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) in the 33rd UK Licensing Round and is adjacent to the Tobermory and Bunnehaven gas fields offered to British energy giant Shell. Todd also discusses a new independent valuation done on TEG by MST Access suggesting the company is worth 5.4 cents per share. #ProactiveInvestors #TriangleEnergy #ASX #Gas #CragganmoreGasField #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

Nick McCaffrey – aerial videographer for TV's Wild Isles – on life at the RNLI's most northerly lifeboat station Sometimes, the wild weather around the Shetlands is a sight to see, and can make Aith Lifeboat Crew Member Nick McCaffrey feel like he is in the middle of Armageddon. Nick has experienced 100mph winds, and even on a calm, flat day, he warns, it's easy to get caught out. The weather isn't the only spectacle though, and sightings of dolphins, basking sharks and even killer whales are not uncommon. Nick's ‘day job' as a videographer made him the ideal person to capture the wildlife for David Attenborough's series, Wild Isles. Let him introduce you to ‘the locals'.  200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI    Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls    The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200   

Hey hey, it's Sarah Williams, your host from the Tough Girl Podcast, and today we're diving into something a bit different.  In this special solo episode, I'll take you through my personal journey, looking back on the end of 2022 to the adventures and challenges of 2023, and my exciting plans ahead. I'll share highlights like my journey to the Outer Hebrides, health changes, and unexpected twists like catching COVID while in Australia. Plus, insights into projects like Project 7, and "7 Women - 7 Challenges”. Discover how I navigated an empty diary, contemplated future adventures, and decided on my next big challenge—the Camino de Santiago. You'll also hear about changes in the vlogging format and deciding between hiking and fastpacking the PCT.  Plus, insights into how I choose my adventures, my favourite one so far, and the vision board guiding my future goals. Join me on this adventure and get inspired to set your own goals and chase your dreams.  Thanks for being part of the Tough Girl Podcast community, and don't hesitate to share your thoughts, questions, and comments! ***  Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.  By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement. Thank you for your invaluable support! *** Show notes Welcome from Sarah Why it's a different episode from normal  Agenda Set the scene  Late August/September 2022 Going on an adventure with Adelaide Goodeve Outer Hebrides - Watch the Vlogs  Sponsored by Hiiker Adding on future hikes - Speyside Way, Moray Coast Trail, East Highland Way  Gut health issues and not being well in October  Starting a wheat and dairy free diet Flying to Australia at the beginning of November Catching Covid Walking the highest 14 peaks in Australia - Cancelled  Walking in the Grampians with Debbie & CC Project 7 - resources on the website - update January - walking the Great Ocean Walk with Amanda February - Goa, India - yoga, rest & recover What was going to happen when I got back to the UK Having an empty diary and no plans Trying to figure out future plans - Sarah Goes to the Shetlands? South West Coastal Path (SWCP)? Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) South Bound (SOBO)? National Outdoor Expo - 2023 - networking and generating leads  Getting out there and doing what you love Deciding to do the Camino de Santiago - watch the vlogs  The things that people don't talk about  Booking accommodation on the camino - booking.com and caminosleep.com Booking a return flight or not? Walking with Alex Mason GR20?  Working with Land & Wave - Sponsoring the July podcast Free courses for patrons and tribe members Attending the Armchair Adventure Festival Listen to the LIVE tough girl podcast episodes now Heading to Bristol to stay with a friend Deciding to walk Offa's Dyke Path Having everything scheduled out for the next 12 months The work I need to do between challenges Plans for London in September 7th - 12th  Walking the Camino Primitivo 12th - 27th September Training for the TA trail, New Zealand Having 3 weeks at home and what I need to get done North Island — 1000k in 50days Heading to Melbourne for Christmas South Island - in January & February Home to the UK in March 2024 The numbers and using them as a measurement tool Hitting 4 million downloads in 2024? Changing the vlogging format to 2 days per vlog New vlogs every Wednesday and Friday at 7am UK - Tough Girl Youtube Channel Why I focus on creating content Patreon update - learn more  A massive thank you to all the patrons Challenges I'm working through at the moment Editing vlogs Hiking or fastpacking the PCT? Testing out fast packing on the Camino Via De La Plata (100km) April 2024 Running on some of my challenges Book: Multi-Day Running Adventures - Fastpacking - Tips, Stories and Route Ideas By Lily Dyu  Youtube Shorts? How do you choose your adventures? Being inspired by the guests on the podcast Favourite Adventure? Feeling as though everything is coming together Creating my vision board for adventures  The Pink Decade (2015 - 2025) Future goals - The Triple Crown, Walked all 7 Camino's, The UK National Trails  Feeling adventure driven Future plans for 2024  #ChallengeWithZoleo - solo podcast episode focused on planning and preparation - 2nd November National Outdoor Expo - 23rd - 24th March 2024? Looking for new sponsors Fastpacking the Camino and doing YouTube Shorts 2024 will be 7 years since "7 women - 7 Challenges” UK based May - July 15th  Fastpacking the PCT SOBO - doing a UK National Trail beforehand? Insight to what's going on Avoiding wheat…. Feedback, questions, comments? Thank you   Social Media Website: www.toughgirlchallenges.com Instagram: @toughgirlchallenges Twitter: @_TOUGH_GIRL Facebook: www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges YouTube: @toughgirlchallenges   Take a listen to the previous solo reflections episodes  4th Aug 2022 - Sarah Williams - Reflects on the end of 2021 and the start of 2022. 4th Aug 2021 - Sarah Williams - Reflects on the end of 2020 and the start of 2021 7th Aug 2020 - Sarah Williams - Reflections on 2019 & and the start of 2020.  4th Aug 2019 - Reflections on 2018 and the start of 2019. Plus plans for Tough Girl Challenges.  30th Dec 2017 - Reflecting on 2017 and the plans for 2018  30th Dec 2016 - Reflections for 2016 & Plans for 2017    

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow ##Scotland: SLA 1920 paceport building in the Shetlands. Bob Zimmerman BehindtheBlack.com https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/proposed-exclusion-zone-restrictions-revealed-for-new-sutherland-spaceport-in-scotland/

Hot July, trip to Shetlands and Spanish election outcome.

GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of May 2023 The news headlines: RSGB Tonight@8 webinar RSGB Beaconnect loop experiments RSGB School Zone web page   On Monday the 5th of June, the RSGB's Tonight@8 live webinar will feature Mike Richards, G4WNC who will give a presentation on Node-RED for radio amateurs. Node-RED is a visual programming language that is very powerful but surprisingly easy to use. The language has matured over recent years and has the potential to be a valuable tool for radio amateurs. In this talk, Mike will provide an introduction to Node-RED programming techniques. He will conclude with a live demonstration to show just how easy it can be to add extra facilities to your rig. Watch and ask questions live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel. For more information see the RSGB website at rsgb.org/webinars Three weekends have been identified for some RSGB Beaconnect loop experiments. On the 3rd and 4th of June, there will be some regional loops and nets. On the 10th and 11th of June, there will be an England-only loop and net based round the activators who have registered for Beaconnect callsigns so far, but the Society would welcome new activators in the West of England and East Anglia. Finally, on the 24th and 25th of June there will be an attempt at a multiple nations loop, although to do so the Society will need activators in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you want to join in with these activities, register for a Beaconnect callsign via the RSGB website. Go to rsgb.org/coronation and choose the Beaconnect information page. The RSGB's School Zone web page brings together radio amateurs in schools and colleges. The Society wants to help people to share their experience and expertise in establishing and running a radio club for young people. The RSGB has just launched a new page as part of this section called ‘School Zone stories' where it is highlighting some of the great amateur radio activities that are happening in these, and other, schools. If you're a school with an amateur radio club and want to be added to the list, or a radio amateur or club that is linking with local schools, the RSGB would love to add your information and stories to School Zone. Go to rsgb.org/school-zone to find out more, or send your stories and photos to comms@rsgb.org.uk Have you seen the RSGB Live News web page? It brings together the Society's social media feeds, latest YouTube videos and front-page news in one place. Launched a few years ago, people found it very useful, so the RSGB is highlighting it again now for those who have become radio amateurs or returned to amateur radio more recently. Take a look at rsgb.org/live for a taster and then go to the individual comms channels to find out more. The Worked All Britain group will be holding its AGM on Sunday the 11th of June at 12pm. The venue will be the meeting room of Alfreton Leisure Centre Bowls Hall, Church Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BD. For further information contact Paul, M1AIB via: m1aib@worked-all-britain.org.uk or visit the Worked All Britain website.   And now for details of rallies and events The Durham and District Amateur Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 28th of May. The venue is Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham, DH6 5AT. The doors are open from 10.10 am to 2.30 pm with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. Admittance is £2. There is a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed bar are available on-site. For more information, contact Michael Wright, G7TWX on 07826 924 192, or on email via dadars@gmx.com Spalding Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 4th of June. The venue will be Holbeach United Youth Football Club, Pennyhill Road, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, PE12 7PR. The doors open at 10 am. Disabled access is available from 9.30 am. Admittance is £3. The event will feature a car boot area, catering, a flea market and trade stands. For more information Contact Graham, G8NWC on 07754 619 701, email rally2023@sdars.org.uk or visit: sdars.org.uk/spaldingrally The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Summer Rally will take place on Saturday the 10th of June. The venue will be Saint Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. Doors open at 10 am and entry is £3. Refreshments and plenty of free parking are available. For further information, or to book a stall, contact either Roz Worrall via rozallin@gmail.com, or Dave Carden via dave@cardens.me.uk The Mendips Rally will take place on Sunday the 11th of June. The venue will be Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney, Somerset, BS39 6TY. Entrance is £2. The doors open at 7.30 am for traders and 9.30 am for visitors. For bookings and enquiries please contact Luke on 07870 168 197 or email mendipsrally@hotmail.com The Junction 28 Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 11th of June. The venue will be Alfreton Leisure Centre Bowls Hall, Church Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BD. The doors open at 10.15 am and admission is £4. There is a fee of £12 to book a table in advance. A bar and refreshments will be available on-site. For more information, directions, and the booking form, visit snadarc.com Alternatively, email secretary@snadarc.com   Now the Special Event News OL100RADIO, OL100RJ, OL23RADIO and OL23RJ are the special callsigns for the Czech Radio Club to mark 100 years of broadcasting in Czechoslovakia. Look for activity on all bands and modes until the 18th of June. A certificate will be available. For more information visit the QRZ.com pages associated with each of the special callsigns. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Trans-Tasman amateur radio contact,  members of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters will be operating special callsign ZL100 until the 25th of July. North Bristol Amateur Radio Club, in partnership with South Bristol Amateur Radio Club, is holding a special event to commemorate the loss of flight 777a on the 1st of June 1943. The flight was en route from Portugal to Whitchurch Airport, now defunct, in Bristol. The event has been granted the rare callsign GB80AGBB. The station will be active from 10 am until 5 pm from the 30th of May to the 3rd of June on the 20 and 40m bands and on the Southwest DMR Cluster Talk Group 950. Contact can also be made via the FreeDMR Network on Talk Group 777. For more information, visit the GB80AGBB page on QRZ.com or email gb80agbb@gb7bs.com   Now the DX news To raise money for charity, a team of three amateurs is visiting Rockall Island, EU-189, in the North Atlantic Ocean almost 200 miles west of Scotland. The team will be operating using the callsign MM0UKI and plans to be QRV between Monday the 29th of May and Friday the 2nd of June. The team is expecting to be active on the 40 to 10m bands using CW, FT8 and SSB. The QSL manager for the DXpedition is Charles, M0OXO. For more information visit rockallexped.com Jack, M0PLX will be active from Unst and six other islands in the Shetlands, EU-012, until Friday the 2nd of June. He will operate using SSB on the HF bands and will also monitor the 6m band. Updates will be posted to M0PLX's Facebook page. Vincent, HB9VCJ will be active as 8Q7VJ from the Maldives, AS-013, until Sunday the 4th of June. He will operate QRP SSB, and various digital modes, on the 40 to 6m bands, and also FM on the 10m band. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via his home call. Didier, F6BCW is active as FO/F6BCW from Huahine Island, OC-067, French Polynesia until the 25th of October. He operates CW and SSB on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via F6EXV, Club Log and Logbook of the World.   Now the contest news Today, the 28th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the 28th, the CQ Worldwide WPX CW Contest ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. National Field Day will start at 1500UTC on Saturday the 3rd of June and end at 1500UTC on Sunday the 4th of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Contest starts at 1300UTC on Saturday the 3rd of June and ends at 1300UTC on Sunday the 4th of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and member number. The ARRL International Digital Contest starts at 1800UTC on Saturday the 3rd of June and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 4th of June. Using digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Sunday the 4th of June, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on 1.3, 2.3 and 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 25th of May 2023 The Sun currently has an equal number of spots in both its Northern and Southern hemispheres. The Solar Flux Index was consistently in the 150 to 160s range last week, with a total of eight M-class flares. We had unsettled geomagnetic conditions on the 21st and 22nd when the Kp index hit six, but things then settled down again to a more manageable two to three. There are times when the F-layer critical frequency is lower than the E-layer critical frequency due to Sporadic-E. This means that HF signals can't reach the F2-layer, basically blocking off DX, but leaving Sporadic-E short skip available. So, make the most of these short-skip contacts to the continent and multi-hop Sporadic-E skips to further afield. Conditions in the F2-layer will improve in the autumn, so don't worry! There is still HF DX to be had, but you may have to hunt for it. Recently, Laurie, G3UML worked BD4VGZ in China on the 15m band using CW and Stuart, M1SMH worked YG2ALQ in Indonesia as well as A71UN in Qatar, on the 10m band using FT8. Meanwhile, Andy, M0NKR worked VK on the 15m band using SSB long path. Namibia, Malawi and Equatorial Guinea have all been workable from the UK using FT8 on the 10m band during late morning. Next week NOAA predicts that the Solar Flux Index will remain in the same range. That is, in the 150 to 160s. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast from the 2nd to the 4th of June when the Kp index might reach four. Otherwise, it suggests that conditions will be mainly settled with the Kp index around two to three. So, make the most of the elusive HF F2-layer openings and the various opportunities available during this peak time for Sporadic-E propagation. And now the VHF and up propagation news The broad scale pattern is still dominated by a large area of high pressure over the country with its centre mostly to the northwest of the British Isles. The whole period through to the end of the coming week should offer some good tropo prospects, so why not try using CW or SSB to add some extra squares to your log? Under lift conditions, even a halo antenna can be surprisingly effective. The weather variety will remain until the end of next week when low pressure over France tries to push some thundery showers northwards into southern Britain after midweek, and perhaps then northwards as far as western Scotland. This brings a chance of rain scatter on the GHz bands. There is, as usual, always a chance of aurora and meteor scatter to bring additional options, but the main mode of interest this week will be Sporadic-E as we head into the peak of the season. With tropo also in play, it's worth a quick note for those not used to working Sporadic-E; Tropo tends to be long-lasting and usually better on the higher bands. That is to say, the 70cm band is often better than the 2m band whereas Sporadic-E is usually brief and better at lower frequency bands. So, the 10m band is better than the 6m band. This time of the year it can reach up to 2m on rare occasions. If you do nothing else, simply check the bands and clusters at the end of the afternoon to maximise your Sporadic-E chances. Moon declination is positive but falling this weekend, going negative on Tuesday. We are past apogee so path losses will fall as the week goes on. We'll see shortening Moon windows with falling path losses. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

In today's episode James and Lucy are exploring the exceptionally rich wild side of Great Britain with wildlife biologist, filmmaker and TV presenter Lizzie Daly. Though a small island, Great Britain offers incredible opportunities to encounter diverse fauna thanks to its varied geography and distinct seasons. But with so much to see, where do you begin?From spotting charming puffins on Skomer Island and illusive orca off the coast of the far-flung Shetlands, to seeing the stunning starling murmurations in Somerset and the feral mountain goats taking over a town in Snowdonia, Lizzie shares the very best places for wild adventures across Great Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This lady from The Shetlands tells me all about life and how she is now smashing life playing for Shotton Steel Ladies and Cheshire Bears. We chat childhood, jobs, social life and of course sports. Some story for girl who knew nothing of rugby up until a few years ago.

Morning broke bright and clear. The little girls took a short drive before breakfast and a longer one soon after; the attractions of the ponies and phaeton quite eclipsing for the time those of dolls and baby-house. Annis was taken to the stables to see Elsie's other two ponies— very pretty creatures of larger size than the Shetlands— and a number of fine riding and carriage horses belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore. She was pleased with the sight and eager to learn to ride... #story #kidsstory ✝️❣️

House of Lords Peer Lord Stewart Jackson kicks off today's show to discuss the morning's top headlines as Tories urge the government to stop sending foreign aid to China before the next election and council tax rises by 5%. Elliot Keck from the Taxpayers Alliance joins shortly after to discuss the increase in council tax further. MP for Orkney & Shetlands. Lib Dem spokesman on Home Affairs, Justice & Northern Ireland Alastair Carmichael MP joins the Independent Republic to discuss Britain's lawlessness as he believes the conservative government are currently asleep at the wheel when it comes to tackling crime, which is spiralling under their watch. Sadiq Khan has been slammed once again over 'nonsense data' behind the ULEZ scheme, Leader of Bromley Council Colin Smith joins Mike to discuss why his council are joining many others in fighting back. All that and so much more, so tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 601, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Shopping U.s.a. 1: In 1996 Graceland Gifts in this city sold a limited edition Elvis Cabbage Patch Kid in a gold lame suit. Memphis. 2: Elvis Presley Enterprises owns several gift shops in this city; they're all close to Graceland. Memphis. 3: Rumors on Royal Street in this city specializes in hand-crafted Mardi Gras masks. New Orleans. 4: Browsing for baubles? Tiffany, Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels all have shops on this chic Beverly Hills street. Rodeo Drive. 5: This L.A. street noted for its Mexican handicrafts is named for Los Angeles' first county judge. Olvera Street. Round 2. Category: Character Study 1: Freddy Eynsford Hill,Col. Pickering,Henry Higgins. Pygmalion (or My Fair Lady). 2: Natasha Rostova,Pierre Bezuhov,Napoleon. War and Peace. 3: Rusty Trawler,Sally Tomato,Holly Golightly. Breakfast at Tiffany's. 4: Bertha Mason,Grace Poole,Mr. Rochester. Jane Eyre. 5: Amelia Sedley,George Osborne,Becky Sharp. Vanity Fair. Round 3. Category: "C" In Shakespeare 1: Juliet's maiden name. Capulet. 2: Tragic tramp who two-timed Troilus. Cressida. 3: Co-conspirator who says, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves...". Cassius. 4: In "Hamlet", he's the king of Denmark. Claudius. 5: This play about a king of Britain contains the famous poem "Hark, hark! the lark...". Cymbeline. Round 4. Category: Around The Horn 1: The southernmost point in South America, Cape Horn is part of this country. Chile. 2: SE of Cape Horn is the "South" version of this Scottish island group that shares its name with dogs and ponies. the Shetlands. 3: This strait that separates the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is named for a Portuguese guy. Magellan. 4: Cape Horn is the southern extremity of this fiery archipelago. Tierra del Fuego. 5: The largest desert in the Americas is in this Argentinean region visited by Darwin on his Beagle trips. Patagonia. Round 5. Category: Flops 1: Ford, '57, flop, 'nuf said. Edsel. 2: This former NFL linebacker's show "Lawless" was sacked in March 1997 after one airing. Brian Bosworth. 3: With teams including the Florida Blazers, this football league lasted for 1 1/2 seasons in '74-'75. WFL (World Football League). 4: Roger Ebert called this 1980 Michael Cimino film "Painful and unpleasant to look at". Heaven's Gate. 5: "La Traviata", his modern-dress opera version of "La Dame Aux Camelias", flopped in its 1853 premiere. Giuseppe Verdi. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

Nytt avsnitt! Och vi är extra glada att kunna presentera en intervju med Ella Gordon – en av de starkast lysande stjärnorna på Shetlands stickhimmel. Inte helt oväntat kommer vi in på hur det är att verka med den särpräglande sticktraditionen som grund. Intressant och spännande! I det här avsnittet på svenska gör vi en sammanfattning av vårt samtal. Vill du höra hela intervjun lyssnar du också på det engelska avsnittet. A summary in Swedish of our interview with knitwear designer Ella Gordon from May 2022.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 479, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Around The Horn 1: The southernmost point in South America, Cape Horn is part of this country. Chile. 2: SE of Cape Horn is the "South" version of this Scottish island group that shares its name with dogs and ponies. the Shetlands. 3: This strait that separates the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is named for a Portuguese guy. Magellan. 4: Cape Horn is the southern extremity of this fiery archipelago. Tierra del Fuego. 5: The largest desert in the Americas is in this Argentinean region visited by Darwin on his Beagle trips. Patagonia. Round 2. Category: Singing The "Blue"S 1: According to Elton John, "Baby's got" these. Blue eyes. 2: Before Elvis sang this song in a 1961 movie, Bing sang it in 1937's "Waikiki Wedding". Blue Hawaii. 3: Back in 1984, David Bowie had just met a girl named this. Blue Jean. 4: In 1977 Linda Ronstadt had a hit with this Roy Orbison tune. Blue Bayou. 5: In a song from the '20s, "Just Mollie and me, and baby makes three, we're happy in" this place. My Blue Heaven. Round 3. Category: The Crusades 1: At the Council of Clermont in 1095 Urban II proclaimed the 1st Crusade against this group of infidels. Saracens//Muslims. 2: The deadly rivals of the Hospitalers, these knights lent their name to a fictional "saint". Knights Templar. 3: Leading the third Crusade, this English king captured Cyprus. Richard the Lionhearted. 4: During the third Crusade, Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, made this Syrian city his headquarters. Damascus. 5: Walter the Penniless and this Peter led early groups of poor peasants into the fray. Peter the Hermit. Round 4. Category: Canadian Songbirds 1: In December 2007 this chanteuse gave her last performance of the Vegas spectacular "A New Day". Celine Dion. 2: This singer from Halifax, Nova Scotia had hits with "Adia" and "Sweet Surrender". Sarah McLachlan. 3: She must be a Keith Jackson fan, as she titled one of her albums "Whoa, Nelly!". Nelly Furtado. 4: She put her initials on duets of "Crying" with Roy Orbison and "What A Wonderful World" with Tony Bennett. k.d. lang. 5: Leslie is the first name of this "1234" singer who was a dancer at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Feist. Round 5. Category: Gopher The Gusto 1: Genesis 6 says it was made out of gopher wood and was 300 cubits long. the ark. 2: Bill Murray fights troublesome golf course gophers in this comedy classic. Caddyshack. 3: It's where the small rodent known as a pocket gopher has its pockets. its cheeks. 4: Gopher is a document delivery system to retrieve information from this system that dates back to the 1960s. the Internet. 5: Sinclair Lewis' "Main Street" takes place in Gopher Prairie in this state. Minnesota. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

Share Radio's tech expert Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose about the Royal Mail's drone delivery to the Isles of Scilly, Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides. Mastercard have a new payment system requiring you to smile, there are teeth-cleaning nanobots on the way, underwater robots are killing jellyfish, drugs will have chocolate sprinkles to defeat counterfeiters, there's a battery that produces electricity from moisture and another from algae, the Dutch have produced a submarine party venue and Israeli scientists have mastered meat in space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Photo:  Shetland ponies ca 1900 Spaceport Shetlands. Bob Zimmerman BehindtheBlack.com https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/lockheed-martin-to-move-its-smallsat-rocket-launch-project-to-the-uk/ Capitalism in space: Lockheed Martin announced today that it is moving its Pathfinder smallsat rocket operation to a new spaceport in Shetland in the United Kingdom, with the first launch targeted for '24.          This Shetland site is a different UK spaceport from the Sutherland site, also in Scotland, where both Lockheed Martin and the British company Orbex also hope to launch.

S4 E18: Sarah McBurnie on the Stories of Shetland “You must never call it the Shetlands. Islanders are proud and can be prickly about the name: it's either Shetland or the Shetland Islands.” Anne Cleeves Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am you host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. I am delighted that I am travelling virtually to Unst to meet up with my dear friend, Sarah McBurnie who was our guide on our 2018 Shetland adventures. Sarah conducts exclusive guided tours with personalized itineraries for visitors to Shetland from all over the world.  We came as visitors to experience this amazing place and left as friends, thanks to Sarah and the many people we met along the journey through the Shetland Islands. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting dialogue on Tea Toast & Trivia. Listeners, thank you for joining Sarah and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank you, Sarah, for sharing the stories, the history, and myths of Shetland.   You were an excellent guide on our visit and I'm looking forward to meeting up with you again on Tea Toast and Trivia. Listeners, I invite you to connect with Sarah on her website, See Shetland. You are only an internet click away from a remarkable adventure that will take you from birdwatching, archaeology to the celebration of Up Helly-Aa. Until next time we meet, dear friends, keep safe and be well. Music by Kikoru “Cloud Over Mountain” #EpidemicSound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EbaDeotpAO/

Each week we chat with RNIB's CEO Matt Stringer to discuss the big news affecting the charity. This week Matt started by reflecting on the great success of the RNIB 2022 See Differently Awards which were held in London earlier this week. Following on from the recent announcement of the 100 RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officer, Matt talks about more ECLO news including the partnership with CHEC (Community Health and Eye Care) and a new ECLO covering the Shetlands in Scotland. Matt ended this week's update with more on how the RNIB and other sight loss sector organisations are continuing to provide help and support to blind and partially sighted  people who are court up or affected by the war in Ukraine. If you have any questions at all relating to sight loss or just looking for help and advice please do call the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999 or use your Amazon device and ask Lady A to call the RNIB and speak to one of our Sight Loss Advisors or do visit the RNIB website where you will find a wealth of information and advice too - https://www.rnib.org.uk Image: Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB

Die Bewohner der Shetlands bereiten eine grüne Revolution vor. Dort entsteht der größte Windpark Europas, Offshore-Anlagen sind geplant, ein Gezeitenkraftwerk ist bereits in Betrieb. Künftig soll das Geld mit dem Wasserstoff fließen.

Tonight, we'll read selections from “The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands” by Edmund Selous, written in 1905.If you enjoy this episode, be sure to listen to our others from this birdwatching series at snoozecast.com/series.The author started as a conventional naturalist of his time, but Selous developed a disdain of the common practice of killing animals for scientific study. He was a pioneer of peaceful bird-watching as a method of scientific study. The author was a solitary man and was not well known in ornithological circles. He avoided both the company of ornithologists and reading their observations so as to base his conclusions entirely on his own observations. He has gifted future generations with his beautiful and intuitive writing on birds.The island of Shetland is the northernmost part of Scotland. It has a complex geology, a rugged coastline, and many low, rolling hills. The islands have produced a variety of prose writers and poets, who have often written in the distinctive Shetland dialect of the Scots language.— read by 'V' — Listen Ad-Free on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hier weht immer der Wind und deshalb bereiten die Bewohner der Shetlands eine grüne Revolution vor. Dort entsteht der größte Windpark Europas, offshore-Anlagen sind geplant, ein Gezeitenkraftwerk ist bereits in Betrieb.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends April 29th 2022. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-morrison01www.asva.co.ukhttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scotlands-national-tourism-industry-conference-tickets-168074341881 Conference - Scotland's National Tourism Industry Conference November 24th-25th, 2021https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/speakers/ Gordon Morrison is the CEO of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), the representative body for the attractions sector in Scotland, a position he has held for the last 3 years. In this role, he has responsibility for the day-to-day operations and overall leadership of the organisation. Over the last 19 months, he has been instrumental in helping the sector in Scotland navigate a path through the pandemic, providing advice and guidance to attractions across the country and ensuring that the needs of the sector are heard within the corridors of power at Holyrood. He currently sits on a number of key industry groups, including the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce, the Scottish Tourism Skills Group, the Scottish Thistle Awards Industry Panel and Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Sectoral Organisations Group.Gordon previously worked as Quality & Tourism Manager with VisitScotland where he was responsible for the delivery of the highly regarded Visitor Attraction Grading Scheme. He was also Commercial & Visitor Services Manager with Museums & Galleries Edinburgh where he led on shaping the visitor experience at iconic attractions such as the Scott Monument and Museum of Childhood.In over 15 years of working with the sector, Gordon has visited and offered advice to hundreds of different attractions across Scotland. He is universally known within the tourism industry as the authoritative voice on all things relating to the visitor attractions sector in Scotland.  Transcription: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world.In today's episode, I speak with Gordon Morrison, CEO of ASVA, the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions. We discuss the state of the Scottish attraction sector, the need for more personal premium experiences, and what's happening at Scotland's National Tourism Industry Conference. If you like what you hear, subscribe on all the usual channels by searching to Skip The Queue.Kelly Molson: Gordon, welcome to Skip The Queue.Gordon Morrison: Thank you so much for having me, Kelly. I'm guessing that you've started at the bottom and you're going to work your way up for the rest of the series.Kelly Molson: No, it doesn't work like that at all, started at the top, Gordon, started at the top. Now, as you know, I know that you listen to the podcast, so we're going into our icebreaker questions. I'm going to ask you what your favourite film is and why it isn't Top Gun.Gordon Morrison: Wow, that's a great question. And how did you know it's not a Top Gun because Top Gun is a wonderful movie. I am a child of the 1980s. I could be obvious and I could go down the Star Wars route because I am a big Star Wars fan. But however, undoubtedly, the greatest movie ever made is National Lampoon's Vacation.Kelly Molson: Yes, that's a great film.Gordon Morrison: It's just beautiful in every way. It is funny, it is moving, it is heartwarming, and it's also a bit crude. All of the things that I really enjoy. And I'm a huge Chevy Chase fan, a huge Chevy Chase fan. We had the opportunity to meet him a few years ago in London. He actually was over in London and I paid a considerable amount of money to do a meet and greet with the great man himself.Kelly Molson: That's amazing. I don't know anyone that's done one of those. This is-Gordon Morrison: Really?Kelly Molson: ... is news to me, no.Gordon Morrison: I would not do it for, probably not for anyone else, but for Chevy Chase, I was determined to meet him before he pops his clogs because he's getting on. He's getting on, he's an older man nowadays. I also love The Three Amigos as well I should say. And Steve Martin and Martin Short are also two fantastic comedy actors and they've actually got a great show on Disney Plus just now, which is well worth watching. But however, Chevy Chase is my idol. National Lampoon's Vacation, I don't know how many times I've watched it. But I can pretty much recite it.Kelly Molson: I love this. And National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is-Gordon Morrison: Probably the second greatest movie of all time and becomes the greatest movie of all time at Christmas-Kelly Molson: At Christmas time, yeah. So I'm going to say that, is it my favourite Christmas film? It's definitely one or two. I think that and Home Alone are like the two, they're the ones that I would watch every single Christmas, got to watch those. Oh, this is great. I'm finding out so much about you today. Okay, if you had a human body, which you do, but the head of an animal, what animal would you pick?Gordon Morrison: That's an interesting question that I haven't thought about before, strangely enough. I think if I could have any animal's head, I'd want it to be a really cute puppy. That's what I'd want it to be. I think I've got some doglike qualities to me anyway. But yeah-Kelly Molson: Loyal.Gordon Morrison: Yeah, yeah. Very loyal, like to sniff my own bum, that sort of stuff. So yeah, I think a acute, maybe a Golden Retriever, a Labrador, because it'd also be quite useful to have a really powerful nose and be able to sniff out trouble and things like that. So yeah, but mainly because I do quite enjoy getting my head stroked, so it'd be quite nice to constantly have that happening to me.Kelly Molson: We are learning so much about you today, Gordon. I would go giraffe because as we met in person a little while ago, we are both slightly vertically challenged.Gordon Morrison: We are.Kelly Molson: So I thought giraffe would help me grab stuff from the top shelves.Gordon Morrison: So you're including the neck then as part of the-Kelly Molson: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's part of your head, kind of, isn't it?Gordon Morrison: Yeah, absolutely.Kelly Molson: Okay. If you could be in the Guinness Book of Records, what records breaking feat you attempt?Gordon Morrison: I would attempt the longest continuous Elvis tribute act performance. I have said that Chevy Chase is my idol, he absolutely is, but I'm also a massive Elvis Presley fan, to the extent that I used to, on occasion, don the outfit and take the stage as Elvis Presley.Kelly Molson: Is there any video evidence of this?Gordon Morrison: No, there is not because it was the sort of mid to late '90s or early, it was early 2000s. It was early 2000s that I did this. And it was still really early stages of mobile phones and all that sort of stuff. So therefore, there is unfortunately, no... But listen, if you want me to record something, I'll do it.Kelly Molson: Well, I mean, I'm thinking at some point next year of doing, a group meetup for podcast guests and listeners. So maybe you could be the entertainment.Gordon Morrison: I have a gold lamé suit and I also have a jumpsuit. Whether I can still fit into them is an entirely different... But surely that looks even better. That's more authentic if I can barely fit into-Kelly Molson: Completely authentic, you are hired. Okay, and what is your unpopular opinion?Gordon Morrison: Sure, I'll go topical. Adele is rubbish.Kelly Molson: Oh God, oh wow.Gordon Morrison: Cannot stand anything that she does.Kelly Molson: Nothing at all?Gordon Morrison: Nope. I thin-Kelly Molson: Never had a little weepy moment to an Adele song?Gordon Morrison: Not once.Kelly Molson: You are stone cold.Gordon Morrison: Well, I've had a weepy moment, but the weepy moment is more I'm like, "Good grief, get this awful banshee off of my radio." I cannot stand anything that she does. I think her vocal style is lazy.Kelly Molson: Oh, Gordon.Gordon Morrison: I think she sings in a lazy way.Kelly Molson: I don't even know where to go with this, I really don't. Started with a bombshell people. Let's now-Gordon Morrison: Keeping it topical. That's good, isn't it? Come on, keeping it topical.Kelly Molson: It is topical. Let me know how you feel about that, listeners. I'm feeling uncomfortable. I'm really excited to have you on the podcast today. So Gordon and I, listeners, if you don't follow me... Oh, did I put this on? I think I'll put this on Twitter. If you don't follow me on Twitter, why not? But Gordon and I met in 2020. We met in COVID times, but we met virtually. So we didn't actually see each other when we first met. Gordon and I were at the Visitor Attractions Conference, which actually brilliant, a brilliant virtual conference in 2020 that they were forced to do because of COVID. And Gordon came to visit me on my virtual stand, which if you've ever done a virtual stand at a virtual conference, it's a very, very lonely place.Kelly Molson: Not many people come and check in on you. It's hard enough when it's an actual stand and you have to drag people to speak to you. But a virtual one, yeah. It's tough times. But anyway, Gordon came over, had a little chat, and then we arranged to have a Zoom meeting, which we then had a great Zoom meeting. But I was a bit poorly and I did it in my pajamas because that's how all the best Zoom in start, in your pajamas. And then since then, we've gone on to do a few webinars for ASVA and their members. And the two of us have spoken quite a few times. And we actually got to meet in real life a couple of weeks ago, didn't we? At the Visitor Attractions Conference.Gordon Morrison: Obviously lovely to meet you in person and see other people I've only communicated with via this medium before. So it was quite special actually, it really was quite special. And it was lovely to see just how diminutive you are, Kelly, such a big personality, such a diminutive form.Kelly Molson: Big gob, small stature, I think that's how I would be described. So tell us a little bit about ASVA and what your role is there.Gordon Morrison: Okay. So ASVA is short for the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions. We are the trade body that represents the attraction sector in Scotland. We have over 250 member organisations, which equates to roughly 500 visitor attractions all across the country. I'm the Chief Executive. I've been chief executive there for three years. A particularly interesting last two years, as I'm sure you can imagine.Kelly Molson: Yep.Gordon Morrison: And really, the organisation almost like the way that our members have had to pivot during the pandemic, ASVA had to pivot during the pandemic. We certainly existed, initially, to provide inspiration and best practice. That really what we were there to do, shine a light on all that was great and good happening, not just in the attraction sector in Scotland, but nationally and internationally as well. During the pandemic, we really had to become much more of a lobbying organisation. I had to cut my lobbying teeth very quickly, Kelly and was fortunate to work with some great people within the industry, that helped me with that as well.Gordon Morrison: I know that you had Bernard on your podcast the other week, who's a very experienced lobbyist. And I learned from people like him. We also had to take everything online as an organisation, which is truly fascinating for us because we were an organisation that did everything in person, absolutely everything in person. We are 32 years old and had never once hosted an online event, online meeting. Then, pandemic hits, everything changes. And we have now run something like 60 online workshops or events throughout the pandemic. All about supporting the sector, helping the sector get through to where we are today, which is still not in a perfect situation. There are still many challenges ahead for the industry.Gordon Morrison: But ASVA played a hugely important role in informing the sector, and supporting the sector, and fighting for the sector throughout the pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, we were actually producing daily bulletins that went out across the entirety of the industry, about what they needed to know. All very much tailored to the visitor attraction sector, nothing cut and pasted from any other areas. It was all tailored specifically to visitor attractions. We've had many, many meetings with the Scottish government in particular, but also the UK government as well, to highlight just how desperate it was for a spell, just how desperate it was for a spell.Gordon Morrison: And we were successful in getting funding for the visitor attraction sector in Scotland, which I was particularly proud that we were able to do. And indeed, we helped to ensure that when we got the funding, that funding went to the right places and went to the attractions that needed it the most. And therefore, we got ourselves into a situation where our sector has not had the catastrophic failure that we feared it may have had. Well, things are still not great. And I know we'll talk about that shortly. We are now seeing, hopefully, some of the green shoots of recovery and we'll get the sector back on an even keel in 2022.Kelly Molson: That's really good to hear and we are going to talk about that in a minute. But I just want to, just something that you mentioned about how when this all kicked off, when the pandemic happened, I mean, that must have been unbelievably overwhelming for you. Because not only are you looking at your own organisation and saying, "Wow, we have got to change absolutely every way that we've done things in the past, everything has to change now. We can't do any in person whatsoever." So having to deal with all of that whilst also, like you say, learning how to lobby. So putting hat on, and then being there as a support. And I guess a shoulder for people to cry on, scream at, shout out, whatever they needed to do, for all of your members as well. That must have been an unbelievably overwhelming time. How did you feel?Gordon Morrison: Yeah. I mean, overwhelming is the correct word. And of course, none of us had ever been through anything like this before. That's the other thing, there was no guide book for this. There was nowhere for me to turn and say, "What have you done when we've previously seen a pandemic such as this?" We had never seen anything like this before. You mentioned being a shoulder to cry on or cry at, that genuinely happened on quite a lot of occasions. I had members phone me up in tears, sometimes angry tears, sometimes just sad tears. And that was particularly challenging. When sometimes you didn't have answers, you couldn't just tell them, "Oh, everything is going to be okay." Because it didn't necessarily look like everything was going to be okay.Gordon Morrison: I think for me, there was one crucial decision that I made, which at the time didn't actually feel crucial. But we looked at ourselves and our own operation at ASVA, and we're a pretty small team, Kelly. Well, at the time, there was only three of us working for the organisation. And I was and still am the only full-time member of staff. ASVA, we've got two and a half full-time equivalent staff working for us at the moment. We had, at the height of the pandemic, just two full-time equivalent staff working for us. We had an office in Glasgow and I took the decision that whilst we would get rid of our office and felt that we didn't need an office anymore, we would not scale down our operations. We were there to support our sector.Gordon Morrison: We would actually scale up. We would do more to support the sector, which it was a difficult decision because the obvious thing to do was protect the business. And so therefore, why don't we put the team on furlough and you'll ride this through? But however, it was a no brainer for me in the end to say, "No, we are there to support our sector." Therefore, like I said, we scaled up what we did. We pushed everything online, we learned really fast. I developed really close contacts within the Scottish government as well. Not necessarily always talking to the ministers, officials are often the right people to get in front of and talk to.Gordon Morrison: And as a result, ASVA actually grew. We were really worried at the beginning of the pandemic that we would lose members, obviously, because you think, "Well, who can afford a membership fee when they've got huge, huge financial problems?" But actually, what we found was that not only did we retain our members, we grew our membership because of that desire that we had to truly, genuinely support the industry. And I have to thank my own board as well, the Board of Directors of ASVA, for giving me steer on what the industry needed. We've got 12 board members, who all work within the attraction sector. And they were there at a drop of a hat every time I needed them.Gordon Morrison: I said, "Right, what do we think of this? What do we think of this new guidance that's come out from the Scottish government? What does that mean for our sector?" And I could then feedback because the Scottish government were very much looking for me to feedback from the attraction sector and say, "Right, this is what this will mean. This is what will happen to the attraction sector if you do this." But I do think that decision to scale up, rather than contract and just try and save ourselves was the crucial, crucial decision. Crucial decision for ASVA, but also for the sector as well. Because we really did step up to another level at that point.Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's brilliant. I mean the amount of content that went out, and the webinars that you put on, and the research, which we'll talk a little bit about now actually. Because throughout the pandemic, you were surveying the sector, finding out what was happening, where they were at, what the visitor numbers were like. And you've just released the latest survey, which was conducted by the Moffitt Center, which let me read this out.Kelly Molson: It reveals that a majority of Scottish attractions are still in survival mode, which is not surprising. The sector is not seeing any evidence of a staycation boom. And obviously, the press have talked about staycation boom a lot. I think UK attractions have mixed results in that, depending on where they are located up and down the country. But Scotland seems to not be seeing any evidence of that. So can we talk about that? How's the sector currently feeling?Gordon Morrison: So I think firstly, on the point about being in survival mode, that is still the case universally, I would say, doesn't matter which part of the UK you're in. I think that the vast majority of the sector is still in survival mode, rather than recovery mode. Actually, I was fortunate enough to attend the Association of Visitor Experience and Attractions Conference in Ireland, attended that virtually and it was exactly the same narrative there. That are still in survival, but looking towards a recovery. And that's where our sector is in Scotland. We are in survival mode, but very optimistic that we will recover, rather than now thinking we are going to lose 50%, whatever, of the sector.Gordon Morrison: But in terms of the staycation boom, it's been a really... This is an area where I've been banging in my head against the wall sometimes, Kelly, because it's actually impossible for the majority of visitor attractions in Scotland and indeed in other parts of the UK, or it has been impossible for us to truly benefit from the staycation boom. Because don't get me wrong. I agree that there have been lots of domestic visitors, there have been lots of people going on holiday in the UK because frankly, they've got no other opportunity or no other option than to go on holiday in the UK. But there have been restrictions in place and let's not forget this.Gordon Morrison: There have been restrictions in place in Scotland, on things like well, we call it physical distancing, social distancing in England. These restrictions weren't lifted in Scotland. We still had physical distancing restrictions in place right through to mid August. And if you've got restrictions in place that limit, that severely limit the number of visitors that you can physically get in your door, you can be at capacity. You can be, "Right, we're at 100% capacity." Which sounds fantastic. But that 100% capacity is actually only 20, 30% of where you would normally be. And therefore, we have missed the majority of the traditional season. And by missing the majority of the traditional season, you're then left with a very small window of opportunity, sort of mid August to October holidays, just beyond October holidays, to make your money.Gordon Morrison: And that's a very limited window. Let's be honest, that really is. And that's why our sector's still in survival mode as we go into the winter. I think perhaps one of the most telling stats from the survey was in relation to the amount of reserves that attractions still had. And we've got more than one in five visitor attractions in Scotland, holding fewer than three months reserves, right? Why is that important? That is important because the winter is longer than three months and you need those reserves. In a good year, you need those reserves to see you through the winter. That's how attractions operate. They make the money in the summer, to then see them through the winter. So that's where the issues still exist for our sector. And again, it was interesting at the Irish conference, to see that the latest budget has just been published by the Irish government.Gordon Morrison: And they have pledged to continue their version of the Coronavirus job retention scheme right through to spring of next year. And they've also pledged an extra 50 million euros of support for tourism businesses, to get them through to next season. And I think that's very telling that they have recognized the call that's come from the tourism industry in Ireland is, "We are still in survival mode. Let us get through to next season when we will fully lead the recovery." And I think that's a lesson that still needs to be heard in both Scotland and the UK. Because there seems to be a feeling that, "Well, you have made it through. Well done, guys, you've made it through." But there's still a proportion of the sector that will face a very difficult winter ahead.Kelly Molson: So are you still in lobbying mode then? Because it feels like-Gordon Morrison: Oh, must be.Kelly Molson: Yeah, so the sector still needs support. So the results of this survey say that very, very clearly. So you're still in lobbying mode.Gordon Morrison: Yeah, yeah. There's no doubt about that. I mean, the survey is produced. We like to do it for our members and they can get an idea of where they are sitting in comparison to other parts of the sector. But primarily, I'll be fully honest with you, we do it so that I can use it in my lobbying efforts. The first person that received this survey results, was the tourism minister. The very first person. I was like, "Bang, here you go. Can we now meet and discuss this?" Don't get me wrong, it's a challenge because there's also an element of politics being played in the UK, as you'll know, Kelly.Gordon Morrison: The fact that the Scottish government takes a different route from the UK government, sometimes that that route is taken for, as far as I'm concerned, for political reasons, to create a differentiation. But also, that there are challenges with things. But when I speak to the tourism minister and say, "We really could use the Coronavirus job retention scheme extended, or we could cut to be extended further." Those are not really issues that he can do much about, other than agree. Other than say, "Yes, I 100% agree with that." That's then reserved at the UK level, which is why it's hugely important that I also feed into the lobbying that's done at a UK level as well, by the likes of Bernard and others.Kelly Molson: Yeah, okay. So let's have a look more at some of the stats that have come in. So it says here, almost half, so 47.5% of the sector has seen a decrease in visitor numbers of greater than 50% this year compared to the same period in 2019. I mean again, that's not shocking, is it? Because, like you say, you've had so many restrictions still in place for longer than in the UK attractions.Gordon Morrison: That's entirely it.Kelly Molson: And it says turnover is down by over 50%, a third of attractions when compared to the same period in 2019. Again, not a shock, is it? None of this is a surprise.Gordon Morrison: No.Kelly Molson: What can be done about it? What's the positives that can taken from it?Gordon Morrison: Well, yeah. I think that's important to emphasize here, Kelly, is that, don't get me wrong, when I'm doing my lobbying, I'm painting the doom and gloom picture to the government to try and leverage as much support as we can get. But however, there are positives emerging from the pandemic. Just now, for a start, when you delve into the data in a bit more detail, it's clear that the numbers are getting better. We are seeing an improving picture just now. And indeed, you mentioned yourself, it depends on what type of business that you have and where in the country you're located. If you were to look at, for example, wildlife related attractions or animal related attractions, they're booming.Gordon Morrison: They are absolutely booming, or least the majority of them are booming just now. We just published our visitor figures for ASVA members, for the month of August. So that's the most recent data that we've got and the wildlife operators were up by 14% on 2019 levels.Kelly Molson: Oh, wow, wow.Gordon Morrison: Yeah, they're up on 2019, which is incredible, that really is. I mean, primarily driven by the huge popularity of Edinburgh Zoo, it has to be said, which you can imagine, if you're an outdoor family attraction, it's a good time for you. Speaking as a dad, you are desperate to take your kids somewhere. You are absolutely desperate to do that. And a zoo is an absolutely fantastic place to take the kids. So it's not universally the case that things are awful. That's the first point.Gordon Morrison: And we are seeing a generally improving picture month upon month. If you look at the figures from July compared to June, compared to July compared to August. It's going in the right to direction. And of course, we have now got rid of the physical distancing restrictions entirely, which releases the sector to actually begin to trade at a viable level. Although, interestingly, in the survey, we did ask members whether they were maintaining restrictions themselves and many, many were. In fact, we had, was it 92% of the sector said that they were going to maintain COVID safety measures above and beyond what was required by law. And that again is useful for me when it comes to lobbying. Because what it shows is that our sector puts the safety of visitors and staff above everything else.Gordon Morrison: You cannot necessarily say that about every sector in the UK. But for our sector, we have consistently proven, throughout the pandemic, that we are putting safety and wellbeing above everything else. And therefore, for me, if there are... We're seeing COVID spiking again, let's not beat around the bush here. The number of cases is at, I think it's highest level for something like six, seven months. It's a huge, huge increase. If further restrictions are introduced again, I think it's... But I've already spoken to the Scottish government about this as well. Our sector's the one sector that actually, you're not seeing any transmission come from, because we are very, very responsible. And I would hope that that would be recognised if restrictions get introduced again.Kelly Molson: Well, I was going to ask about the locality thing. So obviously in the UK, during lockdown, there was a lot of appreciation for where you lived. I think that's how we looked at it. People went out on their hour's walk of exercise, and then they found new places to visit. But they actually, you've seen that kind of boost in tourism to the local places, people shopping more local. And again, that was happening prior to pre-pandemic, that was a trend anyway. But I think we're still seeing that happen. People stay local, people visiting. Is it the same in Scotland? Are you finding that?Gordon Morrison: Absolutely. And on top of the fact that we're getting more of a sense of place. And I think attraction operators are actually understanding that sense of place a bit better as well. On top of that, the visitors that are coming to see us, our local bread and butter visitors, are spending money, Kelly, they really are spending money. And that is a key lesson that we need to take away from this. Secondary spend in shops and in cafes is considerably up on pre-pandemic levels across the board. Now that's a combination, I think visitors have maybe got a wee bit of disposable income to spend after being stuck in lockdown for a long period of time.Gordon Morrison: Also, they want to spend. They want to get there and spend some money. And indeed, they are having a good experience. And that's probably the crucial point here. Again, looking at the results from a most recent survey, we asked a question about, right, what's happened to your visitor reviews? Are your visitor reviews on Trip Advisor, on Google, whatever platform you use, are they improving? Are they getting worse? And for the majority of the sector, the reviews have actually improved throughout the pandemic. And that is because visitors have had more time, more staff interaction, and a more personalised experience.Gordon Morrison: Now, by having that, more time, more personalised experience, they then are more inclined to spend more. And this is not your rich international visitor. This is not an international visitor who's going to want to take back an expensive souvenir. This is a local domestic visitor, who's coming to your attraction and they are having a really great experience and therefore. They're spending money. And that is the key lesson that I think we have to take. And the key positive that we can take, out of the pandemic, which is that I think attractions have had the opportunity, in the various lockdowns, to take a breath almost, to think about their offering and what they're doing for their visitors.Gordon Morrison: I think, are we doing everything we can do to ensure that our visitors get a great experience? Is the model of cram as many visitors into your attraction as possible, the right model that we want to operate? And it's proven to be throughout the pandemic, that that is not what we should be doing. What we should be doing is providing a high quality experience, which then encourages the visitors that we do have to spend a bit more money with us. And that's where we're going now, that's the direction of travel that we're going in. We're not going to see pre-pandemic levels of visitation for many, many years, possibly ever again.Gordon Morrison: And I've spoken about this before in various meetings that I've attended. If we take somewhere like Edinburgh Castle, as an example, Edinburgh Castle, over 2 million visitors in 2019. If you speak to Historic Environment of Scotland about that. First it was, you're a big success to have that number of visitors. Was it actually great for the castle itself? Was it great for the visitor experience? Certainly not as good as it could be. Therefore, we should be moving more to the model of, it's been spoken about it before, value rather than volume. And that is where we are 100% going. And I think that's going to be really positive for the sector.Gordon Morrison: And also, I think the sector actually now begins to understand what their value is. And the fact that attractions in Scotland and across the UK are actually offering really unique, memorable experiences, really fantastic experiences. And shouldn't be scared, therefore, to charge accordingly for those experiences. And we have seen some of our operators in Scotland have increased the pricing or are delivering a premium version of their standard experience and charging a bit more to do that. And that, to me, is the way that we should be going as a sector and we will continue to go as a sector.Kelly Molson: Yeah, I totally agree. It's weird actually, I gave a talk for Anglia Ruskin University back in summer about that very concept of attractions having less visitors, a more personalised experience that they will pay more money for. So ultimately, less visitors doesn't mean less revenue.Gordon Morrison: Exactly.Kelly Molson: That's exactly where I see the sector going. And that actually leads really nicely onto a new attraction that's opened, that has that mentality. And that's the Johnnie Walker Experience that's just opened, which looks absolutely incredible. And I know that you've been lucky enough to go and visit already, haven't you?Gordon Morrison: Yeah. And it is actually the perfect model, Kelly, for what we've just spoken about there. It's an outstanding visitor experience, it's truly unique and it's personalised to yourself. The way I've talked about it since I've been is that you go in and you're immediately met, firstly with a smiling face, which is always a nice thing to be met with. Although, behind the mask, but still a smiling face. And you're instructed to create your own flavour profile for your best ever Johnnie Walker drink.Gordon Morrison: It's like the Tinder of whiskey. You're swiping left or swiping right on whether you like mango, or whether you like apple, or whatever. And it then creates your ideal flavour profile. You get a wristband that is colour coded. And when you go up to experience the next part of the experience, you present this wristband to a dispenser and it pours for you, your ideal highball, Johnnie Walker highball. It's incredible. I don't know how it works. For all I know just everyone's getting the exact same highball. I don't-Kelly Molson: Ah, but the experience is that it's personalised to you.Gordon Morrison: That's exactly right. And what Johnnie Walker, what Diageo have successfully done with this experience, is they've said, "Right, we're not going to create a high volume, low value experience." They limit the numbers on their tours to a really low level. It's never going feature at the top 10 most visited attractions in Scotland or the UK. It's never going to feature on there because they're limiting the numbers. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind me saying this, unashamedly charging a premium for it. It's 25 quid if you want to take that experience, which in an attraction ticket entry place, is a high price point, it is a high price point to do that. But that is because you're going to get a unique, personalised experience. And of course, they'll chuck it in a high ball as well, which is a nice thing.Kelly Molson: Oh, high praise indeed. I've got to give my friend, my good friend, Kazia, is actually the Brand Home Experience Manager at Johnnie Walker. So I hope that she's listening. She'll be thrilled to hear such fabulous feedback.Gordon Morrison: That is a must visit, Kelly. I'm not just saying that because they're ASVA members. But anyone who gets the opportunity to visit Edinburgh, it's a truly unique experience. And topped off by this incredible rooftop bar that has got the best panoramic views over Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle will argue they have the best panoramic views of the city. But what the Johnnie Walker Princes Street has got, is a view of the castle as well.Kelly Molson: And they haven't got the whiskey, have they? Let's face-Gordon Morrison: That's true. That is true.Kelly Molson: They've not got the whiskey to have up there. I really would like to see where this leads. I would love other attractions adopting this model. So it'll be really interesting to catch up, maybe a year from now and see how attractions have kind of shifted their offer in Scotland, to see if they follow suit in terms of this kind of premium level, better experience, less visitor numbers.Gordon Morrison: I think they're have to, Kelly. That's the interesting thing here is that I still speak to you lot of my members, who are waiting for things to go back to normal. That's how they put it, "I can't wait for things to go back to normal." And my answer to that is that they're not going to go back to normal. There is pre-pandemic times and then there is post-pandemic times or pandemic times, because the pandemic's not going away.Gordon Morrison: We're still going to have COVID-19 for many years to come. And I think that the sector has to embrace this now and say, "Okay. Well, if we are not going to have those pre-pandemic level of visitation, we all have to adapt our experiences." And without doing a shameless plug, but why not? We hosted a conference this year in November and that is a big theme of the conferences, is looking at how you are shaping, how you are creating those memorable experiences in this new normal that we live in. And we'll be really shouting from the rooftops about that.Kelly Molson: Let's talk about the conference. So Scotland's National Tourism Industry Conference, 24th to the 25th of November. This is a culmination really, of all of the support that you've been giving to your members throughout the pandemic anyway. So what's going to be there? Why should people come?Gordon Morrison: Yeah. I mean, firstly, we're absolutely delighted to be hosting it, both in person and online. Again, one of the great things for ASVA actually, throughout the pandemic, Kelly, was that we delivered this host of great workshops online, including some with yourself of course. And it opened us up to a much bigger audience. When we're delivering in person events, we were delighted if we got, say 40 people to attend one of our workshops, maybe 50 people to attend one of our workshops. And I thought, "That's a great turnout, that's really great." And all often from the central belt of Scotland, everyone from Edinburgh or Glasgow. Whereas, when we hosted events online, we opened it up to a much larger audience.Gordon Morrison: And we had our members from Shetlands, from Hebrides, and far flung areas, joining as in taking part in these sessions. So therefore, when it came to the conference this year, we had a clear idea that we wanted to do it in person because we think the sector wants to get by it together. But it also needed that online element as well. So regardless of where you are, and indeed, regardless of whether you're an ASVA member, you can actually attend the conference virtually if you would like to do so. We're also doing it in partnership with other leading associations in Scotland, including the Scottish Tourism Line. So sort of the overarching Tourism Association representing the attraction sector. And we're doing that intentionally, because we want to not just bring attractions together, we want to bring the whole industry, the entirety of the Scottish tourism industry together, as much to celebrate that we've made it this far as anything else.Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's really important to acknowledge that, isn't it? It's been so tough.Gordon Morrison: It's been massively, massively difficult. And we've all had many stresses and strains throughout the pandemic. Not all of us have given birth to a child, of course, Kelly, which is even bigger stress and strain. But about, however, it has been a hugely difficult time. And we want to bring the sector together to just say, "Pat on the back. Well done guys, we have made it through to this level. Now, let's push on. Now, let's push on to the next level."Gordon Morrison: And that is what the theme of the conference really is about. So I'm leading one of the days of the conference and I'm really excited about the part that I'm leading, which is all about delivering memorable experiences as we move into the year of Scotland Stories 2022. Yeah, Scotland has themed years every year. There's a tourism related theme year. So this year we're in the year, of course, of waters, for example. And like I said, next year we move into the year of Scotland Stories, which is a wonderful theme year for visitor attractions, because we're all about storytelling, that's what we're all about-Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's perfect.Gordon Morrison: Yeah, exactly. So, so we are really, every part of the conference has got some link to delivering memorable experiences and delivering great stories. But what we're trying to do, Kelly, is really put it in a, not an airy fairy way at all, as in put it in a commercial way. Say, "Right, this is what delivering a great story will mean for your business. This is how you can actually improve business performance, by delivering these great stories." And we've got a host of wonderful speakers coming along. If you don't mind me saying it, I'm most excited about the fact that we've got the Creative Director from Walt Disney Imagineering joining us, to talk about the galactic star cruise experience that Walt Disney World is introducing next year, which is-Kelly Molson: That's a clever coup, isn't it? You've got that speaker, it's amazing.Gordon Morrison: That's a mind blowing story. They don't even call it storytelling, let's call it a story living experience because you actually go and live on a star cruiser in the Star Wars Universe for two days. Kelly, I'm there. I am there.Kelly Molson: It's blowing your mind, isn't it, Gordon? I can see.Gordon Morrison: Oh my goodness, yeah. But actually referring back to what we spoke about earlier, what's interesting about it is, that's a premium experience, that's about as premium as it gets. They are not ashamed of the fact that they are charging $6,000 for a two night experience, $6,000. And they know that they will get an audience for that.Kelly Molson: Oh yeah.Gordon Morrison: But that's because it is a high quality, truly unique storytelling experience. And those are the lessons that we're looking for, on a smaller scale to take. I'm not saying to our members, "Right, the way you create memorable experiences, have light saber jewels throughout it." As much as love that, I would love that and the Johnnie Walker Princes Street, that'd be fantastic.Gordon Morrison: I think what attractions need to do is think about what their unique stories can be. And then implement those storytelling experiences at their attractions. And they will find that they can charge an appropriate level to their visitors, because visitors will eat these things up. They will want these truly unique, different experiences. And so that's what we're covering at the conference. And it's going to be a wonderful couple of days, it really is.Kelly Molson: It really sounds like it. And I will be there virtually. I'd love to be there in real life next year, definitely. I don't think that tiny person that I gave birth to will be too comfortable with me leaving her for a couple of nights, to head up to Scotland. Thank you for sharing that. I do think that that conference is going to be a real celebration of just like you say, yes, we've absolutely made it. We've made it this far. Now, what can we do to push on and be better? Open better, that's what we need to be driving the message of. And that's absolutely going to do that at that conference. So I'm super excited about it.Gordon Morrison: Thank you.Kelly Molson: We are at the end of our podcast interview. And I always ask our guests for a book recommendation, so something that you love or something that's helped shape your career. Just something that you'd like to share with our listeners.Gordon Morrison: I had a long think about this, Kelly, what I would recommend for a book, I'm an educated man. I'm a historian. I could recommend some really great historical texts and some very worthy books that have helped to educate me and take me to the level that I am today.Kelly Molson: I feel like you're not going that way though.Gordon Morrison: I'm not going to go that way at all, because it's not actually who I am. I am deeply in love, deeply in love with Calvin and Hobbes. I don't know if you've ever read any Calvin and Hobbes before.Kelly Molson: I haven't, no.Gordon Morrison: So for those who don't know, it's a comic strip effectively, a newspaper comic strip from the United States that has been brought into a whole series of different collections that are available in all good book shops. And it's two characters. Calvin is a five-year-old boy and Hobbes is his tiger. And Hobbes is a stuffed tiger, who only comes to life in front of Calvin. And there's a question about whether Hobbes is real and just no one else gets to see him as being real or whether it's all in Calvin's imagination.Gordon Morrison: And Calvin is a wee cynical, hilarious boy, and Hobbes is a much more stoic and measured character. And combined, they have these incredible adventures. And it really is, it's a moral compass thing, that's the only way I can put Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin and Hobbes is a moral compass thing. You can read Calvin and Hobbes and it will set you straight on the path that you need to be going on because they are righteous. They are genuinely righteous. And it's also hilarious. It is one of the most hilarious things you could ever read.Gordon Morrison: But my favourite... I mean, any of them are good, Kelly. Because I know you'll then say, right, here's one that you can look at. I would say that There's Treasure Everywhere is a great compendium. And the last one that was ever produced is called It's A Magical World. And it has the most beautiful end story of any story you can ever want to read. And the last words of it are, "It's a magical world." And I'm actually, I can feel my emotions rising as to talk about it just now. So Calvin and Hobbes, It's A Magical World. I would urge everyone in the world to read it. You'll feel like a million dollars.Kelly Molson: Ah, what an absolutely wonderful book recommendation to end this podcast interview on, that's perfect. As ever, if you want to win a copy of Gordon's book, then head over to our Twitter account, which is Skip The Queue and retweet this episode announcement with the comment, I want Gordon's book. And you could be in with the chance of winning it. I feel all emotional. This is how I feel when I listen to Adele.Gordon Morrison: Oh, oh, you've just ruined it.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Episode 082 of The Adventure Podcast features Chris Dyer, a Crofter/Archaeologist/Historian/Firefighter, who lives on a smallholding on the Shetland Isles off the coast of Northern Scotland. We met Chris while working on a project in the Shetlands for Best Made Co. He moved there from England some time ago and has built a life for himself amongst the once derelict stone walls of Garths Croft, the property he bought and has since renovated. In this episode, Matt talks to Chris about his life on the island, the traditions of the place and why living a quieter, simpler, deliberately harder life might be the way forward.Listen for stories of island life, living in harmony with the land, and escapism.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nach 50 Jahren Ölföderung rufen die Shetlands die grüne Revolution aus. Mit Wasserstoff und Windkraft setzten sie auf eine Energiewende. Die Shetland-Inseln sind für Schottland und das Vereinigte Königreich ein riesiges ‚Kraftwerk‘. Seit 50 Jahren wird dort Erdöl und Gas gefördert. Doch die Ölterminals sollen bald Geschichte sein. Öl- und Gasindustrie sollen auf erneuerbare Energien, zum Beispiel grünen Wasserstoff, umgestellt werden. Die Inseln haben die grüne Revolution ausgerufen. Rund um die Shetlands gibt es die windigsten Plätze Europas – ideal für Windparks auf dem Land und Offshore-Parks. 103 Windräder sollen installiert werden, 150 Meter hoch. Sie sollen Strom für 500.000 Haushalte produzieren. Nicht alle auf der Insel finden die Projekte richtig. Es gibt Widerstand. Die 23.000 Bewohnerinnen und Bewohner sind gespalten, wie sie den Fortschritt bewerten sollen. Ende der 70er Jahre beim Bau der Ölterminals hat die Verwaltung gut verhandelt. Die Einwohner haben vom Umschlag profitiert. Schwimmbäder und Straßen sind deutlich besser als im fernen London. Die Energiewende auf den Shetlands mit seinen Konflikten und wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen lässt sich wie in einem Versuchslabor beobachten.

Interview mit Andreas Glück, Europaparlament FDP, über Klimagipfel: Was muss die EU leisten?; Grüne Revolution auf den Shetlands; Pariser Terrorprozess: Auf die Opfer hören; EU verklagt EU: Parlament gegen Kommission; "Denk‘ ich an Europa" mit dem Politikwissenschaftler Wolfgang Merkel über "Transformation - in und mit Europa"; Moderation: Philipp Anft.

Welcome to the Connected To The Land podcast, sponsored by Peavey Mart. On this latest episode, Ian chats with Lynn McKay of Ewetopia Farms. Lynn was born and raised a "city girl" until her acquisition of a small farm in Alberta in 2000 when she purchased her first Shetland sheep. Since then, she moved to London, Ontario where she became heavily involved in breeding and showing Shetland sheep. As the niche market for Shetlands became saturated, Lynn changed her focus from wool sheep to meat sheep and purchased her first Dorper sheep. She sold these as breeding stock and placed well in the show ring at major events such as Toronto's Royal Winter Agricultural Fair for several years. After another move and a divorce, the Dorpers had to be sold and she only kept a pet-flock of Shetland sheep. However, now Lynn is back in the sheep industry with Suffolk sheep. In 2006, Lynn partnered with Arnie Droogh and in 2010 they purchased their first Suffolks and together established Ewetopia Farms. https://www.youtube.com/c/EwetopiaFarms https://ewetopia.ca/ PEAVEY MART Peavey Mart stores are rooted in the communities we serve and we are ‘connected to the land' in the same way our customers are. Whether you are an urban farmer, backyard chicken aficionado, traditional rancher or anything in between, we offer just the right mix of homesteading, outdoor adventure, DIY, yard and garden, outdoor and work wear, husbandry, livestock and pet supplies. Whether you're a ‘dabbler' or ‘all-in', we are here to help and strive to offer a range of products that will meet the unique needs of our customers. Peavey Mart will always be there with the tools, equipment, indoor or outdoor wares, seed or feed - for everyday work, fun… or ‘connecting to the land' on a whole new level. For more information go to www.peaveymart.com

Case studyThis case study involves me, not because I'm particularly interesting but because I'm lazy. I have been writing books for a quarter of my life now. It is my job. Like most people, I occasionally wonder if I'm doing the right thing with my life. When writer's block strikes and I can't stomach any more tea or toast procrastination, I fantasise about becoming a carpenter, a tree surgeon, an advertising guru or a postman in the Shetlands. They are my usual four. The last time this career-angst happened, I asked myself the three why-how-what questions. This book is the result of my scribbled answers.1. ‘Bearing in mind the spirit of living adventurously, why am I still writing books after so many years doing the same thing?'It makes me think differently.I'm still learning to become a better writer.It's a mental struggle.I can make a positive impact. It is satisfying.I learn a lot.I can walk my own path.2. ‘OK, I'm satisfied with that. I'll hold off applying to Royal Mail for a while. How can I approach my writing to better encompass trying to live adventurously?'Take more risks.Try something new.Write and publish differently.Make the process more exciting.Force deadlines on myself.Work with interesting people.Learn new skills.Teach something.Speed up.Simplify.3. ‘Gadzooks! That list flowed out quickly. Seems I should make some of this happen. What shall I do next that focuses on living – and writing – adventurously?'Ask questions on social media to see if I'm alone in this or if other people are interested in the same stuff.Write a series of articles about living adventurously so that I can figure some stuff out for myself.Experiment with giving them away in an automated email series.Launch the mailing list with only a few articles written, thereby lighting a small fire under my ass to hurry up before the readers catch up with me!Turn it all into the skeleton of a book.Return to self-publishing to give myself complete freedom and responsibility.Knock up a mock front cover of the book. Stick it online and make the book available for sale, promising delivery of the book before the end of the year. Thereby lighting a blooming big rocket beneath my butt to get this written and to make it good enough for paying customers to be happy.The next thing I know, I am in a late-night McDonald's, drinking tea and launching this whole daft idea into the world before I have time to see sense and wimp out.We have lift off.★ Support this podcast ★

Award-winning novelist Ann Cleeves lived many lives before her career as an author took off (R)

The award-winning novelist lived many lives before her career as an author took off