hello! thank you for your kindness and interest in these shetland posts. i think it's important to keep a record, but mostly i think it's important to share. if it were to help another in trip planning, that would be the best thing! and if it were to bring a bit of 'armchair travel' love to someone, that would be excellent too! this post is mostly about the boat trip we took while in shetland, but first a few more things that we saw and did...
and here we are with the darling talented designer of bressay, and one of the shetland trip leaders, gudrun johnston. nicole on the far left (coco knits) has made the dress. kathryn (north road purl) is still working on her's, but was persuaded to put it on for the photo. gudrun is in the middle, then me, and on the far right in her version of a bressay tunic is claire dupont (bouillesdecoton). if you would like to make this, the pattern can be found here: bressay
i love them all! well done everyone!
swimming in the voe of vaila
seen around burrastow house
a pair of newly weds came for their photos
here we are touring the woollen mill of laurence odie (in hoswick). here i've fallen apart in blogging, so many photos to go through, and i've mixed things up. but, nevermind, i thought you might like to see these anyway, out of order as they are...
we did visit the jamieson mill, shetlands only commercial mill, hopefully i'll be able to find those photos to share as well. but today we are at laurence odie, a beautiful mill and shop with one of the most fantastic things i've ever seen a machine do! see the large green machine this young man is working at? he is feeding shetland sweaters (machine knit) through the roller, they would go in flat (ish) and come out fluffed up....
and look! dozens of them! when one wears out a new one replaces it (from the cardboard box below). incredible! amazing!
this was the jumper stretcher steamer puller outer thing. this man would slip a sweater half the size on to this contraption and with carefully executed moves, would work his magic and voila! and perfectly shaped steamed and blocked garment.
maryjane and gudrun having a chat with one of the dedicated volunteers
displays include knitted shetland textiles from the 19th century to the present day (stunning)
wonderful examples of shetland knitting
there is a room for hands on activities. here is beautiful nicole spinning on a beautiful wheel
being here in this 18th century fishing bod (house) in gremista, lerwick was an experience i'll never forget
i think we all did a little of this at the end of each incredibly full day. a little time to reflect at the wonder of it all.
~ on the boat ~
seen in lerwick
now we are all (almost all of us) going on an adventure cruise! we are going to bressay (yes! like the dress) and noss. noss is a national nature reserve with famous seabird cliffs, SO so exciting!
after our orientation, we headed out
we are on the dunter 3
our first sighting! a grey seal
many grey seals!
the first mate threw them a few fishes so we had quite a show!
at one point we made a stop for coffee and biscuits! it was cold and a bit rainy out
so this was a lovely treat!
soon we arrived at noss, where puffins were nesting!
we all ran outside (inside the saloon was heated and cozy) into the rain to better see. maryjane, claire and i climbed onto the top deck for a better look. i like this photo only because it included the shetland flag! oh and hey! my shwook hat!
here is a handy table map inside the boat
kathryn is enjoying a ginger biscuit from our crew member
a handy bird list
meanwhile, outside...
there they are!! see the two puffin?!
the boat could not get any closer and we were moving around alot, so photos were difficult. but on these rocky cliffs were many many puffins!
and black guillemots
and one of the most incredible nature spectacles i've ever ever seen. on these sandstone cliffs up to 592 feet high (181 m) are a honeycomb of nesting ledges, and around 20,000 gannets
incredible
the sight and sounds of these migrating seabirds was astounding. we stood out in the misty rain, trying to capture some of the magic, whilst also trying to keep our cameras safe. and being completely awed.
here you can see the chicks, gannets nest just far enough apart from each other to avoid being poked by their neighbors sharp beak
i was especially moved because chuck and i made a trip to see the gannets, off the coast of south africa, in lambert's bay. these are the same birds. can you imagine their journey?
linnea and liz keeping dry (and isn't linnea's valenzi cardi gorgeous!)
kittiwake
we watched the kittiwakes fishing, right off the stern of our boat!
maryjane and gundruns dad
bressay lighthouse
one of the stevenson's lighthouses!
back to lerwick
thank you very much crew and gudrun's dad and the dunter 3!
thank you for reading, xxx lori
wow
ReplyDeleteit is!
DeleteHello Lori,
ReplyDeleteYes, this is armchair travelling at its best!
Shetland is a place of great mystery and intrigue to us as we have never been. So, we have enjoyed the next best thing, travelling along with you. The factories are so fascinating and the end results so attractive. You look to have had the most wonderful of times and, now, so have we!
thank you very much jane and lance,
Deletei'm so glad to know you've enjoyed reading about shetland! i think it's remote location makes it more difficult to get to. it is really worth the extra traveling involved though, shetland is one of the most astounding places i've ever been. i really love armchair traveling too, how fortunate we are to be living in a time of internet and blogging!
Your photos are amazing Lori …… thank you!!!!!!
ReplyDeletexxxxxx Ale
you are so sweet! thank you ale! xxx
Deletewhat a nice trip, thanks for sharing and making me dream ...
ReplyDeleteyou are very welcome, i'm so glad you've enjoyed!
DeleteOh my, wonderful things in this post! I love your hat! Oh and the seals! Thanks so much for posting!!
ReplyDeletethank you so much! you should make the hat, the pattern is available on raverly right now!
DeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeletethank you kim!
Deletewaw ! What an interresting and very beautiful place ! And great pictures!
ReplyDeletethank you very much! i'm so glad you've enjoyed!
DeleteSuch beautiful pictures, look at those seals.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this is all so close to me and yet I haven't been!
thank you sammi,
Deletei've heard that a lot from english and european friends. shetland is close (kind of) and at the same time, so far away..i hope you make it there someday!
i could sort of feel the sea breeze and misty rain...beautiful photos. Thank you so much for sharing!!!! Loved the photos of the puffins from the water....we never got that view. I lOVED it!!!
ReplyDeletethank you steph! the little puffins on the cliffs were so cute, and so many. i hope you will go back someday, i know i want to!
DeleteLoving every single photo, all the words and stories from your trip, Lori! Wonderful :) xo
ReplyDeletethank you dear leigh , it's a lot of fun to share and i'm so glad you are enjoying xo :)
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your adventures with us! Those gannets on the feathery-shaped rocks – amazing.
ReplyDeletethank you sylvia. i agree, gannets are amazing!
Deleteoh I love these posts Lori, your pictures are wonderful, I can almost smell the sea. LOVE that brown turtleneck smocky sweater - it's amazing. and everyone's "bressay" sweaters - just gorgeous. I can't wait until your next adventure!
ReplyDeletethanks so much mim. that sweater was made by gudrun's mother. an emotional and lovely discovery on our adventure. so sweet.
DeleteLOVE the Viking ship - they are so well crafted and beautiful. It's truly amazing looking at your images that they are keeping an age old tradition alive and in business today- it gives me hope that there is room in the world for a "high touch" business too and not just "high tech".
ReplyDeleteLovely all of it :)
i loved it too camilla. i wished so much that i could have popped over to norway, it was so close. another trip. :) thank you
DeleteThnak you so much for this great post !
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see them from here, were is still hot :)
I must say I'm liiiiiitlle jelause :)
oh lovely! so glad you've enjoyed, i hope you'll go someday, and at the moment i hope you have cooler weather!
DeleteBreath taking! This place is now on my list! Just lovely. I better get knitting!
ReplyDeletethank you!
DeleteLori, these photographs are spectacular. Your Shetland posts also really show the care taken by Gudrun and Maryjane in their planning of the tour.
ReplyDeleteOf course, all the wool and knitting details are of huge interest to me, but seeing the natural beauty of the coast line, the seals, the birds...well, that just adds so much magic and wonder. I am lost for words to describe how glad I am that you and your cameras took this journey.
(I do hope to be able to join a future tour.)
xo
thank you dear frances. i hope we are on that tour together!
DeleteOh it looks amazing and you are a fantastic virtual tour guide! I've been reading the Outlander books so I have felt like I've been in Scotland in 1754 with the castles and the stories of the seals and to see it all how you experienced it is just so exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteit felt like being in an 18 century novel, amazing!
Deleteamazing story! pleasure to follow your blog!
ReplyDeletethank you :)
DeleteAn incredible journey. Glorious pics!
ReplyDeleteThe spiky plant is a teasel.
that was the word i heard! thank you! amended!
Deletethank you for such kind words!
Lori thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. What a wonderful trip of a lifetime!
ReplyDeleteaw thank you so much, i appreciate your comment very much!
Deleteoh so wonderful! your trip has inspired me, I have asked to be put on notification for the next trip. I have also warned my husband ;).
ReplyDeleteis that a canon ae1 slr in the last photo? I have my old one still is why I ask...
also, did you guys speak before the trip to knit the bressays?
i also see a watercolor painting waiting to be tried of the gannets and those cliffs they were on!
how exciting! you will LOVE it.
Deletethe camera is a pentax super ME. i do have an ae1 also (didn't come on this trip though), such a great camera! we did plan on knitting the bressay pattern beforehand, we had a kind of informal kal. gundrun and maryjane had set up a thread on raverly for discussing our pretrip plans/knits.
i hope you'll share your gannet painting!
You make me want to go back. Lerwick was the highlight of our seven weeks in Britain. I miss it so. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteoh thank you for your comment, i'm so happy to know this post brought back such good memories for you. lerwick was an amazing city, one i hope to return to someday too.
DeleteWonderful post, Lori....I just love reading about your trip to Shetland and seeing your fascinating pictures. I haven't been to Shetland, but would love to go there now. Love the knitwear you are all wearing in these pictures too...makes me want to get my needles out!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend.
Helen xox
thank you so much helen!
Deletethank you for sharing some of your wonderful adventure lori.
ReplyDeletememories to last a lifetime.
happy long weekend.
thank you deb, yes, a lifetime!
DeleteSo happy to revisit such happy times (and to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sights I missed on the boat).
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori. I never want these posts to end (much like the trip).
xoxo
aw, xxx, i know just how you feel nicole. i sometimes can't believe it's already now a month past. we'll just keep reliving, thank goodness for pictures and of course memories!
DeleteDitto what Nicole said. You are amazing. Keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteLove, Kathy
okay, for you! ;) xxx
DeleteSimply amazing! and the birdies! I really liked all the birdies ;)
ReplyDeleteit's nirvana for birds, a migratory pit stop paradise, you would love it! (thank you)
DeleteOh Lori, I always rely on you for a good "armchair travel" fix, and this post does not disappoint! What's not to love: the yokes, the puffins, the shots of the village, the seals! The seals, now really, you must enter that photo in a competition! Thank you!
ReplyDeletethank you lovely jo. and i've just sent a snail mail thank you as well. cof band is on continuous play, LOVE.
DeleteJust sitting here smiling, enjoying every word & photo. I love how well your Bressays match the landscape.
ReplyDeletethank you so much gale, so happy you've enjoyed. it's so interesting the way shetland fair isle is influenced by the surrounding countryside.
DeleteAll of those birds nesting in one place would be an amazing sight. Wow! I know you enjoyed every second of your journey. So much to see and do. When I got home from the States, the first thing I did was break all my photos up into all the towns and sights we saw and placed them in e-folders. That way, they were all in order and easy to locate when I want to post to my blog. It's the first time I have ever done it that way and boy does it make the job of keeping my thoughts in order easy. :) Have a great weekend. Tammy
ReplyDeletethank you tammy, i appreciate your helpful comment. the problem i have is photos coming from many sources, iphone, film, 2 digital cameras, photos from friends on the trip. after i had made a post film was developed (out of order). need to simplify!
Deletepics out of order or in order....they are wonderful. I am so appreciative of being able to "be" on this voyage w/ you. Mary in Cincinnati OH
ReplyDelete:) thank you mary! so glad you've enjoyed!
DeleteI just caught up on all your Shetland posts and it seems just amazing!
ReplyDeletethank you inge! it really was, just the combination of everything, the place, friends, our lovely excellent tour leaders!
DeleteWow! xxx
ReplyDeletethanks!
DeleteWell, I am truly grateful that you have shared your Shetland images and memories with us. I am now really toying with the idea of going there myself one day, but if I will not be able to do so, I have at least enjoyed these posts immensely. Thank you!
ReplyDeletethank you so much irene, i'm really glad you've enjoyed. i am sure you would love shetland! i do hope you and your husband go someday. and you must stay at burrastow house too. :)
Deleteamazing journey and images.......two questions:
ReplyDelete1) what was the beverage? (doesn't look like scotch :))
2) swimming?? how cold was that water?!?
thank you amanda. it was wine (from south africa), though there was whisky on occasion ;)
Deleteit was cold in the north atlantic, really cold! but the temperature was warm the day we arrived and jumping in the water is kind of a necessity. :) (we didn't stay in long).
WOW !!.. What stunning pics. Just beautiful
ReplyDeletethank you so much!
DeleteBeautifull, my dream !
ReplyDeleteOne day, i do that, i'm sure.
Thanks for the pleasure
Muriel
Ahhh, sweet Lori, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful trip! I came so close to joining, but had to back out when 'life as we know it', presented too many conflicts. I'm so happy to tag along vicariously with all you lovely ladies, and I love that you've shared so many of your wonderful photos --- keep 'em coming! ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeletehow lovely this all is! stunning pictures, stunning knits (wow!), the puffins, the bird with fish in mouth, beautiful!!! So happy you had this most wonderful trip!
ReplyDeleteLori, Again, thank you for sharing your trip, stunning photos. So glad you had a great time. xoxo
ReplyDeleteWow Lori. Just Wow. Those gannet photos are just stunning. I'm assuming you were using a zoom lens? What an amazing trip. Can I also ask -- is this a trip that Gudrun or Mary Jane (or someone) offer each year? Or did a group of you just get together and organize it? Thank you SO much for sharing all your pictures -- I've loved reading every little bit!
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