Island Travel Nurse

Another glorious day on Fair Isle. Where? Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland. Situated in the Northern Atlantic, between Great Britain, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, it is the northernmost part of Scotland and the UK. And 24 miles from Shetland Mainland lies Britain's most remote inhabited island — Fair Isle.

 She thinks my tractor's sexy.  Lots of grass to cut. The sheep have a head start. Sarah and Skyelark meeting the plane that we were supposed to take last week-finally got weather clearence Walking Skyelark down by The South Lighthouse Sarah bought me this hand-made tartan mask made by a local resident

Where Scotland meets Scandinavia and the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, lies the Shetland Archipelago...  We will soon be off on our Adventure-back to Fair Isle. Here is a look back at our first trip : Fair Isle, Shetlands  UK Britain's most remote inhabited island. We flew in this morning (December 2020). It feels like we are walking into a painting. Think Norway meets Hawaiian islands and Father Time and Mother Nature have a field day.   No man is an island, as John Donne wrote, but, north of the border, you can live on one. Scotland's. The Shetland's is good like that, with 15 inhabited ones to choose from. We are here in Fair Isle. Britian's most remote one. It feels like we are moving through paintings as the ever changing weather lights the landscape in unique and splendid ways. Thanks to the popularity of the TV Series Shetland, we have had  it on our radar as places to visit this year.   Of all the 115 islands  in the archipelago,...

  Over the years a variety of people have written about the origins of Shetland Sheep. Like the equally well known Shetland Pony it's origins are discussed at length. However, in the case of the pony, it is easier to spot the genuine article unlike the sheep which can be cross bred. THE SHETLAND is the smallest of the British breeds, found mostly in the Shetland Islands. It is believed to be of Scandinavian origin, most probably brought to these shores by the Vikings, who settled here over a thousand years ago. They may have inter-bred with primitive sheep already in the islands. This cannot be proved, but they retain many characteristics of the wild sheep. They are small bodied animals with a distinctive face and nose, bright eyes, small erect ears and usually wool on the forehead. The legs are fine and of medium length. A distinguishing feature is the tail being fluke shaped, broad at the base and tapering to the point. Rams have nice round horns while ewes are horn-less. ...

Shetland sheep are a solid and hardy breed of sheep from the Shetland Islands. The extreme weather conditions  today reminds me how amazingly adaptable they are to their environment.  The rough grazing on  Fair Isle has resulted in the breed being super resilient.  They can be kept outside year round, without the need for winter housing. The wool of Shetland sheep is highly prized. It is, perhaps most famously, used to make Fair Isle sweaters.  

Undiscovered Scotland Past Malcom's Head, today's fantastic walk takes in some of the best coastal scenery and features on Fair Isle., and Winter adds to the lighting  and texture.  Fair Isle is an island of two distinct parts. The northern two thirds is set for  grazing, open moorland, hills and sea cliffs that stand tall in open defiance to the battering sea and brutal weather conditions. The southern part is allocated for croft land (Sheep) and is home to most of the islanders. I'm down South this day, near our home. In fact the video above is our backyard views! Why are there no trees on this island?  At first, with such strong winds, one might believe that weather plays a part. The real reasons for the lack of trees are to do with clearance for firewood and the presence of sheep, which have prevented natural regeneration. The peat that's still burned in some parts of the highlands is the remnants of the forest that once covered the land. No man is an island, as ...

Far Out Yet Still Close   No man is an island, as John Donne wrote, but, north of the border, you can live on one. Scotland's. The Shetland's is good like that, with 15 inhabited ones to choose from. We are here in Fair Isle. Britian's most remote one. Thanks to the popularity of the TV Series Shetland, we have had  it on our radar as places to visit this year.  Of all the 115 islands  in the archipelago,  just a few- 15- are inhabited ones. We are going to Britain's most remote island, Fair Isle.  First, Sarah and I fly into  in Lerwick, Sh etland's mainland via Edinburgh, Scotland.  Next, we get a PCR test for Covid (Think Positive Test Negative). Then, we  follow-on to  Fair Isle,  population 55, now 57!  What a place to self-isolate during the global pandemic! At first I thought Fair Isle was- the Faroe Islands (That's Danish and in the sub Arctic Circle). The Shetland Isles are located in the North Atlantic, Clos...