Sunday, August 10, 2014

shetland - arrival


'do not worry about the fog' these words were coming from my kind (but inebriated) seatmate on the tiny aircraft scheduled to take off for sumburgh airport, shetland islands. 'we'll be diverted to norway if it gets too bad!'

luckily, i missed no flights or connections on my travels to the edge of the world. (i did suffer my share of not so good luck though, completely my own fault, more on that later). i'd already spent a couple of days in edinburgh, before jumping on the flight north (still need to share that city adventure too). we made it to shetland, without any mishaps or any detours to norway.  :)

mary jane and gudrun were there to pick us up, kathy cadigan and paula butzi and i had all taken the same flight from edinburgh. we drove straight to sumburgh lighthouse, and within an hour of taking our first steps on the island, we saw puffins.







the puffins live in little burrows, you can just make out here. i see two, can you see them? looking from above is maryjane, kathy, gudrun and paula.


there are three in this photo, one is just popping up from his burrow.


if i could, i would have stayed here all day and the next day too. i know now why puffins are so loved, they are every bit as charming and adorable as their portraits show. the way they tilt their little heads (they are much smaller than i'd thought!) and waddle around. and when they fly! it's hilarious, their wings beat madly and all the while their orange feet hang down. what a grand start to this adventure...


driving to burrastow house, where we'll be staying the week. everywhere in shetland is a picture postcard.
too beautiful for words and definitely for my camera.



our home for the next nine days
in Walls, Shetland, built in 1759




my bedroom window. from here i could see...the water, the isle of vaila,
arctic terns, lambs, shetland ponies, bunnies. i know i am writing,
but honestly there are no words. it was a fairytale come true...
i could not wait to explore more...

soon after this photo, several of us donned our swimsuits and dove in the the voe of vaila (the water between the islands). it was cold, but really had to be done. :)



there is so much to share, i still don't know where to begin, our group was extraordinary, so lovely, really so talented and beautiful and kind and inspiring! and fun! each and everyone. and then there were the friends i'd come to know previously online (hello claire, nicole, kathy. truly gorgeous women inside and out). i did fill my journal, though that was difficult to find time for, we did wear our bressays! and  i think its safe to say we all experienced SO MUCH, and for me, so much more than i ever dreamed. at the risk of sounding overboard, i had one of the best times of my life. thanking the most lovely (adorable) tour leaders ever, gudrun johnston and maryjane mucklestone, you were outstanding, i really did not want it to end.
next post, jamieson & smith and the Böd of Gremista and Shetland Textile Working Museum 


photo courtesy of gudrun/instagram

thank you for coming along!
xxx lori

55 comments:

  1. Sounds fabulous. I followed Gudrun on Instragram to live vicariously! A knitter's holiday, what could be better?

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  2. Oh how wonderful, I love the Scottish Isles and ever since moving to Britain and marrying an English man, it is one of our favourite favourite places to go on holiday - lucky lucky youxx Can't wait to see more photos and hear more stories :)

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  3. these photos bring back such wonderful memories.....isn't that one of the best things about travel? you can relive extraordinary times over and over and over!!!! can't wait for the next installment!

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  4. Goodness your photos are breathtaking. It looks amazing, and that lovely home you stayed in, wow! Can't wait to hear and see more. xo

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    1. you are so sweet, thank you so much kim. yes! burrastow!!

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  5. I want to GO!!! so lovely the landscape the sheep the coast. Puffins are my favorite bird- looks like you had the most amazing time.
    Beautiful ...all.
    xo

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    1. i hope you will someday camilla, you will LOVE it, i'm sure it will remind you of your beloved norway! thank you!

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  6. I can see why you fell in love with the landscape ..so beautiful .. like something from a 19th century novel.
    Can't wait to see more photos and maybe a peek in your journal...please??

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  7. More more more! (please). It looks so beautiful, and the light is really interesting.

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  8. Really, truly, simply beautiful!

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  9. Dear Lori, thank YOU for taking us along - what a magical place!
    And thos puffins!! They are adorable :-).
    I can't wait until your next post.

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    1. dear irene, thank you friend! yes, those puffins!! so happy to have seen them!

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  10. looks like such a magical place! i have a friend moving to Edinburgh soon, i'm definitely planning to use it as an excuse to travel up north a bit :)

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    1. oh my goodness i loved edinburgh too, still need to share that part of my trip!

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  11. Beautiful pictures, Lori! My best friend is obsessed with puffins, so I've just sent her the link to this :)

    Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Xxx

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    1. puffins are so adorable, i can see why they have such a following!

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  12. Lori, those puffins are real performers! I particularly like the photo showing that little puffin's head just emerging from its sheltering pace. Adorable.

    The Shetland landscape that you are beginning to show us in this post is as magnificent as I would dream it to be. I am so looking forward to see all the pictures you are going to be sharing with us. As always, your commentary has that special Lori touch, too. xo

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    1. oh frances, i really loved seeing the puffins. someday i hope to go back and spend lots more time with them. many more photos and memories to share!

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  13. O wow, Lori! I am so happy to hear you had the time of your life, seeing your beautiful photos here I can see why (I just love seeing all the happy faces in the last group shot). And yet, I know that photos and words can only express so much of how a trip like this, the shared experiences between friends (old and new), really moves and changes us. So many new memories to treasure, how wonderful for you! xoxo

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    1. it's all so true leigh, sharing here is just a glimpse of all that happened. but i do want to try to give an idea of the adventure and fantastic memories.

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  14. Lori, indeed it was a most magical time and having you as a member of our "suite" made it even more so. Your photos are magnificent (can't wait to see more) and your blog articles are inspired.

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    1. so happy we were suite mates, i couldn't have gotten luckier! thank you for such kind words.

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  15. Oh Lori, what a fairytale! I adore the landscape, seen through your lens! The nordic landscape has a special glow that you do not find anywhere else! The colours are so beautiful. The little birds are really cute, thanks ffor sharing so much about them, I didn't know before!
    I am glad you're back, and that you had such a wonderful time!

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    1. thank you so much karin-ida, i appreciate your comment, it's so true everything you've said, it was like a fairy tale and the glow of arctic tundra. incredible!

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  16. I am so happy to take part of your trip. it would be fun to get to know the context in which you made the trip.

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    1. it was about wool, but as i suspected it was about so much more.

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  17. I love seeing your adventure! What fun. Can hardly wait for the next installment. Thank you for sharing.

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  18. I can't believe how gorgeous it is, so peaceful looking and lovely. can't wait to hear and see more of your adventures

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  19. Cricky, and not a shred of fog in sight!!! You are right, THE best holiday ever. Those puffins are a hoot. Awaiting the rest of the journey. Thank you.

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    1. we really did get amazing weather, lots of sun, some rain (a little) and mist and a tiny bit of fog, really it was just perfect. thank you susan for your comment, more on the way!

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  20. Sounds like you had an amazing time Lori - so glad you liked it. Your pictures are stunning, those puffins are adorable!!! swimming...in that cold water - bravo!!!
    Looking forward to the next shetland post.

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    1. it had to be done emma! we didn't stay in long, but a few of us braved the voe of vaila! thank you so much for your kind words, they are much appreciated.

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  21. What a beautiful island and lovely house you stayed at. It must have been so much fun being there with all those ladies. And the puffins.....they look so sweet :-)!


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    1. it was very much madelief, missing all of our group and the beautiful shetland isles.

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  22. Oh I am swooning over the pictures. It looks like a trip of a lifetime!

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  23. Wow. I'm so happy for you that it exceeded all your expectations -- that's the way a long awaited trip should be! And how lucky to see so many puffins so soon! When we went to Iceland we were told they're mostly out to sea by July so chances of seeing them after June would be slim. We went early on purpose and had to try REALLY hard to finally find a few! Your pictures are gorgeous!!!

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    1. thank you so much! how lucky are we to see those magical charming birds?!

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  24. How wonderful Lori... I am happy that you had such a wonderful adventure and can't wait to read the rest. xxx

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  25. What a lovely trip! I admire the nature, the house is beautiful and all the ladies seem to be so kind. I would like to be there.

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    1. you are right, it was all lovely, the setting, the ladies, everything. i'm sure you would have loved it, i hope to return someday.

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  26. Oh Lori, you captured the beauty of Shetland so marvelously. I feel so privileged to have shared this incredible experience with you and all the ltp's. xoxo

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    1. oh dear nicole, me too! i feel even more blessed now that our adventure is done and we were able to meet. it was incredible, you are so right. still so much to share, i'm really loving it, gives the chance to relive it all. :) xxx

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  27. I've been loving your Scottish posts! Looking forward to the Edinburgh one (which I hope you'll be sharing too)! x

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xoxo lori