25th. February

I lost yesterday's blog and came back today to write it again only to find it waiting for me. C'est la vie as the Russians say.
Today two men arrived to put hand rails up here and there. They removed a seat and an old rail from the shower and put in two new rails. When I told them about problems with the door they replaced the lock and gave me three new keys. All very quick and cheerful. They even asked how the new house was getting on. The trouble is I know all the Shetlanders know what is going on but do not know who is related to who. One or other of them probably had relatives on Fetlar.
Today the wind has risen and the sea is splashing up the cliffs on the far side of the bay.
The TV dish has been trembling in the wind for weeks and has given up the ghost. We have to use iplayer on the computer.
The ponies were looking happy contented and safe but the other day they made a break for freedom and are now in someone elses land. Janet phoned them last night to let them know but got no answer on the phone.
She will get the builders to have a longer tea break today so they can round them up and put them back where they belong. The ground is still very wet. I see on the news that the Thames, Severn and other southern rivers have had a lot of flooding. People have had to leave their homes and there have been extensive power cuts.
I wonder how many of them will have hose-pipe bans in the summer. That will probably be Kent again I suppose.
We have to organise the telescope(s) for next week. I want a volunteer to go into my loft and get mine out. The other is a 12" Dobsonian and is waiting in our new house for someone to use it.
I wonder whether I will be able to use it in the summer to look at birds on Papil Water and to use my camera to take photographs through it. Another thing to experiment with. The telescope in the loft is a 10" reflector and needs putting together when we have got it together.
I may have a meeting on Friday to give local people a chance to play with them both.
I ordered more wine a couple of days ago so I am waiting for a large box to be delivered now.
It's all part of life in a quiet island.