THE BONHOGA Gallery is hosting a wedding exhibition with pieces from some of the country’s leading craft makers which opens tonight and runs until 16th November.

The range of work that could be included in a wedding exhibition is endless, so to give the show a framework Shetland Arts curator Mary Smith took the rhyme “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” as the exhibition theme. The work of 70 craft makes will be on show.

The “old” wedding features a dress, specially created by Barbara Ridland, with jewellery and wedding accessories, a contemporary take on the traditional and …

Giving Mazda the boot

HERE’S a pretty thing. Mazda has announced it is to bring out a fully revised four-door saloon version of the excellent Mazda3 hatchback. The first pictures suggest it’s a gorgeous little car with an expressive front end, a sporty tail and the elegant and air-slippery roof line of a “proper” car. It’s almost too desirable for words.

It’ll be seen in the flesh for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a month’s time so there aren’t many details yet available.

However we’re told it’s sporty, refined, economical and quiet. They would say …

25 YEARS AGO

A school of forty pilot whales came aground and was stranded on the beach at the head of Urafirth early on Wednesday morning. Local people, police and the staff from the NCC struggled for two hours to get eight of the whales back into the water but by that time the rest had died.

Dr Mike Richardson of the Nature Conservancy Council said he thought the school had probably come into the firth to escape from the high winds and rough seas on Tuesday night. As the firth shelves gently up to the beach, said Dr Richardson, …

THERE is no knowing what the media will ever find to be interesting. In recent weeks my time has been taken up dealing with a fairly wide range of different issues ranging from the operations of Post Office to seafarers’ taxation arrangements, especially as they affect people working in the North Sea with a whole variety of issues in between.

The issue that seems to have caught the imagination of the media, however, is the future of Skullsplitter, Orkney Brewery’s high strength beer the future of which is under threat from the Portman Group.

In fact, it is not the …

No more shared head

THE ARRANGEMENT whereby the Mid Yell School and the Cullivoe School shared a head teacher is to end, as The Shetland Times reported last week. Throughout Yell there is a great sense of relief that this vexed issue has been resolved.

When it was set up the agreement was that if either school community became unhappy with sharing management then it would end and, clearly, this point had been reached. Community councillor and parent Ann Smiles, who has campaigned vigorously for single heads, said: “It is a victory for common sense and I am delighted by …

Harbour news

THE STORMY weather of last week brought vessels in to shelter in Scalloway harbour and was responsible for a substantial reduction in line-caught mackerel landings.

Regular visitor the Anglian Sovereign arrived on Monday for shelter, as did the Faroese freight coaster Sirius, which returned to harbour again on Tuesday. The Kristiansund-registered fish carrier Gripfisk called in for shelter and a crew change on Tuesday, departing again before encountering technical difficulties with a pump on Thursday and returning to port to allow repairs. The offshore standby vessel Grampian Conquest also called in midweek. Freight coaster Fame returned to Scalloway …

JUST now and again a woman needs a new winter coat. Having recently acquired a tomato red wool mini skirt in a Boden sale, I decided that my new coat had to be black, slightly fitted, knee length, and with a collar that could button up right to the chin. The problem was where to find just such a coat? Much to my delight, my dream garment walked into the room during my late September stay with Lily, the Supreme Illustrator. My goddaughter Lydia was wearing it, and looked stunning in it.

There was just enough time to rush up …

THERE were a lot of birds around the North Isles last week. Let’s start with the more unusual buntings – a little bunting put in an appearance at Sandwick, Whalsay, on the 7th, a reed bunting was in the same island next day and a Lapland bunting was found feeding in a ditch at Lambaness, Unst, last Friday.

An adult bluethroat showed well at Norwick early last week, while a red-breasted flycatcher was located in Whalsay on the 8th. Hawfinches are always good birds to catch up with; one put in an appearance at Baltasound on the 9th. A few …

DURING the breeding season, it became clear that many of Shetland’s seabirds were having poor breeding success. In the recent edition of the Shetland Bird Club newsletter Martin Heubeck, chairman of the club and SOTEAG ornithologist, produced a report which compiles and analyses data and observations on breeding seabirds from around Shetland.

In general, breeding success was patchy, both between species and in comparing different areas. However, low food availability in May and June led to late egg laying, a rela­tively high incidence of non-breeding pairs and low hatching success. Although conditions impro­ved a little by early July, the increase …

AT ORKNEY Marine Aquarium in South Ronaldsay Alan Jackson is a man with a passion. Don’t let the jungle of huts, sheds and vehicles which greets you as you turn in at the entrance fool you. This is not a ragbag operation but serious marine conservation. The weird and wonderful creatures to be found in the big tanks inside are a wonderful surprise and Alan and partner Cindy know far more about them than the average marine aquarium attendant. These animals are part of the family. The individuals have often been in the tanks for several years, a tribute in …