Day 31–*OUR* future sailing boat…

So I have noticed that my husband so gracefully referred to the boat we will get in the future as *his*. I would like to make a clarification of this. It will be *ours*.  

On that note, I am just as excited as he is for the boat! We will take sailing lessons as soon as we move to Shetland and build up our skills as much as possible. I would LOVE one day to sail to the Azores or any crazy far away destinations just like Will’s dad, Jim, and Becky do. Even just to go on trips around the Scottish islands would be amazing!

A huge fear Will had last year on my first trip to Scotland was if I would have seasickness. Well luckily, I don’t! We learned this while on a 30 hour ferry ride in the North Sea during a galeforce storm in 10 metre waves! Ya I think me surviving that means I can handle being on a boat!! Not only did I not get sick on the ferry I was also having fun walking back and forth and jumping in the boat as it crashed into the waves.

So yes this is my simple post for today….just a little clarification. One day we hope to write our blog from OUR very own sailboat docked in some crazy harbour in a remote part on a tiny island!

- Michelle

Day 30–My future sailing boat?

One of my greatest personal dreams when I move over to Scotland is to own a sailboat. Ya, every guy’s dream, right? Doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be mine. My father owns one called Rona and he treats it like it is his castle, well because it kinda is. He lives in it with his wife Becky. They both own houses outside of Edinburgh but they are having a fantastic time living on their yacht. And their adventures are simply  spectacular, the latest of which was to the Azores and back from Shetland (look it up!). I simply cannot believe that they went for so long, sailing in the Ocean on four hour shifts for literally weeks down. The physical and emotional strain must have been tremendous. My boat (possibly named GingyBoat, a joke with my newer friends) will not do such trips for many, many years, if at all. Sailing can be a lot of fun but it is not without its need for focus, attention to safety and vast knowledge of sailing. This neither comes lightly or quickly and will require years of sailing experience for me to be able to even think of doing a trip like the one my father and Becky did. And lets not forget the money I will need to not only buy the boat, I need to be able to maintain and pay for docking her. This certainly is not a cheep dream by any means!

*Sign*

- Will

Day 29–Toes in the sand

If you know me this topic is so obvious and natural to my personality. I have a real love for beaches, sand, oceans and swimming. So it is only natural for me to look up resorts and beaches that we would be able to vacation at when living in Shetland without paying an arm and a leg.

Living in Canada there are only a select few countries that offer the all-inclusive option at resorts and they are so overpriced, crowded and cookie-cutter. To name a few there is Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica. Then there are the higher-end resorts on islands like Aruba, St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos. These resorts definitely are a dream to visit but cost more for a two weeks stay for two people than we make in a month. To travel outside the resorts in these countries tourists are heavily warned of the conditions of poverty and it is recommended to never leave the resort grounds during your stay.

So I began my search on Expedia.co.uk for resorts in Europe to visit. I was astounded at what my search turned up. First though is to mention that I looked up vacation packages from Glasgow International Airport. Shetland to Glasgow flights would cost us on the high end about £150 for the two of us round trip.

Now to my results I found for resorts. Again I started by picking locales that I figured would cost about the same as Aruba or St. Lucia (read: outside our budget). Greece for example. Well my simple search for a vacation in May to Greece turned up these results: One week all-inclusive at a resort in Crete, Greece would cost all of £440 per person including flights!!! (to give a bit of comparison to “cheap” resorts in Cuba or Jamaica, they would cost around £1050 per person)

So to push my luck I searched more on these criteria: one week all-inclusive, four-star resort, flights included. This is the result of several destinations…

- Algarve, Portugal: £420 per person

- Bodrum, Turkey: £398 per person

- Costa Del Sol, Spain: £432 per person

- Malta: £492 per person

Doing my research and looking into different places to go I think this will add to our experience of living in Shetland immensely. Besides the amazing prices it is also the experience in these countries, I can only imagine the great day trips we can take in places like Greece and Turkey! There is so much history and the countries are tourist destinations in and of themselves even without the resorts.

After all the summer daytime highs in Lerwick average about 13-14 degrees everyday. Who wouldn’t want to jet away to Portugal or Greece to soak up some vitamin D?? Especially at these prices I better start stocking up on bikinis and sunblock!

- Michelle

Day 28–Audience

This is cool. Really cool. Extremely cool. Well at least a novice blogger like me thinks so. I know so little about the blogging world and I basically just jumped face first into it, typing away about whatever crap fills my little head so long as it was along the path of getting to Shetland. And I do know that some of it is crap, boring crap, smelly even and to those who agree with me, I do apologize. A millions question started to emerge when I started this such as Would I really be able to keep this up day after day after day? or Who the hell would really read this other than my wife and I many, many years from now with glasses of scotch in our hands both laughing and being red from embarrassment at what we wrote. Ok, I said a million, but those two are the only ones I can think of right now. But you get the idea. Our main purpose was to simply create a sort of chronological history of our thoughts as we entertained such a ridiculous idea as uprooting and moving to a place we had both only ever been to once. One day I think it would be a really great idea to print this and make a book and I’m sure it would make a really BIG book when its all said and done.

So today I was screwing around on the blogger site I am on and stumbled across something called “stats”. Hmmmm, I thought to myself. Perhaps this is if I want to get somewhere quicker….you know….”go to this page, click me stat!”. But no! I was mislead! It brought me to a magical place of viewer information, where not only could I see how many people had visited our blog but from where. That in itself was pretty cool but when I started looking closer I realized something a little cool and scary at the same time. Firstly, 369 people have viewed our little blog. And that’s just in Canada! 9 people in the USA, 3 in Germany, and 1 in the Netherlands!!!! Like I said, for a novice blogger like me, I think that’s pretty cool. This is especially exciting because we have really told no one about even our intent to move to Scotland let alone tell them about our blog.

So I will end today’s note by saying one thing and that is “Thank You!” Thank you for putting up with my silly humour and silly rants. Thank you even more for putting up with my wife’s! HA! Join us if you like. Comments would be fantastic and very welcome (just remember that this is a family blog!). I would love to hear about others out there who are contemplating something as crazy as what we are contemplating. It is said that misery loves company, well so does crazy! Either let us know we are not crazy or join us in our craziness!!

And for those of you don’t like our blog, I say, with respect, the following:

- Will

Day 27–AAAAACHOO!!

So as I sit here on our balcony congested, sneezing and with itchy, sore eyes I smile knowing that my allergy will not be an issue in Shetland!

I have the very common seasonal allergy to ragweed. It flares up usually in beginning to mid-August and stays active until the middle of October. Usually once the first couple nights of deep frost hit the allergy subsides for another year. Those two months however are filled with days of painfully sore eyes and sinuses that could explode. Last year when travelling for the first time to Scotland in prime allergy season here in Toronto, I realised that my allergy literally does not exist in Shetland! No one knew what I was talking about if I brought up ragweed! BLISS!!! I can not wait for the days of never dealing with this again!

- Michelle

Day 26–Is your heart in it?

Its funny how every single decision I seem to make always brings to the surface our move to Scotland. Assuming we move in two years, every time I want to buy something, I ask myself if I really need it. I ask myself if I can get by in the next few years without it. Invariably my answer is always NO to the first, and YES to the second. I kinda wish that I had this mentality before. I would have saved so much money not buying useless garbage. I can’t remember who I was talking to when we went to visit Scotland last year but she told us that North Americans have a very unhealthy need to spend money on so many things they don’t really need. She said that when payday hits, they have to go out and buy stuff, any stuff. The response in my head was ya, ya, ya. Whatever lady. (I hope it wasn’t my wife who said that!) But wouldn’t you know it, she was right! Here Michelle and I are scrounging every day to save enough money to have a very relaxed trip in September. and the second I get paid I think to myself Sweet! What can I spend this on?! And it shocked me! Its sick! Gross! But the worst thing about it is that it is so easily fixable. We can live off so much less than what we were and save so much more. I would hate to think what we could have saved. Oh well, better late than never, as they say.

So, I suppose the underlining lesson here is that if you are passionate about something, if your hear is really in it, it may be very surprising what you are able to give up to make that passion become reality.

- Will

Day 25–Pet passports

I mentioned in an earlier post about bringing our cats with us when we move. Many people are used to the idea of pets being quarantined for six months when moving to a new country. The UK has done away with this practice and has now put the responsibility of this on the pet owner. There is a strict process which we will have to follow to get what the UK calls “pet passports” for our cute furry family members.

It is a fairly simple process, it just needs to be done in an exact way to be accepted. Six months before we intend to leave we have to take the three of them to the vet to get micro chipped. Apparently this is very simple and only requires a tiny incision in the nape of their neck that needs just a little amount of freezing to do. That say day we have to get them their rabies shots (although they have had these shots before they have to get them after having a micro chip ID). The entire reason for this is because rabies apparently takes six months to surface if it is present.

Then a couple weeks after the rabies vaccine is administered the cats all need blood tests. These are to determine if they have a satisfactory amount of rabies vaccine in their system.

After all this is done and the blood test comes back with clear results (should happen in one shot) a Pet passport is issued. The vet needs to sign off on different aspects of the pets health on the passport. Then the last step is to vaccinate all the cats against ticks and tapeworms no more than 48 hours and no less than 24 hours before we leave for Scotland.

Although this will be a stringent and somewhat picky process to go through I am relieved to not have to be separated from them for six months while they are in quarantine. In the grand scheme of things of moving too this is one of the easiest things we will have to do while moving.

Let’s just hope they still love us after a long plane ride….

 

- Michelle

Day 24–PhotoBook gift

I am so excited because in less that three weeks, we are leaving for Scotland for our vacation! YAY!  We are going to London first for a few days to see my uncle and his family and then up to Shetland. I think this I said in an earlier post but I love to say it again. 
When we went last year, my father and his wife, Becky, did so much for Michelle and I. They did way more that I expected or could have imagined. Words cannot explain how grateful we are for all they did. How on earth do you say thank you? Its not as though they did what they did for some reciprocated action. Which is great because they are already married! Ha! They don't expect anything in return except for us to be happy. My father, in part of his speech at our wedding, asked Michelle and I to do something as special for someone we don't know one day as so many "strangers" to us a year ago in Shetland. They treated us like family and all did so much when none of them had even ever met us! You just don't get that here in Toronto. Just such a different lifestyle, different types of people. 
Well, one cool thing we did do what make a book of selected photos from our trip called PhotoBook. We downloaded a program into our computer that allows us to add and manipulate pictures into a virtual book. We can add effects, text, ect and then send it to a company that professionally prints and binds our collection. Its pretty cool and we have made one for my father and Becky. I just hope its ready in time! Fingers crossed. 
Here are a few pages from the book....

Ya, that is Michael Palin. Pretty cool trip!


- Will

Day 23–Aberdeen

So living in a small community will of course cause some challenges when it comes to certain things that I take for granted in a city. Things like watching movies in a theatre, going to a mall to clothes shop and other urban type things that I honestly can’t think of right now as they are normal to me.

We have had a tiny stopover in Aberdeen last year after taking a train from Glasgow and before getting on the Northlink ferry but it wasn’t enough time to really explore. So this year after spending some time in Biggleswade (London area) with Will’s aunt and uncle, we are going to spend a day and night in Aberdeen. We are looking into bed and breakfasts in the area. After spending a night in a hotel this past weekend for the family wedding we have realised how much we are in love with B&Bs now. The closeness of knowing the owners and having them be your contacts, hot delicious breakfasts, and home type atmospheres are much more my style of relaxation while away on vacation.

So in our day and night in Aberdeen this trip we hope to explore a bit. Check out things that the city offers, malls, theatres, even to look at maps where the hospitals are. When we live in Shetland this will be our urban go-to area when we are in need of anything. One thing we are already aware of is how very costly Aberdeen is compared to any other city in Scotland. Due to the oil industry having a lot of its base in Aberdeen the city brings in a lot of revenue and can get away with higher costs of living. Even just looking into hotels, they are more expensive Monday-Thursday nights and cheap as dirt on Friday-Sunday nights. This is purely due to the fact that commuters can’t afford the cost of living in Aberdeen and have to stay in hotels during the week. Some very interesting things like this are what we hope to learn while scouting out the city in a couple weeks.

We will report back after exploring the city in a couple weeks of anything cool or crazy that we learn!

- Michelle

Day 22 - Weather

I am really quite sick of Toronto weather. I am a hot guy. In what sense, you ask? Well, in both senses. But in this case I mean I hate the heat. I love cool and love the rain. I am sitting in ridiculous heat and we are near the end of August for cryin' out loud! What the hell??
Here is the difference in weather:

Here is a rough idea of how cold the water is there... (please forgive the swearing!)

....'nough said

- Will

Day 21 - Two people down...

...many more to go.

So over this past weekend we spent a lot of time with Will's cousin, Katie, and her boyfriend, Kevin. There was a family wedding out of town and so I also met the rest of Will's family who are all so sweet and lots of fun!

Anyways, it was a little liquid courage that made me do it but I let Katie and Kevin in on the secret that we are moving! I think it was a bit of me testing the waters too to see how others will react to our news. They have obviously been sworn to absolute secrecy until parents and grandparents are told about our plans. I am glad to report though that I think we have our first guests all cued up for our new house! They were so excited for us and supportive!

Let's just hope that telling everyone else can go this smoothly!

- Michelle

Day 20 - The REAL reason I want to move to Scotland

You know, I can babble on and on about all the cool reasons why I want to move. I can create list after list of reasons I want to leave Canada and why I want to relocate to Shetland. I can talk about weather, attitudes of people, cultural differences, and so, so much more. But the real reason; the ONLY reason can be summed up in one picture:

Ok, perhaps I am kidding only a little.....

- Will

Day 19 - AHHHHHHHH

So today is going to be a little off topic but I have some excitement and nerves that I need to express...

Today and tomorrow are fairly big days for me. One of Will's cousins is getting married tomorrow so we are going out of town tonight to Hamilton to stay at his other cousin's (Katie) house for the weekend. I have met Katie before so I am really happy to get to see her again and catch up!

What I am nervous for though is meeting Will's extended family. We have been together for just over four years but I have yet to really meet any of his family and now I will be meeting them all within a 24-hour time span. Nervous....just a little!

I should go now we have to catch the train but I will be back to report how things went in a couple days. Wish me luck! :)

- Michelle

Day 18–Cultural differences

You know, when people talk about cultural differences, I think reflexively people think of very different places to the one in which they currently live in like Cambodia, India, China, Germany, and, well, my geography sucks so that’s all I can think of right now. Toronto is one of the most multicultural centres on this planet, if not the most. Some say it is one of Toronto’s strengths, others its weekness. I live in a city where if you smile a nod to someone as they pass you in the street, they give you a odd look that says what do you want? That if you hold a door for someone, they get offended because they assume you mean that they can’t do it for themselves. That if someone sees you walking toward an elevator as they get in, they just push the button (usual to a floor near the top of course)  and leave you cursing them under your breath as you wait for the damn thing to come all the way back down. That if you cross the street with your right of way, cars will edge toward you as they are making their turn as if you are not walking fast enough (and for those who know me, I walk bloody fast enough!). That if its too hot, they complain, That if its too cold, they complain. That if its raining, they complain. Its become so rampant, that television commercials have actually used this annoying need for us to all complain that they have worked it into their advertisements. (I am actually being serious!) And what do I do? I complain about it in a blog!

That is the bad part.

The worse part is that I, for a while, was becoming numb to it all and was accepting because this was not the way it always was here. This change did not happen over night, or in the course of a month or year. This took several years to evolve into what I have very loosely described above. It happened so slowly that I didn’t even notice and every so often found myself on the other side of the equation; frantically pushing the elevator button, willing the door to close faster so that I didn’t have to ride up with some annoying Torontonian! Pretty bad, huh?

Well it took a trip to Scotland to smack me upside the head and ask me what the hell was I doing? Everyone has bad days. No matter where you go, there is going to be Mr. Elevator man jacking you the middle finger as the doors close moments before you arrive, even in Scotland. In fact, I think it would be a boring place that wasn’t peppered with those people. But I want it to be the EXCEPTION, not the norm. Michelle and I had so many conversations about how generally nice people are in Scotland especially compared to Torontonians, something that was lost on me when I lived there many, many years ago.

Then we got home. And I know what you are thinking. You fell right back into the Torontonian way. Well, we did but not before our friends got a hold of us first. Michelle and I came home to them doing something very sweet. They made swans with towels at the end of the bed, covered out bed with rose petals, a “congratulations” card, and left a bottle of champagne in the fridge for us. Nice huh? Well in the true Torontonian way where no good deed can ever really be taken at face value, not only were we asked when they could pick up their towels, not only did they come over the next day and drink the very same bottle of champagne they left us, they left our house a dump! They left pizza boxes with dried out pizza still in them, dirty plates with pizza crusts, and pop bottles lying around. When your friends are like this, its no wonder people you don’t know are they way they are.

Most don’t see Scotland or England as all that culturally different from Canada. I can tell you from my experience that it is as different as night and day. And I am sick of the night.

- Will

Day 17–Small things in life..

So anyone that has taken the time to get to know me in life knows I am amused by the little things. Will says I am like a goldfish in terms of how long my attention span is. “OOO shinny object” is his favourite thing to say to me when I can’t concentrate.
So naturally there are A LOT of little things about Shetland that make me so happy…

• I suffer from excema almost all year on my face but in the two weeks we spent in Lerwick the sea air seemed to fix it for me
• I have crazy and thick curly hair that no product on a drug store shelf will tame. Surprise, surprise…the sea air lets it dry so gorgeous and curly!
• Shops seem to all close around dinner time (6pm) and don’t open at all on Sundays. People don’t work around the clock at four jobs to keep up with the rat race like in Toronto.
• Dolphins are sometimes spotted from the shore!
• The Northern Lights can be seen on nights of perfect weather conditions
• I am a friendly person and I love that people are so easy to talk to and seem to be so open and easy to get along with. Case in point, our wedding. Our wedding day guests were mostly people we had met that day! About an hour into our wedding reception we were all talking and having fun as if we were lifelong friends!

I am sure there are more that I can’t…*OOOOO SHINY OBJECT*


- Michelle

Day 16–Breaking the news… Part me

That last post of Michelle’s is a great post because the topic sucks the big fat juicy one! Even if we know and completely understand the reasons behind why we are making such a seemingly drastic, fairy tale-ish, unrealistic, stupid, emotional, selfish, unpractical and foolhardy decision, you know that many friends and relatives are not going to understand no matter how well thought out you tell them your decision was. Even if they really do understand, they will make it seem like they they don’t just to try to knock some sense into us so we don’t actually leave. Of course, at the moment I am speaking from the relatively safe distance of still having a few months before I need to say anything to my friends and relatives and even then I don’t know what they will say. Part of me wants them to put up a fuss. If they are all smiles and are immediately happy, I think that is a much bigger problem then them turning into blubbering idiots begging me not to leave. I guess what I’m saying is that they had better not make me feel guilty for making this already very difficult decision, but for Christ’s sake they had better make it clear how less filled in their lives are going to be for my absence! I want middle ground, damn it!
*Sigh* This will not go the way my over imaginative minds wants it to go is it? I feel like I am going to break up with Canada.
I am not going to get into details in this blog about all the hurdles I will have to face by telling my friends and relatives. As Michelle said, I will tell them and I will tell them soon. They will need time to digest my decision and no matter what they show on the outside, I know they may feel different on the inside and that always comes out at some point. If I tell them like a grenade, pull the pin, throw it at them and then run away, trust me, they will start throwing their own grenades at me. In case you didn’t know, grenades hurt! Don’t worry, I’m not going to go into a sidebar about the scars that will be left behind by the emotional shrapnel with their grenades of love and hurt! I think you get the picture.
There is one bonus to us moving to Scotland. My Dad and his wife. I do need to make something clear that may at first seem kinda rude. They are in no way ANY factor in us moving. Whether they are there or not, we are moving. If my father lived here in Canada, we would be moving to Scotland (although, if he did live here, I wouldn’t know Scotland at all). Having said that, it is a fantastic bonus that they do live there. They are great people (says the son) and to see more of them is a great thing! And I think, or would like to think, that the feeling is mutual.
Here’s the kicker. I have absolutely NO idea what his response is going to be! I don’t know him nearly as well as a son should (of my doing, not his) and as such have a very difficult time gauging his response to anything. Part of me wants to say that the very practical side of him will ask me a cazillion questions to make sure that I have thought this all out or to make sure that this isn’t an emotional decision. We have really only been to Shetland once for a short holiday that was somewhat fogged by the whole getting married thing, and that is a VERY poor way to make such a decision. I’m sure being in the dark, fiery chasm of Hell seems neat and interesting enough to pull out the camera to bring home some sweet memories, but I don’t think there are too many of us out there who would want to live there. The reality is that we have been mulling this over for a year, we are going back in a month without to oogly-googly glasses of the first-time-visitor. We have thought about residence, an income, savings plan, and so much more. These things and more we will tell him when we go over to see him. His wife, Becky, on the other hand, as much as she is just as practical and would probably ask all the same questions, I do think that she would just say that if that’s what we want, we will figure it out. Canada will always be here if things really don’t work out the way we thought.
I’m still thinking about the best way to tell my father, but I am thinking that there may be a bottle of scotch in the equation somewhere.
No matter what, I hope is as happy as he looks here:

- Will

Day 15–Breaking the News…

So we have mentioned before breaking the news to my family. I have thought about doing it in a year or two when things are finalised and a lot more “on paper”. I was all serious that I wouldn’t say a thing and would keep it from people close to me because I didn’t want to (translate: am scared to) hear their reactions, objections and concerns before things are final.
Well considering in the last week I have almost blown it twice talking to my Grandma I think the day of telling my family will have to be soon. Whether it is telling my Grandma that we spent the weekend purging things before we move or just mentioning that I can’t wait to see Scotland this trip as our new home, it has come way too close to telling her what is happening. So we have decided that around Christmas time this year we will be telling my family. I hope that after the initial reactions wear off they will share in my excitement and back me up on my days of unsure feelings.
Even my aunt as a real estate agent will start asking soon if we are thinking about buying a house and I don’t know how long I can push that conversation off without the situation turning very awkward. Also she has been asking me about going back to school and again I don’t know how long I can stall on that conversation.
Either way, if this comes out in daily conversation before we can bring it up in a proper way I know I will be in big big trouble…
-Michelle

Day 14–What to leave and what to take

I wasn’t too sure what to write about today and was starting to panic (just a little mind you) as the absurdity of not knowing what to write about in a blog where I just boasted days earlier about how easy it is to generate ideas when writing a blog, is so bad its simply mind-blogging… er mind boggling.

I’ll let you digest that while I regroup and then we’ll both pretend that never happened!

Anyway… Michelle and I were cleaning today. Not just walking around with Molly Maid outfits, holding feather dusters. Oh no, we were outright cleaning. There are literally boxes and boxes of crap that I haven’t used in years and it is all just sitting there awaiting the day to be picked up, played with, and generally just loved. So I threw it all out! Great feeling. Cleansing feeling and a necessary step toward our eventual move in two years. If we throw things out a bit at a time, it won’t feel like such a drastic move. I think that is one of the part I dread the most; leaving so many things behind that were so much a part of my life all these many years. What I have to realize is that they really are just things. It is so hard because I have so much stuff. I have to really think hard over the next two years what is really valuable and what we can really detach ourselves from. Its not easy at all but if it is broken down into chunks over months and months, the pain is manageable. Today we must have thrown out 12 garbage bags worth of stuff.

I know that this may seem so very premature to start to throw out stuff two full years before we even move, but these are things we really haven’t used or seen in years. Whether we move or not, this stuff had to go. We feel better for it anyway. And the best part is Michelle now has more closet space! YAY!! Oh God, be still my empty wallet!

- Will

Day 13–Freedom to Roam

Here in Canada, well as far as I know for most of Canada, privately owned property is just that, private. No trespassing at all without the owner’s permission and even if you even dared to ask if you could go on someone’s property to have a look at something like say a gorgeous view they may have, rude looks may ensue.
So why might I be bringing this up?? WELL, in Scotland there is the Freedom to Roam Act. I am being totally serious. You are allowed to roam onto anyone’s land as long as you left the land the way you found it. Of course you aren’t allowed in their houses or barns but you are allowed onto their fields and acreage to walk as you please. To leave it the way you found it doesn’t just mean don’t do anything bad, it also means closing gates behind you when you enter and exit. Most fields and land in the countryside have some sort of livestock whether it be cows, sheep or llamas (ya I saw one just outside Lerwick). So you of course have to make sure you haven’t left the gate open or else the landowner might night be too pleased when their animals have escaped!
One of the most gorgeous day trips we took on Shetland was to the town of Scatness. It is on the southern end of the main island and the bottom of the town is a huge property that includes a peninsula. I would guess the peninsula is about two kilometres long. It has many cliffs and even a section where a metal guardrail was installed so that people have something to hold onto on a rocky passage.
I just was amazed at such a trusting law such as this one. Scotland is definitely the type of country where if you don’t go off the beaten path you miss the best parts.
Here are some pictures from our walk in Scatness…





…told you I saw a llama!
- Michelle

Day 12–Fiddle with this…

For those of you out there who don’t know this, there is something else Shetland has brought to the world other than ponies. Shetland has produced some of the best fiddlers in the world. The Shetland Fiddlers Association has some of the best fiddlers there are. Michelle and I are fortunate enough to be friends with the head of the association and were blessed to have them play at our wedding nearly a year ago in the Lerwick Boating club. My father is also an honorary member and plays, from what I understand, as frequently as he can with them. I have heard my father play the fiddle several times and each time he impresses me so very much. He is talented in so many ways and this is just another accomplishment to add to his long list; and he is still playing and still getting better. When Michelle and I visited Shetland last year, we asked the owner of the main (of perhaps only) music store in the town, why so many great players have come from or live in Shetland. He told us that he really doesn’t know but he supposes that it might do with their winters where there is only a few hours of sunlight each day. He told us that there is really nothing else to do in the cold but play the fiddle. I bit my tongue to stop me from vocalizing my firm objections to his grand lack of imagination but nodded and smiled (trying so hard not to giggle). Regardless of the reasons, I was determined to get myself a fiddle and start learning so that when we return this September, I could surprise him and we could have a little jamming session. Well a few months ago, I bought my fiddle and have practiced on and off for the past several months and you would be amazed at how good I have gotten! I SUCK! I have a fairly thick background of music which makes it even worse. I know how it should sound and know that what is coming out from my instrument is not what I want. But I still practice and I will still bring my fiddle with me to Scotland and surprise my dad, I think no matter what I sound like, he will love it.
There quite literally is nothing about Shetland I don’t like. I am sure that I will discover aspects of it I won’t be head over heals about (I heard it, on rare occasions, rains a little), but I love everything from the people to the land to the weather to the music.
If we could move tomorrow, we would!


In case you were wondering, my father is in the middle. The woman to HIS right is Shirly, the above mentioned head of the Shetland Fiddlers Accociation.
- Will

Day 11–Celebration!!!

So after a couple of weeks of being jobless and sleeping until noon everyday I am now gainfully employed! Just a simple job that I have now but considering we are leaving the country in two years anyways all I care about is getting a paycheque somehow (no, do not let your mind wander…). I will be working in the bakery/deli of our local grocery store part time. They are completely aware of our upcoming trip and when I get back I will either ask for more hours or try find a second job.
So speaking of going away, this time five weeks from now we will be somewhere over the ocean in a 747!! Our flight leaves at 7:30pm from Pearson and gets to Glasgow at 7:05am Scotland time (2:05am Toronto time….ya……). Once we land we are going to take a train to Edinburgh, stop for lunch and then get back on a train and carry on to Biggleswade, just outside London. By the time we get to Will’s uncle’s house we will have left our house about 33 hours earlier. That is going to be an amazing and fun but VERY tiring time until we can sleep in a real bed again at his uncle’s. We are over the moon excited to go back though and Will has already started packing his bag! It will be so amazing to look at Scotland this trip as our new home and not just a vacation destination for us. I will pay more attention to things like grocery stores, home types, local community services and other amenities that a traveler would never probably even spend the time to notice.
Most of all though I think what makes me most excited though is seeing Will excited! In the four years we have been together there has been so much happen that we have both just stopped dreaming most of the time. When you struggle sometimes to get through a normal day and to buy basic necessities like groceries it is hard to dream of such things as moving overseas. Will has had setbacks in life that have I guess in a sense jaded him from dreaming big. We would go into the local furniture store (like I have mentioned before I LOVE shopping) and just browse and with a sad face Will would ask if we could leave the store. No sense dreaming of things that weren’t even reasonable to think at that point in time so no reason to taunt ourselves unnecessarily.
Today though my husband is like a kid in a candy store. Writing a business plan, researching things to do on our trip, packing his bag five weeks ahead of time and just getting excited! To me this is a huge reason to celebrate! I feel like we are finally in the stage of making our plans become real and to have a partner in crime in that process that is just as excited as me makes it so much better!

- Michelle

Day 10–What to write in a blog

I have tried to start a journal several times and I can just never seem to get it to continue for more than a couple of weeks. After that time, I just stop. I don’t even try. My drive disappears or life gets in the way. I was really worried that writing this blog would turn into that. I’m not saying that because I have surpassed the historic one-week mark that all is safe and I am now convinced that my last dying action in about 147 years will be to make sure I write that last journal entry. What I am saying is that this is a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would be. I write novels too. I am currently working on my forth called “The Algonquin Well”, set mainly in, shockingly, Algonquin which for those of you who don’t know, is a gigantic region in the middle to northern area of Ontario. It is one of Ontario’s pride in that it is one massive area of cottages, lakes, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of trees. The land is peppered with thousands of cottages and outdoor adventures that are absolutely breathtaking. So, in my novel, I thought about putting a group of six kids on an island in the middle of a lake, their intent to have a one last group getaway before school starts and maim, destroy, and generally terrorize them one by one by another, slightly different inhabitant on the island. Mwahahahahahahahaha.

What was I saying?

Oh ya, journal. My experiences writing novels has opened my mind to being much more creative when it comes to writing in general. I always wondered what the reason for my failed journal was. Was it that I just got bored writing every day? Did I run out of things to say? Who the hell is going to read my journal anyway? Its for me to read later and really doesn’t have to be that interesting. Although I’m sure that the answer is that I simply didn’t have the discipline to do it, I am now discovering by writing this blog, that it is NOT because I have nothing to say. And I am now writing in my journal every day, even if its to say “I have nothing to say!” Developing the habit of writing something, anything, is vital to maintaining journals and blogs. Blogs really aren’t that hard. You just have to understand that there really are no rules to writing blogs other than keep the blog relatively clean – no crazy swear words. (I love the word Blog! Doesn’t BLOG sound like a swear word anyway? That guy is such a BLOG! Hey buddy, BLOG off! BLOG!) There is no rule that says you can’t write about the same thing you wrote about last week or last month. Perhaps you have a new perspective on the same topic, and to me, that is what blogging is partly about; living through your ever evolving ideas and experiences and sharing them with the world (or in the case of this blog right now, about four people – ok two when you take Michelle and myself out of it).

I guess my underlining thought here is if you (as I first did!) think that writing a blog might be fun but are concerned about coming up with content, you may surprise yourself by coming up with more topics than you currently can think of. I have discovered that the very act of writing out one idea frees that idea from your mind and creates space for two or three more. With that first idea stuck in your mind and nowhere to go will make it very difficult to move on with other ideas. Or am I the only one who can’t think of two things at once?!

BTW after Michelle reads my novel, “The Algonquin Well”, I am guessing that our house in Shetland will NOT be allowed to have a well! BLOG!!

- Will

Day 9 – Leaving things behind…

I must sound like such a pessimistic person when it comes to my posts, I truly promise that I am not though. I just think a lot of the not so fun parts of such a huge impending move are surfacing for me.
One of the hardest things we are going to have to do when moving is leave things behind. Of course everything sentimental will be coming with us but the rest will all be given away or sold. No sense putting things in storage because if all goes perfectly to plan we will never live in Canada again. We are going to fly over first class when we take our all important one-way flight, this way our checked luggage allowance will be fairly more significant than economy class. We will probably take tons of clothes as our checked baggage and things that are way too sentimental to risk putting in the trust of a company to ship over. Everything else we will have shipped over and to think of what this will cost is somewhat worrisome but manageable.
Nothing electronic (except our laptops) would make any sense to bring over as voltage is completely different overseas so we will have to buy things new anyways. Our bed, couches, kitchen table and other things of that nature won’t make the trip either. They are all just material things but they all are part of our home, our first place since getting married and so I do have some sort of attachment to them. All replaceable though when we are in Shetland and I don’t know who I would be kidding to say I won’t be over the moon happy to furniture shop for our new house!! (Just ask Will, he told me many years ago that the man I marry would be broke because I shop way too much!)
There are other non-shippable, non-material things though that I obviously can’t take with us that make me sad too. Like my best friend, wish I could put her in my suitcase along with her beautiful little girl, but I think somehow I would get in big trouble for something like that. It is going to be a big change to not live so close to her. Sure we don’t see each other too often but we talk almost every day at least once. With time difference (5 hours ahead of Toronto) when I get up the morning for work she will be fast asleep, and when she gets home from work at the end of the day I will be fast asleep. We won’t be able to talk as often but we will figure things out for sure! (Still wish I could find a way to smuggle her over without jeopardizing my Visa)
The last thing that we are 10000% bringing with us are our kitties. Our 3 little monkeys will be making the trip over. Not sure how they will handle it, they have a meltdown just going in their carrier to the vet. Nothing a couple vet prescribed sedatives won’t fix though I am sure, they will fall asleep in Toronto and wake up in Scotland. We have lots to do with them before moving though, rabies shots (NO they do not have rabies), flea shots (NO they do not have fleas), and microchipping each of them. I will get into this in another post in more detail, it is a fairly complex and very technical, expensive process we need to do before they can even enter the UK.
I am going to sign off for tonight though.

Day 8 - A business idea

Well believe it or not, I already have the first draft of our business plan sketched out. So far it is 33 pages long but there is still a lot of research needed to fill in a lot of the details. We obviously don’t live in the area where we are planning to start this business and that leaves us in the dark about a lot of questions. Although we definitely do not want the focus of our vacation to be about our potential move, we would be fools to not look into a few things while we are other there. This will be a great trip for so many reasons.
The more thought I put into this particular business, the more excited I get. I honestly think it will work well and that there is a need for something like this in Lerwick (sorry, still not going to tell you about this business! You will just have to wait for a later post). I need to figure out the finances for start up and operations and about 57 answers to other questions, but I think this is very doable. My only worry is that before we are able to start up our business, someone else will have done it!
-Will

Day 7 - Pictures of Lerwick

So we have made it a week so far with our blog, not sure if we have any readers but that’s ok, we are just starting out. I was going to write out a post today but after having a fairly rough day medically (Will was ready to bring me into emerg at 6am but lots of tea and rest and I feel a lot more human tonight thankfully). I have decided to post my favourite pictures of Lerwick from our previous trip, as it takes my mind off of feeling sick and brings me to one of my favourite places in the world!

The more residential side of Commercial Street in Lerwick.

Picking seashells at the tiny beach just off Commercial Street. Not something you would think someone would do in Scotland now is it??

An absolutely gorgeous morning (in fact we only had two days of rain our entire trip and the rest of the days were pure blue sky) with Rona in the Victoria Harbour.

An oil rig supply ship, this picture doesn’t do it justice it was several football fields long for sure. And….

….if you look closely it flies both the Scottish AND Canadian flags!! It is a boat of all Newfoundlanders and when we went up to talk to the guys on the ship they shouted for the others onboard that there were “Canadians on the pier!!” Had a great conversation with them.

….a bird butt. Not sure how this got on here but I guess I will just leave it….
- Michelle

Day 6 - To dream and be scared

First I would like to say that It I am surprised at how therapeutic writing all these exciting things that accompany such a drastically life altering move is and just as therapeutic to write about all those things that scare you. We may look back at some of our fears and giggle as our future new immigrant selves shake our heads at our younger, more naive selves having wasted time on such pointless worries, but my guess is we will also remember all those things we will one day know that we do not today. Worry can be that needed catalyst to research a fear only to discover that there is nothing to worry about or that taking a particular action will prevent a fear from materializing.So I say worry and dream, dream and worry. Do it both together or do it apart but just don’t ever, ever, ever do one for too long and omit the other. They are both part of the same equation and you will never get the answer without both!
I think Michelle’s last post is an interesting one in that it really highlights some of the drastic differences in both of our lives, or at least the events that led us the points in our lives that we are in. Although I always knew of these differences, I never applied them to something like this and may really never have if she hadn’t brought it up now. She is absolutely right in that this move will be difficult on us and that, in a large part, is why we have started up this blog (and I am sure that more reasons will surface as we continue). As she hinted on in her previous post, I am relatively well traveled. When I was 9, my father and I crammed packed and drove (ok, he drove and I obsessed over a sign that simply read “?” to which we discovered after a day and a half of driving at the edge of our seats, that it just meant “information”. Duh!) a beat up, green van across Canada to Calgary. (Drastic Move number one!). A year later, my father got a job offer that he took in Cambridge, England. We moved (decided to fly, not drive this time!) and I found myself the centre of attention, surrounded by very interested English boys (and girls, thank God!) wanting to be friends with the funny sounding kid. (Drastic Move number two!). About a year later, he received another job offer back to Calgary. I do recall that it was just over a year because when my father was questioned at immigration, he told the officers that we had stayed in England for just under a year to which I proudly spoke up to remind my father, and all the officers, every the reason why I was sure that we had been in the country just over a year. I am not too sure what happened next, but I do remember seeing my father coming out of a room about two hours later walking funny with an officer on either side, Not too sure what that was all about but we eventually made it back to Canadian soil. (Oh ya, Drastic Move number three) Remarkably, about a year later, he received a job offer once again to Edinburgh. I am not too sure but I think my father jumped at the chance to go as he was born in Scotland. He was too young to remember it but I truly believe he is all Scotland at heart. So, we packed up our lives again and flew to Scotland and one of us had lips so tight at immigration, an updraft to a hairy Scottish kilt-wearing man could not gasp them open! So, off to the land of bagpipes and kilts and an experience that would not really take hold of me for years and years to come. (Drastic Move number four) About a year later, I decided to return to Canada to live with my mother, a decision that was by far the most difficult one of my life, even to date. (Drastic Move number five) I have moved about 15 times since then (no, I’m not kidding) and all but one within the Greater Toronto Area. For a few years, I did live up near Newmarket as well. As for Michelle, the only drastic move she has made is in with me! My very long-winded point is that this is going to be so much more difficult for Michelle than it will be for me, even though this will be quite the Drastic Move for both of us. But we will be there beside one another and support one another and be open about all those things that scare us and all those things we dream about.
So I guess my only question left is, based on Michelle’s last post, does she expect me to get her a flying sheep when we move there?!?! And if so,am I supposed to be scared about this or excited?!?!

Dreamin’ and fearin’……….
-Will

Day 5 - Fears of moving

So of course with every big change in life, there are always concerns and fears that go along side the amazing excitement and positives. In the beginning of planning everything we have come across a couple things that worry us but they are just minor things that will be resolved in time (we still have a couple years after all to figure things out).
Will comes from a childhood that involved moving around a far bit. Toronto, Richmond Hill, Guelph, Calgary, Edinburgh and Cambridge. Me, I have only really lived in Toronto and for a few short years lived in London, Ontario for school. So considering I have been born and raised in the same city my entire life I understandably have quite a bit of anxiety when it comes to moving across the ocean!!
Some of my concerns and fears have already been fixed or I have just decided that I won’t let them hold me back from a huge dream of ours.

• Being so far from family is going to be a huge change for me. I no longer have my Mom around and don’t get along with my Dad but I am fairly close with my Mom’s family. I dread the day I tell them that we are moving, it will involve a lot of tears I am sure. Right now I am only a two hour train ride away from my Grandparents, but even in Scotland we will be only a seven hour flight away. (To ease this fear of mine we have promised ourselves to ALWAYS keep enough money aside that if I am horribly homesick for my family or need to get home for some reason all I need to do is book my ticket and go).
• Midges. The Scottish equivalent of black flies. (Apparently after some research they are not much of a concern in Shetland, at least not like on the mainland. With regular gale force storms, open fields galore and barely any trees around, I think I will have more chance of getting hit with a flying sheep in a gale force storm than getting a midge bite)
• Isolation. Shetland is either a one hour flight from Aberdeen or a twelve hour overnight ferry ride to Aberdeen. So with this comes what I am sure some days becomes a huge sense of isolation. The native Shetlanders are used to this and it still gets to them sometimes, so I can only imagine how myself, a city raised girl, who has grown up with everything within a bus ride away will do. (If we want off the island some days we can always get on a flight to Aberdeen. Only one hour on the plane and cheap, cheap flights! This is another thing I have learned. The second we move to Shetland and get a fixed address we will apply for “Islanders Cards”. This will entitle us to 30% off ferry tariffs to the mainland and 40% off flights to the mainland.)
• My health. Of course for the rest of my life  this will be a concern no matter where I go. I need doctors that know what to do with me if god forbid something went wrong that I needed help. Just from talking to my specialist about travelling to Scotland though I have learned that there are well known and highly respected specialists for my condition in Scotland. One in Edinburgh and one in Aberdeen. Perfect! (I know these are both atleast an hour away from where we will be living but again, I have looked into this. If I was to show up at the hospital and needed help to get to one of the specialists right away on the mainland they would get an air ambulance to fly me down. Even if the weather was so bad that air ambulance wouldn’t fly, Shetland is equipped with a coast guard helicopter. It apparently will fly in any weather at all, even the storms where the massive seaworthy cruise ship ferries wouldn’t dare go out in the ocean.)

Sorry my rambling went so long, it feels good to write out my concerns and see that they are all getting solved.
So rain, snow, gale force storms and flying sheep won’t and can’t stop this city girl from moving! I think it will be one of the best things we have done in forever and so refreshing to live in such a small community (22,000 people on all of Shetland to be exact).
- Michelle

The absolutely gorgeous sunrise sitting on Rona in the Gremista small boat harbour.

Day 4 - How to make money when we are there

So a big part of moving to a different place is getting a job. We’ve got a couple of years to figure this out but I know that the two years will fly by before we know it We are heading out for a vacation to Scotland in 40 days and they are passing faster than the wind. I am excited and nervous to see how fast the next couple of years go and to see if we end up saving what we thought we would. And that is our main goal, to save, save, save, save. In the meantime, we are brainstorming business ideas. We have three on the burner but one stands out for us now. I can’t take too much of the credit though as it is completely Michelle’s idea. I am not going to go into specifics yet and may not for a while. There still is a lot of brainstorming to do and ideas will evolve but in the meantime we are having a blast just thinking shit up. I may end up filling shelves at Harry’s department store by the pier when we end up living there, but right now I am have having fun dreaming about all the things we could do.

And the wheel in my head is still turning…….

- Will

Day 3 - Dreamin' of our new home

Scottish Cottage Dreamin’…

I have dreamed every single night in the past week of waking up to a house like this exact one. I have spent my days (I am currently jobless so I have lots of free time) googling non-stop of what I want our house to look like.

The picture I put above is the BEST picture of what I dream of! Middle of nowhere, tons of open land, sea and cliffs out our front door. Right now we live in the middle of chaos, surrounded by tall apartments, plazas and busy roads and we have had more than enough of it.

Let’s hope the next two years go really quickly! (Orbit is out there somewhere waiting for us too so we can’t make him/her wait too long)

- Michelle
(we are going to take turns writing posts on here. let's hope it doesn't get too confusing...)

Day 2 - Am I even a citizen?

Well the reality is that we still have two years for things to go one way or another. There are so many things that are going to work in our favour with respect to this move and there are both things I can think of and those that I cannot that may hinder it. Either way we are so far away that we are just enjoying the dreaming stages. One rather silly example is the fact that I am not even 100% certain that I am even a British citizen. That may indeed be one monstrous road block! The fact that I lived in Scotland and England for one year each when I was 9 and 11 seems a pretty good indicator that I am. From all the research I have done, there was no way I could have lived there at that age without this citizenship. There may be a few conversations with dad with a bottle of good Scottish, well, scotch under our gullets when we go see him this September. Cross fingers, toes and whatever else you can cross (above the kilt, please!).
SO! One dream we have is to get a Shetland Pony. Yes, a Shetland Pony. I want to call it Baloney (you know, my little pony, is full of Baloney), Michelle wants something like Orbit. This may indeed to be one of the largest hurdles we are going to face with this potential move. I fear for our marriage (kidding)!
Below is one little Baloney that we met while in Shetland last September. This is between Scalloway (pronounced Skalowa) and Lerwick.


- Will

Day 1 - The start of the Blog

Well, where to start? I have never blogged before and quite honestly have always thought that this was a little silly. Yet, here I am pounding away on the keyboard writing whatever the hell comes out of my head. So, where do I start? I suppose the best way to start is to tell you why. Why would my wife and I want to move from Canada and why have we decided on Shetland? Lerwick area to be exact. Well, I suppose that is my first mission; to try as best I can to convey what on earth would possess two Canadian born people to just uproot and move. I have a relatively secure job in that I have worked in the same company for over 22 years.

I know that this will be fun for me to read in years to come, especially when the move has actually happened and I can look back at all the weird crap that went through my, and my wife's, head all those months leading up to the actual move. Just so you know where we are now, we have made almost NO commitments to anything or anyone other than to each other. I am writing this with the certainty that we are moving and that it is just a matter of when. In all reality, this may collapse on us and we will never move. I am trudging forward with my positive mind bent toward this move happening. We already know of so very many issues that may slow or make impossible our ability to move and I also know that we will discover many, many more along the way.

I am hoping that this might also become interesting and even informative for someone else with the same passion for this type of move. For today, I leave you with this letter I wrote nearly a year ago on a very special holiday for Michelle and I. I think that it answers the question of when we fell in love with Shetland. It was just a matter for that love to change as the novelty of a picturesque community faded; but it didn't. A seed was planted that trip and it grew in out minds over the last year. Here is the note I wrote for Shetland September 25th, 2010:

For most of my life, Shetland was no more than a grouping of islands somewhere above the Scottish mainland. For a Canadian lad, even though I lived in the heart of Edinburgh for two years, Shetland was as mysterious and distant as any place on the opposite side of the world and even though my stay in Scotland was relatively brief, the beauty of its landscape, the richness of its buildings, and the warmth of its people etched a positive and lasting impression in me. On Friday, September 17^th, 2010 my fiancé, Michelle and I, took our first steps off The Hrossey, and into Lerwick. For Michelle, this trip was her first to Scotland and her expectations were reflected in the many stories and photos that I have shared with her over the years. I undersold; Scotland amazed her but Shetland took her breath away. What she and I both didn’t know was what was about to become the most amazing and unique adventure of our lives. This trip for us held two competing focuses. One, this was the first time that Michelle was going to meet my father, Jim and his wife, Becky. For me, this was nothing less than fantastic to see my father and his wife again. Second, Michelle and I had come to Shetland to get married. There was, however, one very significant difference that was simply the start of making this wedding a very fond and humorous story to tell for years; other than the partner Michelle and I were marrying, we knew nothing of the details of the wedding.

After a brief but very warm hug by all on Lerwick harbour, we were whisked off to my father’s yacht, Rona. The next week and a half consisted of many fantastic trips to places like Old Scatness, Sumburgh Head, museums, and much more. Each new day turned into a new adventure that brought us to different places and different people who were warm and so giving of their time and stories. My father and Becky were great at providing us suggestions of where we should go. Although it was in part to help us get the best out such a rich place in such a short period of time, it was also to get us to leave Lerwick so that all the mysterious preparations for a wedding that we could not even begin to imagine could continue.

Finally the big day came; hair done up, wedding cloths on, vows in pocket, and hearts pounding in our chests. Any wedding day is an exciting, nervous, and intense one. Imagine a wedding day in a place you have never been filled with people you either don’t know or have just met and the entire ceremony and reception a complete mystery! Exhilarating! Michelle and I shakily walked down Commercial Street to the pontoon where my father’s yacht was and we were walked the forty or fifty feet to a very beautifully decorated Dunter III. Inside was the captain, Alan, his wife Robbie, my father, Jim and his wife Becky, Steve and his wife Shirley, and Alastair and his wife Rosina.

The mystery trip had begun!
Alan drove the Dunter III across the Bressa Sound to Bressa and we soon found ourselves inside Orkney Man’s Cave. The setting was so unusual that for a moment, it didn’t even occur to either Michelle or I that this was the place where we would be wed. With family and friends present, we shared our vows; Alan performed a humanist wedding ceremony so very beautifully and professionally. There were some prewritten words said about the legitimacy of a wedding performed at sea by the captain of a ship, but once the plaque on his ship that stated The Captain’s Word is Law, there were a few laughs and no doubts. We listened to a very sweet speech by my father, played music in true traditional Shetland wedding form, danced, took many photos, and drank a little champagne.

We returned to Lerwick and the afternoon was given to Michelle and me as newlyweds to spend it as we wish, again asked to stay clear of the harbour. We returned to Rona at 5:00 PM where we sailed out of the pier and swung around to the Lerwick Boating Club. The sound of bagpipes floated to our ears across the water. I was delighted to look over and see a piper near the end of the pier at the Lerwick boating club. His name is Ian and he was fantastic. My father skilfully manoeuvred Rona to the end of the peer where Michelle and I climbed seven rungs of the metal ladder. No easy feat for a woman in a tight wedding dress! We were warmly greeted by many of my father’s and Becky’s friends. The mystery night unfolded and spun into a magical night of eating, drinking, dancing, fiddle playing, and laughing. By the end of the night, those who Michelle and I just met were talking and laughing with us like old friends reunited.

To give thanks to only a few people is unfair to all those we cannot name. To Alan and Robbie of Dunter III we thank you with all of our hearts. Your energy and love for this land and the seas that surround it is mirrored in the fantastic tours you do. To Steve and Shirley, we thank you for opening your hearts to two complete strangers. You have done more for us than any great friend would. To Jim McWhir and his wife Becky, we say we love you both! To do all the planning and organizing that you have done to make our wedding the most special day of our lives will always be remembered. To have such friends as those who had done so very much for Michelle and I is as much a testament to your friendship with them as Shetlanders’ hospitality. Lastly to all of Lerwick, we thank you so much for accepting two complete strangers and making them feel a part of your family.

When we do return to Canada on the 30th, we will perform the legal requirements of our marriage, but Michelle and I will always celebrate September 25^th as our anniversary and when we do, we will always think very fondly of Lerwick, Shetland, and all of the fantastic people here.

There are so many reasons that Michelle and I would love to return. With all of the surprises and twists of this holiday, I will say that one of the greatest surprises to both Michelle and I is that there is no reason greater other than how very much we are both going to miss the people and the land which are both so beautiful!

-Will