Fair Isle Forecast - Joan Lennon

Not far off eight years ago I visited Shetland as part of the Farlin project, a joint Fife-Shetland initiative that paired up poets and makers.  I loved the project, and I was excited about visiting Shetland to do a reading there, though I was 100% sure that I would not love the place as much as I love Orkney ... I was 100% wrong.

I loved it!

Good advice

Sumburgh Head

North coast, Mainland Shetland

 

North coast, Mainland Shetland

 

North coast, Mainland Shetland 

And now ... I'm going back.  Only for a few days on Mainland Shetland and then, weather permitting, in a tiny 7-seater plane to Fair Isle!  I still can't quite believe it.  I'm going on a writing residency for the entire month of February and I have my own little cottage at the foot of Malcolm's Head, down near the south shore.  I will be inhabitant number 56 on the Isle, and hope to be visiting the Primary School, and I will absolutely be writing my tiny socks off.  Well, maybe it's a bit cold in February to do that.  I will be writing while keeping my tiny socks on.  Several pairs.

This is a big adventure for me, so wish me luck - and a fair weather forecast on the day I hope to fly (5 Feb.)!  After that, blow winds and crack your cheeks!  Can't wait.

Joan Lennon's YA novel Silver Skin (set in Orkney)

"Caprice. Frolic. Joke. Jest. Dance." - Joan Lennon

Caprice. Frolic. Joke. Jest. Dance. This is the word cloud that takes me to what makes us human. The great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said this: “. . . one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star”. It is the chaos in ourselves that is divine. We can be trained to do almost anything, harnessed to almost any purpose. But there remains a wayward spark whose unpredictability lies in the fact that it is pointless. That is humanity.

The quote is from a New Statesman article by Matthew Parris, titled What makes us human? Doing pointless things for fun. 

I agree.  (I love his cave painting story!)  And because there is a Shetland-shaped place in my heart, I give you this, as well, in confirmation.

Here's to your Christmas and all your new year being fully flavoured with caprice, frolic, jokes, jests, and dance!


Joan Lennon's website.
Joan Lennon's blog.