Da Voar Redd Up

The Norse word for 'Spring' is 'Voar' and the Shetland term 'Da Voar Redd Up' means 'The Spring Clean Up'. See Shetland News for the details of next weekend's environmental event, now organised for mass participation, that is taking place for the 28th time. It must be the the most popular tidy-up of its type in Britain with almost a fifth of the local community taking part. The photograph below is of personnel from RAF Saxa Vord taking part in either 1995 or '96. This was a radar station where early operations started in 1945, a permanent base established in 1957 and closure some 20 years later. It was 'tidied up' and is now the interesting and inviting Saxa Vord Resort..

Scottish Islands Explorer - will participate in its own way
Digital Edition: consider if tidying up your in-flow of printed publications

Whalebone Entry Arch

The Barvas Estate in the north of Lewis has now been purchased by the community. The 45,000 acres has been in the Duckworth family for the past 85 years and so this whalebone arch acts symbolically as an entry portal to its new owners. More is in the Stornoway Gazette.

Scottish Islands Explorer - most subscribers have now received the new issue
Digital Edition: an easily-accessible entry portal for new readers

May / June Issue Out

The new edition of Scottish Islands Explorer is in the shops today and copies will soon be through all subscribers' letter-boxes. Why not take a look at the opening pages, including contents, for free in the Digital Edition (see below) that was launched last Saturday? You may even be tempted to part with £1.99 for the single issue or £9.99 for it and the next five.

Scottish Islands Explorer -  ready for you
Digital Edition: delivered instantly to computer, netbook, tablet and smartphone

An Ultimate Residence

Can you resist looking? It's Rudh-a-Chruidh, an easily accessible tidal island with an ultimate residence for sale overlooking Oban Bay. Either go there via the estate agents - Savills - or in the company of the Daily Mail Online. Either way you are in for a treat.

Scottish Islands Explorer - keen on that style of settlement
Digital Edition: the new issue for May / June 2016 is available

Another Stone Haven

The oldest fort in Scotland is to be found on Dunnicaer, a sea stack to the south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. A second archaeological site has now been opened and some of its contents are revealed on the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - contents sometimes contain findings
Digital Edition: will it ever be opened up by archaeologists?

Flowing from the Field

Premier Oil is pleased to announce the first flow of oil from the Solan Field, situated to the west of Shetland. It is a fixed platform in 413' of water and operates, not with a pipeline, but a shuttle-tanker service. The benign look of the photograph above contrasts with the malevolent feel of the one below. The BBC website has the fuller story.

Scottish Islands Explorer - there must be a few readers on the platforms
Digital Edition: immediately available both on- and off-shore

Poppies Conveyed

The display of poppies at the Tower of London was held in 2014. Earlier this week a delivery of them was made to Orkney in preparation for the installation to be made at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The Orcadian has the details.

Scottish Islands Explorer - the delivery process for the next edition has started
Digital Edition: increasingly read

Taking Off

Fiona McGowan took this photograph soon after her flight departed from Barra to Glasgow. A range of images - several of the islands - feature in the latest series of the BBC's Your Pictures of Scotland.

Scottish Islands Explorer - many images from contributors
Digital Edition: it, too, is taking off

Power Up

Power has had to come in different ways to the northern isles of Orkney. A fault on the undersea cable has now been rectified and the need for generators to be shipped into Shapinsay, Eday, Stronsay, Sanday and North Ronaldsay is no longer required. The schools there will re-open this morning and normal life will be resumed. The BBC website item supplies the powerful details.

Scottish Islands Explorer - not affected on this occasion ...
Digital Edition: ... apart from this version

A Cool Place

There's a nice juxtaposition in the 9 April 2016 edition of The Independent. It features Skara Brae which was inhabited in around 3000BC and was the somewhat exposed Orcadian home of people for some 600 years. The newspaper had a print-life of only 30 years before becoming digital only. The article is partly about a new website, Cool Places, suggesting good British places at which to eat, drink, stay and shop.

Scottish Islands Explorer - suggests stopping and shopping
Digital Edition: the format for the future, perhaps?