Walkies

The Dower House window blinds have been much on our minds of late, now that the nights are 'fair drawing in'.
These blinds, although not technically blackout, would, they assured us prevent any shenanigans inside being seen by passers by 25 yards away, when dark outside and the lamps are lit inside.
Nonsense.
We should have known better, but we foolishly believed them- a case of the blind people leading the blind if you will.

So now we are biting the bullet and having new blackout blinds fitted on the bedroom windows and the main sitting room one. This should prevent the row of faces pressed up against the railings after dusk wondering what the night's entertainment is to be.

The Edinburgh cycling community is again in mourning for another fatal cycling accident.
This time a young cyclist taking part in a race in the Borders who came off his bike on a steep downhill.
He was a leader for the development road runs of the Edinburgh Road Club and was instrumental in encouraging daughter #1 to get out with them on her bike.

A sudden death like this is always shocking, but especially so when it's someone young, who leaves behind parents and a sibling.

This afternoon has been spent in phoning round what seem to be every guest house in Lerwick looking for accommodation for our intended stay at the end of January during Up Helly Aa.
Finally I found one which had vacancies.- relief all round. After all, Shetland at the end of January is not somewhere where one could doss down on the beach overnight and live to tell the tale if there were no beds available.