Castin' Paets

The day started a bit overcast but it soon brightened up and it's been a wonderful sunny day :)

I was up early today and mam came along to pick me up and off we went on our way.  First ferry was at 9.45am to Yell.  We met in with Tony Gott in the hill casting peats and had a good yarn with him about genealogy too :)  After that, nipped to Sellafirth to see uncle Charlie and aunt Margaret and my cousin Andrea was along them too :)  After visiting Yell, off to Unst to see my sister Julie and family.  With it being a nice day, we even managed to get outside for a cuppa in the garden.  After a catch up, off to the beach with my nieces, mam and Julie to spend longer than expected playing and building a dam in the burn. Burrafirth beach is a fantastic beach and more so on a sunny day with it's glittery sand.  Back home and had a wonderful day out and now a lazy evening but Sammy will still need a walk before bed :)

Tony Gott had let me know he was going to cast peats today, a god chance to snap him at it.  It's a bit early for most to cast peats, we used to start in May.  He's getting three peats deep here and hopefully get a dry summer for them to dry.  Using the tuskar, you cut down into the bank, then build up a dyke with gaps to help the peat dry in the wind.  Later in the year you raise the peats, building them into roogs to help dry, that's usually when the midges eat you alive :)  Taken north of Sellafirth, Yell.