Among chains and rope, lashed here all winter*

by chuckofish

Contrary to what the title of this post might imply, I had a lovely week. Son #3 and his lovely ladies (girlfriend and cat) visited us. We had a great time despite nearly constant rain, snow, and wind. The cat, Eve (short for Evelyn), kept us entertained with her antics. She loves to run from window to window tracking the outside world, and she can kill a super ball with the speed of light, but shadows perturb her. Most of all, we continue to marvel at her ability as a contortionist.

As sleeping poses go…this one is a tad extreme, even for a cat.

Tim and Abbie even managed some household archaeology; they cleaned out the closet in his room. Finds included this unopened package of Cashews

complete with a 2008 sell by date!!!  Words fail me. Suffice it to say that I am super delighted with the newly organized closet and the boxes of items (sans decades old food) now ready for the church rummage sail. Huzzah!

Alas, all fun has to come to an end sometime, and they left yesterday. Deep in a post-visitor funk, I turned to Netflix last night, hoping to find something diverting to watch. Wonder of wonders, I happened upon a good BBC mystery called “Shetland”. The name isn’t very imaginative as the show takes place in the Shetland Islands, but if you want incredible scenery, characters, and a plot that moves at a realistic (that is relatively slow) pace, this one’s for you! It also has good music. Check out the opening credits (a little blurry):

John Lunn, the composer, has also written scores for “Downton Abbey” and “Grantchester”. You can check out his music here. After watching just two episodes, I’m ready for a road trip to the Shetlands. Who wants to go with me? I could retire to such a place.

* Alistair Peebles, “Ham Voe Haiku” (2000). The image seems to capture the Shetlands perfectly.