I spend some time looking through Betty Best’s producer folder for or Given Days back in 2002 (which her widower John Best had brought round for me) - it was CHROMA’s first time to the isle, invited by composer Alastair Stout, who has family ties to the island and was commissioned by the community to create a piece for community choir and ensemble. It was interesting reading, and included a lovely handwritten letter from Peter Maxwell Davies, who was the project patron.
Meanwhile, Caroline, Jo and Lydia head to Burkle where Hollie shows them round the knitting studio and they buy some small pieces of Fair Isle knitting.
Then we all head round to Busta to have coffee with Anne and Barry. Anne has been so brilliant this week: a fount of fascinating information and histories; popping into the hall with helpful things - her experiment making ruffs with crimped lengths of interfacing particularly successful, much more comfortable than the paper version! It’s lovely to sit in the kitchen and chat together. Barry used to be skipper of the Good Shepherd and also has stories to tell!
Back at Kenaby later Eileen and Luca pop in during their walk. Eileen is wonderful with on-the-ground organising for this project, our WhatsApp thread alive with all the things! There’s been a running joke about the moon this week (the full Harvest Moon on Friday was enormous - causing sea-swell too steep for the Good Shepherd to get sheep out to the markets, but that’s another story…) Eileen and Anne kept texting me to go and look NOW, but deep in conversation with Ian and Stu I’d miss the texts and then we’d miss the moon as the rain came down or cloud came over. But tonight I remembered to look, the moon still huge and yellow hanging in a clear sky.
The weather is fine, so Stu decides to walk Malcolm’s Head and while he does that I leaf through Lise’s stash of piano music and practice my sightreading. Not done that for many many years. Stu has been tuning her old piano steadily through the week, and it’s sounding much better.
Caroline, Jo and Lydia are also walking the isle under the blue skies. Very glad the weather decided to show off the isle on our last day here.
John Best (Ian’s father) drops by - he takes a dram and I thank him for bringing the Given Days folder. He tells stories of Betty and her marvellous way with words.
An iconic lamb supper cooked by Ian and then it’s time to pack - an early start in the morning. Weather forecast looks promising for the plane.
Thank yous today to our hosts who give us the warmest of welcomes and the most delicious meals: Pat and Neil Thomson at Lower Stoneybrek, Fiona and Robert Mitchell at Stackhoull and Ian Best at Kenaby.
Blogging by Claire Shovelton
Photo of Malcolm’s Head by Stuart King
Claire and Eileen (photo by Ian Best)