As you probably know, I have a fascination with Shetland. I first fell in love with the sheep and then where they came from. I did get to visit briefly once and definitely want to go back from a longer one, maybe for my 60th birthday. Anyway, I finally got around to listening to this podcast interviewing Aimee Budge. She and her sister run a farm in Shetland. I saw them on This Farming Life when I was binge-watching television during my illness last year. So it was fun catching up. There is also an interview with Ann Cleeves, writer of the Shetland mystery series, which was great fun to listen to.

If you do not know much about Shetland, it has a fascinating history. Here is a brief description of the Norse history related to it. So I love the history, the sheep, the knitting, the food, and the music of Shetland. I regularly listen to Tom Morton Beatcroft Social. I have been cooking from his and his son’s cookbook, Shetland: Cooking at the Edge of the World. Of course I had read all of Ann Cleeve’s Shetland books and watched all of the resulting television series, anxiously awaiting the next one. But especially I love my Shetland sheep and their wool. I have knitted a Fair Isle sweater (and other smaller projects), a hap shawl, and Shetland lace cape. I have participated in three retreats focusing on Shetland wool. So I am a little obsessed with these islands on the other side of the world from me.