THE VIKINGS, Up Helly Aa

[Doc Vernon]

I ended up wearing a helmet. I wanted an axe but didnt get one.
cheers
Brian

that's because they knew you would hide it and use it at Home on the good Neighbours! LOL

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
Odd thing about that Shetland murder series we watched it last year but the sound track wasn't very good, the repeat this time around they have improved it. Last year they also showed the Up Helly Aa with the burning of the Viking boat.
Cheers Des
PS John.
Did you watch the trip up up West Coast to the Kimberly's last nigh on S.B.S. went for three hours,showed all the reefs and waterfalls and whirlpools , little commentary and thank God no bloody music.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

YEs I did Des although I enjoyed some of the scenery as spent a lot of time round those areas offshore, thought the silence not very appropriate at times and more like a home made movie. The 75 passengers can’t imagine them galloping off to the nearest pub as they looked as old as some of us. They mentioned Wyndham but didn’t go there , I worked out of there servicing a South African dredger , looking for and finding diamonds in the gulf. Funny thing though they always put someone with me when had to bring them into Wyndham. You see the real Australia in those areas. Pleased I had the opportunity to see it first hand. Before I retired. Gave me a second lease on life. Australia is never boring. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

The Vikings certainly left their mark on UK and there is still evidence in parts of their being there.
A nation of sailors who ventured out to other lands no doubt to find what they could.
An invasion maybe?


But I have sent to some of you a video of another more recent invasion of Birmingham, far more frightening than any Viking invasion.

[j.sabourn]

Yes and it’s really frightening as well when you consider it has all been self inflicted. Maybe by well meaning people , but with an intelligence not very high in the Mensa scales. JS

[Captain Kong]

One for Brian. Taking off from Sumburgh Airport for me was always nerve-racking, sitting at end of the runway brakes hard on engines at full throttle then brakes off and down the runway like a bat out of hell heading straight for the sea and the relief as it starts to gain height. I always think of the Dan-Air flight that didn't make it!Bill .

The most terrifying flight I ever made was then from Sumburgh, Lerwick
After five days waiting for the storm to slow down, it was up to 120 knots, we boarded the plane again, and just sat there fastened in bouncing around for over an hour, thought the plane was going to turn over, Suddenly he took off down that runway towards the sea, as it lifted it flipped over, the wings Vertical, and I was lying on the window, all I could see was rocks with white sea smashing over them
Everyone screaming. then he managed to get up and level out, A very bumpy ride to Aberdeen. and then coming in to land as we approached the runway it flipped over again, wings vertical, so zoomed off again over the sea, this happened three times, then he dumped the fuel and shouted on the speaker this time we are going in. we hit the runway and bounced like a tennis ball all the way down. The Plane had a back door with steps, I was down first and legged it to the building and into the Bar, The Pilot was already there with a large whisky, gulping it down, "You were quick off there , " I said. he says , Your lucky I have to take it back.
What was the wind speed on take off, he says, 75 knots, so I said what is the limit, he said 45 knots, So why did you take off, he says If I didnt they would get someone who would.

[John Arton]

I have often thought of doing one of those DNA tests to see if there is any Viking blood in my ancestry as I have a direct line of ancestry to the Sutherland's who hailed from the Shetlands. Sutherland is a name that appears in my family as either a surname or middle name and all holders of the name can be traced directly back to the Sutherland's from Shetland.
Rgds
J.A.

[Bill Morrison]

Bill Went up there one time overnight on the P and O ferry from Aberdeen. Saw Peter B when in uk last July, stillthe same old Peter,much slimmer though. Said Jakey Kerr had died, very sad. JS

John. The personnel department knew I didn't care for flying and on one occasion sent me to Lerwick on the St Clair. An hour out of Aberdeen with a very heavy sea running, forward passenger deck port blown in. Hoved to off Peterhead to carry out repairs arrived in Lerwick six hours late.
I heared the story of the Seaforth Jarl I know anchor chain was involved, poor Billy Mcleod was the skipper!
Never see any old company colleagues these days I saw Irene Milne from personnel a couple of years ago she has never aged looks the same as all those years back.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I think I might have put this in before, I have Viking ancestry, the little finger of my right hand is curled right over, a Dr in France did a long study of the condition and found that in every instance the DNA matched that of the Vikings, some notable people are, Compo from the Three Old Men, Bill Nye the actor, there are hundreds if not thousands in the UK and Europe. One notable man out here is Ernie Dingo an Aboriginal actor who was given a DNA test and he came up with Viking ancestry.It's a condition from all that raping and pillaging, ha ha.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

How Ernie Dingo ever got to be a bloody Viking is a mystery.
As to the little finger being bent, you spent too much time as a young lad picking your nose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!