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How to describe it all - it was an absolutely fantastic weekend. Friday night we (ruthodanort, daughter, plus a couple of friends) went to the Indian for a meal, we had no tickets for a concert that night, so went straight to the festival club. By about 11.30 most people arrived from the various concerts and the place was packed. There was a stage with organised bands playing which quickly became disorganised bands - brilliant music, I mean they they were all mixed up. Irish and American, Shetland and Estonian.

We dipped in and out of various rooms, finding a variety of singing or instrumentalists, nipped in by the bar too, and danced, though it kinda resembled the London tube at rush hour - squashed closer than close....and in every corner there was some person or group strumming or singing, the atmosphere was magic.

nothin can quite beat going for chips n cheese at 2am.

we got home each of the three nights at 4ish. I actually got told off by my teenager for making a noise and wakening him as we came home! Ha! the tables are turned now mate! just like old times, coming home as the dawn breaks, tiptoeing in past your CHILDREN'S bedroom door!

We met so many lovely people. and saw so much talent. (music was great too...) no, I do mean we saw so many great acts.
Tim and Mollie O'Brien, and their family, one of their sons did amazing flat feet dancing - kinda like tap but not shiny noisy shoes - and he also slapped his thighs in a musical way. I can also reveal that it doesn't work if YOU slap his thighs, in the interests of musical research I investigated this concept.

A9 (we have a local accountancy firm called that, no relation) they were a happy and large fiddle group. again lots of talent.

Finniston - a brother and sister who were into selling merchandise especially fridge magnets. liked the music.

And the star of the show - Dougie Maclean. so nice, so friendly, so gentle. he got us all singing 'You may fall, but you must not die down' and we had to pretend to be fiddles.
He says, and I agree, that if you make mistakes in life (ie you fall) it shows you are trying, and are tackling the whole business of life head on, but you cannot do nothing (ie lie down)
Later we got the chance to chat and shake his hand. nice man.

Fiddlers Bid - how can they play so well, so fast, in time, and still sound so wonderful, and not destroy the fiddles? they played so fast, it reminded me of the old stories about DaTrows, when a fiddler wid be captured by trows, were taken out to the hills and had to play for hours, days, or months an returned exhausted thinking they had only been away 5 minutes or so.
Look them up on google too, they have a great CD called Naked and Bare. and its as good as its name.

Locals - at the singing concert on Sunday afternoon (so early, we had to be there at 1.30pm) the two I would pick out as exceptional were Malachy Tallack - to look up his web page, just type his name into google. I bought his CD and its brilliant. he sang a song about the last surviving war veteran. when I looked around loads of folk were crying.

And young Erin Sandison, fae Scalloway - so talented, what a voice. watch out for next year. I heard her at another concert singing 'Pearl's a Singer' (Elkie Brooks) Wow.

now you see why its a holiday Monday.

I have photos - many thanks to Soljey for helping us get the best seats in the house - twice - but will attempt to blog photos at a later date, I also have a video clip - can that be blogged?

PS we met a very nice man visiting from the Western Isles. we enquired if he knew anything about guga. he says it tastes awful - is that true?