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16 October 2014

On Top Of Ward Hill


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How Things Have Changed

Hope that all you folks are well, I have been busy with building and entertaining the parents that have just arrived up from the rain drenched Sooth to visit us for a few weeks, so far the sun has shone on them and I hope that it continues.

It always amazes me how we think that we work hard. It wasn't until I was told a true story from a friend on the island that I realised how easy we have it nowadays. About 35 -40 years ago the boat used to go to Sanday and other isles carrying coal. The coal was dumped in the hold of the boat and was sailed to the island where 4 men would shovel all the coal from the hold into buckets to be hoisted ashore. Now there were approx 150 tons of coal and each man would get a bonus for shovelling all the coal off in one day. That bonus was 拢5. Do you think that a man would work that hard all day and then return home late at night and still have to tend to his beasts on the farm before retiring for the night.

The man who shovelled his coal was so grateful that when he returned home he found that his nephew had tended the beasts he paid the nephew the bonus because he was so grateful that he didn't have to start work again.

Men were real men back then. And I am sure that the women worked just as hard.

We think we have it hard but do we really?



Posted on On Top Of Ward Hill at 08:29

Comments

glad the weather's keeping good for parental visit! i agree with you on the work issue--i don't know if we harder than before--i think its different and i i'm 99% certain we have a lot more stress in our life

carol from in the sun


The "good" old days...

mjc from NM,USA


I got a paper cut in the office last week. It really stung!

chopper from braintree


Well done keep up the good work. Love to all

Caz from Sussex


It's entirely possible the women worked harder! Only shortage of banyan trees and hot sunshine discourages the men from sitting around chewing the fat all day. I'm almost sure of it...

Flying Cat from A reflective corner


Your question, if I may say, and I'm going to, is a very slanted question. The days of heavy/hard labour are mostly behind us, today we have different things to worry about. Your coalman, did work very hard, but there is no thought or brain needed to shovel coal. Nowadays there are so many rules and regulations, that everybody ( well maybe not everybody, but a lot of people) gets stressed out, in case they are doing it wrong, it's a different kind of tiredness that we have today. Cheery...

Tws from All Along The Watch Tower


Oak trees would do as well, FC. Isn't that what the kings of yore used to do, sitting under the oak tree and chewing cud, under the pretense of dispensing justice? They were just having an old boys pow wow if the truth be told.

mjc from NM,USA


I agree with you Tws about different types of stress. A desk job or a manual one can cause all sorts of frustration. But progress has ruined a lot of other values. Like families pulling together etc.

Barebraes from Shapinsay


i'm dying ---the heat is back with a vengence. yes women worked harder physically in bygone days--they had kids to bring up,housework to be done,and more often worked a hard day in the fields as well. Todays wife,works,brings up her kids keeps her home running smoothly,but what a lot of help she has---no i'm not being sarcastic--i'm the only female i know here in france that doesn't work--but we've all got dyson's to get of the dust,steam cleaners for the floors,washing machines,dishwashers,tumble dryers, great big steam irons that cuts the time done by half. we or most go away for at least two weeks holidays so apart afrom the stress issue we do have it easier!

carol from 36脗掳 in the shade


Ah Carol, don't complain. It's as hot - hotter - here and there is no shade, unless one wants to join the rattlesnake under the rock. I might just do it soon. Anyway, Carol, lots of folks in England would give their wellies and their canoes to be in your shoes. # Did everyone note how Barebraes - in some other blog - was practically offering organic home made apple sauce to FC to go with Hermit's mutton? No animal is safe in the islands, I swear. Even Coco has been threatening to cut down the cat population (though no one seems to want to cut the grass at Coll International). Whatever happened to the oven goat, Hermit? Has it been curried yet?

mjc from NM,USA


Carol can you send over some sunshine please

Barebraes from Shapinsay


I wonder if we have such personal satisfaction with baking cakes from a packet [they don't taste as good], cooking mainly pre-prepared foods? But a washing machine, and a refrigerator defintely make life easier. When under stress just scream! It does help ... though [quietly here] make sure the neighbours know your little peculiarity ... otherwise their stress levels may rise!

Plaid from in the sink


There there meltng-moments-Carol, there there, I agree with you...really...but there's no need to let on. How can fpus of the world keep their men in order if you go spilling the beans on all their labour-saving gadgets. Crivvens! (Fpu used to get the Sunday Post when outre-mer and in England, but as soon as they returned to Scotia's Grandeur, mysteriously no longer needed it...)

Flying Cat from under a very small oak tree in the rain


Ah! The old days when men were men and women were grateful.

Hyper-Borean from Monsieur Chauvin's sty


HB:---dreamer,your nothing but a--

carol from suffragete city


Hyper-B., surely you meant Chauvelin's sty?

mjc from NM,USA


Nowadays its more like women are women and men are grateful...

Flying Cat from chronological cul-de-sac


nice fc;nice one!!

carol from where its hot and windy


mjc, I meant the former but am happy to be associated withe the liberal tendencies of the latter.

Hyper-Borean from Still in the sty


For crying out loud, take a break Barebraes. Let's have a shot of Hooch's mug, or perhaps even that of the Hunk aka Cupid. Does he wear a kilt, now that he has been on Shapinsay a while.? Annie B. would be more than willing to provide him with the proper wardrobe (the full kit) ..., including a certified hedgehog sporran.

mjc from NM,USA




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