Sun, stents, peats and motorcycles

Thinking today of friend, music fan and motorcyclist Hugh Docherty, of Kilmarnock via Aberdeenshire, who has had a very similar cardiac experience to myself (two stents to my one) following a heart 'incident' at an East Fortune motorbike race meeting. He's in good spirits, but this angioplasty business is different for everyone. I had a dreadful time for the first month, then a worse time, and then a slow recovery over the past six weeks until now I'm feeling almost normal. Not liking the drugs, but they're non-optional if the heart is to keep pumping and the blood flowing. Which is generally desirable. At least for me.

Our back garden tonight

Work today has been mostly to do with the Destination North Isles Project, which aims to put together a three-year tourism development plan for the Shetland islands of Unst, Fetlar and Yell. I'm currently doing some tourism development work for Unst, but a combined 'Great Northern' campaign would I think benefit all the communities. I'll be in Unst tomorrow (two ferry rides and an hour in the car). Very busy there at the moment with UnstFest. Check out the programme at www.unstfest.org

 I've also been relaying accommodation vacancies on the island for the weekend, which is set to be the busiest of the summer. unstnorthernmost.co.uk if you're interested. The afternoon brightened into a lovely evening, which saw Martha and Susan at the hill to raise our peats (the first process of drying after cutting). Mysteriously, they already have been raised. Nobody knows who's done this, or if they do they're not saying. But whoever you are, thanks a million.

Folk seem to like my Beatcroft Social Mixcloud music radio show (number three in Mixcloud's 'Classic Rock Chart!') Did a little work on a new show for Monday, with a high and rather beautiful Unst element. Dedications to Hugh (probably something about bikes; I'm getting twitchy during my first summer without one for a very long time)and for Gerry McGarvey, the only Shetland parliamentary candidate to have a song written about him by the Pearlfishers! Check the three current shows out at www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2

 Oh, and I'm reading Daniel Woodrell's The Maid's Version, which is southern gothic so crisply written you can smell the Ozark dust.