Fine That - an Orkney Island Life
By Julia Welstead
 Moving
to a remote island off the north coast of Scotland could be one person’s
heaven and another’s hell.
But in Julia Welstead’s new book Fine
that - an Orkney Island Life published by Treb Limited and printed
by The Orcadian, which charts her move with three boys, two years
ago to the north isle of Sanday, anyone would want to move there such
is the idyll set down in the book.
The book is a compilation of the columns she writes
for The Scotsman and which get into the nitty gritty of everyday
life, from feeding the boys, Miles, 11, Dale, eight and Fenning, six,
and new husband Nic, to feeding the array of sheep, hens, cats and a horse.
It is a useful tool for learning about the easy
rythm of island life as well, and Welstead conjours up a wonderful picture
of freedom for her boys to roam on their bikes, picnics and body surfing
at the beach as well as sitting in front of the fire on a stormy night
with a glass of wine.
It starts when she visits Orkney falls in love
with Sanday and quickly decides to move the family up to the windswept
island.
However, she is no stranger to living in remote
places and has stayed on Mull and the Hebrides on the West Coast of Scotland
as well as more exotic islands such as Zanzibar.
Throughout the book the author describes the changes
of seasons beautifully, as well as the awe-inspiring, ever-changing beauty
of the sea and sky which are endless.
From the first page you are drawn into her life
with each entry hooking you on to the next in an addictive spiral, leaving
you unable to put the book down.
She describes in colourful detail the day-to-day
running of the house and bringing up a young family as well as bigger
events such as sports day or a trip to New Zealand.
The book ends bang up to date during Autumn 2003,
leaving you gagging for more and wishing you were living on Sanday.
She does however, add that one of the main problems
of living on such a small island is travelling.
Several times, the family or visitors are caugth
out when storms ravage the island and they find it impossible to leave
or indeed to get back home.
She also points out the downsides of living in
a small community to offset all of the wonderful times in one page and
they are not substantial enough to shatter the happy, peaceful scene she
creates.
One point which did leave you in the dark was
when she describes a family trip to New Zealand, where she and partner
Nic Young go to get married, but there is no mention of the ceremony.
It would have been nice to share in this along
with everything else.
This book is a delight to read with wonderful
illustrations by Jane Young and Jess Wallace of each entry as well as
photos of the family, including the animals, and the landscape of Sanday.
It is a great yarn for people living in Orkney,
for those dreaming of a more peaceful life or just as a temporary escape
for city dwellers.
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