Life in The Craft Lane

Here's my latest column in Shetland Life magazine for those who can't get it unless you go to Barretts of Byres Road. S.x.

Last weekend I enjoyed the glitter and magic of The Clickimin Christmas Craft Fair. My wife, in her capacity as a jeweller and silversmith set up her silver at a stall between some beautiful photographs of Shetlands wild flowers and a collection of gorgeous woven textiles. (Textiles? in Shetland? Could happen.)

I was there in my capacity as her shop boy. I was pretty much blown away by the quality of goods on offer- particularly the table full of tasty handmade sweeties across the aisle that I had to stare at all weekend, my teeth and waist line screaming “don’t do it!”

All of the traders a met and spoke to were exceptionally welcoming to us newcomers to the fair, full of compliments for the work and encouragement. Happy crowds came and went gathering up all of their Christmas presents in one go. One recurring theme was how people kept saying that they wanted to give their loved ones something special, unique or handmade and that they were extra chuffed to be buying from small independent traders. In fact the woman who ran the coffee shop blatantly claimed “Ahm no’ sending my money sooth!”

It’s very heart-warming to hear this. We still have a great respect and love for the “croft industry” even though the world of big business is letting everyone down. I’m not sure I want to spend my dark winter afternoons traipsing around the busy shopping centres of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh giving my money to the big high street stores owned by conglomerates of “entrepreneurs” who have little interest in what their shop is selling just so long as it sells.

I think that’s one of the basic problems that causes big business to mess up- they don’t care what they are selling. They just care about the selling itself. Look at Duncan Bannatyne, our representative “up by the bootstraps” Jock in the Dragons Den. He started selling ice cream then moved on to selling residences in care homes and that lead into selling memberships to the gym. Sorry, but I don’t see the link. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with confectionery, pensioner care or exercise; I’m just saying I think it’s pretty clear that the man has no passion for the actual thing he is selling.

Take Sir Allen Sugar too. Just before he took over the Sinclair Company on behalf of Amstrad he went on record saying, “We’re business men. We’re not made up of ex-graduates throwing a bunch of electronic components into a plastic box.”

Oh it’s that easy is it? Well I tried throwing a bunch of electronic components in a plastic box. All I got was an awkward and boring baby rattle. There’s a bit more to it than that. Here was Sir Clive Sinclair, the man who in the 1970’s, while everyone though he was delusional, had the vision that one day there would be a computer in every home in Britain - the man who developed the microchip which is probably in your own mobile phone right now- ridiculed for having a baldy head, a ginger beard, a utopian vision of the electric car and a predilection to innovation over salesmanship. The Businessman doesn’t care. If it doesn’t sell it doesn’t matter-move on and sell something else. At least before Sir Richard Branson invested in soft drinks and aeroplanes he spent twenty years getting rich off something he didn’t necessarily make but he absolutely loved and understood-music. (Notice how they are all Knights, by the way. The new Templars?)

I would like to shout out to two young groups I met at the craft fair who showed great love for their product. One is Anderson High Schools entrepreneurial team, Calibre, who have developed “The Ti-Pod,” a tee-pee style greenhouse designed to encourage people to grow their own fruit and veg in limited space. I believe they raised a lot of awareness about self-sufficiency and a few sales to boot. (So enthusiastic were they I overheard them in heated discussion about whether it should be pronounced “Ty-pod” or “Tee-pod.”)

The other is Windhouse Productions, a collective of teenage writers who have taken old Shetland ghost stories and rewritten them in their own words for a modern readership. Even though the book will not be published until 10th December they managed to sell many advance copies just with their passion and enthusiasm for the project. I’ve got mine on order.

It was wonderful to see so many diverse groups in such a mutually supportive environment selling such a variety of wares that they had created with their own hands and imaginations right here in Shetland. The rest of the UK could take a tip.

More Shetland Life

Hej Kids,

It turns out I'm the new columinst at Shetland Life Magazine. It's like the Sunday supplement magazine to The Shetland Times except it's once a month instead of once a week (there only 22,000 people up here.)

Anyway, for those of you who can't get the magazine here is the first of I hope many articles in the section known as (wait for it...) Nelson Column!


Nelsons Column Nov 09.

My wife and I are about to enter our second Shetlandic winter. When we arrived to live and work in Shetland in August 2008 we were informed “If de can stand two winters, de’ll be fine.” Well, I say informed; we were more instructed. This is an aspect of the Shetland psyche I have come to admire in a curious way- a straight forwardness mixed in with a laid-back attitude.

I grew up in a North Glasgow housing scheme called Cadder where all the streets were named after places in Shetland- I grew up on Vaila Street; my best friend lived on Tresta Road; I went school on Herma Street- so it was strangely fitting that I ended up here. And with a name like Nelson, and a childhood obsession with my Norwegian heritage, I slotted right in. In fact last month at Baltasound Hall I performed at a show where everyone in the first act was called Somethingson- Johnson, Adamson, Nicolson, Sandison, Jameson, Nelson.

I often return to Glasgow to work, at least once a month in fact, so I am constantly reminded of how Shetland is indeed its own thing. The mess of contradictions is fascinating. When you first arrive it’s a straightforward, “Who are you, why are you here and what do you want?” Then as soon as you have explained yourself it’s “Yes that sounds reasonable. Come on in, how can I help?” Perhaps the sharp contrast of summer and winter influences this see saw attitude.

When we arrived here last year the storm around Mareel was still raging. Even after the building was given the go ahead in a close called democratic election, people were calling for recounts, shouting how they were avowed to overturn the decision. Many vociferous words were exchanged.
“Wow”, I thought, “What kind of building could invoke such hue and cry? A maximum security prison? A nuclear waste refinery? An Al Qaeda training ?”
“It’s a cinema.”
“What?”
“It’s a cinema and concert hall with a rehearsal room.”
“Like a picture house?”
“Yes.”
”Where people sit silently in the dark sharing a bon huer with a touching storyline or a rollocking blockbuster?”
“Yes.”
“And a concert hall with a state of the art sound system to attract world class musicians?”
“Yes.”
“And a rehearsal room with a sprung floor for peerie lassies to go to dance class and couples in their thirties go to do salsa lessons?
“Yes.”
“???”

Whether or not you will rejoice in Mareel or obstinately refuse to enjoy it once it’s built, you can be assured that this is the kind of debate that is lacking down south. Shetlands propensity to ask questions and make noise ensured that the Sumburgh departures are the only flights in FlyBe’s entire fleet that offer a piece of hold luggage and a refreshment in the ticket price.
And of course we cannot ignore the huge furore surrounding Viking Energy. Even those who are completely in favour of building a wind farm are asking question after question, making sure that what they get is what they want and are not palmed off with any old system.
From what I observe that wouldn’t happen down south. A Glasgow conversation could go like this:
“Excuse me, pal, we want to build a motorway slip road through you kitchen.”
“Uch, that’s ridiculous!”
Then they would sit back smoking their fags blaming asylum seekers, teenage neds and “they idiots in Brussels” rather than use that energy to question those who actually have the power to make the decisions that affect their lives.
Perhaps Shetland has always been like this. Certainly in the 70’s Shetland asserted itself as the only council in the UK to benefit from oil revenue. Shell even regarded the council’s chief executive, Ian Clark, as more difficult to deal with than Colonel Gaddafi.

I think it goes deeper. It’s the Scandinavian in you. As a regular visitor to Sweden I have noticed that young and old are in touch with socio-political goings on at all levels. Shetland even looks like a Scandinavian country- wheelchair and pram access properly built; pothole free roads; the arts and leisure taken seriously; a proper reliable public transport system (honestly, if a bus or a ferry is cancelled up here it’s because it is physically incapable of moving. Down there it’s one flake of snow and the place comes to a standstill.)

Now of course Shetland does have its downsides, which I would be foolish to discuss in my first column for this publication, lest my effigy appear at this year’s Up Helly Aa (he said, flattering himself). But it is the Cartesian habit of questioning everything that impresses me, and takes me back to my 1980’s youth when people shouted loud.

So as a result of last winter, my wife and I go into this winter with our first child on the way. That’s the kind of winter I like.

Sandy Nelson Oct 2009

Marshalls Misdemeanours

This Friday, November 6th 2009, tune in to BBC Radio Scotland at 11.30am for hilarious campus comedy "Marshall's Misdemeanours."

Comedy set at Kibble College of Culture and Sport, where we follow the adventures of Marshall and his mates as they embark on ill-advised love affairs and are tormented by past rivalries.

I play Marshall and am surrounded by the beautiful cast Gabriel Quigley, Stephen McNicol, Louise Ludgate and Gavin Mitchell. It is directed and produced by Marilyn Imrie of Bona Broadcasting.

Me as Marshall.

It's available on BBC iPlayer for one week after.

Go Kibble!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes

Tonight!

I'm Emceeing at the Baltasound Hall gig tonight with Havana Swing. Pics to follow. x.

Why I Committed Cybercide.

Here's me on Good Evening Shetland on BBC Radio Shetland recently as that weeks rent-an-opinion in their section The Week Hit's Awaa (the week that's just passed) woth a peice entitled Why I Committed Cybercide.

So that's: Why I Committed Cybercide on the The Week Hit's Awa' section of Good Evening Shetland on Radio Shetland by Radio Scotland for the BBC. 'Sake! For 3 and a half minutes.

Enjoy.

The Cow Whisperer

Because of the development of the crop rotation system ( incorporating grazing animals) we get a new beast oot the back every couple of days. This week: Cattle.
Meg- "Check that bunch a cows!"

ETA JAN 2010

See you next year.x.