Soe Pots

A howling gale blowing all day.  Cloudy morning first thing, then mostly sunny all day.  There has been a strike of lightning, with a shower this evening.   

Up at 5am, weekend street beat cleaning in Lerwick.  I was working with Philip, I was on the north beat.  A morning puttering about the house and garden.  Popped down to mam's in the afternoon.  A few walkies with Sammy throughout the day.  Working in the shop this evening, busy as usual.  Early to bed again tonight.  

While at mam's, me and Jonny headed out for a walk along the banks.   We came across the old soe pots at the fishing craigs.  Soe pots are the round holes in the foreground, the size of mug bottom.  They were made by fishermen going to craigs, 'shappin' limpets with a stone on the rocks.  The soe was when you chewed the limpets and 'sprootit'  them into the water, where they would make an oily löm.  You'd have a 'pokk' (net) set under the soe, and wait for sillocks (young coal fish) to come, then raise the pokk, catching your fish.  This has gone on for hundreds, if not, thousands of years.  In for recent history, granddad Maike encouraged us as bairns to use the pots, mostly for holding our bait in, limpets, mackerel etc.  This fishing craigs were always a great place to come, I must try it here again soon.  Taken at the Taing o Blogars-Hellia, looking to Blue Geo, Aithsetter, Cunningsburgh.