I love this month's CD that is featured in Notes on Celtic Music. The music reminds me so much of the many wonderful women I have met while living and traveling in Scotland. Many have become what will be life long friends. Margaret Macdonald and Moira Kerr fit into that category. Two wonderful ladies who come from different worlds but are so much a like. Margaret is a farmer's wife, Mother, and receptionist at a NHS surgery. Moira is off course a great singer and song writer. All that matters they bring great joy and love to my life. They have always been my barometer on what Celtic women should be. I know each person is different and you can not compare one to another. Margaret and Moira were my first true friends in Scotland so they will always be special to me.

My Shetland experiences have brought another whole new set of women into my life. I greatly admire people and especially women who live on Shetland. First, they have to deal with a lot of old fashion thinking from a lot of the Shetland men on what a woman's role in life should be. "Wifey" which is the term used to designate an older women in Shetland is an example on what the expected role is. Many of them have hard lives by modern day standards as they struggle with their family to make a living on crofts. They help with everything in relationship to lambing and the sheep. When I focus on crofting women I think of a special neighbour whose husband died suddenly a few years ago. Everyone thought she would leave the croft and move into town. But, she didn't. She is carrying on the work of the croft by herself with help from her children once in awhile. What she is doing is not easy. Crofting in the Eshaness area is really difficult because the land is not very fertile and the sheep have to contend with really bad weather. She is a special lady and has high respect from me.

Being a women I guess I notice how hard the women of the Northern Isles have to work. Having lived there I know what the weather can be like at times and how just when they think they have a good year going a hurricane comes and blows off the roof. Having traveled a lot I know in other areas of the world you will find women struggling and making it. But, the people I know best are on the islands of Scotland and all I can say is they deserve to be called THE BEST as they make it through the daily routine in what can be an harsh environment.

Oh, just so I won't be accused of discrimination I admire the island men also but in a different way.

Happy Reading,

I love to hear from you so contact me by Email at sharma@sharmakrauskopf.com

You can find more articles in the archive under Island Miniatures/Lighthouse Letters.

I have three books which are directly related to this column. The Last Lighthouse tells how we bought our lighthouse, the day by day journal of a year at Eshaness entitled A Year in the Lighthouse and in Scottish Lighthouses our lighthouse is featured in the 31 lighthouses presented. You can find out more about these books and others I have written at my official author web site.