Question of the Day

If there were no limitations on your decision—not money, nor law, nor employment, nor anything else—where would you choose to live? And no, it doesn’t have to be permanent; if you’ve always fancied giving Paris or Portugal or Portland a try, even though you’ve never been there, that’s cool, too…

I’ve only one answer: Fair Isle.


It’s a teensy wee island which lies halfway between Orkney and Shetland, owned by the National Trust for Scotland, and is known for three things: birds, knits, and shipwrecks. It has a population of about 70, who get about 85% of their winter and 50% of their summer energy requirements from wind, meaning they also have almost no pollution. It’s a perfect little haven for progressive, hermetic little weirdos like me and Mr. Shakes. Give us our own ickle croft and a satellite for internet access, and we’ll be good to go.

As an aside, Mr. Shakes would probably have a very different idea about this. He’d probably either choose Chicago or Edinburgh (either of which would be okay by me, too, having lived in both), or go somewhere else altogether—although I bet he’d be willing to give Fair Isle a go.