All afternoon with the whole of Ollaberry Primary School, many a bit wrecked after last night’s Christmas panto! Thirteen children aged 5-11 and two wonderful new songs.

As we are a bit off ‘the road’ here but very near to Sullom Voe I decided to ask them about that and they came up with a great new song called ‘All About Oil’.

All About Oil

Oil comes from under the sea bed

It’s fossilized sunshine, it’s fossilized sunshine

It’s sucked up in a big, big tube

And comes ashore in a pipe, and comes ashore in a pipe

Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe

Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe

See the flare on the stacks

Pulsing and glowing, in the night

500 thousand gallons in the tanks

Miles and miles, squiggly pipes

Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe

Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe, Sullom Voe

We also discovered that several have dads and grandads (and some mums and nieces) who work at Sullom Voe oil terminal.

Before that we made up a really lovely lullaby-like song about the ferry. I realised last night that we don’t yet have any music for the ferry journeys. All of this class had been on a trip recently over to Yell by ferry and remembered it really well, so we created a new song.

Home on the Ferry from Yell

As you go through the 2-way door

As you go down the slippery ramp

Listening to the sounds of the sea

Feel the gentle wind on your cheek

Feel it going up and down

Feel it rocking side to side

See the fish see the whales

Looking back to Ulsta pier

Everyone played glockenspiel or xylophone on this one. Many of the melodies came from Isla who had a great voice and at the end of the day persuaded her dad to bring her along to the evening session in the village hall!

It blew wind and sleet all afternoon, great sounds in the music room which has a tin roof!