HOUSEKEEPING. loi 



" Yes, I am very headstrong," replied the saucy minx 

 of twelve ; " give me some more blaand, please." 



Blaand is simply the whey of butter-milk, from 

 which the curd has been strained, left in an oak cask 

 to ferment. It is a most quenching, delicious drink 

 when used at the proper stage. It sparkles in the 

 glass like champagne, and tastes a little as claret 

 would if it possessed the effervescing properties of 

 lemonade. After the sparkle goes off it becomes flat 

 and not nice ; but the blaand may be kept at per- 

 fection-stage by adding regularly fresh whey to it. 



There is a Shetland preparation of milk which not 

 even its exceeding goodness can justify for being a 

 most absurd waste of good milk. The dish is called 

 "clocks," and is merely new milk boiled for hours 

 until it becomes thick, brown, and clotted. Gallons 

 of milk will only produce a moderate- sized dish of 

 clocks. 



Nye was wont to prepare a dish of clocks for those 

 guests from far countries whom she delighted to 

 honour; but Tribulation seldom wasted milk for the 

 sake of seeing some savant make a wry face before 

 tasting, and then eat up the dishful. No, not even 

 though the " clocks " was certain to provoke some talk 

 about Norse habits and national tastes. 



The mention of national tastes leads me to say that 

 some kinds of fish are preferred by the Shetlanders 

 when wind and sun have imparted to them the peculiar 

 flavour known as "blawn." Some impartial non- 

 Shetlanders translate the word into blown, seeing that 



