Supple...

He's fast asleep here. Oh to be so supple!

Friday.

Friday was a day of non-stop action, some good, some bad. In the morning I went up to the Well Woman Clinic to get my Mirena IUS replaced. This only has to happen once every five years, which is fortunate because it ain't particularly pleasant. Benefits outweigh the downsides though, so I filled up with painkillers ahead of time and tried to think positive thoughts. In the event the whole thing went extremely smoothly and with the minimum of fuss and pain, given the quite obviously highly experienced team of doctor and nurse that probably held some sort of record for the speed with which they could perform the procedure. So by lunchtime I was back out on the pavement, feeling a bit pulled around but happy it was all over.

In the afternoon my mother, sister and younger niece came round to see Oliver the kitten and for my niece to say goodbye before she flies out to Australia for her gap year. In classic tradition I must now say "How time flies! I remember her being born!" etc etc. Now she's 18 and going to the far side of the world on her own. On Thursday I was in the supermarket thinking I should get coke and crisps in for "the kids", which included her. In the event she brought a bottle of rose sparkling wine with her so we could toast her departure, lol. At least I managed to make a cake. (Chocolate sponge filled with chocolate fudge, chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles on top. Most satisfactory.)

In the evening we went to the wedding reception of Hubby's cousin. Second marriage. It was a fun and lively reception but what was unusual about was that there were two brides, both in their white dresses, and no husbands at all. Even the bridal couple on the cake were both brides. It's the first time I've been to a Civil Partnership Celebration (can they not think up a better term for this??!!) and it was great fun, despite me still having to take painkillers and only being able to have one glass of fizz. Our cousins' daughters by her first (straight) marriage were there too, and once again it was a case of "Yeah Gawds, I remember them as babies!!" Now they're both at university...

I feel old today, lol.

Finally, as promised, some pictures of the Haldane Orkney.







It's an awfy nice wee wheel, as we would say in Fife. I'll be putting the listing up on Ebay tomorrow.

Haldane Orkney.

I'll post a couple of pictures later but...is anyone looking for a Haldane Orkney spinning wheel? No, it's not mine, I'm selling it on behalf of my local spinning group, as a fund raiser. It's a standard upright castle wheel, double drive, two ratios, three bobbins, orifice hook and a lazy kate that can either be used attached to the wheel or freestanding. It's practically brand new, as in it's been assembled but not finished in any way, so would need stained or varnished or waxed or even painted. The manufacturers oiling instruction stockers are still on it, that's how little it's been used. Near new condition too...there's one tiny dirt mark on it, plus half a dozen very small water spots and some faint sticky tape marks. It came with a leader attached and about three feet of spun singles, and I've done a few yards on it just to make sure it spins well, and it's entirely possible that this is all that it's ever spun. So think shop soiled new, rather than second hand.

Haldane wheels were made very close to here, just over in Fife. They stopped production in the late nineties but their wheels were famous for their quality, materials and good workmanship. The Orkney makes the very similar Ashford Traveller look like it was built out of matchwood, tbh. They were made to last for generations.

Anyhooo, it's going on Ebay this weekend. But if any of my friends reading here is interested please email me and we could possibly deal direct. As I said, we're selling it to raise some cash for the spinning group funds so it's not going to be dirt cheap..we'd be looking for at least £150 for it, plus postage. (Or collection direct.) But belive me it's worth it at that price. It's a fabulous wheel and given that Haldanes haven't been made for ten or more years now, how often do you get the chance of one in almost brand new condition?

Oliver has arrived.

He's thirteen weeks old today. We had to wait till yesterday to collect him because we were away over the whole of the summer, so he's not a tiny wobble legged kitten any more. He's a very small and lanky catlet. But this is good because of course he's fully weaned (pedigree cats don't leave their mothers till 12 weeks because of this, so good enough for our moggie!) and far more interested in exploring the house than missing his mum or sister. He has eaten, drunk, pooped and slept on Lad's bed (and Lad) all night, so I think he's doing very well, don't you?

I have returned....

I have returned.....got the ferry back from Caen last night, after 6+ weeks of camping in France and Holland. We had a great time and there's lots to tell but not today as we're knackered, we've got the trailer tent and all the kit to unpack and sort out this weekend, plus Oliver arrives tomorrow and school starts on Monday, urgh!! But I just wanted to say we'd all got home safely.

Oh, and it was a great holiday from the spinning point of view. Best part was that I bought a spinning wheel in a Breton flea market. Ever tried to pack a spinning wheel into a trailer tent/car already overflowing with camping kit? The key is, of course, determination....and not buying too big a spinning wheel!

Nice to be back though. Decent cup of tea for a start. And I'm looking forwards to catching up with things. Six weeks with practically no internet access....I've missed a lot!