Wool Week starts

The flag at the campsite has changed

It's Sunday, and Liz has a workshop this morning 10-1 at a community centre in Lerwick. It's much warmer today, much warmer. Even so 10 is an early start for us, we'll need to be off-site by 9:30 to get there in time, there's breakfast to make (and wash up), loo to empty, van to organise. 8:10 and we are up and moving, early for us 

I drop Liz off to learn how to adjust Fairisle patterns and head back to the Shetland Museum which is the hub and centre of operations for wool week. The lounge is fairly empty so I can grab a cosy armchair and chill. But there's all these knitters knitting away, I thought do something creative. So I pull out my inkle loom and start doing a bit more weaving 

As expected it gets a little interest, particularly from one of the few blokes there who is a woodworker and would like to make one for himself.

At the appointed hour the phone rings and Liz is duly collected but back to the Museum, well the theatre/concert hall next door which has a craft fair. 

I'm dead chuffed! As folks may know I listen to small in-ear monitors earphones on my walk too and from the pub. They live in a pouch on my belt which was probably a case for a tiny early digital camera. There was a leather worker with a stall and she had something similar but not right, so I just happened to mention my requirements. She firkled in her bag and came up with this 

It was, apparently, a prototype she made but wasn't sure of the market so she only made one. We agreed a reasonable price and now my IEMs will travel in a luxury hand made leather pouch. 

Onwards. Tomorrow Liz has a workshop on the island of Yell so we will overnight at a camping area next to a pier over there. That means getting a ferry from the top of the mainland island we are currently on. But we have plenty of time so a little drive around, including swinging past the impressive Sullem Voe oil refinery.

But I'm ahead of myself, first stop just had to be the famous Original Cake Fridge, a roadside fridge with homemade cakes (it has companions with drinks). We elect for a couple of slices vanilla fudge sponge and so duly pay the honesty box 

Some scenery

We're booked on a later ferry but it's all very laid back and we have no problem getting the earlier one, which gives us an extra hour which will be handy.

Our view for the night

An amazing 83 miles today, it's easy to clock up the miles here 

A Saturday aside

Weather and health. 

We've been lucky with the weather, as many of the photos show it's been relatively sunny. But there has been a perishing N wind for most of the trip. It really has been quite cold in the van on times, down to 3⁰ some mornings. Definite need for the heater! But I'm writing this because it's raining! Boo! Looks to have eased so perhaps we can get out soon. 

Health, well this evil cold is set full on. Still keeping the shareholders in Kleenex well served. Really feeling a bit grok with it. Of course the cold weather doesn't help!

Anyway, yet another trip to Lerwick, mainly for us to find the Wool Week hub and lounge and for Liz to pick up the book she ordered (this week's annual). It's very well organised. The lounge is comfortable with coffee and biscuits and a map of the location of participants

Yes, Japan, Australia, S America, loads from the States. Makes Chandlers Ford quite local really. 

Onwards, there is one more wool shop Liz has yet to visit. This is the BIG ONE. We already decided that Liz would make me a fishermen's Gansey jumper and knew that the wool alone would leave little change from £100 (actually it turned out to be in the low 80s). Then she bought some sale wool for a jumper for her, another 18 or so balls of differing colour Fairisle yarns, and finally some lace weight wool with the accompanying pattern. Well, we'll probably only do this once and she is well stocked for projects for a goodly while now. 

But I bet that's not the end of it!

It's cold, the weather is dry but with spiteful showers so perhaps a little drive and then back to the van, whack the heater on and have a chill evening. 

We head out to the east to the Burra peninsula. It's really difficult to capture all the small islands, especially on a grey day. I've enhanced this snap a little bit it's still rubbish

Now the real reason for heading this way is that I would love to get to The Outpost on Easy Burra, at Houss, literally the end of the road. The Outpost is run by some Australian who has wallabies and budgerigars etc to remind him of home. He also, apparently brews a few types of cider, some with real kick which he generously shares with visitors. My sort of bloke. 

But it's cold, very cold and with my nasty cough I make a rare sanity call and head back. A sad evening sitting in the van with the heater on (roasting, it really is incredibly efficient) but chance to catch up with some reading and sort stuff out ready for Liz's first class tomorrow.

Just 36 miles today