Monday was get everything together, have I got paperwork? Toiletries? ARGH! It was also the day I started putting mouse traps in the loft. I don't mind mice in the loft too much, they can't get to the kitchen or our food, but these ones seem to have little lead shoes so they just have to go.
Tuesday saw evictee number 1. A rather plump little specimen that was most peturbed by having not only been caught but then stuck in a fabric bag and dumped out in the open away from its lovely warm loft.
Tuesday was also a day for flying. I flew over to Glasgow for some tests. That is about the only real problem of living on Tiree; if you need any medical tests you have to go to Glasgow. It's not that bad really, you can get a bit of shopping done at Breahead or go into the city centre. I'll take the camera next month, I want to show you just what it's like going on the tiny Twin Otter plane (Max 21 passengers, pilot and co-pilot).
Anyhoo, Wednesday I woke up in my Travelodge bedroom, had a breakfast (won't bother again, it's a bit...meh.) and trotted to the airport. Now, you'd think a hotel near an airport would be pedestrian friendly, you'd be wrong. To walk between the two you have to cross a turnoff from a roundabout and a sliplane onto the motorway. Fortunately there is a bridge under the motorway so you don't have to try and cross that too! It's almost as bad as the stupidly placed pedestrian entrance at Todmorden Health Centre. Some of us like to walk and save the money.
Back to wednesday. I got home, unpacked, collapsed on my chair, apologised to the dog for, in her words, " 'bandoning her forEVER " and was happily recovering when a car pulled up to the house, Jo comes in the living room, "I forgot I had an email". Eileen had come to collect me for SWRI crafting and had emailed Jo to tell him as much. My knitting was grabbed and I zoomed out the door. It was a lovely afternoon, meant to be 2 hours, somehow stretched to 2.5 hours. Eileen is teaching Hardanger and after sitting there for a good hour thinking "I do not need another craft, I do not need another craft" well, I decided that I'd just learn this one too, so I now have a bit of fabric with Kloster blocks neatly (at least, I hope!) done, ready for the next step (cutting the fabric, eep!).
Thursday I spent a few hours out and doing then rested at home.
Friday saw another small rodent.
It was kind enough to pose in the trap before I stuck said trap in the bag and we went for a trot to the beach. Some higher power was at work that day though. Mouse got away, pegged across the beach as fast as it could bound, but a different mouse died that day. You see, we had taken the dog for the walk too, why not? Lovely day, dogs like walks, go for it. On the way back Madam suddenly shows a great interest in some grass on the verge, she starts rooting in the thick grass and seems to corner something, there's a little 'clomp' as made by a gummy doggy mouth closing on something and Madam's head come up with a long thin tail and one rear foot sticking out. One less mouse on Tiree. She seemed to approve of the snack, especially as it required no chewing before swallowing. It also seems to have been digested, Madam and her iron stomach.
Friday afternoon was Community Crafters, a happy two hours spent chatting, making some cards, knitting mini stockings and generally interacting. I realised I had promised to bring some crafting cotton down for Mary and Margaret to knit into washcloths/dishcloths and forgotten again. So Friday evening I skeined some balls I had and spent a happy hour with the dyes:
I wasn't sure on what colours I had planned so I made a cup up of each and played.
Dyeing plant fibres is a slightly different technique to animal. Instead of steaming the fibres to set the dye, you leave it cold for 16+ hours. I'm not sure why, probably something to do with cell walls or proteins or something. So I wrapped them all (dye won't absorb and set if the fabric dries), grabbed one of the scrap towels and took advantage of the back toilet as floor space for dyeing.
The skeins are now washed and hanging to dry, you'll have to wait until next week for photos of them completed. I hope M&M like the idea of knitting colourful cloths, if not I can always make use of the yarn.
That's about it really. I will do a proper post on visiting Glasgow, but I want photos so it will have to wait for my next visit.
Until next time, be of good cheer.
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