Here I am again, after a busy and productive trip south. As usual, I stopped in Edinburgh and Northamptonshire, but this time added a visit to a friend in Southport.
I collected a rental car on the Monday. I hadn’t heard about my own car, and even if I had, I was reluctant to drive it whilst it reeked of petrol. The rental company gave me a free upgrade too – to a non-plugin hybrid. After a quick cup of coffee with the neighbours to tell them of my plans, I loaded the car and set off for Edinburgh, where I’d stop for a night.
Bloomin’ Grasses
Modern cars are amazing. They have improved vastly since our car was made 13 years ago. Adaptive cruise control – where the car will slow itself to match the speed of the car in front of it – was an eyeopener. Lane assist was another useful feature; I could almost drive without steering. Little lights flashed on the wing mirrors if a car was passing. When reversing, if it calculated you were going to collide with something, it slammed on the brakes – quite a surprise the first time! And back-up cameras! How did we reverse without?
Proto plums
On the next day, Tuesday, the drive started with a slow trip through the Borders of Scotland and an uneventful drive along England’s motorways. The house hadn’t fallen down yet when I arrived, although there was an occasional ‘beep beep’ somewhere. I initially thought it was the car, and went out several times to check, but finally tracked the beeping to a smoke alarm with a dying battery.
The Back
The following day was for grocery shopping and cooking, and getting in touch with Brackley Morris. “Why?”, I hear you ask. Well, on Mayday, the 1st of May, the Brackley Morris dances in the summer at Brackley market square, at dawn. I can’t remember the last time I’d done this. And I’d come prepared – I’d located my ‘kit’ – a smock – and my pipe & tabor, and brought them with me. Eventually I was able to get in touch with someone who could give me a lift, and they’d pick me up at around 4:45 AM.
MayDay
Thankfully, the weather was glorious. As I was playing most of the time, I didn’t get a chance to photograph the Brackley Morris, so here you see Queen’s Oak. There was a good crowd out to see in the May. After the dancing, those that would retired to the nearby pub (just behind the morris man on the left). The pub opens specially on Mayday morning, both to serve alcohol and to provide a proper English cooked breakfast. They were even veggie sausages. Then a few hours were whiled way, with anyone who wished joining in a music session. And then, two bookings at two nursing homes, when it was definitely hot.
Gorse at Helmsdale
What with one thing and another, there hasn’t been much progress on the gansey. The back is now complete, and about 1.5” has been knit on the front. I’ve worked around the too-low gusset snafu by knitting across the gusset on each row and knitting the last stitch together with the edge stitch of the back. It’s like knitting a giant shoulder strap. The gusset will be distinctly almond-shaped instead of diamond-shaped, which isn’t ideal, but is preferable to reknitting the entire back.
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