Woolfest and beyond

I had really and truly intended to write up the blog yesterday, or Sunday evening, but in the event - it just didn't happen. On the way home, the final stages fortunately, we were stuck in traffic and Pete, never ever one to admit to a problem with the car, suddenly informed me that there was a funny noise.

Yes, that is how mechanically savvy we both are!

We did stop a couple of times, peer in a would-be intelligent fashion under the bonnet, whatever. Decided to limp home, which we did safely. But as I refused to manage without my car yesterday, he had to take an extra day off work, so between the tiredness, the heat and the husband, I didn't really get to the computer.

Better late than never - but to get the other bit of less than perfectness out of the way, I either I have galloping hay fever, or more likely, I have picked up a cold at Woolfest, dammit. I absolutely hate summer colds, and I absolutely have to be in Cambridge this weekend for Liz's wedding come what may, so fingers crossed.

Now. Woolfest. Absolutely fabulous. Wonderfully. Brilliant. I haven't heard a bad word about it from either a vendor or a visitor. The atmosphere there was super, really buzzing, very happy. Friday was fairly busy, lots of people around, but our trade didn't seem brisk, shall we say. But when we totted up the takings in the evening, we ere very pleasantly surprised. However, the Saturday was hectic in the extreme, we never stopped, and neither did Freyalynn when she did a stint for us. (For which we were very grateful, we really need the break, and the Jennings, our old favourite ale, was particularly good in the bar at the auction mart.)

We met loads of old friends, mostly fibre ones, but a couple from our pre-spinning days when we lived in Cockermouth, who amazingly recognised us. We did very well with our spindles and fibre, learned a lot about what works and what doesn't - for instance, arranging our little space so that people could walk in to it rather than having a "counter" across the front like some did definitely worked well. And, there is an appetite for dyed soy silk, to my great surprise! We are most certainly going to go again - the organisers, who did a fantastic job, have funding for another couple of years. Who says Europe is not a good thing, eh?!?

Couple of funny things I want to record, although I suppose I hadn't better name names. One small trader stopped to chat (we know them quite well) said they were feeling a little unwell, so I offered a seat for a few minutes, whereupon they took over an interaction with a customer and tried to persuade her to go with them to their own stall to look at their spindles! Apparently, they are notorious for such, but next time, I would offer an arm back to their own bloody pitch - grrrr!

And then, GrannyW holds the moral high ground! I knew that this would at long last be the meeting with the dreaded - lets say VM, just for a giggle. I saw her from a distance several times on Friday, and then just before the end of the day, I was standing chatting with a couple of friends, when I realised she was walking straight for us. I pinned a small smile on my face, looked directly at her and was all prepared to say a polite "hello" - when she walked right past me, eyes averted! Well. Hot damn, what a wuss! No mistake, it was deliberate, the pair I was talking to noticed, and asked what it was about. So she has neither to courage or the courtesy to face me - yee-hah! (What an unseemly display on my part, I do apologise!)

So, a good time, a really good time. Couple of pics:



Layout improved over the two days, and we have thoughts on how to get better still. Tried to persuade local telly to film the DSM spindling, but they wouldn't bite. Shame.

Then this - the double fronted pet supply store -



is where we used to have our fabric shop. I peered in through the window, and it looked just the same inside.

That was a long time ago!

gw