Put a bit of Welly in it!

Anyone for Wellies? It never seems to rain enough here to need them. Everything is green though, so maybe it rains when I'm not looking? These are at the huge local Tescos. ( think Woolies+Big W)

In the Borders....where Scotland meets England....there are mills that have been producing woollen Tweed cloth since the early 1800s. Tweed was called Twill, til someone wrote it badly and it was interpreted as Tweed. The Mill Owner saw a marketing opportunity and went with the name, to distinguish it from the competition. This is the very practical sales room of a Mill that has been manufacuring on site since the mid 1800s. I suspect most of their sales are on a wholesale basis, as it took them a while to get their Card reader functioning. Maybe that guy is the buyer for a Chinese suit factory...... (or maybe not).

My eldest and best-dressed had requested some tweed and here it is being cut. Happy Xmas for the next ten years!!

There is a cottage craft industry too. While I was admiring felted pictures in the Art centre shop, a lovely auburn-haired woman dropped off these phone covers, and was so dismissive of her work I bought one ( and because I liked it, obviously.)

Most of the Tweed is a blend of the colours from the surrounding countryside, all mixed in together in different proportions. If only they could ask the sheep to grow their wool in colours that reflect what they munch on ( grass, buttercups, brown bits) then they could skip the dyeing process:) . This professional photograph of the surrounding hills is a good indication.

Well, that's enough educational information for today: you may go back to your morning coffee.