Tuesday, May 21, 2019


I am safely home. It was a brilliant Wool Adventure. I’ll post links soon. Maureen, Misa was delighted to hear from you via me – as I am delighted that you recommended the experience to me.

All is well here. The cats are glad to see me, although behaving like jealous toddlers when I try to stroke one or the other.

I am seriously worn out. I am really too old (too weak) for this sort of thing. My feebleness becomes the responsibility of the whole group. There was no fall, no disaster of any sort, but it is beginning to seem unfair to put the responsibility for myself onto the shoulders of any group of strangers.

But I had a grand time, and I’ll tell you all about it, bit by bit.

The first day, last Wednesday, the ferry deposited me in Lerwick quite early in the morning. I had made contact with another Adventurer on board. She had a car, and drove us off to the b&b where we were admitted to our rooms despite the early hour. Then we nipped down to Jamieson and Smith…

It was a glorious, sunny day such as I suspect Lerwick hasn’t seen for a decade. I went to bed, nevertheless, and Trisha went off on a mission of her own. At midday, I ventured out in search of lunch.

I didn’t want to go too far, as I felt weak, and the b&b was on top of a hill. There was no pub or café in sight, but I passed a notice offering food and companionship at lunchtime on Wednesday. It was Wednesday. I went in. It was a churchly group, as you’ve probably guessed. I had a delicious plate of mince and tatties. There was a collection box, so I was able to pay for my lunch without embarrassment.

I felt as if I had fallen down a knitterly rabbit hole. They were all knitters. When the plates were taken away, out came the knitting belts on all sides. The woman sitting next to me read the Wool Adventure programme with great interest – “He’s my nephew.” “She’s my peerie second cousin.” (I think that means, second cousin once removed.) I was taken over to meet Annie, who comes from Unst. I left feeling I had met the cream of Lerwick society.

15 comments:

  1. Welcome home! So glad the trip was a success. Looking forward to hearing about your further adventures. Is that a picture of your classwork and yarn purchases at the top? Not sure I've seen a more delightful photo of the contents of a suitcase!

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  2. Glad you had such a wonderful Adventure -both on the official programme and creating your own! Looking forward to hearing more. Peerie simply means small, little.

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  3. Syd T.8:00 PM

    Happy you are home and delighted you had a good time...want to hear all about it and about the contents of your lovely picture!

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  4. Nice picture of you and your group on the Wool Adventures web page. Looking forward to hearing more about the trip.

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    1. Thanks for posting this; so fun to see the picture of everyone having a good (chilly) time.

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  5. Glad to see you home, I was checking your blog a couple times a day. Sounds like a bucket list adventure, looking forward to hearing all.

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  6. Anonymous8:57 PM

    I love the new header photo!
    and yes that drop-in lunch sounds like a fantastic way to start the journey.
    Lisa RR

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  7. Anonymous10:10 PM

    What a wonderful start! Can't wait to hear the restM

    Beverly in NJ

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  8. I’m so glad you had a good time! I did see several pictures of you on Instagram with the group, you looked good! I’m not surprised you’re tired, Misa fits a lot into those few days, doesn’t she?! And what a bonus that you found such an interesting lunch the first day.....

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  9. Anonymous2:30 AM

    Loved hearing about your lunch with the knitters. You were missed! Dawn L.

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  10. Dear Jean, the essential You that lives inside that aging body is still wonderfully valuable. So don't feel you don't deserve to be "taken "responsibilty for". I wonder how many of the ladies you met at the lunch place will be saying, in years to come, "I met her, you know. She just dropped in out of the blue one day. Lovely person."

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    1. Exactly this!

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    2. Anonymous4:03 PM

      So true. What a lovely way to start your Wool Adventure, Jean.
      -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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  11. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time! I must go back to Shetland...

    Peerie means little - the equivalent of an Edinburgh person saying that's my wee second cousin.

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  12. What a gift to stumble into the knitters group for lunch. That's the sort of thing that you cannot plan for. I'm sure you gave them much extra interest for the day, as well.

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