Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Take care of yourselves

I've been suffering from a case of tendonitis. When the first symptoms started, I had no idea what it could be and thought that if I took some ibruprofen, coupled with a large dose of denial, that it would just go away. However.......after two weeks of pain, learned it was tendonitis and realized that it was caused by poor posture at the computer and while I was on the phone. I was reminded of the quote attributed to Eubie Blake when he said: "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself."

On the weekend, I was speaking with beloved Shetlander, Bess Jamieson who is a retired nursing matron. Bess gave me some hints on treatment and ended with telling me to put on a Shetland shawl for warmth. Good advice!

Friday, January 7, 2011

News from Shetland

Yesterday I received the most recent issue of the newsletter of the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. As I've mentioned before, I always enjoy reading about their activities and getting caught up with what friends in the guild have been doing since the last issue.

One of the first things I noticed was a photo of the cover of the book, KNITS from the North Sea--lace in the Shetland tradition. What I found amusing was the comment by two members, Hazel and Zena, that they enjoyed browsing through the book, but were "vexed" by a mistake in the cover photograph. Trust a Shetlander to spot a lace error from a photo!

There was also a detailed article of the knitting conference held last September. It was called "In the Loop 2". I would have loved to have attended. The speakers and topics were numerous and dealt in depth with a large range of knitting topics. Carol Christiansen, of the Shetland Museum, was one of the two organizers. Something I learned was that the Shetland Museum has approximately 1200 textile items and close to two thirds are associated with knitting. (Those who are coming on the 2011 Scottish Skeins & Skerries Tour will have the opportunity to meet Carol and to see many items in their collection. ) "In the Loop 3" is scheduled for Southampton in 2012.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

San Francisco

To My Friends & Fellow Travellers: My best wishes for a healthy, happy 2011 and hopefully memorable travels.

I spent the better part of a week over Christmas in San Francisco with one of my sons. We had a wonderful time and both of us were reluctant to leave and would return anytime. We just had time to visit a small number of the wonderful sights and activities available. The city is exceptionally well served by public transportation, and the locals were friendly and always helpful in giving us directions when we needed it. We didn't take a taxi the whole time we were there and did a lot of walking--a good thing for me! The variety of restaurants was incredible, ranging from 'cheap and cheerful' to expensive, but always delicious food.

We stayed at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf which was especially convenient for the ferries, street cars, restaurants and many attractions. I also learned that the Sheraton stands behind their 'Best Rate Guarantee', as I found a cheaper rate on Expedia before our arrival. Sheraton met that price and then gave us a further 10% discount.

Scottish tour update: As long as each person who says she/he is coming, sends in a deposit, we just have three places available.