Sunday, October 23, 2022

Reshoring

 

A mild start to the day. The pair of oyster catchers that call the shoreline here their home  are particularly 'talkative' this morning. Sophie can pretty much deal with Skuas, larks and crows but the shriek of an  oyster catcher infuriates her. 


The family diva gives chase across the fields down to the water in pursuit of these noisy birds. By the time she returns her undercarriage has collected a coating of mud , grass and twigs. It goes without saying that no oyster catchers were harmed during Sophie's 'outing'.


Back at home she heads straight into the kitchen where she tries to convince 'The Font' that we forgot to give her dinner last night. This is recognizable as the ' I'm a poor orphan girl that's never been fed' look.


The bookstore in town opens early. Their systems went down last night so the staff are in at the crack of dawn restocking shelves. They have a dog bowl and sometimes a collection of dog biscuits.


The biography of Harold Wilson is found under 'W'....


....... but Lord Northcliffe is harder to find. It takes three people to track it down. It is finally found under 'C' .


The material for the curtains in the drawing room will come from a farm in Wales. We wanted to find a Scots company using the old weaving techniques but Scottish wool seems to go for blankets and knitware.  The farm in Wales has a sheep rearing history going back to the 14th century and is seeing demand for fabrics that don't have to be shipped from the far side of the globe. A few years ago you couldn't give away local sheeps wool and the future of many breeds was in jeopardy. Now a new industry is being built as the costs of shipping from the Far East soar. Reshoring is a thing : https://store.melintregwynt.co.uk/fabrics.html?limit=all

We are thinking of heading off here for a few days. The hotel has 4 rooms with direct access to its gardens - a small but vital issue for dogs and their companions. There's been a definite change over the last two years. Not so long ago it was difficult finding a good hotel that would take dogs. Now most hotels are keen to take them ... and their grateful owners and their £15 a day supplement :https://www.forsshousehotel.co.uk/



8 comments:

WFT Nobby said...

Nobby thinks that oystercatchers are unnecessarily noisy. Gail looks forward to Angus's view on the Harold Wilson biography, and perhaps also reading about how Sophie enjoys Scotland's far north.

Linda said...

Melin Tregwynt does have lovely things. Our local mill is Johnstons of Elgin, which is a great temptation.
A Caithness stay would be wonderful. It's a long way up there from Inverness - the road seems to get narrower and narrower the further north you go!

Coppa's girl said...

Looking at the colour of the floor tiles, they are ideal for any dog owner and Sophie in mind - just the thing to hide a little mud and a few twigs!
The hotel looks comfortable and in beautiful surroundings. But they can keep the tin baths, no matter how fancy - one of my pet hates - especially if they are in the bedroom!
Sad that there is no local source and the fabric will have to come all the way from Wales, but look forward to seeing the finished curtains in situ.
On a sad, personal note, Inca went to the Rainbow Bridge on Friday afternoon. I held her and told her what a wonderful companion she'd been, as she slowly slipped away. How empty the house is now.

Travel said...

I do hope the Wool industry makes a come back. You could take a drive to Wales to collect the fabric, there is a great blogger near Colywn Bay https://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/ We met John for a drink when we passed through the area in March of 2020.

Anonymous said...

Sophie might need daily showers if she keeps on gathering nature in her undercarriage. The hotel looks wonderful.

rottrover said...

The hotel in the far north is lovely and Sophie has just the wardrobe for it! The walk along the river toward the sea looks like a great one.

Vancouver Barbara said...

Your drapes will be so beautiful and luxurious. Thanks for the link. I had great fun looking at their lovely website. Dreaming. Does Sophie get a daily hose down after her muddy walk? And if so, how does she like it?

Anonymous said...

I’m sure Forss House will be wonderful. Other suggestions… Ardaneiseig, Eddrachilles and, more down market, but a fab location, the Argyll Hotel at Bellochantuay