More This & That

Later this month is the annual event, Woolclip: http://www.woolclip.com/products/yarn-and-materials.htm. It is held in beautiful, rural Cumbria and I'd love to go. Each year I promise myself I'll attend, but then something else comes up. Well maybe next year!

Something that has come up is that I'm going to Namibia and Botswana next week. I'll be travelling with one of my sons. Botswana, especially, is known as an area of talented basketmakers and my son has promised that we'll include some visits in our itinerary.

I've just finished reading the June newsletter from Visit Shetland from cover to cover--another interesting site to read in detail. Their publication is called: 60 North and you'll find articles of interest to both knitters (and also for those who aren't as  passionate about the craft) in the summer 2012 issue. One article to look for is authored by Kate Davies and features a history and many photographs, including one of Mary Kay who teaches our lace workshop during the Scottish Skeins & Skerries tours. Another is of many beautiful lace shawls stretched out to dry on grass after they'd been 'finished'.
http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=oX1560aDA20c&EID=1eed2076-626a-4831-b946-b46d9c23f67f&skip=

Earlier I received the Promote Shetland Spring mailer http://visit.shetland.org/Promote-Shetland-Spring-Mailer-2012.pdf. This also has a lot of helpful and pertinent information.

I wondered why I was getting emails from hotel chains about availability of rooms in London during the Olympics. Then I read an article that many people are steering clear of London at that time, plus the Olympic organizers (in their bureaucratic wisdom) had blocked off a large proportion of rooms and now they are not needed. 
 

I live a block away from the (former) Syrian embassy. Late last week there was a flurry of activity while diplomats and staff were busily securely wrapping boxes, suitcases, etc. and loading them into a number of sleek, black Mercedes and BMW cars. Watching the process was a Mountie in an RCMP van. I was happy that the Canadian government took a stand and said the embassy had to be closed and the staff to leave the country, although it hasn't changed the brutality of the Syrian government.