Tags
Augusta, friends, lighthouse, socialising, Spin-in, spinners, spinning, whales
I’m back! From Augusta, that is; remember, I told you about it here. We had a lovely time!
I dragged Rachel from her bed early-early on Saturday morning, and while we packed the car and she valiantly held up her end of the almost pre-dawn conversation, her charming husband cooked us some damn fine pancakes (I’m assured he has professional experience in this field, and I can well believe it). We scoffed the little puffy disks of nutriment then, in Rachel’s words, made like a shepherd and got the flock out.
Rach had plotted a shortcut for us and we made fantastic time, though not good enough to snag any of the raffle tickets. We rocked on into the hall staggering under the weight of our wheels and assorted spinning paraphernalia, plonked it down at the first available seating, then sidled over to the entry desk to announce ourselves. We both had a giggle when the lovely lady taking the entry fee asked if we were “just having a look” – and then assured her that we were, in fact, card-carrying spinners. Duly given our door prize tickets, we settled in for the day.
Spin-ins are lovely – lots of chatter and exchange of ideas, knowledge, history and names (none of which I ever remember!). I took my Wright and Fendick wheel out for a run, and it turned out to be quite the celebrity. George Wright Snr made wheels for a couple of decades in the twentieth century, and most of them were made especially for their original owners – these wheels were never mass-produced. I was lucky enough, earlier this year, to find one resting in June’s shop, awaiting a detail and service before she sold it. I assured her she need make no effort to find another buyer, and a week later it came home with me. Lots of people stopped during the day to ask about its origins, what number it is (305) and how I came to be its lucky custodian.
A short break between the bustle of the hall and dinner gave us the opportunity to get a bit of knitting done, so, perched out the back of our motel overlooking Flinders Bay, I seized the moment and cast on a slightly modified Honey Cowl, using one of my handspun yarns. It’s lovely so far, and about a quarter done already.
Being out-of-towners, Rachel and I were open to suggestions for a dinner venue on Saturday night, and a local spinner, Allie (see – I remembered one name!) was kind enough to invite us out to something of a tradition – Chinese! It was lovely to sit around a great big table and share stories – there were so many interesting people there!
Of course, occasions like this always call for libations, and we indulged a little more than was good for us. Hence, this morning we were a bit slow getting going, which is likely a good thing as we missed the early chill. A gigantic breakfast at the bakery (another much-appreciated local recommendation) preceded a visit to the lovely Augusta Lighthouse, where I did my best to ignore the cold wind and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Here – see for yourself:
See? It’s a very pretty spot. It’s high season for the whales, but we didn’t see any, but as I said to Rach, I believe that they’re there somewhere under the surface! Probably staying out of the wind. In the whales’ absence, the very photogenic lighthouse really stole the show. I was quite charmed by it, so I took a few more pics…scroll down at the end of the post to see.
Our drive home was a bit more leisurely than the drive down, and I dropped Rach home, safe and sound, about half-three. She and her hubby showered me with herbs and stuff from their lovely garden, and I tumbled into the car and tiredly limped homewards…where I’m now on the couch. I’m not moving. I don’t know what we’re having for dinner, and I can’t muster the energy to care. Such a wonderful weekend, but truly – verily, even – there is no place like home.