Walking Ruby on Crosby beach. She kept sniffing the “Another Place” statues dicks, but I was too cack handed with my phone to get a photo.
Been over to Brae on the Mainland today. Had a look in the builders merchants/DIY store trying to get a Tushkar* No luck, but they put me on to a blacksmith who can make me one.
*It’s a special type of spade for digging peat. 
Didn’t know that was there name, used one on Dartmoor years ago
Wandering around The Slaughters, The Rissingtons and The Barringtons.
That is their name up here. Different names in other parts of Scotland and elsewhere. Myself and a mate have applied for a license to cut peat on Yell (next Island to us) and for a tenner a year plus a few weekends work we should be able to get enough to last both of us through next winter.
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You are doing everything I want to do.
Glad things are turning out well for you both Paul ( and the mutts).
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Thanks Stu, we love it here.
If the weather is kind can you post some pics during the summer solstice Paul - there is usually only about 1 1/2 hours total darkness here in Glasgow so I would think it doesn’t get totally dark where you are 
No, just dusky for a very short while. The Sun just goes below the horizon and if conditions are right you can still see the glow from it.
Hence the name simmer dim.
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I love the smell of peat…
Not after one of his chillies you won’t. 
I a thanggggggyew hoo.
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Hanging a boiler this morning. Driving up to my Dads in s.w. Scotland in order to take him to hospital for a few tests tomorrow morn and practising my swing in his back garden.
Swing plane is too shallow.
Locked in a duel with this bastard.
I am making a crazy dress coat (tails) in this engineered jacquard. The fabric design is a mixture of peacock feathers and paisley and the technique to make it is madly long winded.
The paper pattern is cut first and a fitting made up in scrap fabric. The garment is fitted on the customer and the paper pattern is then adjusted accordingly. Then the pattern is scanned into a computer so that the fabric design can then be placed on the pattern pieces so that it will match at the seams. The entire pattern is then printed out full size so that it can be taped together to check everything is in the right place. The design is then laid out on virtual cloth so there is enough room around each piece for seam allowances etc and emailed to the manufacturer in Italy. They set up a loom specifically, weave the fabric and send it back to London.
This is not an exact science, the design always shrinks and even though allowances are made it can be a long way out. We got the first lot back last week and the design was probably 10cm short on the longest panels. It has since been made twice more and although it is closer it is still well out. I have to have the thing finished by Wednesday at the latest and that means my weekend is gone. I have spent seven hours today trying to lay it up and get the bloody thing to match and when I left this evening it still wasn’t cut out. 
A major part of doing this sort of thing is controlling yourself so you don’t lose your shit!
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That sounds cheap 
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Any chance we can see the finished article when done
Yes … please show what it looks like.
If I haven’t topped myself beforehand 
yes maybe. As long as the company name isn’t discussed… I’ll try and get some pics.
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That looks like it’s gonna be a fine coat, …if stronzetto wins, will he be wearing it on declaration??
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I was assuming it was one of yours for this year’s Aladdin.
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Ridiculous costs involved. Usually we do this sort of thing for runs in the hundreds. To do it for a one-off project is totally mad. The design for the fabric is a development from something used before but the implemetation is quite different. Probably at least a weeks work there for the designer and another few days fitting the design to the pattern pieces. Then there is my work and then the costs of the fabric manufacturers to set up a loom and then run off approx 18 mtrs of cloth to get it to work (ish!) And the biggest percentage of yarn in it is silk!
This is just the coat, the cape that goes over the top of this is another thing entirely. 
I shall post pics if I can…
Believe it or not this is a PR exercise and the company will shoulder the costs. 
No kidding, if you were to order an outfit like this, I would guess it would be somewhere (well) north of thirty grand. I’m Really hoping it doesn’t end up looking like shit!