Post Christmas Snowshoe from Laserre

Sheri and Michiel are off to Seville for New Year, so Sheri organised a get together. I chose the location for a snowshoe from Laserre towards the Port d'Aula. With a big group and lots to talk about, we only made it to the ONF cabin. But it was a beautiful day and good to catch up with everyone.

Christmas volleyball - spot the ball

 

The megado has landed

Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time. I was looking at facebook just as Pat Foster posted on the Megado loom group that she was wondering what to do with her 20 year old Megado loom, she was 90 years old, not it the best of health and down sizing, would it be cheeky to try to sell it? The Megado is the flag ship loom from Louet with 32 shafts and an electronic computer controlled dobby, my dream loom! Brand new they retail for over 18,000 euros, Pat was asking £1500. I immediately registered that I would be very interested, but someone beat me to it. 30 mins later she got back to me to say the first buyer had dropped out...was I still interested? 

I would have to go to Reading, disassemble the loom and take it away asap. With Susie's dance and yoga lessons the car is only available to use Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I decided it was possible.

So Saturday I left the house at 6.30 and drove pretty much none stop to Calais (11hrs). The next morning I got the 6am ferry to Dover and drove to Reading to meet Pat and her sister Dorothy. Two lovely ladies with amazing life stories. Pat is an amazing weaver and it turns out that Cally Booker (another amazing weaver) is Dorothy's daughter!

It took a few hours to disassemble and load everything into the car, thankfully Dennis a friend of Pat's was available to give me a hand loading. I had already taken the rear seats out of the car so that there would be enough space for the castle to stand upright, but in the end it didnt quite fit so I had to lay it on its side fit. Everything else had to be completely disassembled. Pat was very kind to give me some yarn, some books, four extra reeds and CDs that she no longer had space for. 

Back to Dover for the 6pm ferry. Both crossings were very windy but amazingly the sea was calm as a millpond. Good for me as I am seasick. At Calais I was expecting to have to pay VAT and import tarifs, but amazing there were no checks and I drove straight out of the port into the town.

Next morning the long drive home. 12 hours due to horrific traffic in Paris and protests from the farmers blocking the autoroutes around Toulouse.

Today I have reassembled the loom, but not yet plugged it in. A few missing pieces, which I have refabricated and I hadn't realised now much higher the breast beam is on the Megado compared to the Spring, so I will have to make a new bench.

Spring and Megado Side by the side, The Megado has a 115cm wide beam compared to the Spring which is 90cm although in this photo they look like it is the opposite.

Works continue with the future teaching space

After a bit of a lull in motivation, works have recommenced with the teaching space downstairs in the weaving barn. studwork, electrics and plasterboarding underway!

Our Ouessants in the snow

 

South wind

After the snow last week, three days of strong south winds, stripping the trees of leaves and branches and causing quite a bit of damage. There was the usual dump of Saharan sand. The image below shows the temperatures today before the winds abated and the rain started.

Next Thursday we have more strong winds forecast, this time with snow...!

 

More walks in the fabulous autumn weather

Last week a visit from Susie's niece Emily and her boyfriend Steve, was an excuse to do the Cabantous circuit again and see the dusting of fresh snow on the tops. The weather was so Mild both Emily and steve took a dip in the lake.

Steve, Emily and Susie

The Cirque below Pic Rouge de Bassies

Yesterday another trip to the East this time to visit the Etang d'Artax and Roc de Querquéou in a nice circuit of 12km and 980m ascent. Great views of the mountains to the East and around Andorra as well as interesting perspective of out home mountains in the Couserans.

 

At the Col de Lastris

A western saddle bush cricket

view towards Andorra

The granite massifs of Pic rouge de Bassies/Pentussan and Certescan. Mont Rouch beyond

Approaching the Etang d' Artax, where we had a second lunch.

Colours at the Etang

The ubiquitous griffon vulture

The long descent through the beech forest

At home there's been a spate of sausage making to make space in the freezer for this year's game. 

And after our sour dough starter died, the creation of a new starter and with a new recipe the most fantastic bread.

Textile Museum, Lavelanet

I had to drop a planning application into the Mairie at Aigues-Vives, so whilst we were in the area Susie and I visited the Musée des Textiles in nearby Lavelanet. Once a major industry in the town employing over 3500 people, it is now all gone.

Interesting to see a variety of machine looms including jacquard looms and many machines for carding, spinning, warping and finishing fabric.

Part of the museum also explains another now lost local industry that made bone combs....now of course replaced by plastic!

Inside the jacquard loom

Jacquard loom

Machine loom

Various carding machines turning fleece into a thin continuous rolag ready to be spun.

Etang de Peyregrand

A magnificent autumn walk to the Etang de Peyregrand from Bouychet (above the village of Siguer).

The pictures tell you everything! 940m of ascent and about 15km.  We had thought of doing a bigger circuit returning via the Etangs de Neych, but we were all a bit tired so decided to return the same way.