A few years ago we put together a make do and mend exhibition at the Royal Highland Show- over 4 days we ran workshops and talked about war time attitudes and needs to the wartime situation. We taught darning, knitting, mending, sewing and also had a raised bed with carrots, chard, spinach, kale, onions and cabbages growing, we even got hold of a wartime land girls dungarees, which my sister Clara wore. It was a lovely 4 days and inspired me to go on and set up a kids craft club at our school, to give children an opportunity to learn craft skills.
I have been thinking a lot about this event over the last week. We have been self isolating as my daughter has a cough and I have a tight chest. Our local shop has been amazing delivering to our wheelbarrow outside the gate, whenever we need them to. Friends have picked up petrol for our generator for us and here we have been planting, baking and making. We don’t have a freezer up here, so I have to be quite creative with what we have. All those “make do and mend” skills come into play at times like this…communities working together to look after those who need them, keeping in touch by any means you can, making bread, collecting eggs and lots of home cooking
We are lucky as we still have one milking goat, who just about gives us enough milk, thank goodness for Phyllis! Our polytunnel also plays a key role as it means I can start planting earlier, as we are still getting frosts here. This week I planted our potatoes, kale, chard, courgettes and cabbages. We have salad poking its head up. At times like this, it feels like growing as much as we can and looking after it is as important as ever. I have a terrible habit of over planting and then running out of time once my courses start. This year, unfortunately, like everyone else we have so far had to postpone our April and May courses until next year and it looks like the same will happen to our June and July courses. At the moment we are transferring everyone to the same week next year or onto craft retreats and courses later in the year.
We will still be shearing our sheep and dyeing fleece over the summer, so look out for our pictures and posts. As well as posting some of our inventive isolation recipes!
Craft courses, holidays and retreats in the Highands of Scotland.
www.wildrose-escapes.co.uk
