Last year Eileen R and Eileen M spent a winter weekend at Eileen’s M’s cottage at East Lake Ainslie. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again, only this time we called it a Spinning Retreat. Guild members were invited, but only the Eileen’s, and Eidere the Labrador retriever, were finally able to make it.
The cottage is a tribute to the hard work of Eileen Mand her husband Lauchie, it is away down from the road and just back from the water’s edge. What I find particularly inspired, is that when they decided to bring electricity down, they only brought it half way by overhead wires and then went to the extra trouble and expense to bury the cable to the cottage. So you have the convenience without the intrusion. Magic.
Eileen M was at the cottage early to get the fire lit and make it cosy and welcoming, and I phoned her when I left home so that she could meet me at the road side with the sled. Between us two Eileen’s we live with three yellow labs, as we had a Guild meeting the next day I only brought one of mine, the older guy who can be relied on to stay quiet and lie still. Eileen M left Riley at home because his hips are getting too old for walking in the snow; this caused many episodes of mistaken identity the next day, because people are used to seeing Riley with Eileen!
The spinning wheels were set up close to the wood stove and we settled in for some serious spinning. And then we went for a walk, snow shoes on the frozen lake and future plans to travel across the lake one day to the Duncraigan Inn. As we walked we were mindful that the wind was coming from behind us and it would be in our face when we turned around. What my dad used to call a lazy wind, it goes through you instead of around.
Eidere my big gentle dog finally got to chase sticks and bring them back, again and again. Usually his younger brother takes them of him, again and again. It was beautiful on the ice, but I still have a primitive fear that I will fall through; we have all seen the movie of the person face up under the ice, holding their breath and searching for an opening and air.
Back to the cottage through the lazy wind, and then the wall of heat from the stove bright with red embers. We really did spin our wheels, and the cottage hummed as the wheels turned. Eileen M had homemade wine and she kept topping up my glass, a cunning plan so she could win at Rumbold later that night. The dark came down , the opposite shore blurred and then redefined as lights came on.
After supper I went out with Eidere, the wind had dropped and there was an almost full moon, and a sky almost covered with clouds. With the moonlight and reflected snow bright , I did not need a flashlight. We walked up the hill to the road, then across the field and down to the water by the edge of the woods. Eidere was a black cut out of a dog running on the snow. I had wanted to go out, but walking back to the cottage, I wanted to go back in. With the light from the windows merging with the blackness outside, I was drawn like a moth.
The next morning Eileen got at her wheel, I walked with Eidere before joining in. My wheel was squeaking and Eileen said “Judy (Lincoln) wouldn’t let you get away with that”. “She would tell you to look after your wheel and find the problem”. I span and Eileen got on her knees and moved her ear around the wheel. We found the spot and harmony was restored.
And then it was time to go, the wheels were bagged up, attached on the sled and hauled up to the road. Eidere was determined to get our attention and kept dropping a stick in front of us, we could not go round him so we kept throwing the stick and moving on as fast as we could before he ambushed us again.
My best memory of the retreat was the restfulness. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but it was good. Only when we realized we would be late getting to the guild for long draw spinning practice did the regular world of having to be somewhere intrude. We were late, but that was OK.
The cottage is a tribute to the hard work of Eileen Mand her husband Lauchie, it is away down from the road and just back from the water’s edge. What I find particularly inspired, is that when they decided to bring electricity down, they only brought it half way by overhead wires and then went to the extra trouble and expense to bury the cable to the cottage. So you have the convenience without the intrusion. Magic.
Eileen M was at the cottage early to get the fire lit and make it cosy and welcoming, and I phoned her when I left home so that she could meet me at the road side with the sled. Between us two Eileen’s we live with three yellow labs, as we had a Guild meeting the next day I only brought one of mine, the older guy who can be relied on to stay quiet and lie still. Eileen M left Riley at home because his hips are getting too old for walking in the snow; this caused many episodes of mistaken identity the next day, because people are used to seeing Riley with Eileen!
The spinning wheels were set up close to the wood stove and we settled in for some serious spinning. And then we went for a walk, snow shoes on the frozen lake and future plans to travel across the lake one day to the Duncraigan Inn. As we walked we were mindful that the wind was coming from behind us and it would be in our face when we turned around. What my dad used to call a lazy wind, it goes through you instead of around.
Eidere my big gentle dog finally got to chase sticks and bring them back, again and again. Usually his younger brother takes them of him, again and again. It was beautiful on the ice, but I still have a primitive fear that I will fall through; we have all seen the movie of the person face up under the ice, holding their breath and searching for an opening and air.
Back to the cottage through the lazy wind, and then the wall of heat from the stove bright with red embers. We really did spin our wheels, and the cottage hummed as the wheels turned. Eileen M had homemade wine and she kept topping up my glass, a cunning plan so she could win at Rumbold later that night. The dark came down , the opposite shore blurred and then redefined as lights came on.
After supper I went out with Eidere, the wind had dropped and there was an almost full moon, and a sky almost covered with clouds. With the moonlight and reflected snow bright , I did not need a flashlight. We walked up the hill to the road, then across the field and down to the water by the edge of the woods. Eidere was a black cut out of a dog running on the snow. I had wanted to go out, but walking back to the cottage, I wanted to go back in. With the light from the windows merging with the blackness outside, I was drawn like a moth.
The next morning Eileen got at her wheel, I walked with Eidere before joining in. My wheel was squeaking and Eileen said “Judy (Lincoln) wouldn’t let you get away with that”. “She would tell you to look after your wheel and find the problem”. I span and Eileen got on her knees and moved her ear around the wheel. We found the spot and harmony was restored.
And then it was time to go, the wheels were bagged up, attached on the sled and hauled up to the road. Eidere was determined to get our attention and kept dropping a stick in front of us, we could not go round him so we kept throwing the stick and moving on as fast as we could before he ambushed us again.
My best memory of the retreat was the restfulness. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but it was good. Only when we realized we would be late getting to the guild for long draw spinning practice did the regular world of having to be somewhere intrude. We were late, but that was OK.