At this time today, I should be airborne on the way to the Cevennes region in France for the second francophone spinning retreat this long weekend (Memorial Day in the US; Pentecost in Catholic France). Attending are some 20 spinners from Switzerland, Belgium and, of course, France who hang out daily at the spinning forum, Tricofolk. Special guests at the event are Owen and Glynnis Poad, the couple behind the Majacraft spinning wheels from New Zealand. So apt, as the Tricofolk spinners are diehard Majacraft fans, especially of the Special Edition Alpaga Suzie Pro.
Anyway, hosting this time is Joelle, whom I had the opportunity to visit in October. She has a lovely place where she and her husband, Pascal, offer a country gîte to nature trekkers at certain periods of the year. Pascal was a lawyer practicing in Paris when he decided 29 years ago to go back to nature. Their business is called Balladanes and their service includes renting out donkeys and llamas to carry gear, and arranging for a stay in a series of other gîtes within the region for a guideless tour on foot with nothing else except provisions (Pascal is a fabulous hand in the kitchen) and a map. Unbeatable.
As luck would have it, I caught chickenpox and was forbidden to travel until the end of the month. That sure sucks, except, there's always a next time.
The good news is that, today, I got an unexpected package in the mail from amazon.com. In it was a copy of "Victorian Lace Today" which I have been eyeing at the bookstore, but which I never bought. DH, after opening the box for me, started reading a note on the invoice in French. It was a gift from Laurence, a.k.a. Laine Zinzin, one of the spinners who will in the Cevennes tomorrow. The note read: "Here is something to distract you while waiting for your pox to go away. You need a lot of concentration to work on lace." True, I have been spinning lace lately. It's just appropriate that I should start knitting lace as well. Merci, Laurence!
