His hat

Macro shot of part of my hubbys flat cap from a few years ago.

It’s another one of the photos I found in Facebook memories. It reminds me of how he used to dress. More like a Lancashire farmer than someone living in a modern town. With a tweed jacket and old working mens trousers or jeans. A plaid shirt and boots or black leather shoes. His hair was usually escaping from under that flat cap. He sometimes got called the mad professor because his hairstyle was much like Einstein’s or other times curly when what was left of his hair was uncovered.

A big man, strong. He loved cycling and science. He knew such a lot of things but was often troubled. Bad memories of childhood. Our partnership was of mutual support. Mutual love. I remember his cheeky grin and the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Yes this photo bought back many memories.

Coat on chair

Woollen tweed coat, maybe Harris tweed? The wool woven on a Scottish Island into multicoloured flecks that look brown at a distance. Tweed was often dyed with natural dies, for example onion skins to make yellow or heather and lichens. Then steeped in a mordant to ‘fix’ the dye. A mordant is a chemical that prevents the dye running if the cloth gets wet. Urine was often used. It used to be collected from residents for the process.

Tweeds are very insulating, they can absorb a lot of rain water but still keep you warm. The sheeps wool is very useful for making materials like felt too for caps and hats.

Walking in the rain

Oh it was wet today! My feet were wet, my coat soaked, my glasses were both steamed up and splashed with rain. My hubby had a body warmer and his old tweed coat on. But we had a good walk. I bought myself valentine flowers and him a packet of chocolate biscuits. Then we had a Thai takeaway for our evening meal… Not the most romantic day, but comfortable…