OK so it's been a long time

Hi all I know it's been a long time, but I'm still around. Catherine and I are planning a holiday to Franklin NC to visit her family. Things are going so good right now it's a bit scary. Anyway yeterday we went down to a fibre festival Catherine brought her spinning wheel and we ran into some friends, we also made new ones. I was asked several times if I was a piper, was recognised twice because I was wearing the kilt and recited Tam O'Shanter for a woman who asked if I was there to entain her. One thing I've got to remember when reciting Tam is to have a glass of water. Boy was my throat dry afterwards.

I wore my Royal Stewart my Grey Tweed with waistcoat the tie is one I picked up at the Scottish Tartan Museum in Franklin NC(Catherine's home town). The sporran is at least 60 years old and was given to me by my dad, it was his as a boy in Scotland. The hose I got at the Scottish Company in Toronto.

I hope to keep posting to this blog a bit more regularilly. All of the details on this and other things can be found at our forum:

www.thescotsforum.com

If you are from Scotland are interested in Scotland or anything Scottish, we'd love to see you there.

Under the Big Top

Last week the Circus came to town, and Catherine and I went, it was a fun night and I got to throw a frizbee to one of the performing dogs. There were protesters out front however not even a handful. I counted 3.

I was hesitant to put anything up as I desperately needed a haircut but here are some photos.

Out for a Drive in the country

We went out today to Port Hope to a little yarn shop where the proprietor was going to give Catherine lessons on her spinning wheel. She recommended that we talk to someone else about it so off to just outside Little Britain we drove. On the way up we past a creamery and decided to stop in on our way back to town. it was a good day for a drive and the storm that at times seemed like it would hit never did. All in all it was a good day.

I wore my Royal Stewart from Barb Tewksbury with the Stewart Buckler shirt I got at The Scottish Tartans Museum ,with my Freelander Sporran, it was nice to wear it again, it feels like an old friend at this point, and my Argyll Top hose from Dunadd Trading Company..


I heard nothing but compliments everywhere we went, one gent upon seeing me gave me the thumbs up from his car. I love days like this where there are no harsh words spoken about my attire, please don't misunderstand, most days there are only compliments but every once in a while you encounter someone who is ignorant enough to say something and that can ruin your entire day. Thankfully I've found that the longer I wear a kilt the more comfortable and confident I am in one, the less derogatory comments I hear.

This and more is now on our new forum:

The Scots Forum
Please come on over and check it out.

What to wear to your mom's birthday?

One of her favourite tartans of course.


It was my mom's birthday last week so on the weekend we all gathered to wish her all the best, I decided to wear the Isle of Skye as it is a favourite of my mom's. I learned a long time ago that browns go very well with the earthy tones of the Isle of Skye. My Isle of Skye kilt is one of my oldest, I got this one about 3 or 4 years ago now when I started this kilted journey, it has remained a favourite of mine. It was purchased at The Scottish Company in Toronto, which was about 5 minutes from my old workplace and 10 minutes or so from my old place in Toronto. Now I've got to travel at least a half an hour or more to get to a tartan shop, that would be about the only thing I miss about living in Toronto.

Another thing some might notice about the outfits I've posted lately is the lack of flashes or garter ties, with this outfit I'm wearing Lochcarron hose the cuff is a double, I've never had a problem with these falling down in the other latest outfits I've been wearing the new hose from
The Dunadd Trading Company I can highly recommend these they are fast becoming a favourite of mine and Chris is great to work with.

I've been discussing this and other things at our new forum The Scots Forum Please feel free to join up there.

A Saturday at the Yarn Shop

Today we went out to one of our favourite places The Magic Rolling Pin(www.magicrollingpin.com), for tea, as I have been suffering a headache I tried the spearmint tea which is supposed to help, it did help a bit but the headache has come back. After the tea room we went to Needles in the Hay (www.needlesinthehay.ca) a local knitting shop that Catherine just loves. The shop just recently opened up and the proprietor Bridget is simply a wonderful young woman who will help you with anything you might need. What should have been a quick visit turned into an hour visit as it invariably does when we walk into the yarn shop.

I tend to dress at least to a smart day wear level of formality when going for tea even though most of the other patrons were wearing shorts and t shirts this is what I wore:

The kilt is my Royal Stewart by Barb Tewksbury, with it I'm wearing my brown Argyll jacket I got at a local tartan shop on consignment, the tie and sporran are from the Scottish Tartan Museum, the belt I made myself and the hose were a Birthday present from my wife, they are from http://dunaddtradingcompany.co.uk/default.aspx


Catherine picked up yarn for a pair of socks and some other yarn that she will be doing something with.

These and other photos, stories and discussions can be found at The Scots Forum

I know it's been a while

I'm still wearing kilts and have moved out of Toronto, I accepted a new job outside the city so we thought it would be best not to commute as we wanted to get out of our hell hole of an apartment. We love our new town and I even found Scottish Country Dancing, and the most amazing little tea room. I love my new job, and I've started walking to work.

One other thing we started up a new forum called The Scots Forum, you can find it here

http://thescotsforum.com

Oh here are a couple photos, these are a couple of outfits I wore to the tea room


Catherine and I also picked up a spinning wheel from Robert of RKilts in Stratford Ontario on the weekend, Catherine is very excited and is learning all she can about her wheel.

Wow, it's been a crazy ride lately

We were out with friends tonight and were talking about blogs, it seems everyone has one. Well didn't I remember that even I have one, I figured I should post something. In my absence from the blog we have gone back down to that cabin in North Carolina stayed for a month and come back home again. I spent loads of time at the Scottish Tartans Museum the photos are myself and one of the moderators of XMarks, myself and sporran maker L. Adron Britt, and me at Biltmore Estates, if you are ever in the Asheville area a trip to Biltmore is worth it. We've done most all the Christmas shopping and generally tried to exist in our really totally insane apartment. We did get some photos while we were away, and it is the time of year now where I'm glad I've got the Inverness Cape. I have to say I miss the weather in North Carolina but understand we came up here at the right time, Catherine is not happy though as she was looking forward to a white Christmas and they are going to have that down there not so much up here.