I had a blood test the other day—well, I say a test, in fact I’ve had three in the last few weeks. The first time they didn’t get enough, the second they didn’t like the look of, so it was back to the surgery on the basis of third time’s the charm. Alas, the results are in and apparently my platelet count is low, and they’re clumping. I wasn’t aware until the other day that I had any platelets, let alone that they were misbehaving. But such is life. Now that I know, I’ve been avoiding tasks with the excuse, “I’m sorry, I’d like to help you shift that piano, but I’m afraid my platelets are clumping”.
Dunbeath Icehouse
I took a day off work last Friday, and we went down to Dunbeath harbour, about half an hour’s drive south of Wick. The morning had started overcast and showery, but gradually the sun burned the clouds away and by the time we were sitting on a bench looking out to sea it was warm sunshine clear to the horizon. The east coast of Caithness is dotted with harbours, all built around the 1800 for the herring fishing—Staxigoe, Sarclet, Lybster, Clyth, Latheronwheel, Berriedale—and Dunbeath is another. In its heyday 100 boats fished out of here, and you can tell how prosperous it was from the scale of the salmon bothy, gear store and icehouse just behind the harbour quays.
Harebells at Coronation Meadow, Dunnet
Meanwhile in gansey news, I’m almost to the end of the first sleeve. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve let the pattern run all the way down to the cuff. This is partly an aesthetic choice—I do like a cable running from shoulder to wrist—but also partly practical, as the cables help draw in shorter sleeves and stop them getting too baggy. The cuff will be five inches long, so that it can be doubled back and offer the wearer a bit of flexibility.
Dunbeath Castle
And on a lazy, hazy, crazy day of summer Dunbeath is a beautiful place to sit and let your mind float as free as an untethered balloon. Across the water Dunbeath Castle perches incongruously on the cliffs like a bad photoshop from a Bavarian tourist guidebook. Its foundations are medieval, but it was extensively developed in later centuries when decorative turrets were a thing. (The castle is currently for sale—offers over £25 million—and I’d be tempted if it wasn’t for all the dusting.) There’s said to be a lovely walk upriver, inland up the strath. I plan to walk it one of these days. But maybe not today; at least, not while my platelets are clumping…
Only you could begin a dissertation of the advantages of platelet clumping….but I hope they start behaving properly soon.lovely knitting as ever.x
Hi Meg, I suspect discipline is all they need to get them to behave. I’ve tried talking to them to no avail, so the next step’s going to be sending them to bed without any supper. Though I suspect moral fibre is a key part of my diet that I currently lack!
Beautiful gansey, Gordon! Can’t beat those Flamborough patterns (in my entirely unprejudiced opinion).
As for the platelets, don’t worry, mine have been clumping and unclumping for nearly 20 years. And it doesn’t affect the knitting in the slightest.
Cheers Lois, biology has always been something of a mystery to me – ever since they tried to persuade me at school to dissect a frog I knew it wasn’t for me – so its blissful ignorance all the way. And yes, aren’t the Flamborough patterns great?
Gosh, that castle is right on the cliff edge! I’d be nervous.
The gansey looks to be the better deal.
Hi Tamar, there are some fabulous ruined castles near here perched in slivers of rock jutting out into the ocean, built so close to the cliff edge that an unwary sneeze would send you plummeting 50 feet to your doom…
Your sweater is a lovely work of art! My platelets also clump. My doctor recommended a daily baby aspirin.
Hi Jill, the doctor thinks it may be caused by a recent shift in my blood pressure medication, so I’ve switched to a different one to see. I’ll find out after Wednesday when they take some more blood, if I’ve got any left, for another batch of tests. Isn’t growing old fun!
Hi Gordon and Margaret. Just listened to your Wick Voices recording as I was reading older posts. Very impressed and enjoyed it fully. ( No real accent of the Antipodes ). Thank you. I also had quick wander bout Johnstone collection. Flamborough gansey going well.