Matching the wine to the fibre

Recently while wandering about in Etsy (in a cyber sense), I found a shop that sell wine holders for spinning wheels. I immediately wanted one of course, given that I have recently learned to make wine and I love spinning it seemed a perfect match.

I know it's not a wine glass, but one would fit in the holder.

That started me thinking about matching wines to fibre types. We match wine to our meals, why not other sensory feasts? I thought about it for a while and came up with the following list. You may find it useful if you purchase one of those wine glass holder things for your spinning wheel.

Chardonnay- One of the most common white wines, chardonnay should taste oaky, fruity and have a velvety feel in the mouth. This sounds like good old merino to me. Match your chardonnay glass with some hand dyed merino tops for spinning and you have the perfect spinning binge.

Pinot noir- This is a light red wine which is fairly common, it should be high acid, low tannin and taste of fruits and roses. One of it's defining characteristics is it is hard to make and is very easy to get wrong. This one sounds like cotton to me; both are difficult to get right and require exacting concentration. Spin up some naturally coloured cotton with a glass of pinot noir and see if I'm right.

Shiraz- This is one of the strong flavoured red wines, it should taste of peppers, cherries and maybe chocolate. It is known as a very long lasting wine as it remains stable and drinkable in a wide variety of conditions. Because it is such a strong, opinionated wine I think it would go well with border Leicester wool as both are strong, hard wearing and lustrous.

Riesling- This light flavoured white wine should taste of fruit and be generally sweet. Riesling is a high acid white wine making it long lasting, meaning it can be aged for a long time and still be drinkable. This quality makes me think of flax which is spun into the long lasting linen yarn. Linen also improves with age and is both sweet and crisp. 

Cabernet Sauvignon- This strong flavoured, high alcohol wine is one of the most common reds around, it should taste of vanilla and red currants. It is a very long lived wine and can be aged for centuries. This wine pairs very well with Lincoln longwool fleece which can also last for centuries in the right conditions. Grab a bottle of cab' sav' and some lincoln longwool fleece and get spinning.

Merlot-  This (relatively) light flavoured red wine is said to have a plum and herb aftertaste. It's low tannin makes it easy and soft to drink. This softness makes me think of silks. Sit down to spin some silk tops with a nice glass of merlot.


This is not a complete list of course, there are so many wine types and so many fibre types it could turn into a book, don't even get me started on blends (both wine and fibre). Can you add a wine-fibre pairing to the list?
CABERNET

Rabbitto and Rabbitta - two more of our strange animals

Rabbitto, wearing the hat and scarf my daughter made for him (reluctantly)

We have a rabbit who lives with us, my eldest daughter bought him home about five years ago because his owners didn't want him and were going to put him down (she does that all the time). We call him Rabbitto. For the first four years with us he lived in a fairly large hutch, by himself. It always bothered me that he was alone because rabbits are social creatures and they need company. About a year ago I decided that he would be happier running around the yard, even if only for a short time (considering the predators that hunt in the area (cats, hawks, owls, etc), so I let him out and my daughters made up some shelters around the yard for him.
He is still there in the yard after a year, so I guess he is smarter than he looks. Lately we have noticed something; he has a girlfriend (or possibly a boyfriend), a wild rabbit who comes to visit and bond over the rabbit food we supply. We haven't seen rabbits in the local area before so she/he may be new to the property. We call her Rabbitta (assuming that our rabbit is heterosexual), she comes to play with Rabbitto through the fence and has dug her own little entrance into the yard which Rabbitto has ignored thus far. They run up and down the yard and jump around like mad followed by a quick nibble of rabbit kibble and a snooze in the sun side by side.

Rabbitto, in his winter coat (he wears the jacket mush better than a hat and scarf)

Rabbitta, blurry because the photo is taken at the extreme end of the camera's zoom function. She is a wild rabbit after all.

Rabbitto and Rabbitta having a rest in the sun

Talking through the fence.

I know there are many possible disasters in this scenario;
Over breeding of rabbits in our yard and surrounds
transfer of diseases from wild rabbits to our rabbit
holes all over the place
Rabbitto deciding to elope with Rabbitta

BUT; to me the advantages outway the possible disadvantages (so far);
Rabbitto is happy and fulfilled, waiting for Rabbitta to visit each day.
I love to watch them play together
They keep the lawn mowed between them

What do you think; am I being short sighted, should I nip the romance in the bud (probably full flower by now, rabbits court fast)?

Teal'c the clown; a funny clip

Teal'c is such a clown. We managed to get this short clip of him 'showering' with the help of my daughter. He is enjoying the sun and the water running through his feathers. I hope you find it as funny as we did.

What is a humpy??

It occurred to me that 'humpy' may not be a common term for people outside my own geographical area (yes, I can be a bit slow).

According to a good old google search a humpy is;

"A humpy or gunyah^[1][2] is a small, temporary shelter made from bark and tree branches, traditionally used by Australian Aborigines, with a standing tree usually used as the main support. The word humpy comes from the Jagera language (a Murri people from Coorparoo in Brisbane); other language groups would have different names for the structure.
Both names were adopted by early white settlers, and now form part of the Australian lexicon. Small impermanent dwellings, made of branches and bark (particularly paperbark) were built prior to the construction of more permanent buildings, and were referred to as humpies.
It is sometimes called a lean-to, since it can rely on the tree for support.
In South Australia, such a shelter is known as a "wurley" (also spelled "wurlie"), possibly from the Kaurna language.<sup>[3]"    

In my world a humpy is a knocked-together-in-a-weekend dwelling. Many people in our area live in humpies, much to the dismay of the council. We have little choice as building a house is too costly and we don't want to move away as we enjoy the bush lifestyle. 

There is a star rating system for humpies;

one star; has a roof, dirt floor and  possibly two walls. Allowing inhabitants to get out of the rain but is cold in winter often leading to the installation of a 200 litre fire drum for heating and cooking purposes. Bathing and washing up are carried out with the help of a bucket and a boiler of water on the fire drum, waste water is drained directly onto the ground outside. Lighting is provided by candles, gas lamps and torches. The toilet is an outside pit toilet.

two star; has three to four walls and carpet laid over the dirt floor or some other floor covering. Providing greater protection from the elements but precluding the addition of a fire drum as the smoke does not dissipate. Such dwellings usually include an old wood fueled stove someone has previously taken to the dump, which allows for heating, cooking and hot water (in boilers on the stove), but still smokes a lot. Bathing facilities are a bathtub in the yard surrounded by the ubiquitous blue tarp and draining directly onto the ground. Bathing water is supplied by bucket and is poured over ones-self with a jug (from Tupperware if you have any taste at all). Washing up is achieved by having a sink set up on trestle legs with a bucket under the drain hole, water is bucketed to and from the sink on a regular basis. Lighting is provided by a gas lamp as it is now too dangerous to have a naked flame in the humpy. The toilet is still an outside pit toilet set up (commonly called a 'dunny').

three star; Has a raised floor and doors that lock. Has a second hand wood heater or stove, purchased at a local auction and most likely has a small solar system allowing for the use of two lights in the evening. Bathing consists of  an inside bathtub that drains to the outside (perhaps to a banana circle) and has a cold tap to supply water. Bathing is still accomplished by use of a bucket and jug. The kitchen sink is still on trestle legs but has a cold water tap over it, waste water is still bucketed out from it though.
The toilet is still a 'dunny' way down the hill.

four star; Has both a wood stove and a heater, purchased second hand from the Tender Centre (a local auction house). Has no gaps around the top of walls which allow local wildlife to come and go as they please and sports a kitchen sink cupboard unit with a cold water tap and a drain to take waste water to the banana circle. The toilet is a really deep pit with a permanent building above it fairly close to the humpy but carefully downhill and down wind.

five star; has a solar system which runs lighting and the TV as well as a computer and allows the use of a modem for hour long stretches. The bath has a 12 volt pump attached and has a permanent shower plumbed in, with (the height of luxury) hot water supplied to both bath and kitchen sink. Water is heated with either a solar system or a hot water jacket in the (bought new) fuel stove. Five star humpys may even be lined with fibre board or ply wood. The toilet is a bought compost unit (council approved) installed within metres of the humpy.


Have a look at the photos of our humpy and see if you can rate it...

Our Humpy</sup>