2015-03-30 Day 27 Mon Leeming & Paterson

Well the day started interestingly …

and continued the same way …

On the way to Leeming & Paterson I had to cross the Galloway Forest area on A712 (The Queen’s Way … that’s the name not the method!) which crosses over a ridge, which must have created a local weather condition. While it had been windy but not too wet it suddenly turned very wintery … the temperature dropped and a snow/hail storm began which deposited about an inch of ice in about 90 seconds.

The windscreen wipers were swimming in ice and trying to freeze in position, but managed to drag themselves reluctantly to and fro, fortunately. There was almost no traction … as long as I kept rolling slowly along I could keep going and even steer around corners but there were no brakes at all. They worked on the car but not on the road … they would lock up and I just kept sliding.

It only lasted about 15 minutes but made me realize I wouldn’t want to be out there in a full blizzard.

Of course I made it safely to Leeming and Paterson studio and met Morag (Paterson) for my workshop. Apparently Ted (Leeming) was out somewhere on another job. After a pleasant introductory chat, coffee and working out what could be done in the weather conditions we got stuck in. As the morning weather was OK by then and promised to deteriorate during the day we did things a wee bit backward. We went straight out to do field work and saved the more theoretical side for the afternoon in case we couldn’t get out again. Turned out to be a good decision.

I’m not going to try and explain any of the techniques and methods here, you’ll have to do your own workshop for that, but I have just grabbed one or two of each of the types of thing we were trying to accomplish and dropped them in here. They may not even be the best of the bunch but until I get them home and have a proper look they are at least representative …

All too quickly the day came to an end and it was time to head off back to Wigtown for a few more nights.

Hopefully tomorrow the weather will improve and I can get out and try to improve some more.