Denise:  Hebridean Haulage turned up today with 9 large cardboard boxes which are now stacked up in the hall – already piled high with stuff due to building work – and making navigation of our house even more tortuous.  Our sheep’s wool back from spinning!  Mostly from our own Hebridean sheep, but also a lot we bought from other shepherds. The mill-spinning cost just over £2000; but that’s turned into a much larger value of sales during next summer, even if we sell it only as balls of yarn; and some of it will be knitted or felted up into items with greater value.  A lot of money tied up, but that’s the way it is – that’s how we earn our living. Unfortunately it’s very seasonal: all the money comes pouring in between late spring to early autumn, and then it’s the bills all the way through the winter, from spinning to council tax, dyestuffs and paint, septic tank emptying to insurance, and heating to vegetable seeds. Thankfully, the biggest bills for this year are already paid.