Wool and More

It's a good thing we love the shipboard life. They just cancelled the 3rd port (out of the first 5) due to weather. It's beautiful out here in the middle of the ocean though.

Just finished lunch and another pear cider. Feeling no pain. Did very well at today's Daily Trivia. Getting really for another round of duplicate bridge. After the pear cider I'm seeing double, not duplicate.

We attended a fabulous lecture this morning on....are you ready....wool!

We learned about the history of the wool trade starting from the Middle Ages.

A few fun facts:

• The Vikings made their sails from wool. One 2,000 sf sail took the wool of 1000 sheep.
• There were 13 steps from shearing to pressing to make wool cloth. Step #8 is called "Fulling." This step entailed soaking the woven wool in hot, stale, human urine and stomping (like grapes) to tighten the fibers. An I Love Lucy missed opportunity?
• The Hundred Year War between England and France was over wool. And it was actually 116 years. Joan of Arc helped France end and win that war (you go girl!). Two years later, the War of the Roses started in England due to devastation and disorder from the 100 (116) years war.

Most interesting to me is how many common idioms originated in the wool trade. Dyed-in-the-wool (steadfast) comes from wool that is dyed early in the process. Shoddy (poor quality) refers to discarded or reused wool then relegated to peasant clothing. Pop Goes the Weasel come from the sound a drop spindle makes when the weasel comes off. I could go on....

But maybe the most interesting new fact is that the wool industry was considered so important to England that in the 14th century King Edward III decreed that the Lord Speaker of The House of Lords must sit on a sack of wool. This custom is still done to this day!! Ronnie Stewart - please confirm or deny.

Oh! We crossed the International Date Line today. Wonder what the time is in the T shaped cutout and why...