Wherry thread

What has a Norfolk Wherry to do with thread?

First of all, what is a Norfolk wherry, you might wonder.
Well,  it is a fine sailing vessel that in olden times was used for transporting cargo on the Norfolk broads.
Last week I went to look at an old wherry at Horning.

A group of enthusiasts, The Norfolk Wherry Trust, are lovingly conserving and displaying one of these old working wherries, the Albion. We were welcomed onboard, on deck, into the hold and into the cabin, very cramped living quarters indeed.

The trust had various items for sale to support their activities. Among the postcards and mugs, there were also items of wood. From time to time parts of the Albion has to be repaired and if there is a small piece of wood taken out, then that piece will be recycled into light pulls, ear rings or, BOBBINS!

I am now the proud owner of a chip of wherry and every time I take a piece of thread from my bobbin I will remember the day I saw Albion at Horning Staithe. (A staithe in Norfolk is a place where boats moor to take in or discharge cargo: much what a quay is elswhere. quote from Arthur Ransome's Coot Club)