I particularly wanted to visit Avoca Handweavers, and thought we might get in a nice walk in the area too.
Well, it was an unexpected kind of day. Couldn't find a walk at all, other than through the village. That wasn't what I had in mind.
While we were driving round, looking for the walk, we spotted, just outside the (very picturesque) village, a sign for Avoca Recycling Centre. I knew that I had a couple of pairs of shoes in the boot of the car, ready for dropping off whenever I'd be passing a recycling centre, but never expected it to be in the Vale of Avoca.
What a place...it must be the most picturesque recycling centre in the world. We drove up a huge avenue, on the edge of a forest, and there were containers for all kind of stuff.
When I opened the boot to get out the shoes, there was an old duvet that I had thrown in there last night, after doing a mini-clearout. And, sure enough, there was a container for old bedding. Score!
After getting rid of that stuff, and abandoning the idea of a walk, we headed to have a look at Avoca Handweavers Mill. 
These pics are all from there, taken by hubby. The noise of the machinery meant that those spending a lot of time in the "weaving shed" had to wear ear muffs!
The machinery was clacking away in the background
making beautiful patterns of tartan for the rugs, capes and scarves they sell in their shop.
They had several racks of these cones of wool, and the minute I saw them, I knew they'd make a great blog post, especially for those bloggers who are into wool and knitting.
I've been a fan of Avoca Handweavers for a long time: both their clothes and the food they serve in their cafe are high quality, handmade, not mass-produced. But this visit gave me a new insight into the intricate process that is involved, and I enjoyed it very much.
