Mountain Ash -- that's so beautiful what you say about the Celt having soul. Where are you in Britain? I have ancestors from Wales and Scotland (Scots-Irish). Maybe England, but we're not sure.

Hey Dotsie -- if the clock is correct on this thing, looks like we're up at the same time. We should take up our mile (and a half?) early morning walk again. Since I canceled the Sun paper a month or so ago, my routine is messed up -- that newspaper got so bad I couldn't stand it any more, but now, what to do...
Anyway, thanks for the tip about the seamstress. The last one I used was an Italian couple in Catonsville that I read about in Balt Mag as the "Best" but she actually ruined a couple of things. I had some jackets made of some really nice, heavy linen but they were too boxy and I wanted them more fitted. She made the sleeves too short. If I had the time and a room where the sewing machine was always set up, I might have done it myself and done a better job.

I used to have a problem with my shoes and my left second toe -- it always hurt and I always bought shoes that were super comfortable. I tried everything to help that toe (including surgery which didn't help at all and probably was detrimental). Finally I went to a physical therapist who said that my left toe hurt because of my right hip that was out of line. hmmm. So a friend of mine recommended a specialist in the Alexander technique who works with the dance troupe at Towson U. She made me kind of re-learn how to walk according to that technique. Amazing. I was self-conscious about walking for a while because it seemed so forced and artificial, like I was marching with my knees too high or something (though no one actually noticed) but no more toe pain. Dotsie, you might look into that, especially because of your knees.

PS -- I always thought I had a long second toe. And it is longer than the big toe. But actually it's not that the toe is longer, but that the bone to the big toe is shorter. It's called "Murphy's short toe" and about 25% of the population has it. Anyone with toes like that is bound to have some kind of foot problems because at some point the foot bones spread apart. Our bodies are so frigging complicated. Who knew!?