My New Shop!
6th March, 2014

After four years of working down a little alley in my beloved Gallery In The Alley I am on the move. I needed more light and ventilation for myself and my assistants and we have simply out grown the old place. Here is my new shop at No 41 High Street Jedburgh, it looks a little unloved at the moment but a lick of paint and a lot of love and she'll be up and running in time for Easter.

The boarded up window looks alarming I know but its Hand Ba' in the town today, so to protect the shop windows they are protected with shutters. For most of you who have never heard of Hand Ba before here is a little potted history.

Known locally as Jethart Ba’, it is played on the Thursday after Shrove Tuesday. The first ever game was played in the 1700's supposedly with an Englishman’s head! Thankfully these days the ball is made of leather, stuffed with straw and decorated with ribbons which symbolises his hair. The  teams (Uppies and Doonies) are chosen by where they live – Uppies are those born to the South and Doonies to the North of the Market Cross. Play is in the High Street starting in the Market Place with the boys or Callants game first and the mens game later, the Uppies goal is outside the Castle Jail and the Doonies goal is at the Pleasance, each a couple of  hundred yards away from the start. The ball is thrown into the crowd to start the game and they can last all day well into the night.