They are all in their seventies and eighties, faces wreathed with fine lines and smiles; silver hair neatly knotted. The white cotton that swathes their heads identifies them as farmers' wives, still in the business of helping their families to earn a living. 'Our mothers showed us how to make these straw sandals when we were girls,' they explain. 'They showed us how to wet the straw so that it's easier to handle, but even so it can be hard on the hands. Now that we are old, our fingers are not active enough to do this work in winter!'