These chess pieces in the photograph are unusual for three reasons. Continue reading “Waxwork Chinese chess pieces”
For me, part of letting nature back in, is acknowledging that many of us urban dwellers have become dependent on others, even for trivial things. Our grandparents or great-grandparents were likely to have been a lot more self-sufficient and handy than many of us urbanites are today. Continue reading “Connecting with our bread-making heritage: An easy and quick bread recipe”
Many cultures have long traditions of basket making. Baskets can be seen to embody a dynamic blend of culture, technology and environment, and traditionally they were made from natural plant fibres. Basketry continues as a living tradition and its uses, aesthetics and even materials are subject to ongoing change. Continue reading “Living heritage: The art of basketry”
Wanderlust is the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge this week, with an invitation to “share a photo that represents travel to you”. Continue reading “Itchy feet”
Repurposing reduces waste, extends the life of items put to new use, and taps our undiscovered creativity. Continue reading “Waste not whatnots”
This old cool drink bottle emerged intact from the household rubbish dump behind our house. This week’s photo challenge invites us to share a photo that includes a name. The message on this bottle reads: “THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF THOS CREARER PMB AND IS NEVER SOLD”. Continue reading “Message on a bottle”
Hurrah for the holidays and time to read books! I have been browsing my collection of old books, and thought I’d “let nature back in” via illustrations from three British early-20th-century children’s books depicting children living in small villages in the English countryside. Continue reading “Close to nature: The English countryside in three children’s books from the early 20th century”
Nostalgia at its most sentimental is encapsulated by the old-fashioned little flower the pansy, a flower hybridised from wild violas. This picture is of pansies in our vegetable patch, glowing warmly in the light of the late afternoon sun. Continue reading “Nostalgia = Pansies”
I inherited these clothes pegs from my British grandmother. She lived in a village in the Wye River valley in Herefordshire and she bought these handmade pegs from Gypsies who sold them door to door. It is likely that she bought these in the 1930s before the war, or should I say between the wars, the two World Wars that is. Continue reading “Gypsy clothes pegs”
