Peaceful Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon, peaceful and shared.  Rob catching up on some homework reading, a tray of tea the fire going and the little creatures with us.  Me writing a letter.  The treasured quiet moment of life.

Why is that book on me?

The girls enjoying a little heat. Tuppence likes to lay in front of the fire, Tinkerbell really does not.  And I even have a dog standing sentry by the fire.

I love these mugs brought in Canada, not far from Niagara-on -the-Lake at a Pottery there.  Beryl and family were with us, visiting from England, we had a lovely trip to Niagara Falls.

Our Sunday afternoon.

Christy

Love, Dust, Time

 
Well it's the holiday weekend starting off with an English breakfast, and all is very quiet.  Rob is working all day as he can get time and a half so he's busy.  Then tomorrow he's planning to go camping with a friend at French Creek.  He says he checked that the campsite is open, so I'm leaving all that to him.  Just one night.  He'll have to rummage around in the garage for all the camping equipment because it's buried.

This clock has been sitting forever needing a new battery.  But when I put one in it still didn't work, so the measure of last resort bang on it several times and Voila!  Now it works fine and is keeping good time.

I have to comment on the paper weight from Cape Cod a Thrift find for 0.50c. I couldn't pass it by because way back in my single years Nancy and I camped right by that bridge on our way up to Nova Scotia.  We drove her old black Beetle, hardly any heat, the mid weeks of October camping.  Her Beetle turned 100,000 miles on the trip.  When it rained a lot water would come in and slosh around the back wells.  I remember a very nice camp fire we lit, at a campsite on Bar Harbour Maine, I also remember some very damp nights in our sleeping bags.  The pleasure of a hot shower after a cold night and we saw a lot of autumn beauty and wonderful vista on Cape Breton Island.

The little brass Welsh lady, is a bell and I remember my mum buying it in a little shop in Betws-y-Coed, in Wales.  That is the trip where we took my grandma with us, we camped, gran must have been about 58.  She loved that trip, her mother having come from the border counties of Wales in England, but gran always said there was Welsh blood in us and there probably is.

I have to say how much in love I am with my new microplush sheet set.  It is totally luxurious.  I never knew sheets could feel soooo good.  My old flannel sheets had just had it, it was the final round with them, holes sprung all over on the fitted sheets and my other set of flannel sheets had already sprung holes last winter.  You cannot find the fitted under sheets at the thrift as these are the ones that go, and I think more so in flannel.  So I was in TJM and I spied these.  Should I spend the money but even in the store they felt so good.  So I did and I can say they are worth every penny, for that wonderful feel when you get in bed.  They feel so good that I am going to treat Rob to a pair because all his bedding is ancient like from when he was a little boy so very much over ten years old, and some was even what I used so now we're up to almost forty years old, one set of sheets for sure.

I'm in love the only problem is my bed called me far too long this morning, then I bemoan not having got up and done things.  Oh well!  It doesn't happen too often.

My day,
Christy

P.S.  I watched a movie last night "A Handful of Dust"  very different, it really showed how decisions and a series of events lead to things happening that you would never imagine happening in your wildest dreams.  I can relate to that.

I won't tell you the story line as it would give it all away.

The Brooklyn Boys, Chalcedony Ring

Hi, I never showed you the other ring that was an anniversary gift.  This was an original design by The Brooklyn Boys, well that's what Cindy and I call them.  It's silver and bronze with a chalcedony stone.  I love the colour of this particular stone.  The workmanship is lovely it's so appealing almost Medieval in design.

Chalcedony is a semi precious stone so not exceedingly expensive at all.  I will look at a gem show for some stones to match this, of course I'll have to take the ring along for colour, that will be fun.  This particular shade of green is delightful.

Today it is raining it has been pouring for 24 hours, so the roads will start to flood out.  Part of the route I take to work is particularly prone to flooding.  There's a short cut road I take by a creek and there's an old mill building there.  For sure they knew where to build them because it always floods here.  Why there are two houses built opposite I will never know because they have been flooded out at least three times this year.

A couple of weekends ago I watched Mill On The Floss again, I always enjoy that story by George Elliott, but a sad ending.

I have a water colour my grandmother did of a mill, I think when she painted it she was thinking of Flatford Mill, painted by Constable and just so very picturesque and worth a visit.

This week is a short week just three days at work because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so that is nice.

Christy

King of Prussia Farmer's Market, behind the Police Station

The last Farmer's Market of the year so I joined Cindy for her weekend there.  It was disappointing sales wise, she said she did much better last year.  But I think last year there was an upswing in consumer confidence and this year it's dead.  People realizing we're in for the long haul of recession and no money.

Still fun to be together, chat and eat a very tasty breakfast sandwich of bagel, sausage, cheese and egg, yummy.

One of the forms of entertainment was a little group of older men who obviously take part in the New Year's Celebration of the Mummers in Philadelphia.  Of all the New Year's Celebrations this has to be the most different, odd to many and quite different from the usual floats etc at New Years.  As you can see from the men playing their instruments and the way they are dressed.  The bands used to consist entirely of men, but now they do allow woman, although they're still very much a minority within the marching bands.

So you might wonder were do they originate from?

The Babylonian year started about the vernal equinox—in the month of March. The celebration lasted 11 days and was centered around the worship of Marduk, the city god of Babylon. The vestiges of the New Year festival of Babylon, such as mummers’ plays and fertility rites, are still observed during New Year’s celebrations around the world. The mummers’ parade in the city of Philadelphia (U.S.A.) on New Year’s Day and the fertility festival held in Akita City (Japan) on the 17th of January are but two examples of such relics.

In the late 1700's. When the Swedes came to Tinicum, just outside of Philadelphia, they brought there custom of visiting friends on "Second Day Christmas", December 26. Later they extended their period of celebration to include New Year's day, and welcomed the new year with masquerades and parades of noisy revelers. The traditions of other nationalities were also present. The use of masks and different costumes were carried over from the Greek celebrations of King Momus, the Italian-feast of saturnalia, and the British Mummery Play.

Most people carried firearms for protection in those early days of the commonwealth, and it didn't take long before pistols and muskets joined with bells and noisemakers to create the sound of a new year. Those who shot in the new year became New Year's Shooters and Mummers Association.
 
Groups would travel from house to house, sing songs, and perform dances-all to be rewarded with food and drink. The practice became so widespread and strong that by 1808 it was considered a problem by the leaders of early Philadelphia high society. An act was passed declaring that "masquerades, masquerade balls, and masked processions were public nuisances" with threats of fine and imprisonment. While the celebrations were quieted, they were not stopped, and the law was abolished in the 1850's with no reports of convictions.
 
In the 1870's the nation was recuperating from a Civil War and what had been an uncoordinated group of neighborhood celebrations turned into an area wide parade with two main groups of participants: Fancy Dress clubs and Comic Clubs. Early forms of the parade were present in 1888. 

Sponsorship by the City of Philadelphia began with the turn of the century in 1901, and was followed by the entrance of the String Bands in 1902. It was not until the 1970's that another group emerged-the Fancy Brigades broke as a separate unit from the Fancy Clubs. Today the parade consists of four divisions: the Comics, the Fancies, the String Bands, and The Fancy Brigades.

I just wanted to share a view of the Farmer's Market.  The weather was lovely and November has turned out on the whole to be a nicer month than October.  We have had a very late Indian Summer.

Take care,
Christy

P.S.  And a beautiful dog, can't remember what breed, but super thick coat and a sweet disposition.

A Few Books I've Finished Reading, Gertruda's Oath, Random Commentary, The Preacher

I enjoyed reading all these books.  A WWII biography, Dorothy Whipple's Commentary, very interesting insight into the writer and a mystery set in Sweden.

Christy

Mexican Apron

This is my Mexican apron a gift from a friend several years ago.  I don't wear it in the summer as our summers are far too hot and no air conditioning in our house.  But just right to wear in the winter when a little extra protection and warmth in the kitchen is no problem.  I think it's dear, very reminiscent of 'I Love Lucy'

You have to love the backing paper to stiffen the fabric while embroidering, it's old newspapers, it seems they don't waste anything in Mexico.

Christy

Jazz Ming Jewelry Show Pics

I'm a bit behind this was two Saturdays ago.  Helping Cindy with her stall and just enjoying our time together.

Cindy also gave me a little space on her table for my little collection of felt broaches and a few necklaces made eons ago along with some glass pendant pieces, of which I did sell one.

The day before I drove to a Thrift during my lunch break at work, and I came across this little leaded terrarium house, which I thought would be great to use for a display piece for my broaches and I think it worked quite well.

I also typed up little notes about my broaches on my old Hemingway type-writer, yes Ernest used the same model as I have.  I popped the notes in a little Beatrix Potter book, my favourite as a child, 'The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.'

A couple of my necklaces are draped in the background and also the glass pieces are mine.

It was a little chilly but sunny.

Before I went over to Cindy's stall I made a mad trip to the NSH Yard Sale and although I was not able to attend on Friday, I came up with two things I've looked for, through several sales, a dehydrator and embroidery floss, both of which this time I came up trumps.

It's a shame I did not have the dehydrator for all my grapes, but will have a go with it next year.  Dehydrator $15.00, some gentleman had come along and jacked the price up on me by saying what a good find this was and how expensive they were to buy and the lady at the stall charged me $15.00, and couldn't possibly let it go for less, when I got it home I found the label that said it should have been $10.00, still it was a good buy. Also 250 DMC embroidery floss for $2.50 a bargain.

Just catching up on my weekend postings.

Christy

P.S.  I snuck in a little piece made by a friend to fill my house up.