Nice haul...............

Quick tip trip this morning yielded these two lovelies for 50p each. I think the teapot dates for WW2, possibly a bit before; the crock is a really useful size, holding 4 pints. Well - I couldn't leave them there, could I? lol

Pink elderflower wine

I have a cultivated black elder in the front garden here, and it has pink flowers in early summer - very, very pretty. Also rather lovely is the colour of the wine it produces, tasting just like the white elderflower, but just look at the stunning rose colour of this:

The Case for Working With Your Hands

This is a new book, and my copy arrived this morning; really looking forward to reading it. By, Matthew Crawford, it is subtitled '- or why the office is bad for us and fixing things feels good'
From the cover:

'A beautiful little book about human excellence' - NYT

'A deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real hands-on knowledge. Quirky, surprising and moving' - Richard Sennett

'A superb combination of testimony and reflection, and you can't put it down' - Harvey mansfield

'A stunning indicment of the modern workplace... Crawford points in the direction of a richer, more fulfilling way of life. This is a book that will endure' - Reihan Salam

'A masterpiece filled with surprises' - Dallas Morning News

'No-one who cares aboutt he future of human work can afford to ignore this book' - Jackson Lears

'The best self-help book that I've ver read. Kind of like Heidigger and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' - Slate

Will report back when I've read it - can't wait to get started :)

Thought for a Monday

'Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt'

(Lincoln)

Wish some people who use the net would heed this particular nugget .......

Inside out.............

One of the joys of good weather, and summer in general is being able to take jobs outside and do them, either in the sun or in the shade, but out in the fresh air anyway. Jobs seem to take on their own leisurely pace - maybe it's because you're not indoors seeing everything else that needs doing as well lol.
Yesterday I sorted a rather nice fleece for spinning, a Cheviot x, got from a local country show; I chose the sheep and she was shorn in front of me - cost - one British pound. The wool is rather nice, very soft and a good creamy colour.
This morning's job was strigging blackcurrants under the parasol at the garden table - spent an hour doing that, watching butterflies and listening to the birds and bees - the occasional quack, cluck and bleat thrown in for good measure...........:))