Category: Mystery items

Not necessarily mysterious – it just sounds more interesting than ‘miscellaneous’.

Pond life

May 2, 2024

We’ve had a go at setting up a mini pond in an old Belfast sink. We’ve started with a little water lily, water crowfoot and a pickerelweed. We’ll see how it goes.

The Labour Party Bazaar 1926

April 22, 2024

Looking through my late mother’s papers I found a souvenir of the Peterborough Labour Party’s Bazaar of 1926: a reminder that my grandparents were keen supporters in the early days. I should hate to introduce any politics here, but it is an interesting document.

It consists of a series of rather flattering cartoons of prominent local party members, drawn by the prospective parliamentary candidate J.F.Horrabin. It is no surprise that they are rather good, because Horrabin was a professional newspaper cartoonist, responsible for the largely forgotten strips ‘Adventures of the Noah Family’ (later known as ‘Japhet and Happy’) and ‘Dot and Carrie’, a cartoon about two secretaries. He went on to win the next election and was MP for Peterborough for two years under the leadership of Ramsay MacDonald.

In 1926 the Peterborough party was only eight years old. Labour had overtaken the Liberals and was slowly growing into its future role as one of the two main parties. The Bazaar looks very respectable, which may reflect the party’s nervousness about seeming Communist or revolutionary. The General Strike had happened only months before, but without Labour’s official support, and there are no echoes of it here. (Interestingly, Ellen Wilkinson, who opened the Bazaar, had worked tirelessly in support of the strike.)

One little detail that slightly puzzles me is that in the list of stall-holders and helpers, a distinction is drawn, not just between Miss and Mrs, but also the ‘Mesdames’. I conjecture that ‘Madam’ meant you were a widow?

I must say I also wonder what Messrs Doodson and Perkins had on the ‘Men’s Stall’.

Pippi

May 28, 2023

I forgot to post my recent picture of Pippi…

This is based on a photograph, from which I made an outline drawing that I transferred to a wood block prepared with gesso, and then had at it with the acrylics. Here are the photo and drawing for comparison…

A Clock

May 11, 2023

Here’s a clock I made. Well, obviously I didn’t make the mechanism. And the box is a pre-made picture frame. But the rest of it. I made the rest of it.

Tin Rose

April 7, 2023

I quite enjoyed doing the butterfly, so I thought I’d use a few more cans and try a flower – here is the result…

Tin Butterfly

March 22, 2023

I made this out of a section from an old can. I was worried the paint wouldn’t stick unless I used some kind of primer, but though it slid around a bit it seems OK.

Mirror

March 17, 2023

When we had fitted wardrobes done, we got a square sample of the wood used. It seemed a shame to throw it away, so I’ve added a mirror. The ‘floral’ swags on the corners are cut out of old cans and painted – they sort of pick up a motif from the curtains (or anyway that was the intention). I wasn’t sure acrylic paint would stick, but it seems fine.

Generations

August 22, 2022

Here’s a picture I came across recently that shows four generations: me, my father, grandfather and great-grandfather (who lived a few years more, so that I have some memories of him). At the time, we could have done a female equivalent, ie my sister, our mother, our grandmother and great-grandmother, but I don’t think that happened. When I was a little older than I am in the picture, I suggested with childish logic that my father’s father’s father could marry my mother’s mother’s mother. ‘Well, tell her I’m ready’ he said.