Walpurgis Night, the eve of May Day. The holiday has its roots in early fertility festivals . . . some ties to witches, again fertility festivals . . . mostly celebrated in Scandinavia and northern Europe. There is a lot written about St. Walpurgis and the origin of the holiday – just Google it. My take – it features a bonfire and sparkling drink, so I’m there.
The ship was named the Bounty: I was appointed to command her on the 16th of August, 1787. – William Bligh
Tyrannical leader – or captain of a crew of whiners and misfits – the answer is probably somewhere in the middle. However the real story is not the mutiny that took place on April 28, 1789, but the voyage that came after.
The Bounty mutineers, after setting Bligh and 18 loyal crew members adrift, returned to Tahiti while some made their way to Pitcairn. This is the story retold in the movies.
Bligh, however, succeeded in sailing his small open boat, across 3600 miles, taking 47 days, to the island of Timor.
The mutineers who remained on Tahiti were arrested and returned to England. The mutineers on Pitcairn eluded capture. Bligh went on to continued success in his career. He was eventually promoted to Vice Admiral. Don’t believe everything Hollywood tells you.
Sam Vimes, above, and Murphy, below.
Noodle is MIA – or MUS (missing upstairs)
I am having painters come on Monday to paint the dining room. So I am packing and shlepping everything that I can out of the room so the painters can work. Here is my crew lying down on the job.
One of the tasks is moving the 300+ cookbooks I own. I am seriously thinking that this may amount to hoarding and maybe I should de-accession some of them (and have my head examined.) This is the collection of two lifetimes – mine and my mother’s. I’ll have to think more about this.
I’m talking about the Glass Bubble Project. A Sunday morning event undertaken recently that culminated in the creation of this sun-catcher ornament.
I’ve done a couple of little workshops before and have a collection of glass paper weights to show for it. The nice thing about glass is that it is so intrinsically beautiful that even the unskilled practitioner can come away with something lovely. The instructors at the Glass Bubble are skillful and patient and, even though there was a crowd of people who had come to work that day, everyone was given ample time to create something great – even a six-year old.
What a beauty! Forget texting; this vehicle goes way beyond that. This is from the bookshelf blog.
Moggies at Sea . . . This story from the U.S. Naval Institute on Cats in the Sea Services, carries photos of kitties on ships:
Sailors and cats have a special relationship that dates back thousands of years. It is likely that the ancient Egyptians were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread disease. The more superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. It was also common for crews to adopt cats from the foreign lands they visited to serve as souvenirs as well as reminders of their pets at home.
One of my favorites was a sign I saw outside a restaurant in southern Ohio announcing its policy:
Dirty Ernie’s
Eat here or we’ll come and beat you up!
Unfortunately, I cannot find my photo of it.
These are good, too.
Thank you, C for this video:
And, don’t forget to watch the soon-to-be flyers. The peregines have 4 eggs in their nest on Cleveland’s Terminal Tower. Here is the falconcam.
Reference to this article in Embroidery. Thanks to Kevin at the Oregon College of Art and Craft for finding the link.
I loved the interpretation of commercial packaging in fabric – a new way of looking at everyday objects much in keeping with traditional handcrafts for the home.
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Firearms, fibers, any news or behaviors that make me say, "hmm, let me take another look at this."
I still miss my man, but my aim is getting better.
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