Hats in the house, Pym and Freecycle

Last evening, amidst street fireworks, my neighbor and her teenage daughter visited to wish me happy Diwali, bringing these favorite treats, one I think milk based, one ghee based, both lovely. Lucky me!

And while I was looking for the backstrap loom parts which I found, back in the main weaving box, but no yarn, I came across this huge art bag which I painted way back when I was taking classes.

That pocket is big enough for a large drawing pad, and my board easily fitted into the bag. But since I lost height, I can't carry the bag on my shoulder without its trailing on the ground.  The straps can't be shortened and still fit my shoulder. So it's being picked up today by, I hope, a taller person.

I was reading Barbara Pym yesterday, and noticed how often she refers to hats, and how they establish the social standing of the wearer. They've long been a social marker of a niche use I'm familiar with, that of showing who's the hostess, who's the visitor or worker.

Pym's daily cleaning ladies/cooks wear their hats on the job, plus apron, no confusion with visitors who always keep their hats on. 

In the wonderful Evelyn Dunbar's documentary paintings, if you don't know her, check her out,  commissioned by the British government in WW2, you see scenes of life for women in 1940s Britain.

There's the women's Land Army, working the farms while regular farmworkers are serving abroad, and ladies (clear demarcation between women and ladies) at home, knitting and sewing in working parties for the war effort.

You can see who's the hostess -- in your own home you didn't wear  your hat, and in other people's homes you kept your hat in. In my mother's generation, this was even observed among relatives. When her sisters, my aunts, visited, they hung on to their hats!

I still remember them, felt with jaunty felt bows or rosettes in the then fashionable colors, bottle green or wine. Hats were part of your presentation and you didn't even go to the corner shop without putting on your hat.  Pym points out the disdain shown by characters in my current Jane and Prudence, at Jane, a vicar's  wife, going out hatless, even visiting parishioners, shocking.

Nowadays if you wear a hat other than to keep warm, it's a statement. Mine are only practical though.

Happy day, everyone, hatted or not!

 

Happy diwali and rugs

Happy Diwali, the Feast of Lights. All up and down my street houses are decorated with lights of all colors.

Dear old friends, former neighbors, texted to check I was home, and dropped in briefly on their way to a Diwali party for a hug and to give me a little bag of homemade treats. Great surprise!

 Earlier there was a Hajji Baba Club and Textile Museum of Southern California joint presentation on Persian rugs by a collector and writer on this art form.

He discussed the contrast between the sophisticated urban life style, where workshop rugs were created,  and the simple lives of nomads who created equally wonderful works with simple spinning and weaving setups. 

You'll see nomad tents, a woman spindle spinning wool -- rugs often cotton warp, wool weft -- and the kind of simple looms which demand great skill on the part of the weaver.

There's a lot of interest in depicting animals, including the two headed motif, which is also created in bronze artworks as well as featuring in textiles. 

The movie is about the nomad life, I believe and here's the address if you're interested in following up.

There an S formation, seen in different designs in its own slide above, found in  a lot of borders, which is a version of the two headed animal or bird.

The last slide shows Opie with friends in a rug gallery, clearly happy campers! As usual with this kind of collector's presentation, there were dozens of great slides, so I winnowed it down to a manageable number for a blogpost, with enough information for you to continue learning if the spirit moves you.

Earlier in the day, I found one of my favorite sights, a beech tree with its own foliage shadowed on the  silvery smooth trunk.

Happy day, everyone! Enjoy the lights everywhere. Including yours, the one you shed.

Comfort food, puzzling triumph, fog

Yesterday was all about rain, all day, with intervals of heavier rain.

So lunch was green powerhouse, spinach and leek, soup, with cheddar stuffed pita bread toasted to crisp.

I bless the day that nice lady upped her toasting game and freecycled her toaster oven to me.  It's in daily use.

I thought I'd give a bit more information about the  Works of Mercy, the spiritual ones being a bit above my pay grade,   the corporal ones more my speed 

And, Ruffles and Flourishes, name of the tune that usually precedes the arrival of the President , but here it's for the Parrot Puzzle 

Now complete in her jungle getaway, look at that bamboo. The last corner took an age to complete. I tried many permutations until all the pieces fitted, after a long time spent putting right up to the last piece which just lt wouldn't sit.  All parts interchangeable, colors all dark, arghghgh.

It was a fiendish puzzle, with many parts with wavy edges instead of locking bits, and pieces with straight edges which were not edge pieces. That's why the frame wasn't possible ahead of time. I think I'll avoid Schmidt puzzles, they don't play fair!

But now I can donate it, knowing it's complete. Gladly. And while I was wondering about the world of puzzling I found this

I have refrained from giving my bitter answers, leaving that to you, dear blogistas. 

Last evening we had exciting street fireworks for Diwali. I neglected to celebrate in here yesterday, but did message Indian friends. 

When handsome Son comes over, I'll light the tealights Girija gave me, for a belated observance with our tea and little something.  It's a lovely feast, of the triumph of light over dark, good over evil. We certainly need that right now more than ever.

Beautiful morning, warm and foggy, like being inside a Japanese woodblock print.

Happy day everyone, enjoy your own version of fireworks, celebrate the light, avoid mean puzzles!

Photo AC