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Category Archives: antiques

Maya Angelou, Baking and Book Of Days

This photo came my way, taken at Glastonbury over the weekend.

I baked more Pressed Flower Biscuits toad and showed our lovely neighbour the Almanac in which I had found the recipe. She reminded me of the Book of Days from centuries ago that had the same quirky information.

I inherited a Book of Days, in two enormous volumes and dated 1869 and had forgotten how charming it was to dip into. Here is a an extract from June 28th.

I love how every detail of the treatment of the wool and the subsequent fabric are described and how the bet was won – and what a huge sum of money the bet was!

Stamps, Stones and A Sugar Spoon

25 Jan

Our Royal Mail has published some remarkable stamps to commemorate the Rolling Stones, The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World! We have bought two sets to send to our favourite people over the next year or two. Today we have posted two birthday cards with Stones’ stamps on them.

I have made more Eccles Cakes so that I could photograph all the processes for my recipe pages. (I’ll make that page soon. The lovely Mr S is going to be away for a few days next week having a new knee fitted so I will be looking for things to to do!) The last instruction is to sprinkle sugar over the tops and I used my Granny’s antique sugar spoon which we have used on pancake day since I was a little girl.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 25, 2022 in antiques, Celebration, Photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Royal Mail, The Rolling Stones

Silver, Rose and Quirky Decorations

06 Dec

We are still sorting all the stuff from the Welsh dresser which is awaiting auction. This slender little vase that was once my Granny’s had been very neglected and the silver was black. Now it is shiny and beautiful and now contains our last rose, picked today before the next storm, Burra, arrives tomorrow.

I’m researching what the various marks mean.

Rehearsing with the Ingleheart Singers at the Eco park was fun as always. On the way out some of their quirky decorations amused me.

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 6, 2021 in antiques, Christmas decorations, Cornwall, flowers, Photography, Postaday2021, Uncategorized

Tags: Hall marked silver

One Leaf, Many Leaves and A Welsh dresser

10 Nov

Just one leaf on this tree has turned and the others are not far behind.

Further along our walk, along Lovers’ Lane, the leaves were crunchy and delightful to walk through.

We are selling our beautiful Welsh dresser. We want something lighter and lower. The auction house tell us that it is from the time of George lll, an C18 piece but that it is worth little, sadly. It is however a piece full of the richness of memories for all four of us siblings and even our friends who knew it from our parents’ home.

17 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 10, 2021 in antiques, Beauty, environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2021

Tags: Georgian furniture

Chimney, Tree and Seed Packets

09 Oct

Driving from the re-cycling centre to the nursery to find a small evergreen tree for the front garden, we saw Killifreth Mine chimney in the distance. It is the only tall slender chimney of this shape in all the industrial leftovers of tin mining in Cornwall. It is truly beautiful.For more information look back at an earlier post https://mybeautfulthings.com/2020/06/15/todays-walk-to-killifreth/.

On our drive, we spotted a lone tree in a field.

We found the little tree we were looking for but I was more taken with some really lovely seed packets from Kew Gardens.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 9, 2021 in antiques, Cornwall, environment, Photography, Postaday2021, Tin mining history

Tags: Killifreth chimney

Treasures Found while Sorting

27 Jul

First in my discoveries was a wonderful photo, caught up with some modern ones, of my Grandparents in 1919. Here is my Grandfather, the Reverend Richards, on his beloved motorbike and with my Mum on his lap and my very lovely Granny in the sidecar with my Uncle.

Next I found a little book which turned out to be the Manchester University Student Union Handbook the year my Dad was President of the Union..

I love his address to the students where his principles are clearly on show.

Lastly, for today, going through my sewing projects box, I found an unmade Clothkit for dungarees for a 2-4 year old. I never got around to making them but have a lovely young friend with a two year old. I asked her if she might like to make these for her little boy and she was delighted, saying she had grown up wearing Clothkit clothing herself. I am equally delighted to be helping her to carry on the family tradition.

I look forward to seeing A in his smiley lion dungarees……..

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 27, 2021 in antiques, family, family history, Photography, Postaday2021, sewing

Tags: Cloth Kits, Manchester University, Manchester University Student Union Handbook, Union President

Breakfast, Cut Flowers and A Painting

06 Jul

I had my waffle with maple syrup and blueberries this morning.

Our Sweet Peas are lovely and smell divine.

On the kitchen window sill

There’s a story behind this lovely painting of Truro Cathedral by F. Robson, possibly Featherstone Robson, 1880-1936.The lovely Mr S and I met in late October 1966 while at college in South Yorkshire. I had come from Truro and Mr S from Acton, London. Walking through Acton in early January 1967 after being in London for a few days to meet his parents as we had just decided to get married, we spotted this painting in a second hand shop and it seemed like a sign! It can’t have been expensive but I can’t remember how much. We bought it and it has had pride of place ever since.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 6, 2021 in antiques, Cornwall, Photography, Postaday2021, Truro, Uncategorized

Tags: Featherstone Robson, Truro Cathedral

Kintsugi, Potting On and A Posy

31 Mar

Some years ago I learned of the Japanese art of kintsugi, the ancient art of mending broken pottery with gold, thus making the mended piece even more precious that it was when whole. Last year I broke a very precious green glass pot inherited from my Granny. It smells still of her powder as it contained powder and a puff which, as a little girl, I found quite fascinating. I was heartbroken and then found a kintsugi kit online! I mended the powder puff glass and an old serving dish that was broken some years ago. Today, needing a pot to plant up the rest of the Sweet Peas, we decided to mend an old terracotta pot inherited from my Mum which she had mended once but which had come apart at one of the joins. So, kintsugi into action again!

Granny’s glass

Small serving dish

Terracotta pot

Lots of little plants arrived earlier than expected and needed to be potted up so I spent a happy couple of hours doing just that in 9cm pots donated by our lovely neighbour, looking forward to a summer of beauty. These will all going into pots on the steps.

I picked a beautiful little posy this evening.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 31, 2020 in antiques, glass, Photography, Postaday2020

Tags: Family Heirloom, family treasure, Grape Hyacinths, primroses

Windows, Tiles and Muffins

31 Aug

I noticed some windows in Redruth for the first time today and loved the fact that ‘DRESSES’ and ‘MANTLES’ are still etched into the glass. I’m hoping a local reader will know what the shop was in its heyday.

The West End Drapery Stores were quite something and the premises are still lovely on the outside. One section of the old shop is being renovated and has been recently painted and the floor tiles cleaned up.

I baked some Courgette and Mozzarella Muffins today and they were delicious.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 31, 2019 in antiques, architecture, baking, Cornwall, Photography, Postaday 2019, Redruth

Tags: Courgette and Mozzarella Muffins, The Redruth Drapery Stores

Bell Tower, Green Lane and Reclamation Buy

17 May

I love the bell tower on Tresillian Church.

St Michael Penkevil

We were on our way to the Eden reclamation Yard through some beautiful Cornish lanes.Just look what the lovely Mr S spotted in the yard while I was hunting elsewhere!

Victorian window

What glorious glass – blue, red and patterned, for my projects! It’s much brighter than it looks here. Now it won’t only be the up-cycled jewellery but the glass is being up-cycled too – so excited. I hope cutting it isn’t any harder than the usual cutting. Roll on Saturday to take the glass out of the frame….. I can hardly wait!