Sepia Saturday Four;

Four-leaf clover  symbols and superstitions;

Italian automobile maker Alfa Romeo used to paint a four leaf clover, or quadrifoglio, on the side of their racing cars. This tradition started in the 1923 Targa Florio race, when driver Ugo Sivocci decorated his car with a green clover on a white background.

Los Angeles based space exploration company SpaceX include a four leaf clover on each space mission embroidered patch as a good luck charm.

Inclusion of the clover has become a regular icon on SpaceX's flight patches ever since the company's first successful Falcon 1 rocket launch in 2008, which was the first mission to feature a clover "for luck" on its patch.

 Celtic Football Club, a soccer team from Glasgow Scotland, have used the four leaf clover as the club's official badge for over 40 years.

Genuine four-leaf clovers come from the White Clover plant, trifolium repens. A true four-leaf clover, its fourth leaf is usually smaller than the other three leaves. 

What do the leaves symbolize?

One leaf is for FAITH...   The second for HOPE...  The third for LOVE...   And the fourth for LUCK!

The four leaf clover as accepted symbol of good luck, has an age old history. The clovers were valued in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover (T. repens  L.) was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits. Druids considered the 4 leaf clover  to bring them good luck.

The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaved clover. Good  luck of  a four leaf  clover is  especially enhanced  if found accidentally! (4 and 5 leaf clovers are also bred and cultivated.)

Clovers can have more than four leaves: Five-leaf clovers are less commonly found naturally than four-leaf clovers; collectors, particularly in Ireland, regard the five-leaf clover, known as a rose clover, as a particular prize. In very rare cases, clovers are able to grow with six leaves or more in nature.

A four leaf clover is as rare as 1 in 10’000. Its relative rarity  suggests a possible recessive gene appearing at a low frequency, or  a somatic mutation,  or a developmental error of environmental causes. This means that multiple four-leaf clovers could be found in the same clover plant.

Researchers from the University of Georgia have reported finding the gene that turns ordinary three-leaf clovers into the coveted four-leaf types. Masked by the three-leaf gene and strongly influenced by environmental condition, molecular markers now make it possible to detect the presence of the gene for four-leaves and for breeders to work with it. The results of the study, which also located two other leaf traits in the white-clover genome, were reported in the July/August 2010 edition of Crop Science, published by the Crop Science Society of America.

The other leaf traits, the red fleck mark and red midrib, a herringbone pattern that runs down the center of each leaflet in a bold red color, were mapped to nearby locations, resolving a century-old question as to whether these leaf traits were controlled by one gene or two separate genes.

White clover has many genes that affect leaf color and shape, and the three in the study were very rare. These traits can be quite attractive, particularly if combined with others, and can turn clover into an ornamental plant for use in flower beds.

Farms in the US  specialize in four-leaf clovers, producing as many as 10,000 a day, sealed in plastic as "lucky charms". 

Courtesy excerpts from Wikipedia/ photos Pinterest

Tuesday; fungi fun...

The rain has brought not just welcome wet for the garden it also has encouraged fungi to grow. These have grown on a old stump of wood at the entrance. I am delighted with the shape, delicate vessels to hold water. With time they grow tough and dark in colour.

I am not an fungi expert, but it might be Omphalotus nidiformus the ghost mushroom. I must check at night if it glows greenish.

A shelf fungi has made an appearance as well. 

Photos Text Ts

Kitchen renovation; give me a kitchen and I cook you a meal;

...nearly all done,  waiting for the plasterer to do the cornices.

The Kitchen, small, simple and efficient...

replaced some existing cupboards with new drawers, new cupboards, new range hood.

Kept the retro mosaic glass tiles, stone counter tops, convenient big sink; at the moment all appliances are still working well.
Moved up the ovens for easier access.

I like the open crockery cupboard.

The chandeliers are  Murano antiques.

All the work was done by a local business, Currumbin Kitchen design. 

Many drawers are handy, some are deep for pots and pans and such,  others for utensils. Keeps everything in its place, efficiently and tidy.

the kitchen nook, the place to sip a Campari.. with lots of ice, Tonic and Lemon!

A Thermomix, my lovely neighbour said "posh"; I said no, no, it makes for efficient cooking. Good and healthy food is such an essential and a well organised kitchen helps a lot. Yes, I know, I could cook a good meal if I had just a fire and one pot!

I love open shelving, very handy! My little farm animals, a reminder of the grazing property; sometimes I really miss it, the freedom of a great space, green, golden, brown, with  a sun setting, big and red never seen here....wandering down to the sluggish river, deep and dark; dogs and even Tomy the Manx in tow,,,such wonderful times never repeated.  

Pottery plates from another time, long past, from two very talented artists in Kilchberg ZH. On top of the shelf  the fine Pottery, sculpted and painted Majolica made by my very talented daughter Lilli.

The faucet on the right is water from a very deep well, luckily beautifully sweet and mineral rich.
On the left town water.

Billy loves the kitchen for tidbits falling from heaven.

I have not tidied up the kitchen for the photos; after all it is a kitchen, sometimes tidy sometimes not.





,,the old tired looking kitchen.

©Photos Text Ts

Hell...

Hell

Nothing bores me as much as watching a game, be it football, golf,  basketball etc etc.

 If I believed in hell, I imagine it full of people playing all sorts of games, and I am  forced to watch…Ts

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.

"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"

"A pit full of fire."

"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"

"No, sir."

"What must you do to avoid it?"

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.” 
 Jane Eyre

Psst... I am reading...

The Brewer's Tale  by Karen Brooks

The Brewer's Tale draws upon real places, events, records and people, as well as a documented political and cultural backdrop. All aspects of beer and ale production, the laws and punishment.

A harsh world, England in the middle ages, the Novel starts in September 1405.

The catholic church had everything in its unholy grip. Superstition, Greed, falsehood, the plague everything was ripe and ready to explode.

The passage of time used in the Novel  are those used then by the catholic church.

Lauds was dawn or earlier

Prime was around 6 AM

Tierce was approx. 9AM

Sext was midday

None around 3 PM

Vespers was 6 PM or dinner time

Compline around 9 PM or bedtime

A good read, highly recommended. Ts

Brewing can be traced back to ancient times. It was one of humans earliest efforts to harness the science of biochemistry. No exact date for the first brew is known. It might have happened  10,000 years ago or more when grains became soaked with water and   began to ferment. The resulting smell might have evoked someones  curiosity to sample the  foaming liquid; and  must have found it good.

Brewing then was  a household project carried out by women and could be sold privately. In the earliest times there was a legal code that forbade brewers to dilute their beer and  from the earliest time a tax and a ceiling price was applied also.

Preparation of beer in those times was similar to brewing procedures used today. It was often flavoured with different herbs and spices to add sweetness or cover to much bitterness. Ts

Wednesday; Baby colours...

Sky blue salvia uliginosa

Catharanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Like genus Vinca, they are known commonly as periwinkles. There are eight known species

Pink cosmos...







When my oldest grandson was a toddler he called sky blue and pink "baby colours".



©Photos/ mygarden Ts/ 

30.January 2016

A Sunday, a stove , a cake and egg on my face;

The same cooking stove was used by my parents to cook, bake and keep the kitchen warm in winter. In summer my mother used an electric stove called Therma. It looked similar to  the one I used in my first home in the 1960s,

On Sundays my dad used to cook lunch and he also used to bake a traditional cake, called a Hefekranz (Yeast wreath)

Here is the recipe:

Yeast dough 400 g flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 80 g sugar  yeast (about 20 g) crumbled or a sachet dry yeast, 80 g butter, cut into pieces, soft 1.5 dl (150ml) milk, lukewarm, 1 egg 

Mix all ingredients plus yeast in a bowl. Add butter, milk and egg, mix, knead to a soft, smooth dough. Cover and  let it  rise until it doubles in size.

For the filling: 250 g ground hazelnuts, almonds or pecan nuts, ground,  100g sugar 1 egg beaten, 1 apple, finely grated 1 dl (100ml)  cream;  

Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 6 tablespoons apricot jam for brushing the rolled out dough before adding the filing. 1 egg beaten, for glazing the top of the wreath before baking..

Roll out dough on a little flour into a rectangle approximately 40x50cm,  brush with jam. Spread filling on top. Roll it up into a wreath. Lay wreath into the prepared pan. Let rest for around 30 min. to rise. Brush with egg before baking.

To bake:

50 min. in the lower half, 180 C ( ca.350 Fahrenheit). Remove from oven , cool slightly, remove from the mold, cool on wire rack.

Powdered sugar glaze

5 tbsp icing sugar

1 tablespoon water or lemon juice

Mix icing sugar and water, brush over baked wreath.

It was on a Sunday. Dad was baking a cake, when my mother ( she was a bit of a tease,)  took the  brush with the eggyolk and quickly smeared it all over dad's face. As fate was planing it,  just at that time I returned from skiing, it was a cold but sunny winters day. I opened the kitchen door  and I did not know what was happening but I had a brush with egg yolk smeared all over my face. My dad made big eyes  when he saw it was I instead of my mother. She had left the kitchen and he thought it was her who returned and entered the kitchen again. There was some explanation why I was the victim of this egg yolk assault. We all had a good laugh and it was a joke for many years to come. 

New Electric stove in my first home in the 1960s.

Text/Photos Ts

Thursday a day for Fantasy...

Floating homes; this is my favourite.

In the hands of French photographer Laurent Chehere, contemporary techniques of photo-manipulation are used in the service of a fantastic world, where buildings float in the sky. The series Flying Houses was inspired by the architecture of Paris, Chehere's city.

I would add a floating garden! Ts

January 2016/ Early beach fashion;

Sailor suits and boats, sort of beach and fashion come into my mind.

A little history of ladies bathing suits.

in the 18th century, it was considered proper to keep the skin white and untouched by the sun. A 1797 Fashion print shows two ladies protected by face-shading bonnets, shawls and gloves as they approach a group of bathing machines, a sort of cabana on wheels. Ladies were known to sew weights into the hem of their smock-like bathing gowns to prevent the garment from floating up and showing their legs. Modesty ruled over fashion.

Mid-19th Century:

bathing dresses covered most of the female figure. These garments were highlighted in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1864. The long bloomers exhibit the influence of Amelia Bloomer’s innovative ideas for women’s clothing. The ”turkish” pants and “paletot” dresses are made from a heavy flannel fabric surely weighing  down the swimmer.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, bathing suits were accessorized with long black stockings, lace-up bathing slippers, and fancy caps. Bathing slippers were very necessary, especially on stony beaches to protect from broken glass, oyster shells and pebbles.. These beach shoes were made of soles of twisted straw or felt with embroidered serge or crash tops and laces. They were often available at seaside places. To make a fashion statement, the wearer would add some embellishment such as a piece of scarlet braid turned into rosettes or bows. Ribbon was also added to felt shoes and crossed over the foot and ankle, then tied above it in a bow with short ends. The bathing shoes shown to the left are tied up with pink laces. Below are 1870s bathing slippers (shown right) made of white canvas trimmed with red braiding and bathing shoes (shown left) made of Turkish toweling bound with blue braid.

1920s:

By the early 1920s women’s bathing suits were reduced to a one piece garment with a long top that covered shorts. Though matching stockings were still worn, vintage swimwear began to shrink and more and more flesh was exposed from the bottom of the trunks to the tops of the stockings. By the mid-1920s Vogue magazine was telling its readers that “the newest thing for the sea is a jersey bathing suit as near a maillot as the unwritten law will permit.”

Courtesy; Victoriana Magazin.

...and in the late 1950s  Italy/Marina di Massa;

La Signora Olga, il Dottore; Rosanna, Silvia, I, and Romeo di  Roma.


Photo Text Ts

Summer;

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date." 

 Shakespeare's Sonnets

..sea and sand...

..fragrance of Abelia....

...flowering Neoregelia...

..thunder storms and rain...

..summer capriccio...wet or dry...

..Eucomis...

..abutilon..

hot and humid...Summer

©Photos  Text Ts

Little children.

My dad born 1903; this must be probably 1905; he was one of the lucky ones, he did not have to work as a child. He went to school and was an excellent student.

 Shocking Photos Of Child Labor Between 1908 And 1916

 February 1911. Port Royal, South Carolina.

Josie (6 years old), Bertha (6 years old), Sophie (10 years old), were all shuckers at the Maggioni Canning Co.

As the United States industrialized, factory owners hired young workers for a variety of tasks. Especially in textile mills, children were often hired together with their parents. Children had a special disposition to working in factories as their small statures were useful to fixing machinery and navigating the small areas that fully grown adults could not. Many families in mill towns depended on the children's labor to make enough money for necessities.

The impact of these images, by photographer Lewis Hine, were instrumental in changing the child labor

laws in the U.S.

Child Labor in U.S. History

Forms of child labor, including indentured servitude and child slavery, have existed throughout American history. As industrialization moved workers from farms and home workshops into urban areas and factory work, children were often preferred, because factory owners viewed them as more manageable, cheaper, and less likely to strike.

Growing opposition to child labor in the North caused many factories to move to the South. By 1900, states varied considerably in whether they had child labor standards and in their content and degree of enforcement. By then, American children worked in large numbers in mines, glass factories, textiles, agriculture, canneries, home industries, and as newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, the numbers of child laborers in the U.S. peaked. Child labor began to decline as the labor and reform movements grew and labor standards in general began improving, increasing the political power of working people and other social reformers to demand legislation regulating child labor. which shared goals of challenging child labor, including through anti-sweatshop campaigns and labeling programs. The National Child Labor Committee’s work to end child labor was combined with efforts to provide free, compulsory education for all children, and culminated in the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, which set federal standards for child labor.

1938 Federal regulation of child labor achieved in Fair Labor Standards Act

For the first time, minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children are regulated by federal law.

19th century: Industrialization

Switzerland and as in many other countries, child labour affected among the so-called Kaminfegerkinder ("chimney sweep children") also children working  in spinning mills, factories and in agriculture in 19th-century Switzerland. In the Swiss pre-industrial society, as well in other European countries, the children often were part of the family economy, earlier were integrated into the worker process and often indispensable contributed income.  Because the wages of the parents were so miserable,  and there were not yet  Unions to negotiate a fair wage. The industrialization forced family members to look for an income outside the traditional housekeeping. Work on the machines was often easy and physically not very challenging, what favoured the 'use' of women and children. Thus, the exploitation of the labor of children took new forms and extended dimensions, and spread at the beginning of the 19th century rapidly, particularly in the canton of Zurich and in Eastern Switzerland.

 In the cotton mills, six- to ten-year-old children worked in miserable conditions, up to 16 hours per day and often at night. 

Child labour became a social problem on which the authorities responded with investigations, so in 1812 in the canton of St. Gallen and one year later in the canton of Zürich. Issued in 1815; night - and factory work before the finished ninth birthday was prohibited and the daily working time limited on 12 to 14 hours. These rules were not to enforce in practice, but marked the beginning of the child protection legislation, followed by laws in Zürich (1837) and in the other cantons.

What a miserable life many children had to endure. If we would not have social reforms, children would still live in these dark ages.

 Many countries in the world still do not have children protection laws, so children still can be exploited in any way. 

...and on a happier note 1967, my three, smiling daughters enjoying their new seesaw.








(original picture, building a new home in the countryside,)

Wednesday; simples...

No need for expensive stain removers;

Are you annoyed when wearing a t-shirt and getting grease stains on it, which are so hard to get out.

Simple dish washing detergent does the trick. Rub the grease stains and let sit for a little while before washing.  Even old grease stains can be removed like this.  I think it is the grease busting properties of dish washing detergent that does the trick.

enjoy a fun day.