Journeys

I so much admire the water colors of the British naturalist Edith Holden and her day book of 1906. The original hand drawn and lettered copy of The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady was discovered in an attic more than half a century after it was first produced. Now out of print, the facsimile reproduction was first published in 1977.

The chapters are organized by months, and I like looking it over as the seasons change. I'm fascinated that over a hundred years ago, in a rapidly changing world after the turn of the last century, there was a woman quietly taking pause in her solitude almost daily to appreciate and to record the beauty surrounding her.

Yes, the lives of women have changed greatly since those times. But the need for beauty and for creative expression has not.

Edith's era is often referred to as the Golden Age of travel. And the remnants of that generation hold a fascination for me as well.

I passionately love old leather luggage, and the pots and jars that went inside.

I'm pretty pared down when I travel, so not much of what you see here is included. Although one of these travel candle tins from tokyo milk is nice and easy to carry along, and provides a bit of comfort in a strange smelling room after a tiring journey.

A pretty pouch is easy and convenient to carry. And a silk scarf is not only surprisingly light and warm around your neck, but can control lamp light almost as well as a dimmer switch in an unfamiliar room.

The Edwardians seemed so genteel even in the humble classes. They had fewer possessions that were more highly prized. And some of those artifacts speak loudly of this in the very fact of their survival.

We are all astonished, those of us who are into salvaging little bits of the past, at how much of it remains to be had for so very little for those who take the trouble to find it.

It all carries a history and a mystery with it on its journey.

Like a beautiful little manuscript hidden for decade upon decade up in the attic of Gowan Bank, in the tiny town of Olton, Warwickshire, Great Britain.