Vintages - A brush with Silver

 Cutlery for daily use

I'm an avid collector of antique glass and silver accessories and am always on the lookout for anything with a silver handle, tableware, sewing tools, buttonhooks, powder jars, salts, trays, mirrors and brushes, even ink wells and handbags. I have a special weakness for silver cutlery with bone handles, which I use for everyday use. They do require slightly more care than stainless steel which can just be thrown into the kitchen sink, but the little effort is worth the pleasure.

Cutlery close-up

Vintage and antique accessories add a special touch to any room, no matter what your décor. Glass and silver on crisp white linen looks great on a table for a special dinner party or celebration, together with flowers in any vintage or antique vase.

A sketch of Hydrangeas on my dinner table arranged in my vintage Hollands pewter pitcher from the mid-1950's.

Out of my collection - A Fish knife on Cut glass knife rest - Sheffield 1899

Amid the cruets and crystal on a formal table, every proper Victorian hostess would have set out - to the right of each place - a gleaming knife rest: an artful little bar that handily propped up knives to keep the tablecloth spotless. Rendered in such rich materials as cut glass, silver and bone, rests came in a wonderful array of elegant and whimsical shapes. Whether newly minted or antique (now the province of collectors round the world), these charming accessories can still ad a note of festivity to any well-appointed table.

Some of my silver collection displayed on Cut glass knife rests. The knife on the left is a Silver Wedding cake knife - Sheffield 1921, all in daily use.

Dressers or vanity tables are another great place to use and display your silver and glass collection. Today's vanity tables, though less elaborate than those of a century ago, can be just as appealing - especially when enhanced by cosmetic brushes with antique silver handles that not only recall a luxurious era, but also impart a soft glow to the complexion.

At the turn of the century, a vanity table always included an assortment of jars, or cabochons for holding creams and salves, as well as hair, make-up and clothes brushes.

A fan-shaped brush is especially good for applying blush and highlighting cheek-bones. When you hold any of these brushes in your hand, you experience a sense of continuity and permanence - a link to the past.

My guestroom Vanity

Hallmarked Silver and Blue enamel brush set

Silver Hallmarked hand mirror - next to it is an antique Silver chain mail mesh purse (unlined) dating from the Edwardian era c1908. Specially for those evenings when you don't have pockets and don't want to carry a purse! It's just big enough for an ID and a lipstick and a couple of R100 notes.

Close-up of chain mail mesh purse

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Finger Nails and Coconut oil

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my finger nails had vertical ridges on them (running from the base of the nail to the tip). Upon Googling this, I found that the main cause is ageing, dryness and also possibly bad circulation. I was worried that it might be an indication of ill health, but not so. Horizontal ridges, on the other hand, are connected to damage of the nail, like a sharp blow, as well as health issues.

I doubt that it is bad circulation, I do get a fair bit of exercise. The dryness could be caused by gardening, I don't often wear gloves, who can dig in the soil with gloves on? And the ageing I can actually do nothing about!

I did some research and found various oils that can be used as a treatment and one suggestion was Jojoba oil or any other natural oil. However, I'm a fairly in-a-hurry kind of person, so not having any Jojoba in stock, I raided my bathroom cabinet and found some Coconut Oil. Coconut oil tends to solidify under 24°C (76°F), so mine was in solid form (it's winter here in South Africa), which is useful for scooping out of the bottle with the back-end of a teaspoon as one just needs a small amount.

I started massaging my nails, cuticles and the base of the nail with the Coconut oil and within a day there was a marked improvement. Studies on Coconut oil also show that it improves the moisture and lipid content of the skin so I started extending massaging up to my hands and I have found that it gets absorbed into the skin very quickly, not leaving an oily residue for long.

I've been doing the treatment daily for about 2 weeks now and I'll keep it up for another 6 weeks and then report back (roundabouts the 6th October 2013). Unfortunately I never took any pictures of my nails before starting the treatment, I was in such a hurry to get it going! Hopefully I've have some pics for the up-date.

Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrients for your hair. It is an excellent conditioner and helps the re-growth process of damaged hair. For years now I treat my scalp and hair once a month to a good massage of coconut oil, leaving it on for a couple of minutes before giving it a good rinse. For use on hair I melt the solidified Coconut oil by standing the bottle in a container filled with hot water.

Further research on the benefit of coconut oil on the skin revealed that it is comparable to that of mineral oil. Fortunately, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin from the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays the appearance of wrinkles and sagging of skin which normally accompany ageing and lightens age spots when rubbed directly on the skin.

Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. For that exact reason, coconut oil forms the base ingredient of various body care products like soaps, lotions, and creams that are used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its well-known antioxidant properties. It has also been proven to be effective as a sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

More benefits of Coconut Oil

Some very interesting 101 Uses for Coconut Oil

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Spring and Peach blossom bath oil

It's almost the end of August and spring is in the air! It's been a couple of weeks now that my almost 20-year old peach tree has been threatening to blossom and this week it happened! I was afraid we might get a cold spell (not that it can't still happen!) and that her buds would be killed. 

Did you know that peach blossoms are edible? The flavour isn’t very strong; the petals are sweet, and taste like nectar. The flavour has been likened to almonds.

 

Peach blossoms are used for adding colour and flavour to dishes. Scatter pink peach blossoms onto a salad or soup or use as a garnish for a dessert. Peach blossoms can also add colour to drinks or punches. Pluck the petals from the base of the flower because the rest of the flower can be rather tough.

Peach Blossom bath oil

This time of the year is when I make my own Peach Blossom Bath Oil. Using an essential base oil like Almond oil, I pour it into a clean Nescafé instant coffee bottle (because it has a wide mouth), add a couple of handfuls of peach blossom petals, screw the lid on tightly and leave it for about a week. I then pour it carefully into a pretty bottle (I have a great collection of those!), careful not to disturb the peach blossoms as they tend to break up and make the oil look murky. Once in the new bottle, just for good measure and for prettiness, I add a couple of fresh petals and voila! your own peach blossom bath oil!

Some interesting facts on peach trees :

- The blossoms of the Peach tree are pale to dark pink in color and have five petals.

- The Peach blossom appears before the Peach leaves.

- The delicate pink Peach blossoms may be large and showy, but sometimes are quite small.

- Peach trees (Prunus persica) grow 15-25 feet high. Their slender leaves have toothed edges.

- Peach trees start to bear fruit at 3 to 4 years old, reaching a peak at about 12 years.

- Peach trees are native to China and have been cultivated there for over 2500 years.

- Peach blossoms are in the same genus as plums, cherries, apricots and almonds.

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Marigolds and tea

Many of us have Marigolds in our gardens. From the small, miniature variety to the large Tagetas erecta, they are well-known for their habit of spreading all over the garden as their prolific seeds are blown by the wind, spread by birds and inadvertently by the gardener herself as they are cleared out once they die off as winter approaches. I myself am a great Marigold-lover as they are so useful to fill empty spots in the garden, growing in just about any type of soil. But did you know that Marigolds or, the official name Tagetes, makes a great cup of tea?

By drinking marigold (calendula officinalis) tea you can treat gastric ulcer and infections of mouth and throat and improve digestion by stimulation of bile production and also helps to cure menstrual cramps, liver disease and constipation. Marigold has also anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. Marigold is mainly used externally to treat bruises, wounds, eczema, skin disorders, haemorrhoids and burns.
Resource

I just made myself a pot this morning, so here's the recipe : 

Marigold Tea Recipe:
To prepare Marigold Tea, boil 1 liter of water.
Then, put 1 or 2 teaspoons of the plant and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes.

Drinking Calendula tea 2 or 3 times a day works as a body cleanser. It acts as a detox, protects your liver, gall bladder and other internal organs from long-term failure or damage. It is also noted for reducing sore throat and fever associated with common cold and other infections. Also, it aids the body in absorbing food, particularly fatty food items. Calendula tea, if consumed after you eat, can prevent symptoms of heartburn as well.

Against bile disorders, drink at moderate temperature 2 to 3 cups a day, and it can also used in dressings, bandages and compresses. The specific species Tagetes erecta has been used for 100′s of years for traditional and herbal medicine. In Modern times, this plant is used for the yellow die you can create from it.

Some of the ailments Tagetes erecta helps with are apparently kidney issues, muscular pain, ulcers and wounds but can also help with earache. For external purposes the leaves are used on boils and carbuncles.

The most important part of the plant is what it does for your eyes. Lutein is the main ingredient of the plant and that is very good for your eyes. The lutein acts as an antioxidant and protects the eyes against cell damage. Lutein filters some of the sun’s damaging rays. Lutein can be found in your eye’s macular region but you only get lutein from the food you consume.
Lutein info from Wikipedia 

Evolution Magazine proclaims the health benefits of Marigolds as such :

Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
The major advantage of consuming Calendula tea is basically the nutritional elements present in it. Marigold contains lots of beta carotene, a nutrient present in carrots. Beta-carotene can boost the body’s defense mechanism, cut down the risks of some forms of cancer, and helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis as well as other bone-joint inflammations. In short, you’ll get almost the equivalent beta-carotene from drinking this tea that you can from consuming carrots, in addition to a rich dosage of vitamin-A to boot. Calendula tea also consists of other sugars and oils that, along with beta-carotene, can help improve your immune system greatly.

Prevents gastrointestinal problems
Calendula tea is usually beneficial to those struggling with gastrointestinal problems. Calendula can shield the linings of the intestines and stomach by suppressing the prostaglandin-E1 (PGE). Also, it can help limit the negative impacts related to gastritis, stomach cancer and peptic ulcer.

Promotes healthy skin
As mentioned above, Calendula contains carotenoids, which serve as antioxidants that enhance healthier skin. This tea could be applied externally by using a piece of cloth to alleviate several skin problems like bug bites, rashes, scrapes and minor cuts. This tea can be utilized to give your skin a healthier look and many people state that it can help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

Women’s health
Another fantastic benefit to consuming Calendula tea is the fact that it controls menstrual periods in females. During these periods, drinking Calendula tea can relieve pains related to abdominal cramps also it can lessen the incidence of menopausal flashes, headaches, and nausea or vomiting. For people who’re struggling with menstrual problems, Calendula tea can help alleviate and reduce the pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.

They say the Marigold is a good rain doctor also! If the flowers are closed in the early morning, it will rain that day. When picking the flowers, you should only pick in the bright sunshine and in the middle of the day.

(Disclaimer: It should not be used if there is hypersensitivity or allergy to Calendula. It should not be taken during pregnancy and breastfeeding because its effects are unknown. It is not to be used in open skin and eye irritations. Interactions with other drugs have not been described, although due to the presence of mucilage, there could be a potential risk of delay or decreasing the oral absorption of other active principles.)

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Monday - what a day!

I have quite an impressive "to do" list right now and was able to mark a few off today; do the filing, buy some compost, paint a little table white, sort out my walk-in dressing room, clean and pack all the kitchen utensils and taking pics for this post. What a day and a great start to this week, it feels like Wednesday already and it's only Monday!

Pic for filing

Pic for compost

Pic for little white table

Pics wic

Pic of kitchen utensils holder

August is when the first sign of spring arrives in the garden. Fresh shoots start emerging and your garden starts readying itself in anticipation of the coming months. My Monkey-tail cactus is already sporting her first flower, very early in the season.

The weather is changing from the cool of late winter to warmer days and nights. It's been a short winter this year and not as cold as it usually is here. I have the feeling it will be a long hot summer.

A little extra help and encouragement such as a layer of mulch and fertiliser will not go amiss and is a perfect way to prepare your garden for the burst of growth and activity that will erupt throughout the spring months. But there is still a wrist of frost, especially here where I live, so I won't be cutting all the dead stuff until I'm quite sure that it has really warmed up.

August is a great time to plant spring and summer annuals :

Pansies
Petunias
Lobelias
Dianthus (sweet William)
Begonias
Gazanias
Alyssum
Calibrachoa (million bells)

Indigenous plants are always in fashion because they save water, grow well in our environment, are fast growing and colorful. These are just a few that you can get from your local garden centre:

Vygies
Osteospermums
Nemesias
Diascias
Gazanias

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Cucumber salad

With warmer days looming just around the corner here in South Africa, it's time to put all those lovely cucumers you've planted to use! The benefits of cucumbers are legendary (you can read more here in a previous post) and they are so easy to prepare. So here's a lovely quick and easy cucumber salad to spice up your life.

1 cucumber
10 black olives
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 spring onions
½ lemon
½ fresh red chilli
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh mint

Run a fork down the length of the cucumber all around it, then halve and quarter it lengthways and cut the quarters across into 1cm (½in) chunks. Put them into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2tbsp balsamic vinegar and push down on the olives, so the vinegar starts pulling out their saltiness. Trim and finely slice 3 spring onions, then add to the olives.

Drizzle 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the olive mixture and stir really well.

De-seed and finely slice ½ a red chilli and add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table and enjoy!

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