Todays Whittling

[Kepis]

Trying to keep body and mind occupied by reducing some Hazel rods from the garden into piles of shavings;

First up some simple wooden flowers, these were carved from the thin ends of the rods, they are now outside on the grass verge in groups for people to take if they so wish.

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A small Harry Potter style wand made from the wavy end of one of the Hazel rods. handle area whipped over with some black cord, again outside for someone to take.

And the satisfying result of debarking the rods

 

[Broch]

I like those flowers - I can imagine some walkers looking twice thinking they're a new species

My wife did a craft stall for a charity last year and I made her a load of wands out of different woods - hazel, birch, ash, ... They sold in minutes!

 

[TLM]

hazel, birch, ash

WHAT, no elder?

 

[Kepis]

I like those flowers - I can imagine some walkers looking twice thinking they're a new species

My wife did a craft stall for a charity last year and I made her a load of wands out of different woods - hazel, birch, ash, ... They sold in minutes!

I put a load of wooden flowers out there last year too, it was funny sitting in the dining room watching people suddenly stop dead in their tracks when they spotted them, some even went as far to comment on the local farcebook group about them to the point i was getting requests for them, including one chap who wanted loads for his sisters wedding, especially the big ball chrysanthemum ones i was making.

The wand is a bit of fun, but i can imagine how popular they would be, one of my big sellers at fairs & fetes were whimmy diddles, i used to demo one to a crowd and say that whoever figured it first could have that one for free, didn't take long for the wallets to come out after that.

 

[Broch]

WHAT, no elder?

yep, elder, rowan, holly ... I just stopped the list

 

[TLM]

Surprisingly simple things that look very nice.

yep, elder, rowan, holly ... I just stopped the list

no list of wand materials would be complete without elder

 

[Kadushu]

Elder is considered unlucky in some English folklore, though I think that was down to early Christians trying to stamp out pagan traditions.

 

[Broch]

Folklore considers it unlucky to cut elder, and burning it invites the devil. Considered the best wand material! The flower smell is thought to be narcotic and 'he who sleeps under an elder will never wake'.

But, we wander from Kepis' lovely carving

 

[TLM]

Youall missed Harry Potter? I couldn't have even if I wanted, kids were just that age.

 

[Broch]

Youall missed Harry Potter? I couldn't have even if I wanted, kids were just that age.

Nope, but Harry Potter didn't invent the elder wand

Sorry @Kepis, but you know what we're like!

 

[TLM]

Nope, but Harry Potter didn't invent the elder wand

Kind of guessed that much (elder not native here and just barely grows).

Sorry @Kepis, but you know what we're like!

Just a small badger hole (we have no native rabbits), maybe he could make a few elder flowers?

 

[Kepis]

Sorry @Kepis, but you know what we're like!

No worries

 

[Toddy]

The gypsy wives who used to come round the doors when I was very small sold those flowers. They would soak some crepe paper in water and then soak the flowers in the water. Lot of dye comes out of crepe paper, and their flowers were reds, pinks, yellows and purple.

One old man came and blethered with my Grandpa one day, and I watched as his hands were never still. He carved one after the other after the other. Just used a wee folding pocket knife, and he had the knack for it down pat.
Left my Granny a bouquet for a shilling

 

[Broch]

I used to enjoy the travellers' visits when I was a nipper. My Mum would always offer them a cuppa. I can remember one old lady pouring the tea into the saucer to drink. I wondered when I was much older if she didn't want to be there and did it to cool it down quickly

I would listen intently as they told my Mum about what she could do with this plant or the other - though, my Mum being a country girl, knew a great deal anyway.

We only got lavender from them though, no carved flowers

 

[Toddy]

They sold brushes, the flowers at times, and lengths of ribbon. My cousin and I both had long hair, Granny always bought us ribbons, apparantly they picked them up from factories in the Midlands. They often had lace too. Machine made, but still pretty stuff.
I know they sold clothes pegs, but Grandpa and my Dad made ours, so we'd no need.

At our own home, they were the rag men....came round blowing an old bugle, with a horse and dray sort of thing. Gave out cheap toys to kids who brought them rags, or scrap metal. Adults could get china from them for scrap metal.

Recycling's nothing new

Anyway, Kepis' flowers I think that's a lovely thing to offer like that to passers by

 

[Kepis]

Anyway, Kepis' flowers I think that's a lovely thing to offer like that to passers by

When i did a few last year i had one lady that was so taken by them she knocked on the door and thanked me, also lots of comments on social media about how they brightened peoples days, i stopped after a while though as a few people were literally doing drive by's looking for them and were nabbing them before anyone else had a chance.

 

[Pattree]

Put a collection box out there with them.

 

[Broch]

Put a collection box out there with them.

Then they'd nick that as well

 

[Kepis]

Put a collection box out there with them.

Nah, doing it to keep me sane while i await surgeries, at the end of the day my neighbours are taking my garden rubbish away for me.

 

[Kepis]

Then they'd nick that as well

or a deposit of another kind would be left by the local cats, foxes...