Trench art for Tracy

 Tracy, you mentioned yesterday that you collected Trench Art.   This little piece (unique? never seen another like it) was on my friend Simon's stall a few years back, at Malvern.  I picked it up to look at it more closely, and burst into tears - it was imbued with sadness and loss and I can only assume that whoever made it for their mum, wife or sweetheart, never returned from the war.  Each time I pick it up, I have a rush of emotion again.  I assume it shows the little (bedroom?) fireplace of a Victorian house and that the recipient recognized it immediately.  This sense is officially called Psychometry or ESP or being clairsentient.  It's something that I can only channel when I am relaxed and open.  Feel free to pooh-pooh this skill - it does seem something impossible to do, but it has happened to me is all I can say. I am an empath, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

For folk who have not come across Trench Art before - these are pieces made from the brass shell cases or scraps of aluminium of WWI and WWII.  In their time off, soldiers would work on turning them into useful objects to take home to their family.  Even Keith made 3 of them with the bases of shell cases and an Arabian coin in the centre so our kids will have one each. The link is to the Imperial War Museum and shows a selection of items.  What turns up most are the shell cases with sgraffito designs on, repousse work etc.  UK Ebay will show dozens of examples.

Many thanks to Julia in Texas who showed the photos I put up of the German photo album and mini medals yesterday to her son (who collects militaria) and he noted that the pilot had earned an Iron Cross in both the First and Second World Wars, alongside other military honours and also reckoned it was highly collectable and quite valuable.  A bit too valuable for my little stall anyway so I shall have to find a specialist Military auction for it.

Today I have managed to change my bed and put the duck down duvet on the bed (though that was a struggle!)  I should be nice and warm tonight.  I even ironed the bed linen first.

I have unpicked and resewn in the proper layout, two more blocks in Gabby's quilt, and with a heavy heart taken my stitch-ripper to the 3 rows of blocks I sewed together a couple of weeks ago - the wrong way up . . .  The colour balance demanded I started over.  So I sat and watched the 2nd episode of Phil Rickman's Midwinter of the Spirit, the only tv dramatisation of any of his books.  In daylight, not too spooky!

I also felt up to making a meal tonight, so set to and chopped up onions and garlic, added a good tin of cherry tomatoes and browned meatballs to go into it.  I had it with pasta and veg and it was very filling.  I have put the other half in the freezer.

Now I shall put my electric blanket on and settle down for the evening.