#normally i just stick to victorian or farm houses | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rileyskys · 6 years

Text

Must Have Video Games Tag Meme

Alright, so, I don’t post a lot of personal stuff on here, but I guess I can’t fight being tagged by the great @pi3pr0xy. ;p

So, I got into videogames when I was really young because I had a hip disease, the name is lost on me, but it was something that caused my hip bone cartilage to deteriorate and my bones would start rubbing against each other. I was basically out of commission for playing outside for a few months and my mom had just bought my older brother (who is a big ‘ol redneck) a SNES, which ended up being mine, and the rest is history.

Megaman X - SNES

This was the first game I can remember playing as a kid. This game was the absolute bomb. It had amazing controls, beautiful jraphics, and a compelling story line that pulled me in immediately. This is also the only game I remember playing with my dad who passed away when I was still young. I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves old school platformers.

Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past - SNES

I can already sense people who are fans of Game Grumps that there’s a pattern of me picking some of Arin’s all time favorite games as my favorites, but long before I had the internet, I had a 12″ CRT TV at my grandma’s house. A TV on which I would first discover Link, a small boy tasked with saving all of Hyrule. This game was what jumped me into the LOZ series and I’ve fallen in love ever since. The feeling of adventure I felt in this game was immense. I spent hours finding new things, discovering secrets, and just enjoying being in the world.

Final Fantasy VII - Playstation

Call me a fanboy all you want, but this game revolutionized what I thought games could do. with very limited 3D graphics and pre-rendered backgrounds, this game might not look like much, but it’s storyline was amazing. I was engrossed the moment I turned on the game. The Chocobo, the size of Cloud’s sword, the Highwind, and for the love of God; Materia. The Materia mechanic is what really drove this game home for me. I would grind for hours to get the right Materia for the right fight and I loved it even nowadays when people hate the notion of grinding. I had the dopest selection of Materia for all situations and I couldn’t have been prouder.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day - N64

This is the game that gave me a potty mouth. This fucking squirrel was nuts. From helping a bee fuck a flower with boobs, to fighting a opera singing pile of shit, a creepy zombie level, and even a D-Day re-enactment between squirrels and Nazi teddy bears, Conker’s was Bonkers. Through all the horrible language and imagery, this game was an excellent platformer, and really got me into the N64. I guess the normal game to say you have to play on the N64 is Super Mario 64, but nope, this game all the way.

Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 - Xbox 360

This series was the absolute best at getting you to invite 1-3 friends over and just having a blast slashing and shooting your way through zombies. Seriously, this is the zombie equivalent of Mario Party. I honestly sunk hours and even days into this game trying to get all the achievements. The characters are lovable, the areas are interesting, and the Finales are kickass!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Xbox 360

Here she is. Big Momma Fantasy. The game that made me feel like a God killing demon. Skyrim, for anyone who doesn’t know, is the fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series, and holy shit, I jumped into this series too late, but this is the one I started with. I’ve never spent so much hours in one day on a game then Skyrim. Playing it on a CRT TV with my iHome blasting Scary Monsters and nice sprites will stick with me until I die.

Borderlands 2 - Xbox 360

Handsome Fucking Jack is the best fucking villain of any game ever.

Nier:Automata - PC

Nier:Automata is a game about anime tiddies, androids, and huge swords, so it hits all my weak points. This game started out super intense and I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy it, but then the world opened up to me and suddenly I felt amazing being in control of 2B, the main character. Her fluid attacking animations and spacious areas to traverse and learn are intoxicating. I got lost in this game so fast. Everything in this game is polished (Besides the optimization issues) and being an android fighting machines controlled by robots is just sick as fuck. I liked the game so much I played it 3 times to get the final ending (Plus the 26 other endings. Yeah, 26 fucking endings), which holy shit, I didn't think there was a game I would enjoy playing 3 times in a row. Oh, but wait-

Bloodborne - PS4

You like Victorian architecture? You like horrible, malformed beasts? You like games that are HARD AS FUCK!? I introduce Bloodborne! I love everything about this game. From the art style to the combat, it's all golden. If you think you have what it takes, and it'll probably take a couple of times, you're gonna absolutely love this game. Oh, did I mention that you can just keep playing it into infinity or you can try your hand at PVP, or not. I sincerely hope you don't. I'm already on New Game +10

Stardew Valley - PC

So. You all know Harvest Moon, right? One of the pioneers of farming games. Want to know something cool? Stardew Valley takes everything that made Harvest Moon great and amplifies it by ten. With beautifully detailed 2D graphics, a lovable town filled with unique friends and potential partners, I played this game far more than any of the others. I've gotten quite bored of it after many, many hours now that I have oodles of money to buy anything, but just when I was about to hang up this game as done but fuck-

They introduced a multiplayer function which you can edit how much money you make from selling things, so you know I played that boy with one other person and made everything 1/4 the price so I can feel like a real farmer, struggling to make ends meet. Honestly though, if you love having a good time, this is the game to play.

Honorable Mentions:

Any Pokemon game, including Pokemon GO.

Fire Emblem: Birthright/Conquest/Revelations - In that order.

God Eater Ressurection - Giant beasts, and giant swords, truck yeah!

Overwatch - Please stop nerfing Mercy, Papa Kaplan.

No Man’s Sky - Everyone hated it, but I loved and still love it. SPACE SHOULD FEEL EMPTY

I guess I got to tag some people too... Hmm...

@point-and-click-adventure @sharkmittens @lilfoxcat Your turn!

#Took me 12 hours to make this #fuck

4 notes · View notes

jeremystrele · 5 years

Text

This Rare Robin Boyd Original Makes An Extraordinary Family Home

Homes

Fiona Killackey

This original Robin Boyd-designed house in Warrandyte is now the family home of writer, strategist and podcast host Emma Clark Grattan, furniture maker Lee Grattan, and their children Archer and Jehtro. The original house on the block burned down in 1962, and the owners commissioned Robin Boyd to design this new house in 1963. The house is clad with steel, which is quite unusual for the celebrated architect, but part of the brief was that the house was fire-resistant. Landscaping by Emma and Lee. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The couple updated the original kitchen, but kept the same custom handles as Robin Boyd used. ‘I soaked them in vinegar and put them back all new in the kitchen’, Emma explains. Drinks cabinet, bench seats, mirror and table made by Lee. Kilim runner from Gumtree. Milk & Sugar Hunter Pendant Lampshade. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Original wall light and Tasmanian Oak flooring. The couple painted the pantry door to break up the timber in the house. Baskets collected over the years now hide the kids’ sports and winter clothing. Artwork next to the fridge was a gift from friends Ace Wagstaff and Sam George. Steel and timber stools made by Lee. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The family photo wall. ‘We started sticking up a few photos when we first moved in, but now they’ve taken over the whole kitchen wall!’ Emma says. The house is built so every room has a view of the treetops on the Yarra. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The living room. Guitars and Victorian ash sideboard built by Lee, weaving by Emma. Leather couch from Grandfather’s Axe. Coffee table and green chairs found on the side of the road and restored by Lee. Galah print by Erstwhile. Ice cream planter from Third Drawer Down. Original chrome wall scones. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Timber guitars made by Lee. Plush guitar on bottom left made by Emma for Lee’s birthday a few years ago. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Lee got the desk from Great Dane, but it was broken and in pieces so they were going to throw it out. He managed to restore it and we’ve dragged it from house to house’. Lamp is an original Planet lamp bought for a dollar from a church sale in Warrandyte. Clock from IKEA. Geo dresser made by Lee. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Original bookshelves. Couch from Grandfather’s Axe. The narrow windows face south-west and capture the sunset. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Cane outdoor setting bought for $50 on Gumtree. Table and kid’s chairs built by Lee. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Emma, Lee, Jethro and Archie. ‘Warrandyte is a wonderful place to live with kids. It’s got a community and village feel. We literally have the Yarra Valley behind us and the city in the other direction’, Emma tells. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Emma and Lee added the ensuite on, and managed to fit in a walk in wardrobe too! Lee built all the cabinetry and Emma tiled the floor. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Details on the family photo wall. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Left: A mobile made from banana leaves, bought 10 years ago by Emma at a market in Tanzania. Right: The original owners had four kids and all the walls were painted with limewash, which was stained from years of Blue-tack and nail holes. Emma and Lee painted the bedrooms pale grey, but the colour changes depending on the colour of the sky. Mirror built by Lee. Weaving by Emma. An assortment of pictures and artworks made by the couple or gifted by creative friends like Melanie Knight, Sam George and Netti Wagner. Bedding from In Bed. Rug by Arro Home. Cane chair belongs to Emma’s mum. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The kids’ room. Original orange plastic lampshade. Emma and Lee bought the bunks in a weekend from bits of wood in the shed. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Lee’s brother made the A&J banner for the boys’ birthday a few years ago. Lee made the drawers. Rainbow from Big Dreams. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Author John Ed Pearce once suggested that, ‘home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to’. Despite not quite being ‘old’, for many parents of young children, the suburbs they grew up in begin to seem infinitely more desirable as they long for a similar upbringing for their own kids.

For Emma Clark Gratton, content strategist, writer and co-host of The New Normal podcast (alongside Tess McCabe), the idea of returning to the suburb she grew up in was initially daunting. ‘I grew up here’ says Emma Clark Gratton, ‘And I was like, we’re never moving back to Warrandyte! But we had the kids when we were in our last house in the inner north. It was a terrace and the backyard was tiny; the kids used to just run in circles. It wasn’t a good way to live.’ Emma’s husband, Lee (founder of Gratton Design) grew up on a farm in Queensland. ‘He was like, ‘we need space!’ so we knew at some point we might move’.

But the ‘some point’ happened a lot sooner than they had expected. ‘Lee was on a bike riding trip for a fortnight, and I was busy getting Archie into a nearby school and then I was looking online one day and saw this ‘Yarra Yarra’ house come up on The Modernist Australia website. I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Warrandyte! I came out and looked at it and made an offer. Then I texted Lee and said, ‘We’re going to buy a house’ and he was like, ‘Sorry, what?’

Despite Lee only seeing the house on the day of the auction, he instantly joined Emma in appreciation of the hilltop views, riverside location and the idea of living in a Robin Boyd original. After securing the four-bedroom home at auction from its original owners, The Arnold family, the couple set to work restoring it, carefully adhering to the heritage restrictions of the property. This included re-doing the kitchen which was ‘just really low and narrow’, with new cabinetry and tiling, renovating the master bedroom and adding a walk-in wardrobe, fixing the ceilings ‘which hung down a bit’ and adding solar panels, amongst many other small tweaks. The spectacular views, seen through floor to ceiling windows in every room, take centre stage alongside a beautifully designed interior full of Gratton furniture, retro finds and a muted colour palette.

Outside, the couple landscaped, with help from Emma’s brother, and added a separate workspace for Lee to design and create for his business (in addition to his larger workshop in Blackburn). While Emma says there’s still some work to do – ‘There’s a fourth bedroom downstairs which we want to make into more of a guest room’ – Yarra Yarra is well on its way to being this family’s forever home. ‘I feel like we’re never moving again. This is it’.

0 notes

beauticate · 6 years

Text

Fiona Myer, Entrepreneur

It was perfect timing that just as we launched our brand new Interiors section, Melbourne doyenne Fiona Myer was kind enough to open up her beautiful Toorak home to us. She shared how her career began as a model in Paris (it’s not always glamorous, but it makes for a great story) and the path that has led her to her current cherished roles as founder and creative director of White Story, and long-time patron of the Victorian art scene. And yes, she tells us all about her go-to beauty products she uses to create her favoured “less is more” look, and some affordable ways to bring the outside into your own home.

“I found myself in Paris at 21 after being head hunted to join the Glamour agency.

From there I travelled to some obscure parts of the world and have some amazing memories. Fashion shows on jumbo jets. Work in Beirut the day before war broke out. Barbados shooting swimwear, when the boat ran out of fuel while I was water skiing. I landed in a coral reef filled with sea urchin tentacles, and they took me off the shoot while I had each tentacle burned out over many days. There were hoax appointments, getting locked in cage lifts, a skiing shoot when the gondola closed due to high wind (the ski patrol was closed too, so we were left swaying recklessly well into the night). On that occasion I was lucky, because the shoot was for Courrèges and I was laden with fur coats. My clients included Yves Saint Laurent, Revillon, Sprung Frères... life was never dull.

After a good stint in Paris I came home to Australia, ready for a more grounded career.

Deciding to take a huge pay cut from modelling, I started work at the Georges Department Store in the promotions department. Outside of my life in Paris, Georges was my exposure to the world of couture. It was intoxicating working with the likes of Dior, Fendi, Lanvin, Givenchy and Celine. I was then headhunted down to Myer in Bourke Street to work as a fashion forecaster. After running a number of small businesses including luxury homewares from Myanmar and a collection of furniture, sleep wear and accessories, I have now taken on my biggest challenge of all: White Story.

It’s no surprise that retailing is a tough business, especially now.

We employ a vibrant, young team – I have emphasised employing people under 30. With my kids living away, it is the young team at White Story that get me out of bed in the morning. I feel needed and have a purpose. Without them realising it, they are keeping me young while teaching me the way of Gen Y.

It’s my hope that in my small way, White Story can provide a platform for young people to move seamlessly from student life, to their first internship and subsequently their first job.

My approach to beauty is simply less is more.

You would think after all those years of modelling I would apply makeup generously, but no - perhaps it was because I had it put on for me for all those years by professionals. One thing is for sure: the older you get, the less time you want to spend applying makeup.

My daily routine always starts with washing my face in cold water and drinking a glass of warm water. I head off for a swim, then shower with Alpha Keri oil and moisturise with Actinica SPF 50+ lotion. Then I apply La Mer foundation, a light brush of bronzer, Trish McEvoy mascara and I’m out the door.

My go-to shop for cosmetics has to be Mecca.

Jo Horgan and her team have nailed it. It’s easy, it’s accessible and it has every brand and product I could possibly want, including my favourite Diptyque oversized candles. My favourite perfume is a toss up depending on my mood, though I like Laurent Mazzone Parfums O Des Soupirs or Diptyque Oyédo. I think Kiehl’s makes the ultimate hand cream, and in terms of treatments I always have Clarins Gentle Peeling Smooth Away Cream to hand. Then there is good old Dermaveen Soap Free Wash which I use as a makeup remover and finally BAKEL makeup remover for eyes (Ed. note: not currently available in Australia). What else is in my kit? By Terry’s Hyaluronic Hydra Primer, Trish McEvoy blush, NARS Orgasm blush, Trish McEvoy highlighter, and the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil.

My personal style is pared-back, clean and uncluttered – the way I would like to think my mind is!

My wardrobe is quite androgynous. Weekend wear is Givenchy menswear shirts and hipster jeans. Unwashed hair with little or no make up. After all, we spend our weekends at our farm and usually see no one. When it comes to dressing up, I’m in maxi evening pinafore dresses, either with a crisp white shirt or combining black organza and velvet. For the most part my go-to designers are young and unknown Japanese designers. When I’m committed to shopping I’m heading straight to Comme des Garçons, The Row, Victoria Beckham and Celine.

As I head towards 60 next November, I feel so blessed to have an incredibly supportive husband who keeps me sane.

We relax together. Week nights are bliss at home on our own. We light the fire in winter in my study, set the table at my old French leather desk, open up a full bodied red and say ahhhh - we talk for hours. Everything gets covered off in a full night: kids, holidays, White Story, the farm; there’s never nothing to talk about. It’s truthfully my favourite thing to do. My husband is after all my best friend. My other best friends are all living away – my children! The three of them are working either interstate or overseas, and I feel fortunate that they are all pursuing exciting opportunities and making own futures.

I used to meditate religiously and I must get back into it. I’ve had a couple of months off and it shows. I’m so much calmer and more focused when I meditate.

I have always loved exercise. I swim daily come winter or summer – it is non-negotiable.

I walk to work and often meet a friend for brekky along the way. I am definitely not a gym junkie and gave Pilates away years ago. I need to be outdoors.

I usually cook fish at home (normally salmon) with my own marinade of ginger, garlic, Tamari sesame oil, and maple syrup. I serve it with masses of wok veggies and my sweet potato purée, with added fresh ginger and a dash of sesame oil.

I’m lucky to have some wonderful health practitioners that help me through life.

I regularly have acupuncture and see a wonderful chiropractor. I have a weekly NET session with my kinesiologist to clear everything out. I just don’t have time to let small things get in my way. I also visit a bio-energiticist to keep me in check. Most GPs don’t get alternative healers. I find that my team sees the stuff doctors don’t find until you really have a problem.

I have been collecting art over 30 years, and for almost 20 years have supported the Victorian College of the Arts and Victoria University with scholarships, travel grants and awards for the students.

VU generously awarded me an honorary doctorate in recognition of this. Our family’s works are a mixture from emerging artists from VCA and VU, as well as locally and internationally recognised artists, sculptors and ceramicists. These include Polly Bolland, John Young, Peter Demetrius, Frog King, Robert Hunter, Philip Hunter, Chiharu Shiota, Yayoi Kusama, and Dale Frank to name a few. I also try and visit Hong Kong Art Basel annually.

We host a Dom Pérignon event each year, and I think this will be our fifth year.

It all happened many years ago when the wonderful Deeta Colvin approached me. I love designing and visual merchandising and find large events like this so much fun to create. Each year I think up a theme, and we might feature anything from race horses at the party to models weaving through the crowds in our latest collection. I invite family and friends, business associates, people from the fashion industry, artists, politicians - the lot. It makes for an eclectic party and each person invited is a loyal Dom Pérignon drinker.

Time not always being my best friend means inevitable last minute decisions – me running around right up until it starts is not unusual. Don’t laugh, but because the table arrangements are important to me I usually have the tables set days before so I can add and subtract until I feel happy. It’s a bit like sculpting my pots, you just don’t quite know what you’re going to get until it’s finished. Though mistakes are usually my best works.

Our house really comes to life when it is filled with plants and flowers.

I like to bring inside whatever is in season. Although my life mantra is “less is more”, when it comes to floral arrangements and interiors in general I believe bountiful and generous is the way to go. For instance, I use masses of lilies (up to ten bunches) in one glass vessel. Whatever I use, I use in bulk. Whether it be burnt oak leaves or fruit, I stick to one variety and have multiples, which I find harmonious and peaceful. It’s less complicated and definitely no fuss.

They say “build a house, make a home”, and in my experience it takes years to truly make a home.

There are transitional periods in life (and in the state of your home) such as when or if you decide to have a family. As my family knows, a favourite line of mine is, “it’s a journey not a destination” - so even though now it’s just my husband and I here, I’m still making a home and I’m definitely still making a life. I want to bring on the next chapter with vigour and strength, and most of all, with love.”

Story by Zoe Briggs. Photography by Neiyo.

#Fiona Myer #white story

0 notes

gobrandrootweb · 6 years

Text

Bottle Digging • Nostalgic Look Back at Bottle Digging in the 1970's

Hi I was inspired to write this after reading all the good posts on the bottle digging forum. I started bottle digging in the early 70’s, inspired by a love of history, and copies of Edward Fletcher’s Bottle Digging and Treasure Hunting for All. During the long school holidays we had to go to work with our mum who was a farm field worker. We were tasked with picking beans or strawberries and later in the year potatoes and pears. As kids it was hard work but brought in some pocket money. The good side of this was every now and then we would sneak off to explore the fields and farmland. In several places that were overgrown I noticed there were fragments of glass, pottery and scrap metal under the cover of blankets of stinging nettles. I started by pulling out a complete pot lid which I took home, cleaned and displayed in the house. From that moment I realised there was treasure to be found in the old hidden dumps and I was hooked. With a couple of like-minded friends we decided to start digging the dumps. Now these dumps were in the middle of nowhere tucked away in overgrown corners of orchards or fields. The only way we could get there was to walk or bike if the tracks were passable. So on a normal day we would put on a rucksack, tie a garden fork or spade to the crossbar of the pushbike and walk to the dumps, about 45 minutes away. At first we just started digging anywhere and dug individual holes. Sometimes hedging trees were growing through the middle of layers of rusty galvanised baths and laundry tins full of bottles, china and lots of old type glass battery cases. This normally had another layer of rusty tin roofing and skeletons of old farm machinery which we had to drag or move out of the way. We would spend all day there leaving it till almost dark before trudging back home laden down with rucksacks full of treasure. As time went on we started to get quite good collections of Ginger beers, Codd Bottles, Hamiltons, Pot Lids, Ink Wells and many other types of old bottles and china. After a while we realised we had an excess and one friend suggested we take some to a couple of antique shops in the local town. As luck would have it one of these was owned by someone very interested in buying our finds and readily purchased the samples we had taken. Back then the only way for us to get to town was on the bus so it became a regular trip with rucksack loaded with finds into town on a Saturday, sell them, then off to the record shop and buy the latest vinyl record or go to the cinema etc. Bottle digging was proving to be a really interesting and enjoyable hobby and we realised could also be a good earner. In the summer of 1972 or 1973 we decided a better approach would be to try and clear this dump by digging the whole dump from end to end to make sure we got everything. The dump covered an area of about 10ft by 60ft and incorporated a ditch which the dump blocked, and made for soggy digging. So two of us who were still interested in digging started a trench the width of the dump and dug to the bottom which was about 7ft down at the deepest part. Standing in the pit and looking up at the top was this wall of black soil with lots of pieces of rusty tin, china glass, tree roots and lots of other rubbish. It was then a case of digging the soil and throwing it behind us whilst pulling out bottles and other bits and pieces. That heart stopping feeling of seeing something really good sticking out of this mound when you carefully pull it out and its complete or heart sinking when the bottom half is missing. We were doing so well with finds we considered camping there for a week but in those days the only tent we had was a large ex-army canvas type too heavy to take to the site. Instead we erected the tent in our back garden and that became our club house where at the end of the day we laid out the finds and cleaned them. We borrowed bottle brushes and various cleaning tools from my Dad who used them for homebrew. I remember having buckets and bowls of caustic soda crystals dissolved in water where we left bottles and earthenware etc soaking overnight. In those days no one questioned 12 years old boys buying boxes of caustic soda crystals or even using these chemicals. We went digging most days and spent ages discussing finds, swapping, and selling. My mum must of despaired as we were always filthy, covered in black dump soil, cuts, scratches and that metallic iron type smell that the dumps smelt of. As we got more experienced in the hobby we started researching old maps and business directories at the local libraries and talking to older residents and farmers. Soon we had quite a few good digging locations, but it was quite common to spend a whole day digging at some dumps and not find a single whole item to take home. One location we found was an old well or pit in the corner of a field that had been filled with Victorian rubbish which we continued to dig one year whilst there was snow on the ground we were so keen. We had to stop though as we soon realised the ground we were standing on had started to sink and the large hole started to fill with ice cold water. We were never able to finish that dig due to subsidence, so it may still be there today hidden away. During our research we found that rubbish from London was loaded onto old barges and taken down the Thames and dumped in the river not far from where we lived. At that time there were only a few places where you could get access to the seawall and the Thames as there was a very wide dyke that ran marsh side of the sea wall for about ten miles. I think there were only 2 or 3 proper crossing places for farm machinery. These dumps in the Thames were only accessible during really low tides which I remember always seemed to be in winter. So we would dress up for winter, with rucksacks, garden forks and spades, get on our pushbikes and ride to the seawall using the farm tracks. Now and then the gates were locked so we would climb over and carry on our journey. When we got across the dyke at a passing place it was then several miles ride to the dump location in time to make the low tide. Now I don’t think I would recommend anyone do this now as it would seem foolish and dangerous, but as young kids we would walk through the knee deep grey mud following the outgoing tide to these mounds that appeared quite a way from the shore. The forks and spades were a good stability aid in the mud and it was strange walking out through the sinking mud and feeling the ground suddenly firm up as you then walked up onto a mound where you were standing above the receding river water. The mounds were a mixture of old red bricks, rubble, glass, china, and grey river mud so you needed a fork and spade to dig. In the excitement of finding lots of whole Codd bottles, Hamiltons, Ginger Beers etc it was very easy to forget about the fast incoming tide which would quickly surround the mounds and cut you off from the shore if not careful. The other problem was the weight of a fully loaded rucksack with glass and earthenware made the journey back to shore far harder as the mud seemed deeper and you got tired quicker. We never lost anyone or had to be rescued but we were freezing cold, soaking wet and covered in stinking grey river mud and best of all laden with finds. One time we were so tired biking back that we noticed a possible shortcut where someone had laid two very long old telegraph poles across the dyke and started to construct a new crossing place. It seemed a good idea to walk on one pole whilst wheeling your bike along the pole next to it for stability. Two of us made it across and one even went back to collect the third persons bike as they were not keen on standing up on the poles which by now had a slippery coating of river mud. Loaded down with a very heavy rucksack our colleague sat on the pole and started to shimmy across the dyke, unfortunately the weight of the fully loaded rucksack shifted to one side and pulled the person over off the pole into the dyke. The dyke was only about chest deep but it was freezing cold and after much laughing and then shouting we managed to get our soaked friend up the bank out of the dyke. It was a very slow drudge home in freezing conditions but it must have been worth it as we continued to go to the river dumps for several years after. The glass bottles from the river always had an iridescent bloom to the glass that you could not clean away but was quite attractive. I still have a normal and amber topped Codd bottle I dug from the river that have this oily look. One of the strangest dumps we dug was a large mound in a field that had some good finds but as you got into the dump all the glass was melted or badly distorted. It appeared that at some time there had been a very fierce fire inside this dump that was so hot that it melted thick glass bottles like Codds and Hamiltons so they were flat or wrinkled. It was a bit like those Coke bottles in the 70’s that were heated and left to stretch so they stood about 15 to 20 inches high and then refilled with red liquid and sold as ornaments. Some years later the farmer who owned the fields this dump stood in bulldozed the whole dump mound and used it to level the dips in the field so it was easier for the bigger farm machinery. To this day the field is littered with broken glass and china as far as you can see. I cannot walk along the track alongside this field without head down scouring the earth for treasure when I visit the area. Just occasionally after ploughing and reseeding something comes to the surface still intact. I have picked up a small china dolls head, a tiny solid white doll, and a small earthenware ink in previous years and I am sure there is more still to find. Back then we were always looking for the rare bottles, Warners Safe Cure and Bellarmine jugs being particularly sought after along with cobalt blue Bell Inks, Cottage Inks, and Hamiltons. Amber Codds Bottles and nicely transferred ginger beers and Bears Grease pot lids. I remember sticking my fork through a cobalt blue Hamilton and sitting there looking at it hoping that it was already broken in the ground and it was not me that just smashed it, but you never know. We commonly found earthenware of all types of designs that seem to survive intact even after the areas had been ploughed for years. The most common thing to find was broken glass, china, and old rusty tin, obvious really as it was a dump, but now and then you would be surprised find a Victorian ornament, china dolls heads, plates, cups, and once a beautifully transferred blue and white Victorian toilet all perfectly preserved. I once dug up a perfect large very scary looking terracotta clowns head that had grooves all over his head. If you soaked it in water and sprinkled cress or grass seeds all over the head it grew green hair making it even more unattractive. The Victorians did have a sense of humour, but my wife said it was too freaky so I later swapped it with a friend for an enamelled silver top scent bottle he had dug up and which I still have. Although it is well over 30 years since I last went digging I still have some of the bottles and pots I dug up on display in my home including the original first pot lid I found, a Woods Areca Nut Toothpaste. A selection of Virol Jars including a really large one that I still cannot believe was the only intact find I once made in a whole days digging. Several types of Earthenware, glass Embrocation and beer bottles, ginger beers, a clay pipe and a couple of nice Codd Bottles is all that remains now. I will try to post some pictures on here shortly.

Statistics: Posted by skythepig — Wed May 30, 2018 1:14 pm

Bottle Digging • Nostalgic Look Back at Bottle Digging in the 1970's published first on https://pickmymetaldetector.tumblr.com/

0 notes