Tuesday 19th June

Well I'm blogging here, but frankly I hardly feel awake enough to be looking at the pretty pictures on Flckr, let alone actually typing this. Nightshifts of course, they knock you off your bodyclock, and it takes days to recover!

I can't think of anything to write about - except for one thing. I was on Flickr today, and I saw some cards that a 'flickrfriend' had made - very attractive, with Victorian musical instruments on. It reminded me of a book I've got tucked away on the bottom shelf - which is not a shelf I visit regualarly, it being for the extra large, and books-that-don't-fit-a-normal-shelf! Edwardian shopping, it's called, I got it years ago, and I can't even remember how or why. It was one of those books you pick up and start looking through, and then you glance up and realise you've been standing there for 30 minutes - and you don't want to stop. Its a collection of illustrations and pages from the Army and Navy Stores Catalogues, that were sent out to all of those people out working in the Empire.

Short diversion here - Let's not get in to the rights and wrongs of Empire, colonisation or any of that. On a personal level, let's just say I disapprove. But the damn thing existed, and I can't go through life pretending my ancestors didn't go about carving up the world for their own convenience. I just don't have to like it, ok? If I could, I'd give them a piece of my mind about it, and no doubt they would dismiss me as the batty old spinster whatever, who is clearly off her head because she never married, poor old thing. Let's just not go there guys!

Back to the catalogue. It's an amazing thing. They were shipping out everything, from corsets to loo paper, to full stoves and grand piano's. Check some of these out...

This is boy's clothing. I mean boys, aged what, 12 - 16? I mean check out the Eton suit there! That's the one with the top hat. And what about the knickerbockers!!!!

These are madam's driving and travelling costumes. You didn't buy a coat back then, you bought a costume. Seriously. If I remember rightly, this particular one came in a new tweed...! And check out that - surely not a whip. It must have been a short stick perhaps used for pointing at things along the way? Anyhow it's not included. You have to provide your own short stick!

This is the well dressed golfer. Startlingly modern I think you'll agree?! But check out the poor chaps bag. He only has three golf clubs..

This, clearly, is the Edwardian equivalent of the stereo system. It has interchangeable tune discs (I think) and no doubt had the bright young things who were the adult children of the above, all jitterbugging like crazy in the drawing room!

So this is what I've been doing today. And now I'm off to bed to try and catch up on a bit of sleep!