Britain is experiencing a cold snap and consequently there is talk of how to keep warm. This has made me look at old ways to keep out the cold.

.This is a detail of a tapestry  which hung in a hall in Medieval England. It was a barrier against the cold drafts which crept in through the walls.

It shows a summer hunting scene. Dogs are chasing a bear and a boar. At the same time, well dressed courtiers are chasing each other. The flowers and foliage, fine dress and warm cheerful colours are designed to make the onlookers think of the warm months. We are transported to summer for a moment.

The Guernsey sweater is a traditional woollen jumper which has been made since the 1400s.  It was knitted, with pride, in the Channel Islands and designed to be worn by the local fisherman. It is easy to move around in and has a tight knit and oily wool to resist sea spray and wind. The fisherman wore the sweater loose and next to the skin, so a layer of insulating warm air built up.

I noticed that the Inuit wear their parkas with the fur directly against bare skin when one of the characters in the film Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner peeled off his parka. The film, which gives a realistic picture of Inuit life, could be set at any time in the tribes’ history. People have lived in this area of Arctic Canada for 4000 years. This kind of clothing has ensured that they survived. The Inuit wear a second parka on top of the first, this time with fur facing outwards, so snow and ice can be shaken off.

Sources:

>>Reference Library Blog

Parka from the BM

Today’s experiment, rose water and almond lotion,  hand and body cream.

Note: More research needed as the oil is not mixing well with the lotion.

250 ml of Rose Water (or  1 cup)
100 ml of Almond Oil
A few ounces of beeswax
A teaspoon of borax

Melt the beeswax in a bain marie. (A heat proof bowl floating in a saucepan of water)
Beat in a teaspoon of borax.
Beat in rose water, little by little at first.
Beat in the almond oil.
Keep in a glass jar or bottle with a screw top lid.

Source

http://hubpages.com/hub/Rose-water

The flat saturated blue colour of Diana’s suit was a memorable element of the royal engagement photographs.  It was a colour that was strong enough to become emblematic. This blue had acquired a new value, it was the blue associated with Diana. And so it became fashionable.

Kate Middleton has chosen a similar saturated deep blue dress (slightly darker) for the announcement of her engagement to Prince William. It matches the sapphire of her engagement ring, previously worn by the ever present Diana.

The Poppy pin badge for Remembrance Day so well designed that you take it for granted. Mass produced, everyone can wear this badge. Die cut crimped red paper flower, symbolic of blood, a green leaf, a bright green plastic stem and black centre with raised letters. It is fixed with dress making pin which is handed out with the badge. You give what you want for the badge. The money is a donation to charity and the badge is a display of your support for the cause.

Other more elaborate versions of this badge are made – in enamel or other materials. They have a fixed price. When you pay for them, are you judging the worth of the object? It is not disposable. Do you save it for next year? The relationship with the buyer is different.

The paper version is so simple and egalitarian, it makes the others seem misplaced. It has something in common with Andy Warhol’s comment on Coke. A bottle of coke is always the same. The President cannot have a better coke than the person in the street.