Category: This and that


The Mustard Revolution: The Life of Jeremiah James Colman

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13/12/2013

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By Wayne Kett

When Jeremiah James Colman was asked how he had made such a vast fortune from the sale of mustard he replied ‘I make my money from the mustard that people throw away on the sides of their plate’.

When, after the death of his father in 1851, 24 year old Jeremiah James Colman assumed control of the family business. It was a small local company selling modest amounts of mustard. In the space of 50 years he built the company into a global brand using innovative marketing techniques and through his hard-work, honesty and integrity as a business man.

In 1856, Colman’s employed just 200 people, by 1862 this had risen to 600 and by the time of his death in 1898 it was closer to 2,000. He expanded the range of products under production to include laundry blue, flour and starch.

The story of the rise of…

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Gone With the Wind – Tuesday Color My World

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10/12/2013
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Museums in a Garden – my 1000th post!

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Filed under: Great Gardens, Heritage Gardens & gardening, Portuguese Gardens, This and that — Leave a comment
06/12/2013

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Thanks for reading this, my 1000th post on Old School Garden. I’ll do a fuller review of my blogging experience on my first anniversary on 17th December. But for now I hope that you enjoy my review of an interesting garden in Portugal.

A little off the beaten track in one of Lisbon’s northern suburbs (Lumiar), sit the Gardens of Monteiro Mor (this translates as ‘the High Huntsman of the Royal House’ refering to one of the former grand residents).They come with not one, but two bonuses – small, but fascinating museums, one focusing on Portuguese Theatre and the other Costume.

The surrounding gardens are a very engaging mix of formal, botanical display and wilder woodland walks – all very pleasant on a warm autumn day. And there are a number of curious sculptures to see en route too, along meandering paths and steps which take you to a variety of water features and through glades of mixed, mature trees and shrubs.

Interestingly, a communal food growing area seems to have been created on the edge of the parkland, and we also were lucky enough to see a wide range of flowers on display when we visited.

The museums, housed in two former grand houses a few paces from each other, are very well laid out. The Theatre Museum comes stocked with a huge array of printed and pictorial material along with theatre models, sculpture and theatrical props (including some lovely puppets and larger costume displays).

No need for much in the way of interpretation here as the visual richness speaks for itself!

The Costume Museum is an altogether more restrained affair, with displays of clothes and accessories from different periods set off wonderfully in the elegantly decorated rooms of the former palace. Varied lighting levels and effects and a nicely uncluttered feel all contributed to a beautiful wander though time.

This became especially interesting when we reached the 1960’s and more recent displays, which brought back some long-lost memories!

This was a visit well worth the subway ride from central Lisbon, the ‘one for all’ ticket being very good value.

Old School Gardener

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The Georgians

Filed under: Heritage Gardens & gardening, Historic landscapes, This and that — Leave a comment
04/12/2013

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By Dayna Woolbright

The Georgian period spans 123 years, 1714-1837, and marks the period when England was ruled by the Hanoverian Kings, George I, George II, George III, George IV, William IV.The Georgian period saw much change; in politics, industry and literature. In social terms it saw the gap between rich and poor widen and the emergence of the libertarian ‘middle class.’ This era helped shape Britain as we know it today and there are far too many important historical events to consolidate into one blog, for this reason I will concentrate on the social history and the developments that can be represented through objects in the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology service’s collection.

Architecture

The Georgian period saw the emergence of imperial based wealth through the import/export of various goods which were sold around the world. This created a new larger, wealthy middle class who liked to illustrate their wealth…

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‘This most mysterious animal’: A history of the bicycle (part 2) by Ann-Marie Peckham

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28/11/2013

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My last blog ended at the 1890’s, a time seen globally as a ‘golden age of discovery’. Many things were invented during this time which we still use today such as cinematography, escalators, x-rays, wireless radio, hydro electric power and electric underground trains. As well as being an exciting time for technological development in general, it was also a ‘age of discovery for the bicycle!

For most of the 19th century bicycles generally fell under a ‘one size fits all’ banner and were mainly built for adults. Men, women and children (mostly from the upper classes) all had access to standard sized frames, although there were exceptions to this such as the High Wheeler (aka the Penny Farthing), where the height and size of the vehicle were determined by the leg span of the rider. The invention of the ‘Safety bicycle’ in 1886 and then the Dunlop tyre in 1888…

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Kids Fund- children experiencing nature

‘We believe that the only way you can learn about and appreciate the environment is by getting outside, experiencing it…and having some fun. The FSC Kids Fund provides financial support for groups of disadvantaged young people who would like to visit one of our centres for an FSC experience.

FSC Kids Fund courses are funded by donations – from FSC members, FSC staff and support from Trust Funds.  

Read about the experiences of groups who have really benefitted from Kids Fund below:

Find out about becoming a member of the FSC and contributing to Kids Fund

Find out more about how to apply for Kids Fund…’

Field Studies Council website

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Kitty Hawk

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I purchased this Orchid Cactus Kitty Hawk from The Green Cathedral some years ago. She has rewarded me every year with a stunning display.

The name ‘Green Cathedral of South Africa’ is derived from a media publication and, until August 1 2011, used as an alias for ‘Soekershof; Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa’; located in the tranquil Klaas Voogds area near the small town of Robertson. Since August 2011 Green Cathedral of South Africa resides in Stanford, Western Cape as does a precious collection of plants.

I dedicated this post to Herman Van Bron who is the custodian of the Green Cathedral.

RELATED ARTICLES :

Orchid Cactus http://aristonorganic.com/2013/11/18/orchid-cactus/

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27/11/2013

Color on the Mountain

Visit Ariston Organic’s site (click on the title) to learn more about this South African scene…

Old School Gardener

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Cherry Memorial

Filed under: Community Gardening, Grow your own food, School and childrens' Gardening, This and that — Leave a comment
26/11/2013

morello cherry treeOld School Garden raised some funding to help support Norfolk local food growing projects under the ‘Master Gardener’ programme. Here’s a story about how some of the money, raised from a garden open day, has been used.

Based at Great Hockham Primary School, Norfolk, Hockham Herbs is a young gardening group established by Master Gardener, Bev Page back in 2011. When Bev stepped back from leading this group, one of the children’s Dads, Rob Muggridge, took over. In July 2013, Mr Muggridge was tragically killed in a road traffic accident.

Bev applied for funds to purchase a tree that the Herbs group could plant in memory of Mr Muggridge. The children adored their growing mentor and coming back this autumn was difficult for them.

To have the opportunity to plant “Rob’s tree”, care for it and watch it flourish will help them come to terms with their grief and loss.

Bev was awarded funds and she purchased a Morello Cherry Tree from Thetford Garden centre and she had enough money left over to add a bird box.  The tree was planted on Wednesday, 13 November in the school orchard, with the help of the Hockham Herbs and Mrs Muggridge.  The bird box is destined for a mature tree trunk in the school woodland.

Old School Gardener with thanks to Bev Page and Gabbie Joyce

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Canals, Cycles and ‘Coffee’ Shops

Filed under: Historic landscapes, This and that — 2 Comments
24/11/2013
Lovelocks on a bridge in Amsterdam, a feature of many cities around the world- lovers engharve their names and add the padlock to the many others here
‘Lovelock Bridge’ looking along one of the fine canals

I couldn’t resist sharing some pictures I took on my recent trip to Amsterdam. Wandering the roads and taking a canal boat ride offered many opportunities to capture the beauty of this City’s distinctive architecture, canals and other features – especially in the low autumn sunshine that accompanied us. First the canals….

Next the cycles….

Finally, those ‘Coffee Shops’ that aren’t really that at all. Not to be confused with cafés, they have been a part of Amsterdam since the 1970s, when the Dutch government made a clear distinction in the law between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ drugs. Coffee shops have always existed in a legal grey area. They are allowed to operate with a set, non-transferable licence (shown by the display of an official, green and white sticker in the window). There are about 200 in Amsterdam, and most have a ‘menu’ of soft drugs for sale, but they are not allowed to sell alcohol! Then there are the fully legal ‘Smart Shops’, which sell herbal i.e. smart drugs, named because they are supposed to stimulate the mind and improve memory. They also sell magic mushrooms. In recent years there has been an explosion of smart shops in Amsterdam, many shops are selling mushrooms, vitamins, weed seeds, grown kits, pipes and various souvenirs and arts.

Inside a coffee shop- not guilty !
A coffee shop licence
Tolerance and intolerance…
A real Coffee Shop….sorry Cafe

Oh, and a bonus of a few odd pictures around and inside the Rijksmuseum- guess what the crowd are looking at?……………….. Rembrandt’s masterpiece ‘The Nightwatch’.

Old School Gardener

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