I am delighted to tell you that the book I told you about waaaaaaay back in June (where is the year going?), Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket, has just arrived and is about the best book printed since sliced bread. I've spent this evening devouring parts of it, and intend to dedicate a fairly thick slice of my weekend to reading the lot! I can tell you that it involves some drooling, plenty of daydreaming and a few emails to Amber plotting Famous Five themed picnics when I'm next in the UK! (North Berwick! Here we come!)
In the same package, I also received two rather fabulous books: The 1940s Look by Mike Brown and Make Do And Mend, an official reproduction of a series of genuine World War 2 instruction leaflets published by the Ministry of Information in Britain. I'm in the process of plotting out a book idea based in WWII - involving children, of course! - and these books are helping my brain to tick furiously over the subject. I won't tell you more until the project is well underway (particularly given how long my projects generally take before they come to fruition), but I think this one will be a labour of love.
In the meantime, I thought you would like to know that "wellingtons are very precious, so only wear them to keep out the wet, and see that children keep their gumboots for really wet days and never let them wear them for any other purpose".
In such a disposable society, and with economic depression in sight, there's a lot that can be learned from those who were subject to far more difficult times. On that note - I'm off to darn some socks!
