The Kalanchoe is happily re-flowering on our outdoor dining table under the gazebo. I've never had one but am enjoying this one. :-)
Our creek and pond were getting a bit silty so we got a pond vacuum. Dayle has spent several days sucking up muck.. lol. Do you see him in the bushes?
He started at the top creek, there are 3 creeks, 3 waterfalls and one pond. That is a lot of accumulated muck from leaves and pine needles falling from the trees and general dust and dirt from the air. Toss in some bird doo while they bathe there.
Pond maintenance also includes changing lightbulbs in the lantern and pond lights.
The vac is doing a good job as you can see the rocks are cleaner in this section of the creek.
I brought the dogs out and visited with the "pond guy" and Meeka decided to go wading and Mocha is wishing she could be off-leash.. but she can't because she runs down the middle of the road.. don't ask me how I know this.
Then Meeka made a nest in the creeping myrtle to watch the pond guy work. :-)
I thought I'd show you the inkwell that goes with the pen I got that is a reproduction of the one Shakespeare used.
The pen needs some serious shining up so I found my silver cleaning cloth and spent time rigorously buffing it. Before...
After.. I didn't get all the tarnish off but it looks better.
There are silver markings on the pen but I have no idea what they mean.
I opened the inkwell and was happy to see these were indeed made in Britain.
I wonder what would shine these up better?
Since my last post I actually found an antique key fob/sealing wax stamp on eBay - it's a man with a top hat with a rifle and his dog in a country scene.
I sealed my letter to Kathy (whom I met via my blog and we became real life friends as she lives 45 minutes away) using the very old historic stamp. I imagine it was a watch fob. Oh the stories this thing could tell!
Can you see the fine etching in the stone?
I finished "Where the Crawdads Sing", it was a very good book, I loved all the nature and I learned a lot about the swamp and its flora and fauna. I looked and looked for my next read and finally settled on this one. I have to say I'm having a hard time getting into this, the writer is very over explanatory. Hopefully it will draw me in..
If you have a book recommendation I'd love it if you'd share it. On my phone I'm reading "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. I read it while I'm waiting for something in the car and I have no more Words With Friends games. I am figuring it will take me 5 years to finish at this rate. LOL!!
Have a wonderful weekend!! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Love your water feature. Bravo to Dayle for being the pond guy. There can be a ton of scum...I know! If you can find "Woods Woman"by Ann LaBastille, I think you would enjoy it. I
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the wax seal stamp is something I have always thought about getting. I love nothing more than an old fashioned letter with a wax seal. I think I was born in the wrong century :) Also, Dayle is the best guy. I have never been able to convince my spouse that we "need" a small pond/waterfall. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI adore your pond, Teresa! A water feature adds so much to a garden. Dayle is a good man to get it all clean. Your inkwell and pen are so beautiful! The sealing wax key fob is perfect. You own such interesting pieces. Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThat pen is simply gorgeous. That is truly an heirloom to cherish.
ReplyDeleteLove that Pond guy hard working man ❤ Gorgeous inkwell and sealing wax so neat. Meeka looked good in her nest and yes you do not want Mocha checking the road again xxoo
ReplyDeleteHi POND Man.
ReplyDeleteBooks: did you read the day the world came to town? WONDERFUL
Well done, Pond Man!
ReplyDeleteTeresa, I hope you enjoy using your new lovely letter writing equipment and that your latest book gets more interesting page by page...the title is promising :-). XX
Oh the pond man looks like a busy chap :). Looks like one of those jobs that is a bit of a chore but well worth it when it’s done. As for the pen markings, I believe the mark AN = unidentified maker, Leopards head= London leopard's head uncrowned, dated 1821-present, the lion indicates the standard of the silver from the London assay offices. I couldn’t see the other marks well enough to help but you might find this site useful: http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYDECRYPTINGUKSTERLINGMARKS.html
ReplyDeleteAs for cleaning silver, I recall my mother using a aluminium foil in the base of a plastic bowl, add in 1tablespoon of baking soda and a quart of hot water, leave it for 30 -60, then buff dry. Good luck x
Hello Teresa and Pond Man :-) he certainly did a sterling job there! Love the dogs keeping an eye on proceedings.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely are the pen,inkwell and love the idea of the sealing wax. The pen and inkwell brought back memories of handwriting practise when I was 8/9. We had ink wells and had to dip our pen in. I did a beautiful piece of writing, dipped my pen in to put the final full stop and ink dripped off. I had to do it again :-( I was not happy. Hugs. Anne x
Hi Teresa, From looking at the hallmark on your fountain pen I can see that it was assayed and hallmarked in London (UK) I worked there for a number of years. Looking left to right the first box shows the makers mark of the person who made the pen. The second box indicates that the pen was made in the UK. The leopards head is the assay office mark for London. There are different marks for the offices in Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. The box with the letter is the mark for the year that your pen was assayed and hallmarked. The 925 mark indicates the percentage of silver in the pen. The 825 mark is a little confusing though, I'm not sure why that's there as well. It's a beautiful pen, and I love your wax stamps x
ReplyDeleteI've just looked up (thank you Google!) the marks on your pen. I'm not an expert, but from what I can work out, I think it's London Assay Office (the lion's head), date letter Q is 1990, maker's mark AN is Ari D Norman, and the 825 means it's 82.5% silver content. I love the seal. It must make the recipient feel very special to receive a letter with a seal on it.
ReplyDeleteYour garden always looks so lush and lovely. You and Dayle really have got green fingers! xx
Nice job on the pond. The pen is a thing of beauty, and I love your new seal. Letters are such a treat aren't they. Many years ago I cycled down through France, Spain and Morocco, taking around five months. I took Anna Karenina with me then because I thought it would last a long time! Which it did. This was in the days before Kindle. I hope you enjoy it. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteGood work on the pond, Dayle! That looks like quite a lot of work. I love your pens and wax sealers. Crawdads is our next book club book but I am on a 15 week waiting list!
ReplyDeleteDaly is working so hard on the pond. It does look better. Meeka looks so regal in the photo where she's laying behind Dayle. I love your writing equipment. I never learned to use fountain pens but they always fascinate me. Yours looks very pretty after its shining.
ReplyDeleteI have no book ideas. It seems like it's been a long time since I actually finished a book. That's a sad fact to write down.
We're still at the lake. Tonight makes 6 nights in a row but I have to go home tomorrow night. Dennis is doing the church service here tomorrow morning. I have LOTS of laundry to do when I get home and I have a dentist appt. Monday morning early, another appt. Tues. morning and then I'm coming back here until Thursday. I am absolutely in LoVe with our new trailer. It's like an apartment.
Blessings,
Betsy
That kalanchoe is a very pretty color. The dogs look very happy but definitely sounds like a lot of work for Dayle to clean out the pond. I use a microfiber cloth on my Indian silver jewelry that tarnishes very easily once it sits around for awhile. The cloth does a pretty good job of shining them up but I don't mind a little tarnish remaining.
ReplyDeleteI've just read "The Keeper of Lost Things" by Ruth Hogan. Bought it yesterday morning in a Charity Shop and read the whole book in a day. It's a light read, but so engaging. It's about a man who collects lost things, in the hope of finding their owners. You may have read it, but if not, I think you might like it. x
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa your pond man!! has done a fab job.It looks really great and the water so clear now. Loving your writing tools..... The pen shows some hallmarks however I'm rather confused by the 825 silver hallmark on your pen..925 is used for sterling silver and 958 for the purer Britania.You might find this helpful on your seaarch to check it out; https://www.assayofficelondon.co.uk/hallmarking/uk-hallmarks Sending hugs from Rhodes! xxx
ReplyDeleteI am thinking your, "Pond Guy" must be feeling much much better to be able to do all that work. I love the stamp and the beautiful pens and ink you have. So much history and you wonderful who wrote beautiful letters with all of those. God luck reading the book, I am starting Where the Crawdads Sing this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the pond man is too happy with his picture being taken. :-) . Love the pen, have you tried q tips to get in those small places to clean? CN x
ReplyDelete