I remember being in Vancouver a couple of winters ago when Britain had ground to its usual standstill after an inch of snow had fallen. The newscasters on Canadian TV could hardly keep straight faces and were visibly sniggering at our inability to deal with what they considered was a gentle sprinkling.
Nothing stops Edwina though and despite the icy conditions, she braved the weather to visit us today. It was the attraction of borrowing the longarm machine as much as it was a social call! Here she is concentrating on the job in hand as she quilts her latest sushi inspired piece for our upcoming SiX and Friends' Orientation exhibition at the Bramble Patch. Even if you saw the exhibition at the Needle Museum you might want to see it again as there will be quite a lot of new work.
I didn't get the chance to work on my Attic Window today as I was on baby minding duty while Laura was technical support for Edwina. I have made some progress though - at the weekend I added narrow sashing strips of rusted fabric.
The blocks for this quilt are all the same size but it has made me think that next time I might do something more like the compartments of the print tray I keep my treasures in. It's an interesting, less predictable grid structure and could be fun!
My posts are often quite a mixed bag but this is particularly peculiar. Laura said I shouldn't blog the picture because it looks for all the world as though we are growing prosthetic ears for transplant! He who gardens found the fungus encrusted log in the woodpile and thought I'd like it. After all what do you give the woman who has everything? Anyone out there in cyberworld know what this is?
Thanks for dropping by. Talk to you again soon - Linda
Love your fungus but can't find it in my book. Do let us know if you find it's name please.
ReplyDeleteSnowy here today in France too - pretty in the garden but slush underfoot. Attic windows looking good but like your idea for the next one!
Thanks for trying Lin - I'm sure someone will have the answer!
ReplyDeleteROFL @ prosthetic ears. A perfect description. As a non-quilter, the sewing machine looks fascinating.
ReplyDeleteProbably a Tree Ear Auricularia Auricularia-judea.
ReplyDeleteLinda, Laura was almost certainly right. Your fungus looks like Jew's Ear - Auricularia aricula-judea. It usually grows on elder or beech. It got its name as Judas was said to have hung himself from an elder tree mind you he seems to have hung himself from lots of different varieties depending which legend you read.
ReplyDeleteHmm my immediate reaction was Hobbit ears...clearly something the Weta Workshop team would look twice at!! Perhaps these fungi inspired Tolkien in the creating of his charming little folk??
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, especially your attic window piece and the 'ears'!:-)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, here I am in Western Canada giggling at your snowy plight. Montreal (Eastern Canada) got 45 cm *in one day* over the Christmas holiday, and St. John's, Newfoundland got a similar amount over a similarly short period last week... :-) Now aren't you feeling better?
I love the quilt you are making and have explored your design prints as I am turning green with envy over the bare branch material. The fungus is amazing, looks like the Weasley twins extendable ears in Harry Potter! Lovely post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove your attic window with the beautiful bare branches and the rust sashings. The fungus looks very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone who educated me about the fungus. I learn that it is edible and something of a delicacy in China, however there is no way I shall be putting that to the test as it smacks too much of cannibalism.
ReplyDeleteThe room housing your long arm looks a bit chilsome. I hope Edwina had her thermals on!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Orientation at the Bramble Patch. I came to Redditch but excited to see more work from you all.
As always, loving your blog.
Hilary
Today’s post is going to be about a mushroom with a funny name called Jew’s Ear. Some people call it Jelly Ear, Pepeao, Ear Fungus, Chinese Fungus, Pig’s Ear, Wood Ear, Tree Ear, Kirukage, or Binomially speaking Auricularia auricula-judae. This mushroom is edible and it usually grows on some kind of dead or living woods, especially on Elder Trees. People call this mushroom a Jew’s Ear because it was formerly called Judas Ear. Why? Because some people believe that Judas Iscariot, after betraying Jesus Christ The Son of God, hanged himself from an Elder Tree and his spirit came back as a mushroom. Well, since this mushroom grows mostly on an Elder Tree and it looks like an ear, then some people decided that it should be called Judas Ear which later on became known as a Jew’s Ear. The part where Judas betrayed Jesus Christ is totally true, but the spirit of Judas coming back as a mushroom is not true. Some cultures and countries use Jew’s Ear mushroom for food and/or as a medicine, but others complain about the side effects of this mushroom and stay away from it. In China it is very popular to eat a soup that contains Jew’s Ear mushroom, especially when someone has a cold or a fever. The Nutrients in a cup or 99 grams of Raw Jew’s Ear Mushroom are:
ReplyDelete- Vitamin B1, Thiamin
- Vitamin B2, Riboflavin
- Vitamin B3, Niacin
- Vitamin B5, Pantothenic Acid (Good Amount)
- Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine
- Vitamin B9, Folate, Folic Acid
- Vitamin C
- Protein
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Zinc
- Copper (Good Amount)
- Manganese
- Selenium
- Carbohydrates