It's a Classical Life

 Preserving and pressing flowers is a true classical past-time, with the practice being done as far back as the ancient Egyptians and Chinese. These dried flowers were used for a variety of purposes: fragrance, medicinal purposes, tea and so forth. However, it is believed that it was the Japanese in the 16th century who began to use the dried parts of a flower for art, known as Oshibana. This beautiful artform is continued today. Via As much as I love this delicate and whimsical art form, it is a more simple way of preserving flowers that I wish to discuss today. I have two easy ways that I dry flowers in my house, using no special equipment other than plain twine and heavy books (two things I always have in my house anyway).  The first way is to simply tie the flowers together and hang them upside down. I use a section of my kitchen wall to do this, as I really like looking at them; a simple and natural form of art that changes with the seasons. Here I have the flowers from a...

The summer and Christmas holidays have continued to be a disappointment. Although the weather is mild and the air is beautifully clear and crisp, we are still isolated from friends and family living on the other side of the border. I miss them. I missed being with my parents, sisters and nieces and nephews for Christmas. I missed the big, loud, exhausting days of Christmas time spent together. The year we all couldn't wait to end still seems to be hanging on, even though the calendar has ticked over to January.  I have been relying on some old favourites to help with this isolation-induced sadness, turning to classical pursuits that I know will bolster my spirits and give me hope for a kinder, gentler future: reading, writing, listening to Podcasts and classical music.  Classical music continues to move, inspire, transport, relax and invigorate. As the world continues to tilt on its rather dangerous and precarious axis, as we have seen in recent days (and months) around the wo...