a beautiful invention

Soap was invented around 2800 BC in Babylonia. Made from fat boiled with ashes, it was originally used in cleaning wool and cotton for textile manufacture.

Soap is such a beautiful invention. According to The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2012, hand-washing with soap could save the lives of over 600,000 children every year.

So here is my personal odyssey in soap...

My first memories of soap as a child were of old-fashioned brands, in particular the legendary, 'Imperial Leather'. Created in 1938 by UK manufacturer Cussons, it was named after a perfume invented by a Russian aristocrat.

It wasn't, however, the  illustrious history of Imperial Leather that made it such a firm favourite in our household. My mother bought it purely on the basis of durability. A bar of the wretched stuff could last for months until it was reduced to vestigial remains attached to the indestructible label on the front. Even that was recycled, the label removed and the soapy residue squished into the next bar so nothing was wasted.

Back in my childhood the concept of a daily bath was an impossible luxury. It was a weekly dip in the tub (shared water) supplemented by a chilling morning scrub at the basin. During winter frosted-glass in the bathroom meant just that - rime-patterned windows iced on the inside.

My teenage years bring back the fondest memories of all. With newly-launched hormones coursing through my system I met my first girlfriend.

In all probability she was using the same sort of soap as me, but she smelt different - she smelt feminine.  The importance of olfactory input in the process of bonding has been well documented and despite my increasing age I can still close my eyes and bring back those fond memories.

Time marched on. My girlfriend became my wife and then mother to our three lovely children. This brought many new smells into the household - some pleasant, some not.

The best of all, of course, was the smell of freshly bathed babies.

One by one, the children have flown the nest and now we are back to being a couple again. We can enjoy the indulgence of luxury soaps, many of which are scented with lavender.  They bring back memories of our old holiday home, deep in the heart of Norfolk.

Whilst we hope our ultimate demise may be years away there is no denying the inexorable fate that awaits us all. No perfume, no colour, no earthly existence. It is meet and right to reflect on the cycle of life. Ashes to ashes - a key ingredient of the humble but beautiful invention that is soap.

british summertime

One minute it's sunshine, the next the sky turns black. The ever changing face of British summertime!

lost

 I come this way often

a moment still

remembered

as a fragment of a distant dream

dancing 

in the gathering gloom

the sway of the filling crop
waves across the water
to the rhythm of drum-beat hooves 

lost

canal-side traffic

Now the lock-down restrictions have been eased it's starting to get busier down by the canal. Lots more boats and the freedom to travel up and down the water.

strawberry fields

The strawberries are gone, the pickers are nowhere to be seen and the poly-tunnels are all but dismantled. 

 

 

 

flat zen

The homework this week for the Photography Group I'm part of is 'flat-lay'. As its name suggests this genre is devoted to taking overhead pictures of objects laid on a flat surface.

Rather than trying to fit in too many objects I opt for a zen simplicity, complemented by a white background. 

flattened

Another week, another walk with our son, Ben. This time we met a lovely lady called Kyrie and her gorgeous Flat-Coated Retriever, Lucy. It's not often our own 'flattie' gets to meet his own kind so he made the most of it!