Just taken photo of clock dial by William Batt of Petersfield (in Hampshire I think) that I was working on this morning. It's a single handed clock as you can see (yes, you can- there are only four divisions between the hours -so not minute divisions but quarter hour divisions - so no minute hand). I now wish I'd thought to take a 'before' picture - the dial was covered in old, darkened lacquer, and was almost black.
To return to subject of plums, we picked about six pounds of them, and this evening Ann prepared, stoned, and stewed them, so we should have a few plum crumbles and pies this winter.
Going up to bed now - Goodnight, oh pen pals.
6 comments:
Yum! Plum crumble. That ranks almost as high as big lumps of meat in gravy for me.
Crumbs! Not more plumbs? We're going to go blueberrying today, but they don't have to be stoned or rinsed or anything, I'll just put them straight into bags and in the freezer.
You've made a fine job of that. (Actually, Rog, I meant Mike, tho' yours is well up to scratch.) But what do you make of the designs below the maker's name?
Thank you, Rog. Neat little verse.
Hello Sir Bruin. I think we have similar tastes in culinary matters. The two of you must pop over when we're having a plum crumble (Ann makes them with muscovado sugar) and toy with a portion apiece.
Hello Nea. I must stress that these are Victoria plums, and therefore much easier to deal with in volume than the tiny ones we spent hours over the other evening (and the stones come out cleaner).
Hello Christopher. Baillie records William Batt as working in Petersfield in 1771. This tallies very well with the clock dial. And with the fact that the engraved designs below centre on the dial appear to be a slightly bucolic (sorry, Mr. Batt) attempt at the then still popular (although no longer perhaps high fashion) chinoiserie patterns (think lacquer work clock cases with Chinese scenes).
Christopher - should perhaps add that, yes it's a strange mixture of influences, although in its rather countrified way I do find it rather an attractive dial.
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