Psyllium Husk

The merit of this object is mainly in the packaging - a wonderful retro style. Well, I say 'retro', but probably it just hasn't changed since the 1920s. (I bought this in a supermarket last year.) Quite why they think smoking factory chimneys and a telephone will sell this product, I'm not sure.

If you're wondering about psyllium, it's a seed used to add fibre to your diet. And on that subject, how come it's never called 'roughage' any more?

Coin-op Puppet Show

This was in an amusement arcade in Blackpool. Sadly we couldn't get a 20p piece to make it work, and the arcade was closing. I've seen puppet shows like this before, and I think they used to have shop displays like this for Pelham Puppets. I LOVED any sort of animated toy shop display when I was little. Christmas grottoes especially!

Tunisian Doll

I'm fascinated by 'primitive' dolls. How little it takes for us to see a human figure! I got this from Ebay. The seller is a lovely lady who specialises in costume dolls. Her description said-
"A very cute little hand made cloth doll from Tunisia, North Africa.
(It is similar to dolls made by young girls living on the West Bank near the pyramids in Egypt, but I bought it off a stall on a large salt lake in Southern Tunisia in 1994. They were made by local people to sell to tourists).
The body is fabric which has been wrapped around what feels like a piece of stick. The arms are made in a similar way and she has very endearing embroidered features. Her skirt is slightly faded as it was on the stall in hot sunshine. (What a lovely thought!)"

The Object of Being Curious

The object of this blog (do you see what I did there?) is to show off some of the more strange and weird items that I collect, or see, or just happen upon. Things that don't necessarily fit in my other blog - the Kitsch and the Curious. There will be kitsch, of course, but perhaps more weirdness. And my intention is to just concentrate on the objects themselves, rather than the personal chat of my other blog.

The first item, chosen at random, is one that has just passed through my hands. I put it on Etsy this week, and it sold within the hour.

This is a strange piece of folk art - a small basket with a religious message woven into its body. The words around the basket say:
"PRAY TRUST FAITH HOPE LOVE
FOR HAPPY MARRIAGE
CHRIST IS THE FOUNDATION
BY REV. DINAH"
It's beautifully and very finely woven, and I think it might be African. You have wonder - who was the Rev Dinah? Was it a wedding present, perhaps?