A lamp that stays where you leave it, and four sources that cannot agree on a year
By Ines Keane Push the arm down. Let go. It stays. That small behaviour, a lamp holding any position you […]
Journal
Journal
Mistletoe by the bundle: a December auction in a small border town
By Isla Quinn Pale green. White berries. A smell like cut stems and cold air. In the weeks before Christmas,
Journal
Turn it over: the date mark on a hot water bottle, and how long the sources say to keep one
By Porter Lang Find the neck. Look just below the stopper, on the rubber. There should be a small circle
Places
Saltaire: a mill, a canal and rows of stone houses that were all planned at once
By Rafe Calder Most mill towns grew by accident. Saltaire did not. A Bradford manufacturer bought a field, drew up
Journal
The mince pie contains no meat. It used to.
By Rafe Calder Modern mincemeat contains no meat. According to Wikipedia, it is made from dried fruits, nuts, apples and
Journal
One boot, two materials: how the Wellington went from calfskin to rubber
By Porter Lang Check the label first. A Wellington boot today is, according to Wikipedia, “most often made from rubber
Journal
Rhubarb that grows in the dark, and is picked by candle
By Isla Quinn Pink stalks. Black sheds. One flame. That is the picture the sources paint of forced rhubarb in
Places
York: a Roman fortress, a wall you can walk and a street named for butchers
By Ines Keane Two rivers meet at York, and a fortress went up on the flat ground between them in
Journal
Too busy to write: the card that started a December habit
By Isla Quinn Mid-December, 1843. A man has a pile of letters to answer and no time. So he asks
Journal
A pattern, a list and a good deal of legend: the Scottish Register of Tartans
By Rafe Calder A tartan is a pattern. The Scottish Register of Tartans is a list of patterns. Neither is