Wine from the Woods

Just bottled the Bramble Tip Nouveau - already tasting quite pokey.  We picked the bramble tips on April 15th 2012 in Epping Forest and The Lea Valley Park.  Trick is to pick them when they're soft and won't prickle your fingers - you need around a bucketful for this amount.  We used a Champagne yeast for a nice crisp sediment.
Roll on Christmas... or perhaps even All Hallows Eve..?

Artisan's Hat

I think I've mentioned the Book of Old-Time TRADES AND TOOLS before.
Looking closely at some of the engravings I noticed that a lot of workers are wearing folded paper hats.

I thought this was called a Joiner's Hat made from a sheet of newspaper but they appear in lots of trades such as Bricklayers, Needlemakers, Tinners, Printers, Plumbers and Brass Founders for example.

Here's how to make one courtesy of Raphael Salaman's Dictionary of Woodworking tools...
if you can find a broadsheet any more.