Buttons, books and goodbyes

A lot has been happening over the past few weeks and I am behind on my blogging as a result, which is a shame because I have a rad (does anyone still say that?) dress post to write up. However the main reason for my absence is largely due to a chain of events that have been put in motion following my decision to take a new job *insert excited squeal here*! My departure from my current post is imminent and today I had cause to have a final meeting with two very close colleagues, M & K. I'm not going to lie, I did cry pretty much the whole way home and it really got me thinking about relationships and the things that make you click with some people more than others. 

There's few of us who can spend all our days pleasing ourselves, sewing, gardening, drinking cups of tea etc. Whilst that would be my idea of heaven, work is a necessity for most of us and we end up spending around a third of our waking hours each day working for 'da man'. As I get older, gulp, I realise I've been pretty fortunate in my time to work with some truly fabulous people. Some have come and gone over the years and we've drifted apart. Others have become permanent fixtures in my life who I couldn't imagine being without.

Saying goodbye to M & K today left me feeling quite empty in one way but I know have become a better colleague (I hope) and a better person for having worked with them. M bestowed on me a truly thoughtful gift which cheered me up immensely and will remind me always of the wonderful woman she is and how lucky I've been to know her. I was presented with a beautifully wrapped antique box adorned with two chickens (she knows me so well) and filled with gorgeous, old buttons!

The other gift was a 1946 edition of the Charles Boff book, How to Grow and Produce Your Own Food. This is truly fantastic and really relevant nearly 70 years later. I've chosen some of the coolest images to share below.

Cool inscription

Ties and moustaches are clearly standard gardening attire in the Forties

Full of handy tips on dispatching chooks and dealing with the tricky issue of being egg-bound

So as one door closes, another opens and if my new colleagues are even half as wonderful as the ones I've just farwelled I'll be incredibly lucky and happy.