Blades and Tea

I was at Talize today, looking for a wall-mounted shelf to store my teas (like a spice rack). Instead I found a gorgeous wooden case, velvet-lined, and the perfect size to store my bayonet. It turns out the inside of this case smells like orange pekoe or earl grey tea...

Antiquing

I went antiquing in Stratford with Mom today. We were going to try to visit all the ones we could find. The first we came across turned out to be the only one we went through. It took us most of the day to see everything. There were many swords, bayonets and knives, more than the usual antique shop. There were a couple of triangular bayonets (1800's), a couple of Kukris, and a Tulwar!

I am always on the lookout for boxes shaped like turtles or beetles, where either the shell comes off or the wings open to reveal a compartment. Last year, Mom actually found a turtle for me. Today, I found a frog box of the same two-tone wood as my turtle. There was also a brass turtle with a hinged shell, but it wasn't very attractive.

I like boxes in general. I have a couple of small treasure chests, and an ornately carved wooden box from Ten Thousand Villages (great store!), in which I keep emeralds and an aquamarine.