One Thousand Beautiful Things

One of the best things about buying old books is the surprise when there is something left inside of them. I have found many such pieces of ephemera over the years. I mean to collect them together, but in the end, have tended to leave them in the book. One of my best finds was in 'Arthur Mee's Book of One Thousand Beautiful Things', a title to grab your attention. It contains poems and pictures, but, best of all, someone used it to press flowers and leaves, naming them in block capitals. I don't know how long they have been in there, but the book is from 1943, so possibly a long time. 

 The colour in this magnolia flower and the yellow rose has lasted well. A number of the leaves are labelled as having come from New Zealand. So maybe Marya, who got the book from her Mummy when she was ten, travelled to New Zealand years later, and used it as a handy press. Perhaps it was her favourite book.

 This is my favourite combination of leaf and page. They just go so well together. 

 And I love the veins in the rose. 

 Talking of beautiful things, my irises are flowering this year. I am so pleased, as I was getting worried that they never would again, as they didn't for the last two years. I think the roots were covered too much and the plants were too congested, so last year I divided a lot of them and moved many, clearing the weeds and other plants around the roots. They need their roots to be baked in the sun in the summer, so I must make sure I do that again this year. I think that possibly once every two years to flower is normal. I love these flowers, and the two colours I have are just gorgeous.