Thanks, everyone. They are cuttlefish bones. I had no idea. Apparently parrots love to chew on them.
Thanks!
These are about 7 inches long and 4 wide. They seem to grow out in tight bands or rings, like tree rings. The composition of one side is like really firm styrofoam; like that green stuff in plant pots that you stick flower stems into.
Anyone know what these are? Found several on the beach in Normandy yesterday. They are definitely animal, or were, but whether from mollusk, whale or anything in between, I have no idea. It’s not something I’ve ever seen out of the Pacific, where I grew up.
Overall it looks like a big tooth, but more fragile. The yellowish ends seem to be a attachment points.
Do share, and follow this thread for responses.
I’ve begun to re-read a useful gardening book: Water-Wise Vegetables by Steve Solomon. For those of us who want to grow food and face increasingly dry conditions, this is super useful information.
I notice that a web search for water-wise vegetables turns up lots of good stuff, too.
Are you using any water-conserving strategies in your garden?
Anyone know what these are used for, and how they work? I often see them at flea markets, but they remain a mystery to me. (The insides of those holes are smooth, so it can’t be a threading tool. And I doubt it’s used for hammering out wooden pegs.) The rods would seem to go with the bored block somehow.
Update:
❌ #GoogleTranslate (#PRISM)
❌ #YandexTranslate [tax(profits) →Putin’s war]
❌ #DeepL (shares sensitive txt w/tech giant; misleads ppl about it)
❌ #LibreTranslate.com (shares sensitive txt w/tech giant; no privacy policy; solicits trust w/buzz phrases “libre”, “free & open”)
🤷 #lingva.ml (FOSS frontend; still Google)
🤷 translate.fedilab.app (no privacy policy but no evidence of mishandling data either)
Running locally:
✅ #ArgosTranslate
✅ #Apertium.org
✅ #translatelocally.com (EU funded)
I’m always a little baffled by people who think once a blog post has been published it can never be edited (aside from the expected typos and fact corrections); as if their thing is going to be cited by academics, or used as evidence in the trial of the century, or simply out of principle. Sure, if you’re submitting to a mag, it’s out of your hands, but if it’s your own blog, edit that shit any way you want after the fact. Minds change.
I love this Banksia series of #knives, especially Nos. 4 and 5. One of those is just what I need in the pocket.
La preuve qu'il n'est pas nécessaire de disposer d'outils électriques pour passer de l'arbre aux planches et produits en bois. Ni même d'une tronçonneuse.
Magnifique vidéo. Il donne l'impression que c'est si facile, et il ne s'arrête pas de raconter son histoire. 💚
Enregistré il y a 9 ans. J'espère qu'il est toujours parmi nous.
Another great find today, Twiza, an association in which members can take part in collaborative ecological construction projects:
Learned about it via another great resource, ‘Vivre en Autonomie’, which has lots of interesting documents for downloading, among other insights offered:
Also learned about the ‘Charpentiers Sans Frontières’ association. A global community of carpenters that use traditional and medieval methods. Members will go anywhere in the world where historic sites need retrofitting, or to put on historic demonstrations, and so on.
https://www.charpentiers-sans-frontieres.com/
I would love to attend one of their events and just spend a week watching and learning.
Came across Mortise and Tenon Magasine. I haven’t seen or read any of there mags yet, but I like what they are doing.
‘a celebration of #handtools and #TraditionalWoodworking, seeking to bridge the worlds of furniture maker, conservator, and scholar... M&T exists to showcase premier furniture artisans and scholars in an elegant and artful manner.’
That they gave socmed the polite finger earns my respect more, though they should go all the way and delete the accounts.
Words into sentences and sentiments.
La plupart de mes toots sont en anglais, parfois en français.
Posts auto-delete after 2 weeks. / ominous bell tolls /