{Our Dutch Atlas Zaanse Wall Clock in Oak}

• Maybe you already did see our Dutch Zaanse Wall Clock in my previous post about Our Dining Room. Link you find below this post. 
• It was a clock that I bought just before my wedding in 1972. 
• I recall that due to the gas being on coupons (gasoline distrubution due to limited availability because of an oil crisis), one jewelry store refused to deliver and hang it for us. 
• But this is what we ended up with, the oak version of a very stately Dutch Atlas Zaanse Wall Clock.

At the top you see 'ATLAS' bearing the heavens on his shoulders. He is standing on the metal bell that is being struck by a metal hammer every full and half hour.

When starting your clock, adjust the time and carefully wait for each stroke for half an hour and all hour!

You see the long chains attached to the pear–shaped gilt metal weights being hung up on the curled adornment underneath the wood.

Now tap the pendulum sidewards so that it will automatically move back and forth.

Pull up in time before the weights are down!

Detail showing ' ATLAS ' bearing the weight of the heavens... (click link for definition)

It is inscribed in Old Dutch: NU ELCK SYN SIN

NOW EACH GETS HIS WAY

The cast metal figures represent Faith, Hope and Charity.

The entire clock shows beautiful ornate brass design work.

The dial plate is mounted on black velvet.

Some describe the dial plate as being surrounded with four cherub angels but I'm not sure about that.

Anybody with more information about these ancient figures, please let me know!

This is where ours resides.

The pear shaped brass gilt metal weights need to be pulled up every 8 days.

The pendulum shows a rider on a horse.

They seem to have been made also in Rosewood as is shown here at a Christie's auction.

Christie's A DUTCH BRASS-MOUNTED ROSEWOOD WALL CLOCK 'ZAANSE STOELKLOK'

CHRISTIE'S A DUTCH BRASS–MOUNTED ROSEWOOD WALL CLOCK "ZAANSE STOELKLOK"

Related links:
{Our Dutch Table Clock} | previous post by me
{Our Dining Room} | previous post by me

{My Indonesian Silk Batik Sarong & Kebaya}

Of course having lived and worked for many years in Indonesia I could not resist buying a formal Indonesian Silk Batik Sarong and a white cotton lace Kebaya. That is very much the traditional wear for the country. For normal wear it is made out of cotton batik and for special occasions the use of silk and other valuable fabrics is being used.

• Being blond and blue eyed, I fell for this blue silk batik sarong...

My photographer did cut my feet off... 

It is quite an art for putting this on yourself!

With the use of a half corset, the silk batik fabric of the Sarong is being held in place. I do wear a white camisole under the cotton embroidered lace Kebaya/blouse.

My white embroidered lace Kebaya came from Batik Nyonya Indo

Purchased at Hotel IBIS, Jl Malioboro in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

My silk batik Sarong is from SAPTOHOEDOJO

Our boss in Indonesia did bring us there often.

They had a restaurant with delicious food and she had a beatiful Art Gallery and the best batiks in town.

We also did watch beautiful Javanese dancing in her theatre!

Glad that I purchased this silk batik Sarong at her airport shop...

Related link:
{Anita Anggraeni our Foster Daughter} | previous post by me showing foster daugther Anita in her Wedding Sarong, just scroll down.

{We Both Watched Silkworms Chew Mulberry Leaves in Italy}

• When we went together on one of our consulting trips to Italy, we had quite an experience on June 6, 1986. We will never ever forget this day. After our work day, before our friend Tommaso did drop us off again, at our favorite four star hotel Bellavista in Montebelluna, Treviso, he brought us to the most unusual place we've ever been. A Sericulture or Silk Farming place! Wow, we had never ever seen anything like that! Sericulture or Silk Production... just click those hyperlinks. 
• During my fashion study we did cover the qualities of the various silks, like Japanese and Italian silks being of very high quality. I knew Thai silk as my husband had a very special tie made from Thai silk, I knew raw silk, silk georgette, silk charmeuse etc. etc. 
• But NEVER I had seen those actual silk worms. Yes, there are different types of silk worms, yielding those various silk qualities. But here we were in a kind of a huge greenhouse where racks were build and one could hear those thousands and thousands of silkworms actually chew!

• This is the actual photo that my husband Pieter made of such silkworms being on the racks. In the back you also see some cocoons.
• The entire family in this Italian town were involved. Cutting up the leaves from the mulberry trees for feeding them to those silkworms.

• This is a ready cocoon that will be good for collecting!

I got one but gave it away to my nephew for taking it to school...

• They yield 600 to 900 meters (2,000 to 3,000 feet) when unwinding, after dropping them in hot water. Poor silkworms...

• From friend Tommaso I received this Italian book about Modern Silk Worm Culture.

• Instead of copying some photos from this book, there is a link below this post where you will find plenty of silkworms eating mulberry leaves!

We did have a weeping mulberry tree near our gazebo. We cut it down as it grew so big and completely blocked our pond view. But this would be the leaves that they do prune off and chop them up like making salad, for feeding them to the silkworms!

In our wood garden we also do have a mulberry tree that does yield mulberries. Mostly they fall off and I guess the birds will feast on them. The tree is way too tall for us to get any for making jam.

Did any of you ever see this kind of silkworm farms?

Or does any of you have a mulberry tree?

Related link:
Silworms eat mulberry leaves | link from Bing with lots of photos for getting the idea