Oh Who Is That young Sinner...........

Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.

'Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time 'twas hanging for the colour that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable colour of his hair.

Oh a deal of pains he's taken and a pretty price he's paid
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar's hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they're haling him to justice for the colour of his hair.

Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labour in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the colour of his hair.


Now, that's a poem by A.E. Housman, written in 1895 in disgust at the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde for 'giving homosexual offence'.

But, it can apply to any form of predjudice. Indeed, it can be literally applied today, when, sadly, there is so much offence given to people with red hair, 'ging-ers' as they're disparagingly called.
Why there should be such a current upswelling of dislike against red-heads completely dumbfounds me.
Ah well, perhaps the fact that one of the stars of the Harry Potter films is a red-head may go a little way to changing people's perspective. In today's world of 'celebrity' stranger things have happened.....................

New additions to my Folksy shop

As expected, I've had lots of spare time following surgery, and these are just some of the items I've made for my Folksy shop. (link down on the right-hand side). There's more to come, but I'm waiting for a delivery of gift boxes.
I'm a great believer in supplying items, especially jewellery, properly packaged, ready to give as a gift.

a pair of Christmas bangles in festive colours. Wear individually, or as a pair.

Autumnal necklace, with large detailed brown wooden beads, interspersed with small orange and brown beads, and strung on threads of silver-lined crystal-clear rocailles

A pair of embroidered Christmas gift bags. Sturdily made in cream cotton, with carrying handles

4 table mats or napkins, each measuring approximately 14" square, hand embroidered with sunflowers and with fringed edges

Delicate necklace of brecciated jasper, peridots and emerald green rocailles. The necklace is gently curved, so that it sits flat against the skin
Pretty silver-plate chain maille bracelet, with pretty pink facets at the heart of each flower

I made this necklace with Halloween in mind, as the pendant reminds me of a vial half full of blood!

Zodiac necklace for Cancer, featuring a ceramic plate mounted on a silver disc, and with the silver chain enhanced with matching beads

This Zodiac necklace is for Leo, and is made in much the same way as the one above

Big, bold, chunky monochrome necklace, which is tied with deep red and cream ribbons. Being monochrome, the ribbons can easily be changed to match your outfit

Tiger striped beads matched with big black pearls and mounted on silver for this matching bracelet and earrings.

As I said, they're all available in my Folksy shop. If you are outside the UK and would like to buy anything, just contact me, and I'll sort out postal charges etc.