Freedom, Frivolity and the Gypsy Life

Back in the 1930s my mother had a friend who drove her horse and caravan from Melbourne to Sydney, about 900 kilometres, and for entertainment on the trip she took with her a windup gramophone and a pile of George Formby records. This has stayed with me as a dream of independence from the everyday world. I've always known that a portable windup gramophone and a pile of suitable 78rpm records were part of life's essentials. Here is the lovely caravan sized gramophone with which I've replaced my other much larger one. I've got plenty of records to go with it, although no George Formby.

For the last few years I've been rather tied to the farm so naturally I've been making plans for escape. Apart from my husband, who is even more essential to the plan than the gramophone, there are number of other important elements to be included. The caravan and horse, of course. I would like one of those old Reading wagons - real one, not a reproduction - and a gypsy cob to pull it. Teddy the donkey would come along as well, the goats could wander behind, the chickens could travel in a cage underneath and the dog would naturally ride on the wagon.
A Reading wagon looks rather like this one. It's more upright, not like a bowtop.



If I were a real gypsy I would favour Royal Crown Derby for my crockery, but I rather like the idea of Irish Belleek to go with the Irish linen sheets (a dream at the moment).

The problem of how to fit a piano in a caravan has been hard to solve but recently I've come up with a possible solution to that. 

Inside this ugly case is the answer: 

                                                                                                      This:

What could be more appropriate? Now I only need to learn to play it properly.

Yes, there may have been a wrong note there. The dog certainly thinks so.

And what to wear? I found a hand knitted red woolen skirt in an op shop which will keep the chill away and I've made a beret and socks to go with it.

Frivolitee Socks

Frivolitee Beret

The socks and beret are called Frivolitee (with an acute which I can't find on this keyboard) and are available from Renaissance Dyeing renaissancedyeing.com as a kit made with their beautiful organic and naturally dyed yarn. The red here is dyed with cochineal.

If, after equipping yourself for the road, you should be fortunate enough to have some leftover cash,  perhaps you could spend it on 24 carat gold jewellery and be really self contained.