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✨💗 Off-Line is now on Roblox ✨

We’re so excited to share that Off-Line is officially available on Roblox. This has been a long time coming, and we’re proud to finally bring Off-Line to a whole new platform through VENTA ✨

Go shop ️💗 "Off-Line" x Roblox
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✨ WEEKEND SALES ✨
Don’t miss out on these amazing deals!

📍 Taxi: "Off-Line" x Mainstore
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💖 “Rhude” Bikini & Skirt
• 20 Solo Colors | 63 Color Fatpack
• Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu, Lara X

💖 “Bhiter” Collection
• 20 Solo Colors | 63 Color Fatpack
• Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu, Lara X

💖 “Gracie” Set
• 20 Solo Colors | 63 Color Fatpack
• Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu, Lara X

💖 “Rita” Dress
• 20 Solo Colors | 63 Color Fatpack
• Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu, Gen X, Lara X
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️ Which one are you grabbing this weekend? Let us know in the comments! ✨

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✨ "Off-Berg" x "Georgie" Boots // GIVEAWAY! ✨

Please note: All new "Off-Line" releases in Fatpack include copy/modify permissions and are materials enabled.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s April 1st and we’re going bananas 🍌 all sorts of bananas, unripe, banana bread, hell even strawberry banana! The Georgie Boots are available in 5 colors for individual purchase, or grab the fatpack for 64 colors via HUD.

Rigged for Maitreya, Legacy, Reborn and Lara X!

📍 Available at FaMeshed!
🚖 Taxi to FaMeshed

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🎁 Want to win a fatpack?
Favorite this post and drop your in-world name in the comments! ✨ Entering on other platforms triples your chances! ✨

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✨ "Off-Line" x Pox ✨

Check out our new "Off-Line" x Pox collab available at the Pox Mainstore for Happy Weekend!

The Calliope Outfit is available in 10 colors for individual purchase and 20 in the fatpack via hud. Available for 90L this weekend only!

Rigged for Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu and Lara X

📍 Taxi: Pox Mainstore
____________________________________________

⭐ Stay connected with us! ⭐
Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Discord

____________________________________________

For any issues please message beau.huntsman Resident inworld.

✨💗 Off-Line is now on Roblox ✨

We’re so excited to share that Off-Line is officially available on Roblox. This has been a long time coming, and we’re proud to finally bring Off-Line to a whole new platform through VENTA ✨

Go shop ️💗 "Off-Line" x Roblox
____________________________________________

⭐ Stay connected with us! ⭐
Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Discord

Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.

Today however we are northwest of Lettice’s flat, in the working-class London suburb of Harlesden where Edith, Lettice’s maid, grew up. Edith’s father, George, works at the McVitie and Price biscuit factory in Harlesden as a Line Manager, and her mother, Ada, takes in laundry occasionally at home. They live in a small, two storey brick terrace house which opens out directly onto the street, and is far removed from the grandeur of Lettice’s Mayfair flat, but has always been a cosy and welcoming home for Edith.

It’s Sunday, a free day for Edith until four in the afternoon, and usually a day kept sacrosanct for Edith to spend it doing something pleasurable after church with fiancée, Mayfair grocer’s delivery boy Frank Leadbetter. However, today we find ourselves in Action Lane, just opposite All Souls Parish Church* at the Arts and Crafts style Parish Hall** associated with the church, where Edith and Ada have come to attend a jumble sale*** organised by the Vicar of All Saints, Mr. Dunn**** and his wife to raise funds for the Welsh coal miners*****. As the pair approach the open black painted doors, they can hear the vociferous chatter of mostly female voices coming from within the hall and watch as several pairs, groups and singular women ahead of them, dressed in their Sunday best clothes and smart hats, step across the threshold. The sound of chattering only intensifies as they draw closer, the noise echoing off the cathedral ceiling inside. A sandwich board****** just outside the door advertises the jumble sale.

“Well! Good morning, Mrs. Watsford, Edith!” Vicar Dunn says in greeting with a broad smile on his full, yet careworn face as Ada and Edith walk through the door and into the hall, a cup of tea in a plain white china teacup in his right hand. “Welcome to our jumble sale. I knew I could rely on you to be here, Mrs. Watsford.”

“It looks like we are by no means alone, Vicar.” Ada says with arched eyebrows, shifting her blue beaded handbag further towards the crook in her arm as she waves her right hand expansively around her at the tables spaced throughout the capacious hall around which women cluster, rummaging through piles of clothes and other goods set out on various tables.

“Well, it is for a good cause, Mrs. Watsford.” the Vicar eludes. “The Vicars of our Welsh parishes are doing all they can, but due to the appalling wage cuts and reductions in working hours, coal miners and their families are living in the most deplorable and precarious of circumstances.” He shakes his head and tuts sadly. “We hear stories of moonlit flits******* and whole families being turned out of doors into the snow because they can’t afford to pay the rent.”

Ada holds up her hands in protest, having heard enough. “Vicar, please.”

“Oh I’m sorry, Mrs. Watsford.” Vicar Dunn apologises. “I just feel so strongly about the injustices in this world.”

“You sound just like my fiancée, Vicar.” Edith says with a sad smile. “He’s been telling me what he hears from his friends at the trade unions about how some miners’ wages are even less than the unemployment benefit********.”

“Indeed it’s true, Edith.” the Vicar shakes his head sadly. He is about to go on again about the plight of the miners when he catches a dark and warning look from Ada out of the corner of his eye, so with an awkward clearing of his throat, he changes the topic of conversation quickly. “I… I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of wishing you every happiness********* on your impeding nuptials********** Edith.”

“Thank you Vicar.” Edith blushes. “That’s very kind of you.”

“It’s high time some young man swept you up off your feet.” Vicar Dunn says with a smile. “You’re what now? Twenty three?”

“Yes, that’s right, Vicar.” Edith beams. “You remember.”

“But the head on her shoulders is far older and wiser than that.” Ada interjects.

“Well, then I must congratulate you and Mr. Watsford on raising such a fine young lady, Mrs. Watsford.”

Edith blushes more deeply at the Vicar’s compliment.

“Well, you certainly look every bit the smart young lady now,” the Vicar goes on, giving Edith an appraising glance up and down, admiring her three-quarter black winter coat and black straw cloche hat decorated with purple satin roses and black feathers.

“You’d be proud of my frugality, Vicar.” Edith admits. “My coat came from a Petticoat Lane*********** second-hand clothes stall. I picked it up dead cheap and remodelled it myself. And my hat I decorated myself too.”

“You are a clever girl then, Edith. Taking after your mother, I see.” the Vicar replies, nodding approvingly firstly at Edith and then at Ada.

“Yes Vicar.” Edith nods. “Mum taught me well.”

“Frugality is a valuable skill to have you’ll find, when you are balancing your own household books after you’re married, Edith. And your young man is an assistant grocer, I believe.”

“Well,” Edith replies in a doubtful tone. “He’s a delivery boy for our local grocers in Mayfair, but he’s building up his skills when Mr. Willison allows him to step up and do other jobs.”

“He has good prospects, Vicar.” Ada adds. “He’s a smart lad, and Edith could do far worse than young Frank Leadbetter. In fact that’s one of the reasons why we are here today,” Ada coughs. “Besides to support such a valuable cause.”

“Of course, Mrs. Watsford.” Vicar Dunn agrees.

“We’ve come to see if we can add a few nice bits and pieces to Edith’s glory box************.”

“And your own shelves, I hope, Mrs. Watsford.” the Vicar adds.

“Well,” Ada screws up her face and adds doubtfully. “We’ll see, Vicar.”

“Remember, Mrs. Watsford, charity begins at home, and every shilling or penny you spend here today will go to help keep families out of the workhouse*************. You’ll be fossicking*************** for a good cause.”

“I’m aware of that, thank you Vicar.” Ada folds her rangy arms akimbo. “We’ll see.”

“Well, you’ll find my wife, Mrs. Dunn, and my daughter Alice************** running the white elephant stall**************** today.” He stands on tiptoes in his hard wearing black boots and indicates with his free hand with an open gesture to a far corner of the parish hall, over the bobbing hatted heads of the local ladies busily looking through piles of winter coats and summer frocks. “Just over there, beneath the portraits of Their Majesties. There is a stall next to it where a budding seamstress like you, Edith, might find some nice fabric to make up a new frock too.”

“Oh, thank you, Vicar!” Edith exclaims, clasping her hands together enthusiastically.

“And don’t forget to see Mrs. Lovegrove at the refreshments table if you are feeling parched,” he points to his teacup. “Or hungry. There are some wonderful cakes and slices to buy.”

“Thank you, Vicar Dunn.” Ada says politely.

“All money goes to an excellent cause, Mrs. Watsford and Edith.”

The two ladies then bid Vicar Dunn a polite goodbye before commencing their journey, wending their way slowly between the clusters of women and young children noisily clambering around tables, looking for that perfect, or elusive bargain for themselves or their families, avoiding elbows jarring into their ribs and boot clad feet trodding on their own toes as they move across the worn wooden floorboards. At length, they reach the white elephant stall, which thankfully is a bit emptier than some of the clothing stalls, with only a few women politely milling about, picking up and depositing various objects back, a few items being purchased, the money gratefully collected by Vicar Dunn’s wife and daughter.

“Oh! Hullo Edith! Hullo Mrs. Watsford!” Alice, Vicar Dunn’s daughter, pipes up with delight from behind the old wooden table covered in an array of odd and unusual bric-à-brac as she sees them appear through the crowd.

“Hullo Alice!” Edith says cheerfully, smiling back at the young girl of her own age, dressed in the outfit she wore at church just a short while ago, where she played the organ, her mousy brown waves held in place by a sky blue ribbon bandeau***************** framing her fresh and pretty face.

“Hullo Alice.” Ada parrots her daughter, greeting Alice before turning her attention to Mrs. Dunn. “Hullo Evelyn.”

“Oh, hullo Ada.” Mrs. Dunn says. “I won’t be a moment.” She turns her attention back to an older woman dressed all in black with her white hair braided around her ears in the style of her youth****************** beneath a frothy lace cap who pays for a small and dainty Victorian era floral vase. “That will be tuppence, Mrs. Bairstow.”

As the old woman walks slowly away with her purchase, Mrs. Dunn comes and joins her daughter opposite Edith and Ada on the other side of the table.

“Hullo Mrs. Dunn.” Edith says politely.

“Hullo Edith!” Mrs. Dunn acknowledges her. “How are you Ada?” she turns her attention to Edith’s mother and smiles.

“Very well thank you, Evelyn.” Ada replies.

“I knew I could rely on your magpie******************* traits, Ada.” Mrs. Dunn sighs with relief. “It’s been a bit quiet up here at the white elephant stall this morning.”

Ada looks critically at the odd mixture of items arranged on the table over a pretty lace table runner********************: tall vases and jugs of glass in shades of midnight blue and ruby red, some tarnished old tankards - one missing it’s lid - a crate of some dull looking old leatherbound books, a brass egg timer, a lovely, but battered and tarnished EPNS********************* tea set, some candlesticks, a brass bust of Mark Antony, a rather heavy looking and ornate dark stained rosewood cottage clock**********************.

“I know,” Mrs. Dunn says in an apologetic tone. “It’s not the best show this year, but, I have held back a few things which I thought you’d like, Ada.”

“Well,” Ada replies. “I’ve really come looking for some things for Edith’s glory box, now she’s officially engaged, Evelyn.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Dunn exclaims as she ducks behind the cottage clock and begins rummaging in a box full of noisy, crackling newspaper. “I think some of the things I have been saving for you might suit Edith.” She pauses and looks up and across at Edith, who is chatting quietly with her daughter their two heads lowered together somewhat conspiratorially over a large gilt flower decorated Sunderland pink lustreware*********************** bowl. “Have you and your young man set a date yet, Edith?” she calls out.

Edith stops mid conversation with Alice and answers the Vicar’s wife politely. “No. Not yet, Mrs. Dunn. Frank and I are holding off getting married for a little while yet, until we’ve saved a bit more money to set up house together properly.”

“Wise girl.” Mrs. Dunn opines, giving her own daughter an accusational look. “You will be getting married at All Souls, won’t you?”

“Oh yes, Mrs. Dunn!” Edith affirms assuredly. “Even though Frank’s people are from around Upton Park, he doesn’t have much in the way of family here in London, and his grandmother is very happy for us to get married at All Souls.”

“Well,” Mrs. Dunn wags her finger at Edith. “Just don’t forget to let the Vicar know when you do settle on a date, so he can announce the wedding banns************************.”

“Don’t worry, Evelyn,” Ada assures the vicar’s wife. “I’ll be sure to make sure Edith and Frank let him know.”

“Good!” Mrs. Dunn says before she delves back into the boxes stacked behind the table, the sound of crockery and glass clinking against one another joining the rustle of newsprint.

“What was that nasty look from your mother for?” Edith whispers to Alice, glancing in alarm at the now bent over figure of Mrs. Dunn, before returning her attention to her friend.

“Oh, Mother is just being Mother!” Alice grumbles.

“Which means?” Edith persists, looking seriously at Alice.

“Well, she doesn’t like the fact that I’m stepping out more seriously with Conlin Campbell.

Conlin Campbell grew up in Harlesden with both Edith and her brother Bert, and he went to sea with Bert when he took his first seafaring job and now works the same line that sails between Britain and Australia as Bert does. Edith remembers the party at her parents’ home on New Year’s Eve 1924 when she saw Alice and Conlin together for the first time.

“What’s wrong with Conlin?” Edith protests.

“Ssshhh!” Alice hushes her. “Not so loud, Edith! I don’t want Mother to hear us.” She glances over at her mother who is still busy fossicking around in a stack of boxes, now with several plates held in her left hand as she delves through newsprint with her right hand. “She doesn’t like that he goes to sea.” Alice continues.

“But it’s a good job, Alice. He’s not a first-class saloon steward like Bert is, but second-class is nothing to sneeze at. The work is regular, and the pay is virtually the same.”

“I know, but both Mother and Father think I should be setting my sights higher than the likes of Conlin.”

“Why?”

“Well, they think that because Father is a member of the clergy, I should be aiming for someone more,” She screws up her nose distastefully. “More, middle-class, and in a profession, like a teacher or a solicitor. And nasty old Widow Hounslow sniffing around and sharing her opinions doesn’t help.”

“What’s that old biddy, Widow Hounslow, got to do with it?” Edith spits bitterly, referring to the mean and miserly wealthy local widow whom she used to work for as a maid when she first entered domestic service, who also happens to be her parents’ penny-pinching landlady.

“Her grandson, Marmaduke, is a solicitor,” Alice begins.

“Marmaduke?” Edith giggles, raising her hand to her mouth to muffle her chuckle. “What a stuffy and preposterous name.”

“And he’s every bit as much of a preposterous stuffed shirt************************* as his name implies. Old Widow Hounslow has invited Mother and I over to tea on occasions when he’s been visiting her, so that we might become better acquainted.”

“Oh, that sounds ghastly.” Edith shudders.

“It is.” Alice agrees. “All he drones on about are his important clients, who all sound drearily dull to me. His only interests, other than his deadly boring clients and making more money are playing golf, which I detest, and I’m sure he only does to make himself appear more superior and elite************************** than he is, and playing Contract bridge***************************, which he does for the same reasons, and because his mother and grandmother play it to prove their superior intellect.” She rolls her eyes. “Mother and Father think he’s wonderful, and when you look at his profession as a solicitor, compared to Conlin’s as a steward aboard a ship that sails to the farthest flung parts of the Empire, they think he is far more suitable a match for me.”

“Suitable?” Edith splutters. “He sounds like the most incredibly unsuitable candidate to me.”

Alice sighs. “I wish I had parents like yours.”

“Like mine?” Edith queries.

“Yes! They like Frank well enough to give their permission for him to marry you, in spite of the fact that he’s a grocer’s boy and has socialist leanings.”

“Well, Mum hasn’t been always been as understanding of Frank as she is now, Alice. It took her a while to warm to him, and for us to convince her that he wasn’t going to run off to Russia with me, or do something equally reckless with the trades unions.” Edith glances across at her mother who is now being shown some crockery by Mrs. Dunn, the pair engaged in enthusiastic conversation. She glances back at Alice and quietly adds, “In fact, I’m not entirely sure that Mum doesn’t still harbour some of those fears.”

“Well, at least they didn’t try and foist you onto the most unsuitable man to walk England’s green and pleasant lands****************************.” Alice sighs again. “I wish I had the courage to elope.”

“Elope?” Edith gasps.

“Ssshhh!” Alice hisses again, glancing quickly at her mother, who is thankfully too busy showing Ada a glass mug with a crest on it to pay attention to anything she or Edith are saying.

“What are you talking about, Alice?” Edith queries with anxious eyes.

“Well, the last time Conlin was on shore leave, he said we could. I’m twenty three now, so we don’t need my parent’s permission to marry*****************************. Conlin suggested that we could buy a one way crossing to Australia aboard the Demosthenes****************************** for when he was next due to sail, I could pack a bag, sneak out of the vicarage and join him. My parents wouldn’t know where I’d gone, and Australia would be the most unlikely place anyone would ever look.”

“You wouldn’t?” Edith exclaims in disbelief. “Would you?

“No,” Alice replies, snorting derisively and shaking her head. “I’m too much of a coward, or too much of a pragmatist. I couldn’t do that to Mother and Father. They’d be heartbroken, and I’d be equally heartbroken if I could never see them again, and reasonably, what skills do I have that would be suitable for me to live somewhere as remote as Australia. Conlin says its very civilised, especially in the rich cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but I don’t know.” She shakes her head as doubt creeps into her voice. “It just wouldn’t be Britain. It wouldn’t be home. I…”

“Edith!” Ada’s voice interrupts the girls’ conversation. “Edith love, stop gossiping with Alice and come and look at this.”

Silently glad that she no longer has to be privy to the plans that Conlin Campbell has suggested to Alice about eloping, Edith replies, “What is it Mum?”

“Come and see what nice things Mrs. Dunn has found for us!” Ada enthuses.

Edith leaves her friend’s side and steps alongside her mother. On the lace table runner stand a number of things that hadn’t been on display before: a tureen and matching jug featuring a transfer pattern******************************* of a hunting scene with riders on horses dressed in their best hunting pinks********************************, surrounded by their pack of dogs, and several pieces of commemorative royalty ware********************************* featuring Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

“Where did these come from, Mum?” Edith asks, picking up the jug and admiring the smart colours in the pattern and its gilded rim.

“I was just telling your mother,” Mrs. Dunn says. “Do you remember old Miss Whitely who lived in Ranelagh Road?”

“Yes.” Edith remarks. “She used to be amongst the ladies who used to do the flower arrangements for the church. She gave Bert and I Barley Sugars and Pear Drops when we were little whenever she saw us.”

“Yes, Miss White always loved children, but was never blessed with a husband to bring forth any of her own.” Mrs. Dunn says with a sad smile. “She died, and not having any family as such, she bequeathed everything she had to All Souls, so when we were clearing out her house, we found some rather lovely old china amongst her possessions. I know she’d be pleased to see them go to good homes.” She looks hopefully at Ada first, and then Edith. “And all the money does go to a good cause, helping the poor, struggling Welsh coal miners and their families.” she adds with gravitas.

“Oh Mum!” Edith enthuses. “You have to have those plates of Queen Victoria. You don’t have them at home, and look,” She picks up a beautifully coloured transfer ware plate celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamand Jubilee in 1897. “This is a Royal Doulton one. You don’t have any Royal Doulton china at home. It’s beautiful.”

“Well…” Ada errs, her voice quivering.

“How much are they, Mrs. Dunn?” Edith asks.

“Well, I thought that since it’s your mother, Edith, that I’d sell her all the commemorative wear for a shilling, and the jug and tureen, which are Royal Doulton hunting scene series ware*********************************** for a shilling as well, if you’d like them. Your mother thought you might.”

Edith looks first at her mother and then at the fine porcelain on display. “Oh, go on, Mum!” she encourages her mother, squeezing her forearm as she speaks. “You have to buy them! You can buy the commemorative wear, and I’ll happily take the tureen and jug. We’ll never get Royal Doulton at that price anywhere else: not even at the Caledonian Markets************************************. You know we won’t.”

“I know, but a shilling, Edith!” Ada protests. “I could buy half a pound of good British beef from the butchers for that*************************************, and,” She cautions with a wagging finger. “You’re supposed to be saving money, love.”

“Only to set up house, Mum,” Edith counters. “And what better way of doing it than buying some beautiful Royal Doulton tableware. Frank and I will be very fancy with this.” She runs her hand almost reverently over the colourful pattern on the lid of the tureen.

“Won’t it offend Frank’s Socialist ideals to eat or drink out of something so fancy, Edith love?” Ada asks with cocked eyebrows as she looks at her daughter.

“Frank isn’t really a Socialist, Mum,” Edith assures her mother. “He just believes in worker’s rights, and I think he’d be proud to eat off these, knowing that we both bought things that helped support coal miners and their families in their time of need, as they try to negotiate better pay from the mine owners. He’s very passionate about the miners’ plight.”

“It all goes to an excellent cause, Ada.” Mrs. Dunn says again, hope filling each syllable as she speaks. “Helping the starving families of the Welsh coal miners.”

“You wouldn’t want to see kiddies starve, would you Mum?” Edith asks.

“No, of course not, Edith love!” Ada protests hotly. “How can you even suggest such a thing?”

“And we both work hard for the money we earn. Let’s treat ourselves, Mum. Besides,” she adds with a smirk. “If I don’t spend my shilling on these pieces, I will simply buy more fabric from that stall there.” She points to the stall adjacent to the white elephant stall where a fine lace tablecloth featuring dogs is draped along the front of a table covered in lace doilies and stacks of fabric and haberdashery notions. “There is some lovely floral fabric there that will make a lovely frock, and some lace for trimmings.”

“Well, what did the Vicar say? Fossicking for a good cause?” Ada relents as she slides her handbag down her arm and opens it to withdraw her coin purse.

“Exactly, Mum.” Edith purrs as she fetches her own purse out of her green leather handbag. “Fossicking for a very good cause.”

*The parish of All Souls, Harlesden, was formed in 1875 from Willesden, Acton, St John\'s, Kensal Green, and Hammersmith. Mission services had been held by the curate of St Mary\'s, Willesden, at Harlesden institute from 1858. The parish church at Station Road, Harlesden, was built and consecrated in 1879. The town centre church is a remarkable brick octagon designed by E.J. Tarver. Originally there was a nave which was extended in 1890 but demolished in 1970.

**In 1923, a large Parish Hall was built for All Souls Church in Acton Lane. With dwindling numbers in the congregation and the general decline of traditional religious organisations after the Second World War, the hall was demolished and replaced by the County Court in 1965.

***A jumble sale is a British community event, often held in church or village halls, where donated second-hand goods are sold to raise funds for charity or local organisations. Common items sold include used clothes, books, toys, and bric-a-brac at very low prices.

****The vicar of All Souls Parish Church in Harlesden between 1918 and 1927 was Ernest Arnold Dunn.

*****Following a post-war slump, market downturns, and the government’s return to the Gold Standard, coal mine owners demanded substantial wage cuts in 1925, threatening to remove the national minimum wage. In some cases, proposed wages were lower than unemployment benefits. Owners sought to increase the working day as well, which would have meant more time in hazardous conditions for less pay for the miners. Mining was fraught with danger, with over one thousand two hundred miners killed annually across Britain and many more suffering life-altering injuries and industrial diseases. When mine owners, backed by the British government, threatened to terminate the 1924 wage agreement in July 1925 (known as Red Friday) a nine month government subsidy was paid to keep mines open. This was not a victory for the miners, but rather a temporary delay that allowed the government to stockpile coal and prepare for the inevitable showdown. The fear of the workhouse or absolute destitution was a constant pressure on mining families in the Valleys. Employers were already implementing harsh conditions, forcing miners into a position where they felt they had no choice but to fight for the right to work. These conditions, compounded by the eventual withdrawal of the subsidy and the subsequent lockout in May 1926, created a deeply entrenched, desperate situation for Welsh communities before the General Strike of 1926 occurred.

******A sandwich board is a type of portable, double-sided signage used for outdoor advertising, consisting of two boards joined at the top and placed on the ground (A-frame) or hung over a person\'s shoulders. Commonly used by businesses to attract foot traffic, they display menus, sales, or promotions.

*******A moonlight flit is a hurried, secretive, and often dishonest departure, usually made to avoid paying debts, rent, or other obligations.

********The first modern, national unemployment benefit system in the UK was introduced via the National Insurance Act 1911, under the Liberal government of H.H. Asquith. This contributory scheme, driven by David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, initially provided limited coverage for specific industries, like shipbuilding and construction. A second Act in 1920 significantly expanded the scheme to cover almost all manual workers and many non-manual workers, creating a more widespread "dole" system. Originally the scheme required workers to have made National Insurance contributions ("the stamp"), but the system was further modified by the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1921 (introducing a "seeking work" test) and subsequent acts. Before 1911, assistance for the unemployed was primarily handled through local Poor Laws (dating from 1834) or, for some skilled workers, through trade unions.

*********In more socially conscious times it was traditional to wish the bride-to-be happiness, rather than saying congratulations as we do today. Saying congratulations to a bride in past times would have implied that she had won something – her groom. The groom on the other hand was to be congratulated for getting the lady to accept his marriage proposal.

**********Nuptials is an alternative word for marriage. The term “nuptials” emphasizes the ceremonial and legal aspects of a marriage, lending a more formal tone to wedding communications and documentation.

***********Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market in Spitalfields, London. It consists of two adjacent street markets. Wentworth Street Market and Middlesex Street Market. Originally populated by Huguenots fleeing persecution in France, Spitalfields became a center for weaving, embroidery and dying. From 1882, a wave of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in eastern Europe settled in the area and Spitalfields then became the true heart of the clothing manufacturing district of London. \'The Lane\' was always renowned for the \'patter\' and showmanship of the market traders. It was also known for being a haven for the unsavoury characters of London’s underworld and was rife with prostitutes during the late Victorian era. Unpopular with the authorities, as it was largely unregulated and in some sense illegal, as recently as the 1930s, police cars and fire engines were driven down ‘The Lane’, with alarm bells ringing, to disrupt the market.

************A glory box, also known as a hope chest or trousseau chest, is a traditional box where young women collected household items like linens, towels, crockery, and clothing in preparation for marriage and setting up their first home, symbolizing hopes for their future married life. Popular in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, it eased the initial costs of starting a household and involved passing down skills and traditions, though it\'s less common now due to changing social norms.

*************Made famous, or rather infamous, by Charles Dickens in his book, Oliver Twist, the workhouse was a harsh, state-run institution in Britain and Ireland, peaking in the Nineteenth Century, designed to provide accommodation and employment for the poor and destitute. Under the 1834 Poor Law, workhouses were intended to manage pauperism by providing relief only in exchange for strenuous work, aiming to make life inside less desirable than outside. Residents faced long hours of hard labour, like breaking stones or picking oakum, strict rules, and meagre rations that barely kept someone from starving. Families were separated upon entry (husbands from wives, children from parents). The institutions often housed the elderly, sick, mentally ill, and homeless, with over five million people dying in them by 1948. Workhouses were feared, often called "prisons for the poor". They existed until 1948, when the modern welfare state replaced them.

**************Whilst I cannot find any details about his family life, I’d like to think that Vicar Dunn of the All Saints Parish was a happily married man of god and could well have had a daughter named Alice who no doubt played the organ in church on Sundays.

***************Whilst it is a term that I grew up with, and use to describe many of my activities, I am aware that to “fossick” is a rather archaic term. To fossick, if you have never heard it used before, is an informal way to describe a search about or rummage for things.

****************A white elephant stall is a popular, often charitable, second-hand market stand found at fetes, fairs, or church bazaars, selling donated, used, or unwanted household items, books, toys, and bric-à-brac. Based on the idea that "one person\'s trash is another\'s treasure," these stalls function as fundraisers where people buy low-cost, pre-loved goods.

*****************A bandeau is a narrow band of ribbon, velvet, or similar, worn round the head. They were often accessorised with jewels, imitation flowers, feathers and other trimmings in the 1920s when they were at the height of their popularity.

******************It was not uncommon in the 1920s and earlier for elderly women to retain the hairstyle fashionable in their youths, even if they were highly unfashionable. Therefore, it would not be unusual to see an older woman with a sharp central parting and wound plaits pinned to the side of their heads around their ears wearing petite lace caps atop their hairdos as was fashionable in the 1870s and 1880s.

*******************A magpie is an informal term used to describe someone who collects shiny, miscellaneous, or unrelated objects.

********************A table runner is a long, narrow strip of cloth or lace placed lengthwise down the centre of a table to add decoration, texture, and colour while protecting the surface from scratches, heat, and spills. Serving as a versatile alternative or addition to a tablecloth, they are used for dining, on buffets, or as coffee table accents.

*********************EPNS stands for Electro-Plated Nickel Silver, a type of silver-plated cutlery and decorative ware popular from the 1840s onward. It consists of a base metal alloy (typically copper, nickel, and zinc) that is electrolytically coated with a thin layer of pure silver, providing a durable, silvery appearance. It is not, however, solid sterling silver.

**********************A cottage clock is a small, typically Nineteenth Century, budget-friendly mantel clock designed for smaller homes. These durable wood-cased, often rosewood, timepieces feature thirty-hour or eight-day movements, frequently with painted or reverse-painted glass dials. They are recognised by their compact size, generally measuring around ten inches tall.

***********************Lustreware is a type of pottery or porcelain characterized by a metallic, iridescent glaze, created by applying metallic oxides (such as copper, silver, or platinum) in an overglaze finish and firing them at low temperatures in a reduction kiln. Originating in Ninth Century Mesopotamia, this technique creates a shiny, reflective surface that imitates precious metals. Silver/Platinum Lustre: Often called "poor man\'s silver," this was popular during the Napoleonic Wars when silver was scarce. Copper/Gold Lustre: Popular in the 19th century, particularly in England, for creating a warm, metallic sheen. Sunderland/Pink Lustre: A popular English type, known for its splashy, mottled pink, or purple finish, often featuring transfer-printed scenes.

************************Wedding banns are public announcements, traditionally read in a Christian church (or sometimes a town hall/consulate) on three consecutive Sundays, declaring a couple\'s intention to marry, allowing anyone with a legal impediment to come forward and object before the wedding can proceed. This ancient practice ensures marriages aren\'t invalid, often required for Church of England, Catholic, and other denominations, and remain valid for three months after publication.

*************************A stuffed shirt is a term used to describe a bore who is extremely formal, pompous, and old-fashioned.

**************************In the 1920s, playing golf signified high social status, wealth, and sophisticated leisure, acting as a premier marker of respectability for the upper-middle class and business elite. In many regions, particularly the United States and Britain, golf was considered an elite sport synonymous with honour, good birth, and, in some cases, a way to display wealth. This idea was enhanced by Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor), who was a very keen and accomplished golfer who passionately enjoyed the sport. He was a proficient player with a reported handicap of 4, acted as Club Captain of Walton Heath in 1936, and was a major patron of the sport. By the 1920s, the business world had adopted golf, with executives and managers using the links to conduct business in a relaxed environment. The sport was a key component of a "modern" 1920s lifestyle. It brought about specific, fashionable attire like knickerbockers for men and shorter, pleated skirts for women.

***************************In the 1920s, playing bridge — specifically Auction bridge and, increasingly, Contract bridge — signified a blend of intellectual sophistication, modern social status, and, for women, a new form of independent leisure. It was the dominant, fashionable card game of the era, transcending mere pastime to become a staple of upper-class and suburban home entertainment.

****************************“England\'s green and pleasant land” is a phrase by the poet William Blake and the words of the well-known English hymn “Jerusalem”, used as a quintessential description of the British landscape that people still feel is as relevant today as it was in Blake\'s time.

*****************************Under the law governing marriage in the 1920s (prior to the Age of Marriage Act 1929), anyone under the age of 21 was considered a minor and required parental consent to marry.

******************************The SS Demosthenes was a British steam ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship which ran scheduled services between London and Australia via Cape Town. It stopped at ports including those in Sydney and Melbourne. She was launched in 1911 in Ireland for the Aberdeen Line and scrapped in 1931 in England. In the First World War she was an Allied troop ship.

*******************************A transfer pattern on porcelain (often called transferware) is a decorative design applied by transferring a monochrome print from an engraved copper or steel plate onto the ceramic surface using specially sized tissue paper. Developed in England in the 1750s, this method allowed for the mass production of consistent, detailed, and often intricate, patterns, such as the famous blue willow design.

********************************Bright red coats known as “hunting pinks” were traditionally worn by English gentlemen hunting on horseback. The name implies that they should be pink, but it is alleged the frock coat was named for English tailor Thomas Pinque (Pink).


*********************************"Royalty ware" or "commemorative ware," generally refers to commemorative ceramics, pottery, and souvenirs produced to mark significant events in the lives of the British Royal Family, and serve as historical markers for major, joyous, or monumental royal occasions.

**********************************Boiled sweets like Pear Drops, Everton Mints, and Barley Sugar were immensely popular before the Great War, and were often sold by weight in "pick \'n\' mix" style. These treats, driven by industrial advancements, were accessible to all, with boiled sweets, toffee, and chocolate becoming staples of daily life in Twentieth Century Britain.

***********************************Royal Doulton hunting scene series ware was prominent from the 1900s through to the 1930s. It features iconic fox hunting, riding, and hound scenes, often designed by Charles Noke. Common patterns include Fox Hunting (D5104), John Peel (E3804), and The Quorn Hunt, applied to various items like jugs, plates, and mugs in stoneware or fine bone china. These were often brightly coloured, transfer-printed hunting scenes.

************************************The original Caledonian Market, renown for antiques, buried treasure and junk, was situated in in a wide cobblestoned area just off the Caledonian Road in Islington in 1921 when this story is set. Opened in 1855 by Prince Albert, and originally called the Metropolitan Meat Markets, it was supplementary to the Smithfield Meat Market. Arranged in a rectangle, the market was dominated by a forty-six metre central clock tower. By the early Twentieth Century, with the diminishing trade in live animals, a bric-a-brac market developed and flourished there until after the Second World War when it moved to Bermondsey, south of the Thames, where it flourishes today. The Islington site was developed in 1967 into the Market Estate and an open green space called Caledonian Park. All that remains of the original Caledonian Markets is the wonderful Victorian clock tower.

*************************************In 1920s Britain, meat prices were high following World War I, with beef often costing around one shilling and ten pence per pound and pork up to two shillings and sixpence per pound by 1920. Prices fluctuated heavily following the decontrol of meat in July 1920. By 1922, British beef was roughly two shillings per pound, mutton twelve pence, and pork fifteen pence.

Whilst this charming jumble sale scene with its white elephant stall may appear real to you, it is in fact made up of pieces from my 1:12 miniatures collection, including items from my own childhood.

Fun things to look for in this tableau include:

The white elephant stall is cluttered with a wonderful array of assortments. The two Queen Victoria plates you can see (one standing up in russet with a green and gilt edging, and one lying down which is an authentic copy of the design used by Royal Doulton to celebrate the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria) were created by the English miniature ceramic artist, Rachael Munday, whose work is always of high quality and highly sought after by miniature collectors around the world. The Royal Doulton hunting scene series tureen and jug are also made by Rachael Munday, as are the lustreware bowls to the right of the image, and the small King Charles Spaniel plate behind the Royal Doulton style jug. The three dimensional pottery plate standing to the right of the standing Queen Victoria Plate was handmade and painted by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. The tin plate commemorating the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra just to the right of the books is a tin plate that I acquired through an online auction that was selling a large miniatures collection from a deceased estate. The tiny glass condiments set comes from M.W. Reutter Porzellanfabrik in Germany, who specialise in making high quality porcelain and glass miniatures. The brass egg timer (where the sand really does flow through the hourglass), the two silver tankards, the silver three piece tea set, the silver porringer and the glass royalty ware mug come from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop in the United Kingdom. The tall blue glass jug and vase come from an online seller on eBay, as does the cottage clock. The two hand painted candlesticks standing just behind the smaller of the Rachael Munday bowls were hand painted with wonderful detail by British miniature artisan Victoria Fasken. The ruby glass comport and gilded classical bust of Mark Anthony I have had since I was a young teenager. I bought them from a high street shop that specialised in dolls and doll house furnishings. The comport is spun from real glass. The books are all leather bound, and have also been mine since I was a teenager.

The frames sitting beneath the table and all but one of the paintings come from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop. The picture of the country scene with the fence just in front of the cricket bat is a real and original oil on canvas board painting by miniature British painter Irene Stilgoe, and even comes with its own certificate of authenticity. The guitar and cricket bat are both 1:12 artisan pieces that came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop.

The shirtwaister dummy, complete with lace blouse, tweed skirt and Art Nouveau belt attached to a lacquered wooden base, is an artisan miniature as well, once again by an unknown person. It came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop.

The fine piece of lace hanging in front of the fabric table was a Christmas gift from my friend Kim BKHagar *Kim* who shares a love of 1:12 miniatures with me. The basket on the table comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The spools of embroidery threads, tape measure and buttons on cards (which are really miniature beads) I acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls’ House shop. The lace sitting underneath the floral fabric also comes from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls’ House shop. The floral fabric and unfurled lace draped over the top of it come from my vintage haberdashery collection. The basket of rolled fabrics comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.

1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism such as these are often far more expensive than real hats are. When you think that it would sit comfortably on the tip of your index finger, yet it could cost in excess of $150.00 or £100.00, it is an extravagance. American artists seem to have the monopoly on this skill and some of the hats that I have seen or acquired over the years are remarkable. The natural straw hat with white lace ribbon trim and faux flower garlands on top of the shirtwaister dummy was made by an unknown artisan in the United Kingdom and was sold through Doreen Jeffrey’s Small Wonders miniatures shop.

The ladderback chair sitting behind the white elephant stall, I have had since I was a young child.

The wooden boxes in the background with their Edwardian advertising labels have been purposely aged and came from The Dolls’ House Supplier in the United Kingdom.

The Portrait of King George V and Queen Mary in the gilt frames in the background were created by me using official portraits of them done just before the Great War of 1914 – 1918. I also created the Union Jack bunting that is draped across the wall in the background.

✨ "Off-Line" x "Blockstepper" Slides // GIVEAWAY! ✨
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Please note: All new "Off-Line" releases in Fatpack include copy/modify permissions and are materials enabled.

The Blockstepper Slides are available in 25 colors for individual purchase. All purchases include socks, along with a Sock HUD and Style HUD. The Sock HUD includes 63 solid colors and 120+ striped options for mixing and matching.

The Fatpack includes 63 colors across 5 separate areas via HUD, allowing for over 900 million possible combinations and full customization of your look.

Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy M/F, Kupra, Reborn, Lara X and Unrigged!

📍 Available now at Tres Chic!
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My wife looked fantastic in the natural light that poured in through the window as she modeled in her Victoria Secret bra and panties. Just as much coverage or more that a swimsuit bikini but with a dash of lace more alluring and wonderfully sexy and a great way to show off curves and super legs and hips too. Elegant here too
www.flickr.com/photos/jazzmoon12/4786665723/

✨ "Off-Line" x "Bunny" Collection // GIVEAWAY! ✨
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Please note: All new "Off-Line" releases in Fatpack include copy/modify permissions and are materials enabled.

The Bunny Collection is available in 20 colors for individual purchase, with a 63 color Fatpack option. All purchases include a Style HUD for the skirt, allowing you to toggle the panties and heart details on or off, along with a Customization HUD that lets you change the button, heart, and panties colors across 63 options. The Fatpack provides the full 63 color range for all customizable elements via HUD.

Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu and Lara X

📍 Available now at Kustom9!
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✨ "Off-Pox" x "Boyfriend" Outfit // GIVEAWAY! ✨

So excited to share this collaboration between myself and POX!!

The "Off-Pox" Boyfriend Outfit is here with the cozy boyfriend sweater and matching shorts. Available in 10 colors individually, while the Fatpack includes 24 colors via HUD plus 8 prints. A Style HUD is included so you can toggle the short numbers on or off and mix and match colors to create your own look.

Rigged for: Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu and Lara X

📍 Available now at Kustom9!
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Some days just feel a little lighter.
The breeze carries everything gently.
Where would you drift if you could?

✨ "Off-Berg" x "Birthday Bash" Gacha Collection // FATPACK + L$2,000 GIVEAWAY! ✨

The Birthday Bash Gacha is live at The Arcade featuring the BDay Bash Bikini, Corset, Whip Heels and Strawberry Heels. Each item is available in 5 sweet colors to win, inspired by strawberries, cream and birthday treats.

Keep playing to uncover the Mystery Rare Fatpacks, which unlock the full 63-color HUD for each piece for ultimate mix and match styling.

Rigged for Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu and Lara X.

📍 Available now at The Arcade!
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💸 BONUS GIVE@WAY – Win L$2,000! 💸
We’ll be picking 2 lucky winners — L$2,000 each! 🎉
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A high-fidelity digital reimagining of a classic World War II transportation poster. The scene features a massive Union Pacific steam locomotive hauling freight through a treacherous, snow-covered mountain pass. Dominating the horizon is a colossal hourglass, a surreal visual metaphor for the "race against time" inherent in military supply chains.

The artwork pays homage to the original "Keep 'Em Rolling" slogans used by American railroads to boost morale and highlight the critical role of the rail system in the war effort. The composition blends historical mechanical detail with a cinematic, wintery atmosphere.

Artist Credit: Signed as William J. Smith.

Theme: Industrial Power, Wartime Logistics, Surrealism.

Historical Information
During World War II, American railroads were the primary arteries for moving troops, equipment, and raw materials. To maintain public support and labor efficiency, the Office of War Information and private companies like Union Pacific produced series of "Keep 'Em Rolling" posters.

The phrase "The Railroads are the Backbone of Offense" was a common slogan meant to remind the public that battles overseas were won by the production and transport capabilities at home. By late 1942, US railroads were moving nearly double the freight volume they had during WWI, often in extreme weather conditions similar to the snowy environment depicted in this render.

✨ "Off-Line" x "Offie" Collection // GIVEAWAY! ✨
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Please note: All new "Off-Line" releases in Fatpack include copy/modify permissions and are materials enabled.

The Offie Collection includes full lace gloves, lingerie, and stockings. All are available in 20 individual colors for purchase. All purchases include a HUD with 63 color customization options, allowing you to change the bow color for added styling versatility. The Fatpack includes all 63 colors for all pieces.

Rigged for Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, Reborn, Waifu and Lara X!

📍 Available tomorrow at Access!
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