A POEM A DAY - LACE


I love the patterns the branches of this tree made against the brilliant blue of the winter sky. It reminded me of the bobbins of lace makers in the lace market in Valencia, or the local tradition of 'gancillo', crocheted lace made with fine white cotton thread. All new brides would once have had table clothes and bed linen bordered with this beautiful lace made by women in their families. I remember women sitting in the street with tight balls of cotton. Sadly the tradition is now dying out as younger women no longer make 'gancillo', although some villages are now running workshops to help people recover the art. 

This tree was on the banks of the river in the Barranc de L'Encantá near the village of Planes in Spain. 

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