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Antiques – Blue John, Eye Candy to Antique Collectors

By Joanna Jana Laznicka

antiquesBlue John Stone is found nowhere in the world but amongst the rocks of Treak Cliff Hill, Castleton and exists in only two caverns: Treak Cliff Cavern and Blue John Cavern.

This mineral, a colour banded form of fluorspar, has been prized for many hundreds of years. Vases found amongst the ruins of Pompeii are thought to be made from Blue John stone. The mineral was much in demand in the 18th century for ornamental vases and columns in some of the finest houses in Britain, most notably Chatsworth, home of the Duchess of Devonshire.

The most substantial veins were worked out so that larger pieces are no longer made. The origin of the name ‘Blue John’ is thought to have come from the French ‘bleu et jaune’, meaning ‘blue and yellow’.

Treak Cliff Cavern is one of only two working Blue John Stone mines in the world and extracts approximately 0.25 tons per year. The stone is now used for small decorative objects and jewellery, and can be purchased from jewellers and craft shops in Castleton and selected other outlets around the Peak District.

Blue John is the rarest natural formation in the British Isles and the only known deposit is found near Castleton in Derbyshire. This mineral only occurs in small masses lining ancient caves or in voids in the limestone and boulder bed of Treak Cliff. Each piece of Blue John has to be extracted carefully by hand as blasting with explosives would open the cleavages effectively shattering the semi-precious stone and rendering it useless. Instead, the usual mining practice is to extract the limestone around the Blue John and so release the latter from its enclosing rock.

 

Book Club – Butterfly Tears – Stories of Nine Brave Women

By Joanna Jana Laznicka

butterfly-tearsButterfly Tears: Stories of Entrapment to Empowerment

So many women’s lives are shattered before they even have a chance to begin girls who suffer childhood abuse, neglect, drug addiction, and despair.

Butterfly Tears reveals the gripping, intimate stories of nine brave women who found the strength
The butterfly symbology is derived from the famous parable The Story of the Butterfly about utilizing life s struggles to emerge a stronger person. These young women’s incredible journeys from darkness into light will elicit both tears of sorrow and tears of joy. to turn their dark, raging worlds around. Women who, against all odds, broke free of the destructive cycle of addiction and abuse to attain love, security, and successful lives. Women who have emerged as lawyers, teachers, and counselors who joyfully give back to society.

From Entrapment… Abuse. Assault. Abandonment. Addiction. These are the histories of these young women. Some found themselves in gangs. Others in prison. Some remained trapped in the confines of an abusive family or a painful addiction. Society had given up on many of them. But they hadn’t given up on themselves. They were ready to take a different path.

…to Empowerment Therapy. Mentorship. Education. Support. These are the bywords of the groundbreaking Pathways to Independence foundation located in Huntington Beach, California led by Dave Bishop, a man who first had to conquer his own internal demons. Pathways motto is to focus on what s right in the world: Caring people. Its all-volunteer network of therapists, doctors, mentors, and even mechanics provides the support these girls have never experienced and allows them to flourish.

These compelling gut-level transformations offer inspiration to anyone who has suffered life’s hardships to the breaking point and beyond. And they prove that there is a way out.

Available on Amazon

Best Things to Eat & Drinks in RSM – Italian Aglio Green Pitted Olives – Sprouts

By Joanna Jana Laznicka

These tasty olives  have become one of our favorites. Found at Sprouts’s Olive Bar the Italian Aglio Green Pitted Olive is a crisp Sicilian cured, pitted olive marinated with robust minced garlic for a harmony of buttery and tart flavor.

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