Camel

Saddlebags

 

Dear Reader

Nomadic saddlebags or Khorjins and heybes, have a rich history as essential tools for Nomadic tribes in the Middle East and Central Asia.

These double saddlebags were woven to carry a variety of goods, from personal belongings to supplies for the family's journey.  The bags were often woven by women on small portable looms, using materials like wool and goat's hair.  Various weaving techniques were employed including hand-knotted pile. plain weave (kilim) and soumac.  

Saddlebags were not just practical tools but also expressions of tribal identity and artistic skill, reflecting centuries-old weaving traditions.   The bags came in various sizes and styles, ranging from small pouches to larger handbags and saddlebags.  

Saddlebags were a common accessory used on horses in the 1800s particularly in rural and frontier areas. They were typically made of leather or canvas and designed to be hung over the horse's saddle to provide extra storage space for supplies and equipment.

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From Thomas Hardy  June 2nd  1865 in London

'Walked about by moonlight in the evening.  Wondered what woman, if any, I should be thinking about in five years' time.'

 

 

From Gilbert White   June 5th   1782 in Hampshire

'My brother Thomas White nailed up several large scallop shells under the eaves of his house at South Lambert, to see if the house-martins would build in them.  These conveniences had not been fixed up half an hour before several pairs settled upon them; expressing great complacency, began to build immediately.'

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Camel

 

The woman stares at me

into my rheumy eyes, my sad face

sees a dusty, dirty animal

mud sticking to my coat

my miserable tail hanging loose

my hooves cracked, hump matted.

 

 

But I want her to know

that this is not me.

I came from a land of warmth

of sun, of sand,

my Arab owner loved me

understood me

he spoke to me softly

he stoked my coat.

He rode on my back

Kelim rugs hugging my haunches

water in large panniers

strung to my side.

We rode to oases, to Petra Rose,

he was my friend

I weep for the want of him.

 

The woman walks away

but something glistens on her cheek.

 

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My book of poetry BETRAYAL has been published on Amazon.  If you would like a copy  just put:

Patricia Huth Ellis  into Amazon and there it will be.  It is to be my last book since the muse seems to have left me.

 

My partner Prof Alan Harrison is working on a large A I website at  https://www.alanfharrisonandai.com/

I know less than nothing about AI and found it very interesting; you might too.

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With very best wishes, as always, Patricia