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What is the origin of the garden gnome?
Statues have been a feature of European gardens since at least the Renaissance. Saints, gods and mythical creatures were all depicted, and in the 17th century one particularly popular character was Gobbi, which is Italian for ‘dwarf’ or ‘hunch-back’. The inspiration for the figures of today – small men with beards and pointed hats – can be found in European folklore, which told tales of gnomes, little folk who brought good luck and helped farmers, housewives and miners. In the mid-19th century, companies in Germany began to create porcelain representations of them, which they dubbed Gartenzwerge or ‘garden dwarfs’.
TIMES are hard for professional musicians. With almost no live work for over a year, many are in dire financial straits.
Figures released by the Musicians’ Union revealed that as many as 1 in 3 musicians are considering leaving the industry, with 47 per cent having already taken jobs outside the music industry.
Events were brought to a head recently when a country house in Northamptonshire appeared to ask “competent” musicians to work for free.
In the since-deleted post, Lamport Hall asked musicians who might be “rusty after lockdown” to perform for free as part of a ticketed event.
“We are looking for competent musicians to perform as background music at The Walled Garden Feast,” the post read. “All styles of music considered and a picnic hamper will be provided to all performers.”