“On the ends of the front pew in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Swaffham, England, there are two carvings. One is of a muzzled dog and the other of a man with a pack on his back. These were carved in the 19th century and show John Chapman and his little dog. John Chapman is better known as the Pedlar of Swaffham”
Packing
But why “The Pedlar’s Pack”?
The story goes that after a dream, John Chapman, the pedlar, walked to London to seek his fortune
but instead found the treasure in his own back garden.
The Pedlar’s Pack aims to help us to find “the treasure at home”
What’s in The Pedlar's Pack?
The Pack is a depository;
The Pack is a place for reflections;
The Pack is a place to grow;
The Pack is a work in progress.
So – what now?
Now we have to make some boxes and begin! Try the "pages" on the right to explain what we're about.....
The Catalogue cards
so let’s begin!
There are three major pockets in the Pack:
The back catalogue
Staples
New Season items
My fencing history goes in to “The back catalogue”
The canoe-build fits in to “Staples” – current material that was begun before you discovered the Pack
“New Season items” for me is a project to undertake a John Muir award with other members of the family:
Each item that is placed in to the Pack is dealt with in the same way. Once it’s been identified as belonging in one of the three pockets, it has a catalogue card made for it.
Cards can “stretch”! So – my catalogue card for the canoe build looks like this:
And my catalogue card for my fencing “Career” looks like this!
The “New Season Item” looks like this!



