bay leaves in a bowl

The bay leaves are from our bay tree; the bowl has been with me for ever: I believe it (and a much smaller sibling) came from a shop on the Cowley Road, in Oxford, that for a few years had some really great crafts.  This is actually made of papier maché, painted a deep deep green with underlying gold - rather like Whistler's Peacock Room.  It's enough to make me start burnishing my fantasies of making papier maché bowls and decorating them, although why I think I could turn out anything as beautiful as this beats me ...