Category Archives: amusements

amusements, arts, words

Oddity of the Week: George Borrow

[George] Borrow was a walker of awesome stamina and a linguist of almost inconceivable talent, who is said to have been able to speak twelve languages by the time he was eighteen and to have been competently acquainted with more than forty — including Nahuatl, Tibetan, Armenian and Malo-Russian — over the course of his life. In the winter of 1832—3 the British and Foreign Bible Society invited him at short notice to an interview in London, wanting to see if he could translate the Bible into a number of difficult languages. The society liked what they saw and commissioned Borrow to translate the New Testament into Manchu. What Borrow hadn’t told them was that he did not have any Manchu. No problem. Once the job was landed, he acquired ‘several books in the Manchu-Tartar dialect’, and Amyot’s Manchu-French (French!) dictionary. Then he travelled home (by coach, understandably) and shut himself up with the books. Three weeks later he could ‘translate Manchu with no great difficulty’, and fulfilled the society’s commission.
From Robert Macfarlane; The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot

amusements, personal, quotes

Ten Things #5

OK, so here’s my May list of ten things. This month …
10 Quotes I Like:

  1. It’ll pass, Sir, like other days in the Army.
    [Anthony Powell]

  2. The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
    [Flannery O’Connor]

  3. Be careful what you wear to bed at night, you never know who you’ll meet in your dreams.

  4. If we don’t change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are going.
    [Chinese Proverb]

  5. Every harlot was a virgin once.
    [William Blake, Innocence]

  6. Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
    [Soren Kierkegaard]

  7. The good thing about masturbation is that you don’t have to get dressed up for it.
    [Truman Capote]

  8. Life is a disease; sexually transmitted, and invariably fatal.

  9. Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.
    [GK Chesterton]

  10. Granny grasped her broomstick purposefully. “Million-to-one chances,” she said, “crop up nine times out of ten.”
    [Terry Pratchett; Equal Rites]

amusements, natural history

Oddity of the Week: Drinking Party

On the edge of a forest track, I crouched briefly to admire some lovely red campions.
But as I stood up, a can of Special Brew plummeted to the ground from somewhere above me. I looked up, half-expecting to see a jeering gang of adolescent boys, only to catch sight of a grey squirrel scampering up a nearby tree. He was carrying another can of the iconic beverage, so distinctive in its unique gold and crimson livery.
Was it a heat-induced mirage, I wondered? Had the crazy weather finally got to me? No: Sarah had seen the squirrel too, and pointed the animal out as he clambered into the canopy. We wondered if he might be using the can as building material for a drey — perhaps he’d picked up a tip from watching Grand Designs.


On closer inspection, we could make out three more squirrels together among the branches, and noticed several more empties at the base of the trunk — someone must have thrown them away. When the first squirrel reached his friends, he perched the can horizontally so that the dregs started to spill out. All four vied to drink the beer, arguing and scrapping noisily over this not-quite-amber nectar. One of his mates scrambled down the trunk to select another can from the ground. The squirrel was about to take a swig … when he noticed us for the first time. He alerted the trio above with his distinctive chirping alarm call, and the whole gang scarpered. Suddenly it was just us again, and that pile of tinnies.
I was telling a friend about our close encounter of the furry kind a few days later, who mentioned that he’d once seen a squirrel slurping out of a Coke can. He’d assumed that it was because of the sugars in the drink, and thought the same could be true of beer … the incident certainly provoked a few chuckles. We’d seen a young gang of 21st-century invaders out boozing, scavenging empties that could well have been left by wayward teens.
From: Stu Bullen; “The Booze Brothers”; BBC Wildlife Magazine; March 2014

amusements

April Auction Oddities

Another of our occasional round-ups of the odd and amusing from amongst the lots at our local auction houses. As always I am amused by the strange things people sell, but even more by the weird combinations of items which are put together to make a lot.
Eight crowns and a tape measure in a silver plated mount.
A carton containing 125 boxes, each containing two necklaces in magnetic, hematite and freshwater pearls (ie. 250 necklaces, but this number has not been checked), ex shop stock from Harvey Nichols.
Two bisque figurines of children holding a cat and a dog, a further bisque figurine of a child with a wobbly head, three 1930’s lustre style figures of dolphins with scantily-clad maidens, and a risqué bisque figurine of a woman.
A cased mah-jong set, figurine of two cats in a basket, a Goebbel figurine of children … a Bossons head, Christopher Lawrence mushroom ornament, three silvered graduated vases and two military nose cones.
Royal Crown Derby box and cover, a Spode twin-handled mug commemorating the ruby anniversary of The Lords Taverners, two Swarovski oyster shells with simulated pearls, glass paperweight to celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Choral Society, a Royal Doulton character jug, WG Grace, limited edition No. 2701 … a cased set of cutlery and another of knives, cut glass decanter, a Bohemian glass decanters, six small wine glasses … two Portmeirion bowls, two Buckingham Palace mugs, silver plated tray, a large brass Davy lamp and a similar, smaller.
A small quantity of Wedgwood basalt china including neo-classical vase, dish and cover; also three blue and white Wedgwood jasperware pots and covers, seven Banbury Mint classic RAF plates, a pair of ebony elephant bookends, a metal casket for holding ashes, a Sylvac bunny planter, four glass Venetian overlaid coloured glasses, a pair of old skates, a pair of glass candlesticks and other decorative glass and ceramic items.
It was the Sylvac bunny planter that I think crowned this for me!
A large collection of Pendelfin rabbit figurines including a large figurine holding a baby, house figurines, rabbits and bears playing tambourines, etc.
A quantity of model boats including sailing, three decorative pistols, several old ashtrays, two stoneware hot water bottles, Kodak Brownie camera, a box of decorative ornaments, including dog and polar bear figurines, wooden globe, Yamaha keyboard, prints, commando magazines, decorative dagger, two decorative blunderbusses, and other decorative items.


Example illustration, not the item in the sale

A 19th century blue and white toilet pan, a black and gilt Arklow Pottery coffee service, boxed, Doulton jardinière and a large boxed timer.
A pair of carved hardwood Balinese winged deities, and a pair of Balinese spears.
An old leather doctor’s bag, an old leather briefcase and a wicker picnic basket and contents.
Fossilised Scotch Eggs anyone?
A large ceramic pig.
Every home should have one!
A large quantity of wooden curtain rings.
An American WWII bombsight sighting head type T-1-B by the AC Spark Plug Div. GMC, with E-1 roll-stabiliser by the Sperry Gyroscope Co Inc, retaining glass panel.
A Second World War British helmet stamped F&L C1466 and dated 1940, with camouflage net.
Two racing pigeon timing clocks: signed Toulet Imperator and Belgica, in wooden cases, and a photograph of Gay Tie, bred and raced by JW Brown.
Seven hand typed volumes dated 1940’s, with accounts of the Second World War, in Polish.
A stuffed and mounted magpie and a thrush (?) and a small circular stool on three animal hoof feet and legs.
A green revolving typist’s chair.
Yes, in my experience typists usually are revolving, but not always green.