OK, this weekend is “try to catch up” time, so to start us on our way here’s this week’s cartoon — another amusement from Randy Glasbergen …

I’m sorry! I know I’m being dilatory about posting at the moment. It isn’t for a lack of material but a lack of time as I’ve been drowning in trying to organise the Anthony Powell Society conference which is this weekend. With luck, although next week is still busy, I’ll get some time for some better posts.
Meanwhile here is this week’s cartoon. And as I’m off to a literary conference I thought we’d have something slightly relevant. It’s certainly a bit what it’s like in this house!

Another of our occasional round-ups of the odd nd amusing from amongst the lots at our local auction house. As usual it is both the strange things people sell (and presumably buy) as well as the juxtapositions which amuse.
A large portrait of a Hippie girl with long auburn hair by Hubert Pattison (?), signed and dated 1973, wearing a large hat trimmed with feathers and a patterned waistcoat, watercolour, gilt frame
Why was Hubert Pattison weraing a large hat trimmed with feathers and a paterned waistcoat, and how do we know?
A carton containing boxes of old nick-nacks, Ogden’s snuff, an Ideal typewriter rubber, silver plated cutlery including knife rests, a roulette wheel, manicure items, a mending mushroom, etc.
A Lapis Lazuli miniature trinket box, two porcelain boxes in the form of a sombrero, a Dresden miniature dish and other box in the form of a hayrick.
Every home really should have a collection such as this!
A taxidermy display of a mallard duck and a kingfisher, in a glazed cabinet.
Three Guinness shoe brushes, two decorative duck brushes, five oriental figures, porcelain clock, Wade narrow boat, four TG Green soup bowls, crested ware submarine, five Carltonware dishes and two spoons, a large plastic magazine rack, etc.
Twenty-three stoneware bottles, some advertising ginger beer, Strand Brewery, etc., two old soda siphons and three old glass bottles.
A sex of six glass rummers and six smaller, a quantity of further drinking glasses, two decanters and other glassware.
Emphasis mine.
A colourful tribal carved mask, two small silver picture frames, Sheffield plated small hip flask, a Russian monocular … a four-draw brass telescope, a pair of Trinoyix 8×30 binoculars in leather case, an Orange Brinovega fold-away radio, a fez, etc.
A small early 20th century Continental mantel garniture, of portico timepiece and pair of urns, in wood with gilt metal mounts.
Who ever talks about garniture?
A Victorian cricket bat, stamped Scarlett Windsor, and inscribed “Brocas Eton Augst 30th 1861″, in glazed display case.
Emphasis mine.
A 19th century Russian icon depicting St George with part-sheathed sword against a tooled gold ground.
Now that could be misinterpreted!

This week’s Friday cartoon is a very old Wizard of Id …

Click the image of a larger version

This really is too appropriate to keep until Friday …