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.

history

Not St Shakespeare's Day

Today is the feast day of St George in the Tridentine Calendar and he is celebrated on this day as the patron saint of, inter alia, England. Why a Palestinian-born, probably ethnically Greek, Roman soldier is patron saint of England is shrouded in mystery, although he has been celebrated since the 13th century.
Today is also celebrated as William Shakespeare’s birthday, with this being allegedly his 450th. But there is no evidence that he was born on 23 April 1564. We do know he was baptised on 26 April 1564, for such is recorded in the parish records of Stratford upon Avon. In Tudor times (and earlier) the date of birth was not generally recorded — it was baptism that counted — so birth records are rare.
Yes, Shakespeare could have been baptised 3 days after his birth. Or three minutes. Or 3 months. We don’t know. Assigning 23 April as his actual birthday is merely a modern convention.
What we do know is that Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616. So in two years time we shall be celebrating the 400th anniversary of his death.
Pace Wikipedia, 23 April as Shakespeare’s birthday “which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholar’s mistake, has proved appealing to biographers, since Shakespeare died 23 April 1616”.
So, pedant that I am, I shall drink the bard’s health this Saturday (26th) and on St George’s Day in two years time.

food+drink

Recipe: Roast Vegetable with Parmesan

Another dead easy winner from our kitchen. You can use this as a vegetarian main meal (as we have just done) or adapt it as a dish (or two) of a main course. Like most of what I do this is easy, quick, adaptable — and colourful! It can even be used to use up tired vegetables: it doesn’t matter if peppers or tomatoes are over ripe!
Roast Vegetables with Parmesan Cheese


You will need:
1 large baking potato (or equivalent) per person
A selection of vegetables; choose from:
— 2-3 shallots or a small onion per person
— 2 medium or 6 cherry tomatoes per person
— peppers
— aubergine
— courgettes
— fennel
— mushrooms
Several cloves of garlic (optional)
Bunch fresh herbs (optional)
Black pepper
Olive oil
This is what you do:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160-170°C with the fan.
  2. Wash and cut the potatoes into good sized pieces (about half the size of hen’s egg works OK) and steam them until just done.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the vegetables by cutting them into pieces of the same sort of size as the potatoes. If you can use small shallot style onions these can stay whole, otherwise quarter larger onions. Leave cherry tomatoes whole or quarter larger ones lengthwise. Cut other vegetables into suitable pieces. Put all the veg in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Roughly chop the garlic and herbs and add to the veg.
  5. When the potatoes are just cooked, drain them and transfer to another mixing bowl, season with fresh black pepper and drizzle over some olive oil. Toss well so all the pieces are coated in oil.
  6. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and arrange in an even layer before putting them in the oven.
  7. Now season the veg with black pepper and olive oil, tossing it to coat all the pieces and spread out on a baking sheet (or several). Put this in the oven too.
  8. Pour yourself a drink and go away for at least 30 minutes.
  9. The veg and potatoes should be nicely roasted after 30-40 minutes and can be taken to the table in serving dishes — mix everything together in a large tureen if you like!
  10. Serve with flakes of parmesan and a glass of wine.

Notes

  1. Root vegetables work OK too, but make a heavier meal and may take longer to cook unless treated like potatoes. Brussels spouts and leeks would work too.
  2. You can also use softer, more delicate vegetables like asparagus, but this will need careful handling and separate cooking as it will not need as long in the oven.
  3. Don’t have any parmesan? A good grated cheddar works well too.
uncategorized

Word: Micturition

Micturition
The desire to urinate. A morbid frequency in the voiding of urine.
Micturition is often incorrectly used for the act of urination, which is correctly miction.
Derived from the Latin, the OED gives the first recorded usage in 1725.

photography

Weekly Photograph

This week’s photo is another I took last October when Noreen and I travelled on the paddle-steamer Waverley from London (Tower Pier) to Southend. This shot of the Canary Wharf development was taken in the twilight on the way back to Tower Pier; I like city lights at night and the movement of the boat produces some interesting, almost other-worldly, effects.

Click the image for larger views on Flickr
Dusk over Canary Wharf
Dusk over Canary Wharf
London; October 2013

links

Your Interesting Links

More links to articles you may have missed.
Apparently odd numbers are dodgy — except for 7 — but even numbers are good.
So just what is the evolutionary or biological purpose of menstruation? Even you girlies might be surprised at the (details of) the answer.
While we’re on girlie bits, here’s probably more than you wanted to know about having a tit reduction.
Most of my friends will have managed to navigate this OK, but just in case you needed to know, here’s how to care for your changeling.
On the stress of trying to cope with a life-threatening nut allergy.
For all those of you who sleep together, apparently the way you sleep says volumes about your relationship, unless you sleep on your back. Not sure how Noreen and I have survived all these years then.
Research tells us that in the UK we start kids on formal learning much too young. As so often Europe gets it right and we get it wrong.


And now for something more light-hearted. Here’s a medieval image of John Lennon. Love the specs!
While on the old, here’s more on the riddle of the Voynich Manuscript. The article is suggesting it is a forgery — I agree this seems likely.
Back about 1750, long before Cleopatra’s Needle, Canaletto painted a large obelisk on the north bank of the Thames in London. IanVisits investigates.
For once a sensible and accurate article about the Japanese, sub-tropical paradise of Okinawa and Okinawan music in the UK press. And it quotes my friend John Potter.
How the coming of the railways changed elopement.

Meanwhile in Paris the new-fangled police force were spying on the mistresses of the well-to-do for no apparent reason.
And in modern Munich nudity is perfectly OK.
Apparently 2014 has been designated the Year of the Bush. And not before time, say I.
Finally … So you’re worried that your naked body isn’t perfect. Don’t be. A masseuse reassures us that we’re all the same — beautifully imperfect!

food+drink

Ennismore Terrine

Yesterday we enacted what is for us an occasional bank holiday weekend ritual: the making of terrine — something I’ve written about before, for example here and here. As always it is at least partly made up as we go along, but always a variant of a basic recipe. So yesterday’s was a terrine which includes spinach. Yes, spinach! I don’t recall exactly where I got the original idea for this, some 25-ish years ago, but I think it may have been Elizabeth David. Anyway it works very well. In fact the first time we did this it worked so well that our then two cats found the result addictive!
Anyway this is (roughly) how yesterday’s terrine was concocted. It takes time, but it is worth it.
Ennismore Terrine
This makes enough to all but fill a 24cm round Le Creuset casserole; a large cake tin would work too.
Ingredients
6-8 rashers streaky bacon or equivalent in bacon offcuts
About 800 gm pork
About 800 gm chicken livers
About 400 gm plain pork sausages, skinned; or equivalent amount of sausage meat
About 300 gm bread without crusts
About 500 gm spinach
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
Wineglass of calvados, brandy or whisky
Half a glass of white wine
2 tablespoons garlic purée
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
Handful of juniper berries
1 large egg
Pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of choice
1 tablespoon Worcs. sauce
Olive oil
A little butter

terrine
The finished result

Method

  1. Chop the bacon into 1cm pieces.
  2. Cut the pork into 1cm cubes, removing the skin, bone and any excess fat.
  3. Put the bread, herbs, salt and pepper, garlic cloves, juniper berries in a food processor and whizz to a crumb.
  4. Add the sausage meat, half a glass of the calvados, Worcs. sauce and the egg to the food processor and whizz again to a smooth paste. Transfer this to a large mixing bowl.
  5. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and lightly cook the spinach. Drain well and add to the meat mix.
  6. With a bit more olive oil fry the onion until translucent. Tip this out into the food processor with the garlic purée and tomato paste.
  7. With a little more oil if needed fry the bacon until the outside is seared and browning but still undercooked inside. Add this to the food processor and whizz lightly; do not purée.
  8. Now fry the chicken livers for a few minutes again until the outside is beginning to brown but not cooked through. (As the livers aren’t fully cooked don’t go tasting the cake mix!) Add this to the food processor and whizz; it will make a slurry. Add this to the meat mix.
  9. Finally fry the pork until lightly browned but also not cooked through and put this in the food processor.
  10. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the calvados and the white wine. Add this to the food processor and whizz to a rough paste; don’t worry if it looks grainy. Add this to the meat mix.
  11. Mix the meats together thoroughly; don’t be afraid to use your hands.
  12. Butter the casserole generously or, if using a cake tin, line it with baking parchment.
  13. Pour the meat mix into the casserole/tin and firm it down well. Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid.
  14. Cook in the oven at 170°C for about 1½ hours. It is done when a knife stuck in the terrine for a few seconds comes out very hot (or a meat thermometer at 80°C).
  15. Remove from the oven and if possible weight the terrine to press it. (Something flat with tins of beans or a brick on it works; heavier is better.)
  16. Allow to cool for a couple of hours and then put in the fridge for at least 2 hours more, but preferably overnight, still with the weight.
  17. If you made the terrine in a tin you can now turn it out. If you used a casserole you’ll need to serve it from the dish.
  18. Serve with crusty bread and/or salad.

Notes

  1. This is very forgiving. You can use any mix of meats you like but it does need a little fat. And you can vary the proportions according to taste. It is OK to use belly pork if you’re fine with the fat, otherwise use something like leg steaks and don’t skimp on the sausage meat.
  2. If using a cake tin, some people like to line it with streaky bacon. This holds the terrine together better when it is turned out as a loaf. Personally I can’t be bothered, but then I usually make it in a casserole anyway.
  3. You can also add any odd ends of leftover veg (mushroom, tomato, potato are especially good) but this is entirely optional. If you do, either finely chop them or whizz them together with the breadcrumbs.
  4. The mix should be a paste but not sloppy. If you find it is too wet then add some extra breadcrumbs or some stuffing mix.
  5. Technically the terrine should be cooked in a Bain Marie, but I never bother.
  6. You can get away without pressing the terrine but the result will be more friable and crumbly, and won’t turn out of a tin so well.

We’ve just devoured some for lunch with home-made seedy bread, and it was good.