This week’s photograph is one from our rail holiday in German’s Harz Mountains, February 2008. Here 7241 pauses in failing light towards the end of a steam charter from Quedlinberg to Wernigerode.
Offing
Yes, offing is a responsible, adult word! And not just in the phrase “in the offing” which is now perhaps its most common usage. It is actually a nautical term …
1. The part of the visible sea distant from the shore or beyond the anchoring ground.
2. A position at a distance off the shore.
Some of these are absolutely brilliant …
Another of our irregular round-ups of things you might have missed. It’s been quite busy while I’ve not been concentrating over the last couple of weeks, so quite a long list today. As usual let’s start with the nerdy stuff.
A couple of week’s ago the 2013 IgNobel Prizes were announced. These are like the Nobel prizes only rather less serious. The IgNobels are awarded for research which makes one laugh and then stop to think, like the paper from Thai doctors on successes reattaching the human penis, unless it was eaten by a duck first. Scientific American has the full list of awards.
OK, enough of this jollity. Do you know how many mammalian viruses there are? No? Good, ‘cos neither do scientists, but they’re trying to work it out. Yes, this could be important for predicting future epidemics.
Another thing you didn’t know … Ten Trigonometry Functions Your Maths Teachers Never Taught You and why they used to be important.
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 …
Yes, this week’s photograph is late. That’s because I have been trying to recover, and tidy up from, the Anthony Powell Conference at Eton College over the weekend — just cashing up the takings and getting everything to reconcile took near a full day.
Anyway the conference swan song was to take a group of the delegates (about a quarter of them) to Dorney Court, near Eton. The house dates from the mid-16th-century and is about as unspoilt as it is possible for it to be and still be a family home. The first image is the obligatory group photo prior to our tour of the house.
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!
The World Stone Skimming Championships are held every year on the last Sunday in September, this year 29 September, at Easdale Island, near Oban in Argyll, Scotland.
Easdale Island is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. It was once the centre of a thriving Scottish slate mining industry, and one of the disused quarries forms a perfect arena for the World Stone Skimming Championships.
Anyone of any age and any level of skill can enter. Each competitor is allowed 3 skims using specially selected Easdale slate skimming stones. For a skim to qualify the stone must bounce at least three times — it is then judged on the distance achieved before it sinks.
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 photo is another from the archives. It is a superb piece of medieval stone carving of a woven pattern at Rochester Cathedral. The stone is not only carved but painted as well. I took this so long ago that I now cannot remember where it is in the cathedral or even if it is in a wall or floor.
