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There’s also homemade bacon-infused butter, lobster butter, truffle aioli, and cocktail sauce can be added for $4 supplement each.
Lbs
100 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
(647) 351-4747
lbstoronto.com
Twitter: @LbsToronto
Owners: Jonathan Gonsenhauser and Will Tomlinson
Introducing for TorontoLife: torontolife.com/food/restaurants/lbs-pounds-lobster-burge...
Having supplemented the Portsmouth Park & Ride fleet, First Hampshire & Dorset 37264 WJ55 CSO is seen here having just arrived at the Tipner Park & Ride site on a service from The Hard. Sunday 7th June 2015.
Dennis Trident - East Lancs Myllenium Lolyne
IMG_24201
The F-15EX is designed to supplement the F-35A. Even though, unlike the F-35A, the F-15EX will not be capable of stealth. it will be capable of carrying a much heavier load of weapons, up to 30,000 pounds, whereas the F-35 has to carry its weapons in an internal bay to maintain its radar stealth profile, which limits its load to only 5700 pounds, although it can carry a heavier load if underwing mounting points are used, which unfortunately spoils the stealth capability of the F-35. The F-15EX will be able to carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles. Even though the F-15EX will probably not be survivable against future modern air defences, it can serve in other roles such as homeland and airbase defences, enforcing no-fly zones, operations against zones with limited or no air defences, and delivering standoff weapons.
In this image, two of the first operational F-15EX Eagle II aircraft (serial numbers 20-0001 and 20-0002) fly above the clouds, each configured with different armament. F-15EX 20-0001 is configured with a strike package including 12 Mk 82 bombs, two AIM-120D AMRAAMs, two AIM-9X Sidewinders, and two AGM-88 HARMs. F-15EX 20-0002 is configured for air superiority, carrying the full (and hypothetical) “AMRAAM Truck” 12 AIM-120 AMRAAM missile load. The air superiority configuration drops the AN/AAQ-13 navigation and AN/AAQ-14 targeting pods but carries an ALQ-99 high and low-band tactical jamming pod. The first Eagle IIs will fly for the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS) and the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Eglin AFB.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.
Skyhawks played key roles in the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Falklands War. Sixty years after the aircraft's first flight in 1954, some of the 2,960 produced (through February 1979). The Skyhawk found many users all around the world, and some still remain in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation. Operators in Asia included Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Thailand procured the Skyhawk in 1984, for the Royal Thai Navy air arm to be used for naval and air space surveillance, against sea surface targets and for close air support for the Royal Thai Marine Corps. A total of thirty aircraft were purchased from the USA, twenty-four single seaters and six two-seat TA-4J trainers.
The single seaters were refurbished A-4Cs from USN overstock, modernized to a standard that came close to the USN’s A-4L, but with some specific differences and unique features that made them suitable for all-weather strike operations. This modified version was re-designated as A-4LT and featured the late Skyhawk versions’ distinct “Camelback” fairing that house the additional avionics as well as a heat exchanger. The most distinctive external difference to any other Skyhawk version was a unique, pointed radome.
The update for Thailand included an AN/APQ-126 terrain following radar in the nose, which was integrated into an ILAAS digital navigation system – a very modern system of its era. The radar also fed a navigation and weapons delivery computer which made possible accurate delivery of bombs from a greater stand-off distance, greatly improving survivability.
Further special equipment for the Thai Skyhawks included, among others, a Hughes AN/ASB-19 Angle Rate Bombing System, a Bendix AN/APN-141 Low altitude radar altimeter, an AN/AVQ-7(V) Head Up display (HUD), air refueling capability (with a fixed but detachable refueling probe), a brake parachute housing below the jet pipe, two additional underwing hardpoints (for a total for five, like the A-4E) and an increased payload. Avionics were modernized and expanded, giving the Thai Skyhawks ability to carry modern AIM-9L Sidewinder AAMs and AGM-65 Maverick AGMs. The latter became, beyond standard iron bombs and pods with unguided missiles, the aircrafts’ main armament against naval targets.
However, despite the modernization of the avionics, the A-4LTs retained the A-4Cs’ Wright J65-W-20 engine with 8,200 lbf (36 kN) of takeoff thrust.
The first aircraft were delivered in December 1985 to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN / กองทัพเรือไทย / Kong thap ruea thai), carrying a USN grey/white livery. They served in the No.104 RTN Squadron, distributed among two wings based at U-Tapao near Bangkok and at Songkhla in the south of Thailand, close to the Malaysian border. During regular overhauls (executed at Singapore Aircraft Industries, now ST Aerospace), the RTN Skyhawks soon received a new wraparound camouflage with reduced insignia and markings.
While in service, the Thai Skyhawks soon suffered from frequent maintenance issues and a low availability rate, since replacement parts for the reliable yet old J65 engine became more and more difficult to obtain. At times, half of the A-4LT fleet had to remain grounded because of engine problems. In consequence, the Thai Skyhawks were in the mid-Nineties supplemented by fourteen Vought A-7E Corsairs (plus four two-seaters) in the coastal defense, sea patrol and anti-shipping role. In 1999, they were retired and replaced by Royal Thai Air Force F-16s.
General characteristics:
Crew: one
Length: 40 ft 3 in (12.29 m)
Wingspan: 26 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Height: 15 ft (4.57 m)
Wing area: 259 ft² (24.15 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 0008-1.1-25 root, NACA 0005-0.825-50 tip
Empty weight: 9,146 lb (4,152 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,300 lb (8,318 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 24,500 lb (11,136 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Curtiss-Wright J65-W-20 turbojet with 8,200 lbf (36 kN)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 575 kn (661 mph, 1,064 km/h)
Range: 1,700 nmi (2,000 mi, 3,220 km)
Combat radius: 625 nmi, 1,158 km
Service ceiling: 42,250 ft (12,880 m)
Rate of climb: 8,440 ft/min (43 m/s)
Wing loading: 70.7 lb/ft² (344.4 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.51
g-limit: +8/-3 g
Armament:
2× 20 mm (0.79 in) Colt Mk. 12 cannons in the wing roots, 100 RPG
Total effective payload of up to 7,700 lb (3,500 kg) on five hardpoints
- 1× Centerline: 3,500 lb capability
- 2× Inboard wing: 2,200 lb capability each
- 2× Outboard wing: 1,000 lb capability each
The kit and its assembly:
I originally had this project stashed away for the upcoming "1 Week Group Build" at whatifmodelers.com in June 2020, but since the current "In the Navy" GB had some days to go (and even received a two week extension) I decided to tackle this build on short notice.
The original idea was simply to build an A-4L, a modernized A-4C for the USN Reserve units, but similar machines had also been exported to Malaysia. For the naval theme I came across the Royal Thai Navy and its A-7E Corsairs - and from that the idea of a Skyhawk predecessor from the Eighties was born.
Instead of an A-4C (Fujimi does one in 1:72, but it's a rare kit) I based my build upon the nice Airfix A-4B/Q kit. Its biggest difference is the shorter nose, so that I decided to modify this "flaw" first and added a pointed radome instead of the usual blunt Skyhawk nose; not certain where it came from – it looks very Sea-Harrier-ish, but it’s actually the tip of a large drop tank (Italeri Tornado?). Nevertheless, this small change created a weird look, even more so with the black paint added to it later.
Further additions and mods are a dorsal avionics bulge from an Italeri A-4M, a scratched kinked refueling probe (made from wire and white glue, the early Skyhawks had straight probes but this would certainly interfere with the new radar in the nose), a brake parachute fairing under the tail (scratched, too, from sprue material) and additional antennae under the nose and behind the cockpit. Nothing fancy, rather details from more modern Skyhawk versions.
The AGM-65 Maverick missiles and their respective launch rails came from an Italeri Saab 39 Gripen, the drop tank on the ventral pylon is OOB.
Painting and markings:
This was a tough decision. The Thai Corsairs as primary (and historically later) benchmark carried a standard USN grey/white high-viz livery, even though with small roundels. There were also VTOL Harriers (former Spanish Matadors) operated for a short period by the Thai navy on board of the multi-purpose carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet, which wore a darker two-tone grey livery, pretty boring, too. I rather wanted something more exciting (if not exotic), a more modern wraparound scheme, suited for both overwater and high-altitude duties. That brought me to the Thai F-5Ts (a.k.a. Tigris), which carried - among others - a quite unique US export/aggressor scheme in three shades of light grey, including FS 35414, which looked like a pale turquoise on these machines. I furthermore took inspiration by early Indonesian A-4s, which also carried an US export scheme, nicknamed "Grape", which included darker shades of blue, blue-gray and the bright FS 35414, too.
I eventually settled upon a compromise between these two liveries and tried to adapt the standard F-5 aggressor camouflage pattern for the A-4, made up from FS 36440 (Light Gull Grey), 35164 (Intermediate Blue) and 35414 (Light Blue). Current Thai L-39 Albatros trainers seem to carry a similar livery, even though I am not certain about the tones that are actually used.
The basic enamel paints I used are Humbrol 129 and 144, and for the greenish Light Blue I used "Fulcrum Grey Green" from Modelmaster (#2134), a tone that is quite greenish but markedly darker and more dull than e.g. Humbrol 65, so that the color would not stand out brightly from the other greys and better fit between them. Worked quite well.
The inside of the slats as well as of the air brakes on the flanks were painted in bright red (Humbrol 19), while the landing gear and the interior of the air intake were painted in white (Humbrol 130). The cockpit was painted in a bluish mid grey (Revell 57).
After basic overall painting, the model received the usual light black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, for a lightly used/weathered look.
Most decals/markings come from a Thai Harrier (from an Italeri AV-8A kit), some other markings and stencils were puzzled together from the scrap box, e.g. from a USN F-5E aggressor and from a Peruvian Mirage 2000. Some additional details like the black gun soot areas on the wing roots or the fine white lines on the radome were created with generic decal sheet material.
Finally, the kit received an overall coat of matt acrylic varnish, except for the radome, which became semi-gloss.
As intended, this build was realized in just a couple of days - and I am positively surprised how good the Skyhawk looks in its unusual, if not exotic colors! This fictional livery certainly looks different from a potential standard USN grey/white outfit, and more exciting than a dull grey-in-grey livery. And it’s so weird that it even adds some credibility to this whiffy aircraft model. 😉
Vondelpark 28/01/2022 14h00
Street art Frankey gives the city small inconspicuous surprises. Sometimes quite large, sometimes very small. Every week a photo with one of his recent works appears in the supplement to the newspaper Het Parool. A great opportunity to take a closer look at his work. Sometimes you have to search to find it and sometimes it is already gone.
A wizard landed on one of the entrances to the Vondelpark.
WIZARD WITH CRYSTAL BALL
Vondelpark | Emmalaan, Amsterdam Zuid
November 2021 (Het Parool 27/11/2021)
Other view (wide shot)
Streetart Frankey
Streetart Frankey (pseudonym of Frank de Ruwe) is a Dutch artist who wants to positively influence the street scene with relatively small and often inconspicuous works of art.
He grew up in Nijmegen, father was an inventor at Philips Netherlands. He studied at Delft University of Technology (Industrial design). In daily life director of and working for design collective Natwerk. In Amsterdam, many of his works in the street art category can be found on buildings, streets and bridges, often in addition to existing building elements. He himself about his work;
"I want to push boundaries. Art has no boundaries, that's why I like it so much."
In 2019, a special page has been dedicated to his art in Het Parool for a number of years; first he took care of that section himself, later he had to leave that work to others because of busy work. A little later his work Eberhard van der Laan appeared above the entrance of Paradiso.
One of the works that inspired him is the Boomzagertje in the Leidsebosje, a work by an as yet unknown artist.
[ Wikipedia ]
Blankenstraat 23/03/2023 15h28
Street art Frankey gives the city small inconspicuous surprises. Sometimes quite large, sometimes very small. Every week a photo with one of his recent works appears in the supplement to the newspaper Het Parool. A great opportunity to take a closer look at his work. Sometimes you have to search to find it and sometimes it is already gone.
This pianoman was installed in the Blankenstraat in the Czaar Peter neighbourhood. The man used to sit in a more upright position but the elements made him leaning backwards.
PIANOMAN
Blankenstraat, Amsterdam Centrum (NL)
March 2023 (Het Parool, 18/03/2023)
Streetart Frankey
Streetart Frankey (pseudonym of Frank de Ruwe) is a Dutch artist who wants to positively influence the street scene with relatively small and often inconspicuous works of art.
He grew up in Nijmegen, father was an inventor at Philips Netherlands. He studied at Delft University of Technology (Industrial design). In daily life director of and working for design collective Natwerk. In Amsterdam, many of his works in the street art category can be found on buildings, streets and bridges, often in addition to existing building elements. He himself about his work;
"I want to push boundaries. Art has no boundaries, that's why I like it so much."
In 2019, a special page has been dedicated to his art in Het Parool for a number of years; first he took care of that section himself, later he had to leave that work to others because of busy work. A little later his work Eberhard van der Laan appeared above the entrance of Paradiso.
One of the works that inspired him is the Boomzagertje in the Leidsebosje, a work by an as yet unknown artist.
[ Wikipedia ]
French card by Mon Ciné. The card was a supplement to the magazine Mon Ciné, no. 102, published 3 January 1924.
Alla Nazimova (1879–1945) was a grand, highly flamboyant star of the American silent cinema. The Russian-born film and theatre actress, screenwriter, and film producer was widely known as just Nazimova. On Broadway, she was noted for her work in the classic plays of Ibsen, Chekhov, and Turgenev. Her efforts at silent film production were less successful, but a few sound-film performances survive as a record of her art.
Alla Nazimova (Russian: Алла Назимовa) was born Marem-Ides Leventon (Russian name Adelaida Yakovlevna Leventon) in Yalta, Crimea, Russian Empire, in 1879. She was the youngest of three children of Jewish parents Yakov Abramovich Leventon, a pharmacist, and Sofia (Sara) Lvovna Horowitz, who moved to Yalta in 1870 from Kishinev. At age 17 Alla Leventon abandoned her training as a violinist and went to Moscow to work in theatre with V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. In 1892, she joined Constantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre using the name of Alla Nazimova for the first time. Her stage name was a combination of Alla (a diminutive of Adelaida) and the surname of Nadezhda Nazimova, the heroine of the Russian novel 'Children of the Streets'. Nazimova's theatre career blossomed early. In 1899 she married Sergei Golovin, a fellow actor, but they soon separated. Gary Brumburgh at IMDb: “She grew discontented with Stanislavsky and later performed in repertory. She met the legendary Pavel Orlenev, a close friend of Anton Chekhov and Maxim Gorky, and entered into both a personal and professional relationship with him.” By 1903 she was touring Russian provinces. She also toured Europe, including London and Berlin, with Orlenev. They immigrated to the United States in 1905. He soon returned, but she was signed up by the American producer Henry Miller. Although she spoke not a word of English, she so impressed the Shubert brothers that they hired her on the condition she learn English in six months. In 1906 she made her Broadway debut in the title role of 'Hedda Gabler' by Henrik Ibsen with critical and popular success. She also played other Ibsen characters: Nora in 'A Doll’s House', Hedwig in 'The Wild Duck', and Hilda in 'The Master Builder'. She quickly became extremely popular and remained a major Broadway star for years. From 1912 to 1925 Nazimova maintained a ‘fake marriage’ with British actor and director Charles Bryant, who often was her co-star. In order to bolster this arrangement with Bryant, Nazimova kept her marriage to Golovin secret. Due to her notoriety in a 35-minute 1915 pacifist play entitled War Brides, Nazimova made her silent film debut in the film version, War Brides (Herbert Brenon, 1916), which was produced by independent producer Lewis J. Selznick. She made $100,000 touring in War Brides and an additional $60,000 for the film version. The film's lost status makes it now a sought-after title. In 1917, she negotiated a contract with Metro Pictures, a precursor to MGM, that included a weekly salary of $13,000. She moved from New York to Hollywood, where she made a number of highly successful films for Metro, including a part as a reformed prostitute in Revelation (George D. Baker, 1918), that earned her a considerable amount of money. Nazimova soon felt confident enough in her abilities to begin producing and writing films in which she also starred. Examples are Eye for Eye (Albert Capellani, 1918), The Brat (Herbert Blache, 1919) and Madame Peacock (Ray C. Smallwood, 1920).
Alla Nazimova starred in Camille (Ray C. Smallwood, 1921) as the courtesan Marguerite opposite Rudolph Valentino as her idealistic young lover Armand. Camille is based on the play adaptation La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the Camellias) by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The film was set in 1920s Paris, whereas the original version took place in Paris in the 1840s. It had lavish Art Deco sets and Rudolph Valentino later married the art director, Natacha Rambova. Jennifer Horne at The Women Film Pioneers Project: “Working under contract with Metro Pictures Corporation between late 1917 and April 1921, her company, Nazimova Productions, produced nine largely profitable, feature-length films and brought along the writing talent of writer-producer June Mathis. Details regarding the supervisory roles Nazimova played in the production of many of her films remain confusing since not all of Nazimova’s contributions are reflected in the official credits on films.” In her film adaptations A Doll's House (Charles Bryant, 1922), based on Henrik Ibsen, and Salomé (Charles Bryant, 1923), based on Oscar Wilde's play, Nazimova developed her own filmmaking techniques, which were considered daring at the time. Despite the film being only a little over an hour in length and having no real action to speak of, Salomé cost over $350,000 to make. All the sets were constructed indoors to be able to have complete control over the lighting. The film was shot completely in black and white, matching the illustrations done by Aubrey Beardsley in the printed edition of Wilde's play. The costumes, designed by Natacha Rambova, used material only from Maison Lewis of Paris, such as the real silver lamé loincloths worn by the guards. Both A Doll's House and Salomé were critical and commercial failures. Gary Brumburgh: “The monetary losses she suffered as producer were astronomical. The Hays Code, which led to severe censorship in pictures, also led to her downfall, as did her outmoded acting style.” By 1925 Nazimova could no longer afford to invest in more films; and financial backers withdrew their support. Left with few options, she gave up on the film industry. She became an American citizen in 1927.
In 1928, Alla Nazimova returned to the Broadway stage as Madame Ranevsky in Eva Le Gallienne’s production of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Acclaimed were also her starring roles as Natalya Petrovna in Rouben Mamoulian's 1930 production of Turgenev's A Month in the Country, Christine in Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra (1931), O-Lan in Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth (1932), and as Mrs. Alving in Ibsen's Ghosts (1935). In the early 1940s, she played character roles in a few more films. She played Robert Taylor's mother who is in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany in Escape (Mervyn Le Roy, 1940) and Tyrone Power's mother in Blood and Sand (Rouben Mamoulian, 1941). Her final film was Since You Went Away (John Cromwell, 1944), an epic about the American home front during World War II. Nazimova openly conducted relationships with women, and there were outlandish parties at her mansion on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood, California, known as ‘The Garden of Alla’. She is credited with having originated the phrase ‘sewing circle’ as a discreet code for lesbian or bisexual actresses. Nazimova helped start the careers of both of Rudolph Valentino's wives, Jean Acker and Natacha Rambova. Although she was involved in a lesbian affair with Acker, it is debated if Nazimova and Rambova had a sexual affair. Nazimova was impressed by Rambova's skills as an art director, and Rambova designed the innovative sets for Nazimova's film productions of Camille and Salomé. Of those Nazimova is confirmed to have been involved with romantically, the list includes actress Eva Le Gallienne, director Dorothy Arzner, writer Mercedes de Acosta, and Oscar Wilde's niece, Dolly Wilde. Nazimova lived with Glesca Marshall from 1929 until her death. In 1945 Nazimova died of coronary thrombosis in a hospital in Los Angeles. She was 66.
Sources: Jennifer Horne (Women Film Pioneers Project), Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Library of Congress
blakearchive.org/copy/milton.a?descId=milton.a.illbk.01
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Milton: A Poem in Two Books is an epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. Its hero is John Milton, who returns from Heaven and unites with the author to explore the relationship between living writers and their predecessors, and to undergo a mystical journey to correct his own spiritual errors.
Blake's Milton was printed in his characteristic combination of etched text and illustration supplemented by watercolour.
The preface to Milton includes the poem "And did those feet in ancient time", which was set to music as the hymn called "Jerusalem". The poem appears after a prose attack on the influence of Greek and Roman culture, which is unfavourably contrasted with "the Sublime of the Bible".
The preface to Milton, as it appeared in Blake's own illuminated version
Text
The poem is divided into two "books".
Book I opens with an epic invocation to the muses, drawing on the classical models of Homer and Virgil, which were also used by John Milton in Paradise Lost. However, Blake describes inspiration in bodily terms, vitalising the nerves of his arm. Blake goes on to describe the activities of Los, one of his mythological characters, who creates a complex universe from within which other Blakean characters debate the actions of Satan. As with all of Blake's Prophecies, the general structure of the Poem begins with the Fall and ends with the Apocalypse or consummation. The fall is pictured vividly as each of the five senses plummets into an abyss; each "broods" there in fear and desperation. These represent an early fallen Age in Blake's Mythological construct.
The early pages are dominated by a "Bard's Prophetic Song", heard in Heaven by the "unfallen" Milton. The relationship The Bard's Song has with the rest of the text is in dispute, and the meaning of it is complex. Referring to the doctrines of Calvinism, Blake's "Bard" asserts that humanity is divided into the "Elect", the "Reprobate" and the "Redeemed". Inverting Calvinist values, Blake insists that the "Reprobate" are the true believers, while the "Elect" are locked in narcissistic moralism. At this point Milton, hearing the Bard's song, appears and agrees to return to earth to purge the errors of his own Puritan imposture and go to "Eternal death".
Milton travels to Lambeth, taking in the form of a falling comet, and enters Blake's foot, the foot here representing the point of contact between the human body and the exterior "vegetative world". Thus the ordinary world as perceived by the five senses is a sandal formed of "precious stones and gold" that he can now wear. Blake ties the sandal and, guided by Los, walks with it into the City of Art, inspired by the spirit of poetic creativity.
Book II finds Blake in the garden of his cottage, now Blake’s Cottage, in the village of Felpham. Ololon, a female figure linked to Milton, descends to meet him. Blake sees a skylark, which mutates into a twelve-year-old girl, who he thinks is one of his own muses. He invites her into his cottage to meet his wife. The girl states that she is actually looking for Milton. Milton then descends to meet with her, and in an apocalyptic scene he is eventually unified with the girl, who is identified as Ololon and becomes his own feminine aspect.
The poem concludes with a vision of a final union of living and dead, internal and external reality, and male and female, and a transformation of all of human perception.
Ololon: Blake studied Hebrew. He incorporated Hebrew twice in Milton and coined the name "Ololon" out of a Hebrew word.
Rindö Redoubt was built in 1858-64 to supplement Vaxholm Fortress - the Citadel - in the defence of Norra Vaxholmsfjärden and the sound between Vaxö and Rindö. It was a strategically important site at the conjunction of several navigable channels leading in towards the City of Stockholm.
A redoubt is a free-lying, enclosed defensive emplacement. Rindö redoubt's strategic position gave it an unimpededline of sight and a free linee of fire out towards the norrth-west and north-east and provided protecyion for the Citadel.
The main building is a so-called donjon, and comprises a low barracks that is also designed for defence using cannon and rifle fire. The north-west façade has 14 embrasures (cannon ports) enabling fire to be brought to bear on Norra Vaxholmsfjärden. In the middle of the donjon is the northern caponier, a projecting structure providing flanking fire for the protection of the north-west façade. The redoubt is delimited to the south-west by a long wall with small-arms galleries. It ends at the southern caponier.
To the north-east and south-east, the redoubt is surrounded by ramparts and a deep moat. From the ramparts, heavy artillery coult fire in all directions except towards the Citadel. Large stone blocks outside the moat served as obstacles against frontal attack.
The defensive importance of the redoubt was radically diminished during the 1870's. However, the redoubt remained armed and housed troops within its walls until the early 1940's.
Rindö Redoubt and the Vaxholm Citadel are both listed historical buildings. The redoubt is managed by the National Property Board and is part of our common heritage.
Source: Plaque from the National Property Board (Statens Fastighetsverk)
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Rindö redutt byggdes 1858-64 för att komplettera Vaxholms kastell i försvaret av Norra Vaxholmsfjärden och sundet mellan Vaxö och Rindö. Det vaar en strategiskt viktig plats, där flera segelleder in mot Stockholm löpte samman.
En redutt är ett fritt liggande och slutet försvarsverk. Utformningen byggde på idéer av fortifikationsoffceren Johan af Kleen. Rindö redutt har genom sitt läge fri sikt- och eldlinje mot nordväst och nordost, och skyddade kastellet.
Huvudbyggnaden är en s k donjon, en liggande logementsbyggnad ssom också är inrättad till försvar med kanoner och skyttar. Dess nordvästfasadhar 14 embrassyrer (kanonöppningar) för beskjutning av Norra Vaxholmsfjärden. Mitt på donjonen ligger den Norra kanonjären, en utskjutande del för flankerande eld, som skulle försvara nordvästfasaden. Avgränsningen mot sydväst består av en lång mur med gevärsgallerier, som avslutas med Södra kaponjären.
Redutten är i nordost och sydost omgiven av vallar och en djup vallgrav. Från vallarna kunde det tunga artlleriet ge eld i alla riktningar utom mot kastellet. Utanför vallgraven är stormhinder i form av stora stenblock. Huvudentrén låg i hörnet mellan donjonen och sydvästmuren. På 1950-talet övergavs den för en ny entré via träbron över den sydöstra graven.
Syftet med anläggningen förändrades redan på 1870-talet, när Oxdjupssundet mellan Rindö och Värmdö öppnades för de nya djupgående fartygen. Rindö redutt kom ändå att vara bestyckad och ha manskap förlagda inom sina murar fram till 1940-talets början. under efterkrigstiden var redutten militärt förråd. Rindö redutt är tillsammans med Vaxholms kasttell statligt byggnadsminne. Anläggningen förvaltas av Statens Fastighetsverk och är en del av vår gemensamma historia.
Källa: Skylt från Statens Fastighetsverk
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Because of the extremely poor production of oils from the preen gland, Anhinga’s feathers are not waterproofed with oils like most other water birds. Their plumage is ‘wettable’ but not ‘water-repellant’ and therefore can become waterlogged making them hardly bouyant .
Fortunately for the Anhinga, this works as an advantage. Not only can they dive deeper in the water chasing a prey but can also stay longer swimming under water.
The only problem is that they have to dry their wings to get rid of all the moisture before the next dive.
The Spread-Wing posture, as seen here, might be intended also for ‘Thermo-regulation’. In that case, the Anhinga soaks up the sun’s rays to supplement its chronically low metabolic heat generation, and at the same time offsets partly its dangerously high rate of heat loss from convection and evaporation from wet plumage.
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An Anhinga in the semi “Spread-Wing” posture, drying the stretched wings with its back to the sun.
Anhinga anhinga ‘leucogaster’
Family Anhingidae
Rockledge, Florida, USA.
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This video is a supplement to my Thrifted Hi-Fi blog upload.
JVC XL-V75 CD player, DIY 10K ALPs passive preamp, Resto-mod Magnavox SE EL84 (triode-strapped) amp driving Sonic 8" wide range speakers + Jensen P35VAH tweeters
Video by iPhone 12 mini
The Georgetown Loop's Silver Plume Yard is home to a handful of relatively rare, narrow gauge diesel locomotives, which are used for yard switching as well as supplemental power for tourist trains. Sometimes, you'll see them used as helpers in conjunction with a steam locomotive and in some circumstances, they become the primary power. Two of these locomotives are GE Model U6, 52-Ton, End-Cab Road Switchers. Number 130, seen here, was built in 1956 and operated on U.S. Gypsum's narrow gauge line in Plaster City, CA before being acquired by Lindsey Ashby, the former operator of the Georgetown Loop. She ran on the loop from 1992 to 2004, and then spent some time at the Colorado Railroad Museum, when the Loop changed operators. As can be seen here, she and her sister (#140) were back at the Loop in 2016, and on this particular day, the 130 was being used as a helper with Steam Locomotive #111. During my next visit to the Loop in August of 2017, I saw this particular locomotive stripped of its cowlings and prime mover, apparently in the process of being re-engined. Hopefully, she'll be back soon. I'm not a big diesel fan, but the 130 and 140 are among the more visually appealing, narrow gauge diesels that I've seen.
This lovely warbler was the most common in Florida when we were there. It winters in southern US and Carribean but in April perhaps the population is supplemented with migrants as well. Kissimmee, Florida. April 2013
Koningsplein 11/04/2020 13h46
Frankey Street Art is giving the city little often unremarkable surprises. Every week a photo with one of his recent works appears in the supplement to the newspaper Het Parool. A great opportunity to take a closer look at his work. Sometimes you have to search to find it and sometimes it is already gone.
KONINGSPLEIN
Street art with a wink to the location. Created for King's Day in 2019 but still visible. Nice that the municipality saw the humor of it. And still visible for King's Day 2020 a year later.
Street Art Frankey
Street Art Frankey (pseudonym of Frank de Ruwe) is a Dutch artist who wants to positively influence the street scene with relatively small and often inconspicuous works of art.
He grew up in Nijmegen, father was an inventor at Philips Netherlands. He studied at Delft University of Technology (Industrial design). In daily life director of and working for design collective Natwerk. In Amsterdam, many of his works in the street art category can be found on buildings, streets and bridges, often in addition to existing building elements. He himself about his work;
"I want to push boundaries. Art has no boundaries, that's why I like it so much."
In 2019, a special page has been dedicated to his art in Het Parool for a number of years; first he took care of that section himself, later he had to leave that work to others because of busy work. A little later his work Eberhard van der Laan appeared above the entrance of Paradiso.
One of the works that inspired him is the Boomzagertje in the Leidsebosje, a work by an as yet unknown artist.
[ Wikipedia ]
ARRIVA Buses Wales VDL Commander 2509 - CX05 AAE sets off from Rhyl on a Sunday journey on route 51 to Denbigh.
An odd little advertising supplement detached, as intended, from the January 1971 issue of The Reader's Digest and describing the then wide remit of British Rail - trains, catering and hotles, Sealink ferries as well as freight services and development. It was part of the intention to market BR, especially Inter-City express services, as being the modern face of public transport.
Not quite enough home grown strawberries for breakfast (small ones in center) so supplementing with store bought / factory farmed giants.
September 24, 2013 - The FDA is advising consumers not to purchase or use "Xzen 1200," a product promoted and sold for sexual enhancement. The product was found to contain undeclared tadalafil. For more information, go to www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/buyingusingme...
And read these FDA Consumer Updates:
Beware of Fraudulent ‘Dietary Supplements’
"All Natural" Alternatives for Erectile Dysfunction: A Risky Proposition
Severe flooding in South Carolina and a call for help has brought about a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) and several other partner organizations to setup a processing center in the North Charleston Coliseum, where Charleston County residents can apply for assistance in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. Prior to opening, rows of seats await applicants who will fillout a single form and then be interviewed to determine eligibility. If approved a SNAP card is issued and they are provided information about its use.
In times of emergency, FNS coordinates with state and federal partners, as well as local volunteer organizations, such as the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, to provide USDA Foods to shelters and other mass feeding sites and, in limited cases, distribute food packages directly to households in need. USDA Foods are 100% domestically produced, processed and procured agricultural commodities that are made available to schools, tribes, and low-income individuals through FNS Nutrition Assistance Programs. Once retail food stores reopen, if survivors still need nutrition assistance and the area has received a ‘Presidential Disaster Declaration with Individual Assistance,’ State agencies may request to operate D-SNAP. People who may not normally qualify for nutrition assistance benefits may be eligible for D-SNAP if they had disaster-related expenses, such as loss of income, damage to property, relocation expenses, and, in some cases, loss of food due to power outages. Those already participating in the SNAP may be eligible for supplemental benefits under D-SNAP. For more information please visit this web site: www.fns.usda.gov/disaster. USDA photos by Lance Cheung.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however, being a Sunday we are not at Cavendish Mews. We have travelled east across London, through Bloomsbury, past the Smithfield Meat Markets, beyond the Petticoat Lane Markets* frequented by Lettice’s maid, Edith, through the East End boroughs of Bethnal Green and Bow, and through the 1880s housing development of Upton Park, to East Ham. It is here that we have followed Edith and her fiancée, grocery delivery boy Frank, on their Sunday off, to the Premier Super Cinema**, where Edith and Frank have just finished seeing a midday showing of ‘A Girl of London’***.
As they join the throng of theatre patrons leaving the cinema and step out through the double glass doors set in wooden frames of Brunswick Green**** and stand under the brightly illuminated portico which advertises this week’s showings in colourful red lettering, they both shiver against the December cold, which is at odds to the warmth of the cinema’s cosy interior. Along High Street, people wrapped up in thick coats hurry through the gloom of the afternoon. Only dull light manages to filter through the dark clouds hanging heavily overhead.
“Looks like rain.” Frank remarks glumly as he looks to the sky beyond the Premier’s portico. He bundles the russet and cream wool scarf knitted in a stockinette stitch***** by his Scottish grandmother, Mrs. McTavish a little more tightly around his throat.
“Well, the forecast in this morning’s papers****** said that there were rain showers due to arrive from mid-afternoon.” Edith adds, pulling the brim of her black dyed straw cloche decorated with purple satin roses and black feathers low over ears as the cold breeze blowing up High Street teases them uncomfortably. “Which is why I brought this!” She hoists up her old black brolly and smiles at Frank.
“I really need to get you a new one of them.” Frank says. “It’s a bit battered and shabby.”
“Oh, it does its job well enough.” Edith defends her slightly beaten and battered black hook handled umbrella as she looks down upon it and rubs it tenderly.
“It’s not anywhere near good enough or smart enough for my best girl.” Frank insists
Come on.” she adds brightly with a chuckle. “Let’s do a bit of window shopping before we have to go home.”
The pair look both ways before crossing over High Street, a noisy and busy thoroughfare, even on a Sunday, chocked with a mixture of chugging private motor cars, lorries and the occasional horse and cart. Edith looks across the road as they wait by the kerb to the ramshackle collection of two and three storey buildings constructed over two centuries opposite. Their canvas awnings fluttering in the breeze help to advertise an ironmonger*******, a barber, a haberdasher, a lamp shop, a chemist, a boot repairer, a grocer and a little further up the street, the large double fronted Woolworths******* display their wares. Christmas is not far away now, with only a few weeks until Christmas Day, and signs of festive cheer abound with bright and gaudy tinsel********* garlands and stars cut from metallic paper hanging in shop windows on either side of the busy thoroughfare.
“I did enjoy Genevieve Townsend********** as Lil in today’s picture, Frank.” Edith remarks as they cross the street after taking advantage of a lull in traffic.
“Hhhmmm…” murmurs Frank in reply.
“She is so glamourous, and such a dramatic actress.” Edith goes on. “She reminds me a bit of Wanetta Ward. Remember Miss Lettice’s client the American actress that ended up working here for Islington Studios***********?”
“Hhhmmm…” is all Frank says in reply.
“Miss Lettice received a Christmas card from here a few days ago, all the way from California! And she even remembered to include me in her Christmas wish!” Edith gushes. “Miss Lettice says I can keep the card for myself after Christmas is over.”
“Hhhmmm…” Frank murmurs again as they reach the opposite side of the road and begin to slowly meander the pavement as they wend their way back up the hill towards East Ham Tube Station************.
“I was reading in Photoplay************* that Miss Towsend grew up in in Freeport, Illinois and attended Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in English and English Literature. No wonder she acts with such conviction, if she studied the classics. Don’t you think so, Frank?”
“Hhhmmm…” Frank utters again.
“Frank, are you listening to me?” Edith queries as she stops in her tracks.
Broken from his own distracted thoughts by their sudden cessation of movement, Frank turns towards Edith and says, “Oh yes. Yes. Very interesting.” But his voice sounds hollow.
“No, you haven’t, Frank.” replies Edith a little disappointedly.
“Haven’t what, Edith?”
“Exactly!” Edith says with conviction, nodding her head as she withdraws her arm from where it is interlocked with Frank’s and folds her arms akimbo in front of her. “Listening to me, Frank! You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Edith. I guess I’m just a bit distracted is all. That’s why I wanted to come to the pictures today – to get my mind off things you know?”
“What things, Frank?” Edith ask in concern, re-linking her arm with Frank’s as they slowly begin to walk again, passing by the brightly illuminated lamp shop where stars made from metallic cardboard, strung on pieces of bright red cotton hyang above the latest range of fashionable electric lamps with a mixture of modern geometric Art Deco shades and more traditional Victorian and Edwardian styles.
“Well, I just can’t help thinking about Gran.” Frank admits a little guiltily.
“What’s wrong with her?” Edith asks in concern.
“Oh, I didn’t want to worry you, Edith. Not on our day off.” Frank begins. “But…”
“What is it, Frank. What’s happened?”
“Well, I’m sorry to say this, but she’s sick, Edith.” Frank sighs heavily, releasing a pent-up breath. “She must have caught a chill the other week when I walked her home from our celebratory engagement tea at Lyon’s Corner House************** up Tottenham Court Road.”
“Oh I’m sorry Mrs. McT… err, I mean, Gran, isn’t feeling well.” Edith says with concern to Frank. She then utters a snorting half chuckle. “I still can’t get used to calling your grandmother, Gran, Frank.” She shakes her head
Frank joins her laughter and smiles - a moment of happiness amidst the worry. “No more than I can get used to calling your parents George and Ada, rather than Mr. and Mrs. Watsford.”
“I guess we’ll get used to it in time.” Edith says comfortingly. “It’s early days yet. We haven’t been engaged for all that long, after all.”
Edith wraps her arm a little more tightly through Frank’s as they wander further up the street, their soles clicking on the wet concrete beneath their feet.
“It was cold that afternoon, going home.” Edith adds.
“I’m worried that it might have gone to her chest.” Frank confides with a furrowed brow. “She had the Spanish Influenza as well as my parents, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know.” Edith falters.
“Oh yes! She nursed Mum first and then Dad, even though she herself was sick, but Gran is as tough as old boots***************, and she survived.”
Edith reaches up and squeezes Frank’s upper arm soothingly as she senses him flinch. “I’m sorry that your Mum and Dad wouldn’t be there to see us get wed, Frank, but I promise that my Mum and Dad will make up for their absence. They love you, Frank.”
“I know they do, and I know they will, Edith.” Franks says, looking down on his fiancée with a grateful smile. “Your Dad was generous to shout us all to that celebratory slap up tea at Lyon’s Corner House. What more can I ask in a father-in-law than one who cares so much and is so happy to see us get married?”
“It’s what you deserve, Frank!”
“I just hope Gran survives. Her chest was never the same after the Spanish Influenza, and a chill usually goes straight there when she catches one. That’s what’s got me worried this time. I’ve got Mrs. Claxton from upstairs keeping an eye on her, and she’ll go to the telephone box down the street on the corner to telephone for the doctor if needs be, or to telephone Mrs. Chapman’s boarding house if she needs to reach me. But I’ll feel better after I’ve stopped in myself to see her today, and see how she is.”
“Do you want me to come too, Frank? I’d love to see her and support you.”
“It’s lovely of you to offer, Edith, but best not, just today. The less chance Gran has to be exposed to any other coughs or sneezes, the better.”
“But I’m not sick, Frank.” Edith says, trying hard not to take offence from Frank’s off the cuff remark.
“Not yet, but you could be and just not know it yet. There are lots of coughs and sneezes going around.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it means that you could be sick too, Frank.”
“I know, Edith, but I’ll cover my face with my scarf whilst I’m there.” Frank assures her. “I know you just want to be helpful, Edith.”
“Of course I do Frank!” Edith says, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice any longer.
“But if you do, the best thing you can do is stay on the Tube**************** and go on home to Cavendish Mews whilst I visit Gran. I’ve had to do this more than a few times since my parents died.” He adds soothingly. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Oh, of course you do, Frank.” Edith acquiesces. “You know what’s best.”
The pair stop in front of one of the rounded plate glass bay windows of the East Ham High Street Woolworths****************. The window is flooded with warm light which falls down upon a cornucopia of wonderful festive things for Christmas. Beneath a red ribbon garlanded and gold bauble studded Christmas tree a range of goods are artfully placed for maximum exposure to the passers-by on the footpath as they meandered before the window. Boxes of gaily coloured baubles in bright packaging smile out in metallic golds and greens, whilst other glass baubles sporting bright blue stripes or coats of the most festive red are placed on top of parcels wrapped in pretty papered and tied with satin ribbon. Boxes of Christmas Crackers****************** ready to grace any festive table with a splash of colour spill forth in yellow, blue, orange, red and pink crêpe paper, their paper hats, riddle, charade and small token sweet gifts inside waiting to burst forth when pulled with a snap. Both Frank and Edith stare at the colourful display in silence, momentarily lost in their own separate deep thoughts.
Finally, Frank breaks the quiet between them. “I’m even worried, so close to Christmas, that Gran and I might not be able to come you yours on Christmas Day.”
“What?” Edith gasps, her eyes widening. “Not come? Oh, Mum’s been planning Christmas Day for months now! She’ll be so disappointed! And this will be our first Christmas together affianced, Frank.”
“And that will disappoint you, Edith.”
“It will.” Edith mutters begrudgingly as her shoulders slump.
“I just don’t think she’ll be well enough to travel all the way to Harlesden on the Tube and then walk, Edith. I just don’t. I don’t want to spoil Christmas Day, but I don’t want her getting any sicker, and I won’t leave Gran alone on Christmas.”
“Oh, I’d never suggest you should, Frank. That would be awful for her!” Edith exclaims. She sighs heavily. “I understand.”
“We’ll see.” Frank says consolingly, wrapping his arm around Edith’s shoulder lovingly. “There is still a little bit of time between now and Christmas Day. You never know what can happen.”
Edith sighs again and bites her bottom lip to stop the tears that threaten to spill from her pretty blue eyes, so as not to upset Frank. As she stares through the mist of tears at a brightly decorated box of Christmas crackers depicting a father playing with his children around the Christmas tree on Christmas Day, she is suddenly struck with a thought. “Yes,” she murmurs under her breath, suddenly struck by a ray of hope. “You never know.”
*Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market in Spitalfields, London. It consists of two adjacent street markets. Wentworth Street Market and Middlesex Street Market. Originally populated by Huguenots fleeing persecution in France, Spitalfields became a center for weaving, embroidery and dying. From 1882, a wave of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in eastern Europe settled in the area and Spitalfields then became the true heart of the clothing manufacturing district of London. 'The Lane' was always renowned for the 'patter' and showmanship of the market traders. It was also known for being a haven for the unsavoury characters of London’s underworld and was rife with prostitutes during the late Victorian era. Unpopular with the authorities, as it was largely unregulated and in some sense illegal, as recently as the 1930s, police cars and fire engines were driven down ‘The Lane’, with alarm bells ringing, to disrupt the market.
**The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
***‘A Girl of London’ is a 1925 British silent drama film produced by Stoll Pictures, directed by Henry Edwards and starring Genevieve Townsend, Ian Hunter and Nora Swinburne. Its plot concerns the son of a member of parliament, who is disowned by his father when he marries a girl who works in a factory. Meanwhile, he tries to rescue his new wife from her stepfather who operates a drugs den. It was based on a novel by Douglas Walshe.
****Brunswick Green is a deep, rich, often gloss-finish green with a classic, historical feel, while Cottage Green is a bolder, vibrant, and rich green often associated with traditional schemes and country aesthetics. Brunswick Green is typically darker and more dramatic, pairing well with brass or gold for an elegant look, while Cottage Green is often used on its own or with lighter neutral accents to create a cohesive traditional or rustic feel. Brunswick green was a popular colour in the 1920s, especially for painting houses and architectural details. It was a common choice for the exterior trim on homes and commercial buildings, often paired with lighter colours like cream or off-white for walls. It was also popular in other applications, like for machinery and rolling stock, especially in Great Britain where it gained popularity for its use in racing cars as British Racing Green, a shade closely related to Brunswick Green.
*****The V pattern in a knitted scarf is called stockinette stitch, which is created by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches.
******Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy, founder of the UK Met Office, started collating measurements on pressure, temperature, and rainfall from across Great Britain, Ireland, and Europe in 1860. These observations were sent by telegraph cable to London every day where they were used to make a ‘weather forecast’ – a term invented by Fitzroy for this endeavour. After the Royal Charter ship sank in a violent storm in 1859, Fitzroy resolved to collect real-time weather measurements from stations across Britain's telegraph network to make storm warnings. Starting in 1860, observers telegraphed readings to Fitzroy in London who handwrote them onto Daily Weather Report sheets, enabling the first-ever public weather forecasts starting on 1st August 1861 and published daily in The Times newspaper. Fitzroy died by suicide in 1865 shortly after founding the UK Met Office, leaving his life's work trapped undiscovered in archives.
*******An ironmonger is the old fashioned term for someone who sells items, tools and equipment for use in homes and gardens: what today we would call a hardware shop. Ironmongery stems from the forges of blacksmiths and the workshops of woodworkers. Ironmongery can refer to a wide variety of metal items, including door handles, cabinet knobs, window fittings, hinges, locks, and latches. It can also refer to larger items, such as metal gates and railings. By the 1920s when this story is set, the ironmonger may also have sold cast iron cookware and crockery for the kitchen and even packets of seeds for the nation of British gardeners, as quoted by the Scot, Adam Smith.
********Woolworths began operation in Britain in 1909 when Frank Woolworth opened the first store in Liverpool, as a British subsidiary of the already established American company. The store initially sold a variety of goods for threepence and sixpence, making their goods accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy upper and middle-classes. The British subsidiary proved to be very popular, and it grew quickly, opening twelve stores by 1912 and expanding using its own profits to become a fixture on the high street. The stores became a beloved British institution, with many shoppers assuming they were originally a British company. In 1982, the United Kingdom operations underwent a management buyout from the American parent company, becoming Woolworth Holdings PLC. This followed the American parent company's sale of its controlling stake to a local consortium. Later, in 2000, the company's parent (by then known as Kingfisher Group) decided to restructure, focusing more on its DIY and electrical markets. The general merchandise division, including Big W stores, was spun off into a separate company called Woolworths in 2001. Unable to adapt to modern retail trends, the company faced increasing competition and financial difficulties. The last Woolworths stores in the United Kingdom closed their doors in December 2008 and January 2009, marking the end of an era.
*********One of the most famous Christmas decorations that people love to use at Christmas is tinsel. You might think that using it is an old tradition and that people in Britain have been adorning their houses with tinsel for a very long time. However that is not actually true. Tinsel is in fact believed to be quite a modern tradition. Whilst the idea of tinsel dates back to Germany in 1610 when wealthy people used real strands of silver to adorn their Christmas trees (also a German invention). Silver was very expensive though, so being able to do this was a sign that you were wealthy. Even though silver looked beautiful and sparkly to begin with, it tarnished quite quickly, meaning it would lose its lovely, bright appearance. Therefore it was swapped for other materials like copper and tin. These metals were also cheaper, so it meant that more people could use them. However, when the Great War started in 1914, metals like copper were needed for the war. Because of this, they couldn't be used for Christmas decorations as much, so a substitute was needed. It was swapped for aluminium, but this was a fire hazard, so it was switched for lead, but that turned out to be poisonous.
**********Genevieve Schmich, known professionally as Genevieve Smeek and Genevieve Townsend, was an American stage and film actress. She was born in Freeport, Illinois and attended Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in English and English Literature. After graduating in 1920, she moved to Britain, where she joined Frank Benson's theatre company. During the mid-1920s she had several lead roles in British silent films. She died in Switzerland, of tuberculosis, at the age of 29 in 1927. In 1928, Mount Holyoke College established the Genevieve Schmich Award in her honour.
***********Islington Studios, often known as Gainsborough Studios, were a British film studio located on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in Shoreditch, London which began operation in 1919. By 1920 they had a two stage studio. It is here that Alfred Hitchcock made his entrée into films.
************East Ham London Underground railway station is located on High Street North in the East Ham neighbourhood of the London Borough of Newham in east London. It is on the District and Hammersmith and City lines, between Upton Park and Barking stations. The station was originally opened on 31 March 1858 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway on a new more direct route from Fenchurch Street to Barking. It became an interchange station in 1894 when it was connected to the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway. The large Edwardian station building was constructed to accommodate the electric District Railway services on an additional set of tracks opened in 1905. Metropolitan line service commenced in 1936. British Railways service to Kentish Town was withdrawn in 1958 and the Fenchurch Street–Southend service was withdrawn in 1962, leaving abandoned platforms.
*************Photoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines, its title another word for screenplay. It was founded in Chicago in 1911. Under early editors Julian Johnson and James R. Quirk, in style and reach it became a pacesetter for fan magazines. In 1921, Photoplay established what is considered the first significant annual movie award. For most of its run, it was published by Macfadden Publications. The magazine ceased publication in 1980.
**************J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.
***************The idiom “tough as old boots” is used to describe someone who is physically strong and resilient, or something that is very difficult to break or damage, like a tough piece of food. The saying likely comes from the durability of leather boots, which were traditionally made to last a long time. The phrase evolved from an earlier version, “tough as leather,” to emphasise that a person or thing is very strong, resilient, and enduring, much like a well-worn but still functional boot.
****************People started calling the London Underground the "Tube" around 1900, after the opening of the Central London Railway. The railway's deep, cylindrical tunnels resembled tubes, and a newspaper nickname for it, the “Tuppenny Tube”, due to a flat fare of two pence, helped the term stick. Over time, the nickname spread to refer to the entire system.
*****************The East Ham Woolworth Three and Six store was located at 72 to 76 High Street North, in East Ham. At the time this chapter is set, the building it occupied was an old Arts and Crafts building with half timbered gables and bay windows in a Jacobethan style, with three rounded floor to ceiling bay windows of plate glass and two sets of double doors on the ground floor.
******************Christmas crackers first appeared in 1847 when London confectioner Tom Smith created them, inspired by the French "bon bon" sweets he encountered on a trip to Paris. He initially sold the sweets wrapped in tissue paper with a small motto or riddle inside. Smith later added the "snap" mechanism after being inspired by the sound of a log fire, creating the "bang" we know today.
This bright festive window display may look real to you, but it is not all that it seems, for this scene is made up entirely of miniatures from my 1:12 miniatures collection.
Fun thing to look for in this tableau include:
The boxes of Christmas crackers and the Christmas Drawings book are 1:12 miniatures made by artisan Ken Blythe. I have a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my miniatures collection – books mostly. Most of the books I own that he has made may be opened to reveal authentic printed interiors. In some cases, you can even read the words, depending upon the size of the print! Sadly, so little of his real artistry is seen because the books that he specialised in making are usually closed, sitting on shelves or closed on desks and table surfaces. As well as making books, he also made other small paper based miniatures including boxes of goods. The boxes are designed to be opened, and each one contains gaily coloured Christmas crackers made from real crêpe paper. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make them all miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago, as well as through his estate via his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.
The red and green boxes containing hand painted Christmas ornaments were hand made and decorated by artists of Crooked Mile Cottage in America. The patterned green box of red and green baubles at the front to the right was hand made by Mick and Marie’s Miniatures in the United Kingdom, as is the box of hand made Christmas crackers in the box decorated with the holly and robin redbreast at the back of the display on the left. The central box of blue and white striped glass baubles are also handmade miniatures, bought from a woman in America by a very good friend of mine who knows I love to collect 1:12 miniatures.
The painted silver and red single loose baubles that litter the display come from an online miniature stockist in England through E-Bay.
The wrapped Christmas gifts decorated with ribbons are 1:12 artisan pieces, hand made by husband and wife artistic team Margie and Mike Balough who own Serendipity Miniatures in Newcomerstown, Ohio.
The Christmas tree at the back of the display is a hand-made artisan example from dollhouse artisan suppliers in America.
The red and silver backdrop is hand printed paper made by the company Zetta Florence in Fitzroy in Melbourne.
Photographic supplement to the medical superintendent's annual report
1935
Countess of Chester Hospital records
Cheshire Archives and Local Studies ZHW/516
ARRIVA Buses Wales Optare Solo 696 - CX09 BGZ sets off from Rhyl on a Sunday journey on route 36 Circular via Rhuddlan, Dyserth & Prestatyn.
The cover to the BR Supplement to their 1948 Signs Manual - this showing the 'condensed' series of Gill Sans that was "allowed" in certain circumstances.
U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) and South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE) responded to severe flooding in South Carolina, by using of the National School Lunch Program, at the Richland County Schools - District One - Central Kitchen Facility, to provide disaster congregate feeding to those in need, in Columbia, SC, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015.
In times of emergency, FNS coordinates with state and federal partners, as well as local volunteer organizations, such as the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, to provide USDA Foods to shelters and other mass feeding sites and, in limited cases, distribute food packages directly to households in need. USDA Foods are 100% domestically produced, processed and procured agricultural commodities that are made available to schools, tribes, and low-income individuals through FNS Nutrition Assistance Programs. Once retail food stores reopen, if survivors still need nutrition assistance and the area has received a ‘Presidential Disaster Declaration with Individual Assistance,’ State agencies may request to operate D-SNAP. People who may not normally qualify for nutrition assistance benefits may be eligible for D-SNAP if they had disaster-related expenses, such as loss of income, damage to property, relocation expenses, and, in some cases, loss of food due to power outages. Those already participating in the SNAP may be eligible for supplemental benefits under D-SNAP. For more information please visit this web site: www.fns.usda.gov/disaster.
Central Kitchen Facility is the only central kitchen in South Carolina. They provide meals to 32 schools. Operations start at 4-5AM. The meals are comprised of 10-11,000 lunches, 6,000 breakfasts, 3,100 snacks, 3,100 supplemental meals, district-wide catering and more. To accomplish this there are 38 employed here and a total of 150 across the entire operation of satellite kitchens and other facilities. 14 truck move food and commodities from here to where they are needed. This is not an endorsment. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
Shennong Stream is a narrow tributary of the Yangtze River with picturesque scenery. Most cruise ships offer their guests tour of the stream on small boats and give them the unique opportunity to witness the ancient boat trackers pulling the boats on the shallow river. The boat are now run by local farmers to supplement their income
Photographic supplement to the medical superintendent's annual report
1935
Countess of Chester Hospital records
Cheshire Archives and Local Studies ZHW/516
s/n 006
218 bhp, 1,987 cc DOHC V-6 engine, five-speed manual gearbox, independent double-wishbone, front and rear suspension with coil springs, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,280 mm (89.8")
• One of only 18 examples produced
• Ex-Maranello Concessionaires racing team
• Ferrari Classiche certified
• Raced by Richard Attwood and David Piper
• Fully documented racing provenance
• Just four owners from new; same ownership since 1970
• Stunning Pierre Drogo-designed body work
In February 1966, Ferrari débuted a new sports-racing car formulated for the FIA’s 2-litre Group 4 class, with hopes of winning over the numerous privateer teams that campaigned in Porsches. Dubbed the Dino 206 S, the car was powered by the development of the 65 degree V-6 engine that had been conceived by Dino Ferrari, prior to his death in June 1956.
Originally co-engineered by legendary Alfa Romeo designer Vittorio Jano, then working as a consultant for Ferrari, the Dino V-6 motor was badged with a hand scripted autograph based on the younger Ferrari’s signature. Though it was introduced as a Formula 2 powerplant, an enlarged version of the engine was subsequently used in the Formula 1 cars, carrying works driver Mike Hawthorn to a Driver’s World Championship in 1958. Whilst Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars of the early-1960s increasingly adopted 120 degree V-6 engines designed by Technical Director Carlo Chiti, the Jano-engineered 65 degree Dino engine was, nonetheless, consistently enlarged and developed in various experimental sports prototypes, including the 246 SP, the 206 SP, the 196 SP and the 166 P.
Introduced for the 1966 racing season, the Dino 206 S appeared to be a scaled down version of the revered 330P, even wearing similarly ravishing coachwork care of Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports Cars in Modena. The visual appeal of Drogo’s aerodynamic body shell, which featured a combination of stressed alloy panels and fibreglass over a welded tubular semi-monocoque, was beautifully complemented by the Dino V-6’s fierce performance. By the end of the 1966 race season, the 206 S had proved its mettle, earning a 2nd place finish at the Targo Florio, 2nd and 3rd at the Nürburgring and a 6th place finish at Spa. Although the 206 S was originally slated for a homologation of 50 examples, labour problems prematurely interrupted production after only 18 cars had been assembled, and the model, therefore, remains a rare and important milestone in the arc of the Dino race car’s development, as well as a cornerstone of the Ferrari road cars that followed.
Excluding the Factory Works prototype, this beautifully restored 206 S is just the third example produced. This car was initially purchased on 23 April 1966, by Colonel Ronnie J. Hoare of Maranello Concessionaires Racing Team of Egham, Surrey, England, an authorised Ferrari dealer and racing concern originally founded by champion driver Mike Hawthorn. Finished in Ferrari Racing Red with the recognisable Maranello Concesionairs blue stripe, 006 made its competition début at the RAC Tourist Trophy in Oulton Park, England. Renowned British driver Michael Parkes was behind the wheel, with number 42. Unfortunately, the car had to retire early with final drive issues, but it still placed 21st OA.
The following June, 006 started 12th on the grid at the 1,000 Kilometres of Nürburgring, piloted by two of the most famous British drivers, Richard Attwood and David Piper. By lap 28, the car had advanced to 5th in class and 8th place overall before retiring early due to mechanical issues. These teething problems led to further refinement of 006, resulting in its best performance yet at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where Mr Parkes drove the car to 6th place overall and 1st in class.
In August 1967, Maranello Concessionaires sold this Dino 206 S to Gustaf Dieden, through Tore Bjurstrom, the official Ferrari concessionaire of Sweden. The correspondence between Colonel Hoare and Thomas Bjurstrom is very well documented, with letters on file from the Maranello Concessionaire archive. Hoare noted, “I am delighted to hear that you have decided to buy my Ferrari Dino 206/s 006”. After briefly campaigning the Ferrari on the Knutstorp circuit, Dieden competed in a total of six local races, five in Sweden and one in Denmark. After an off-road excursion at Knutstorp, the car was returned to the factory to be repaired, as the left front corner had been damaged.
Mr Dieden subsequently advertised the car in Road and Track, with the advert reading, “This fabulous sports racing car was built in Autumn 1966 but modified to works specification at Maranello works during the winter, 1967. Only raced five times by a novice, and it is in beautiful condition throughout. This car is absolutely race ready”. The car was bought by Hans Wangstre of Malmo, Sweden, who brought in driver Evert Christofferson as a co-owner. Under the name Team Bam-Bam, Mr Wangstre and Christofferson campaigned chassis 006 in numerous international venues over the following year, such as the Hockenheimring in Germany and the ADAC 1,000 Kilometres of Nürburgring. Highlights of this period include a 15th place finish at the Good Friday Meeting at Oulton Park on 12 April 1968 and a 22nd place finish at the Targa Florio on 5 May.
In 1969, chassis 006’s legendary Dino V-6 finally succumbed to the rigors of racing, a common problem that was due to the imbalance of the crank shaft. As an identical replacement block was deemed to be too expensive for a car that was increasingly dated from a competition standpoint, an experimental Volvo B20 engine was installed, and the car’s racing career effectively ended.
Together with the components of the original engine, the car was sold to the current owner in 1970, who had fallen in love with a Maranello Concessionaires Ferrari 206 S that he saw at Le Mans as a young man.
There are many photos on file of when the current owner acquired the car, and he stated, “Everybody thought I was mad to spend this much money on an old car”. The car then went into storage, during which time he searched high and low to acquire a correct-type replacement engine for the car. In 1974, he contacted the factory and to his delight, found out that one engine was left over in the Maranello works. However, at the time, the asking price was two and a half times the price of the newly introduced Ferrari 246 Dino GTS. After years of additional research, he decided, in 1988, to restore the car back to its former glory. After a couple years of consultancy with the Ferrari factory and Motor Service Modena, the vendor eventually managed to obtain a set of drawings for the specialised 206 S block. The plan was to cast a new series of four blocks, as he had, by this time, also acquired Ferrari Dino 206 S 016, which also had a cracked block. The blocks were cast at the factory foundry and machined to the correct specifications before the unit intended for chassis 006 was installed in the car.
A complete restoration of 006 continued for a number of years, including testing of the new engine, stripping of the original body down to bare metal and refinishing the car. It has remained in the owner’s collection ever since, rarely seen in public. After so many years of continuous ownership and research, he has become one of the world’s leading experts on the Dino 206 S model, and it is precisely this knowledge base that has ensured that every detail on 006 is correct and accurate.
For the past two years, the car has been mechanically restored by Tim Samways, the world renowned specialist in sports and racing cars, who has also prepared many other sports prototypes, including the Ferrari P3. The engine has been totally rebuilt, along with the gearbox, the chassis was restored and the bodywork has been perfected and polished. Most recently, the car has been returned to its original livery, as it was campaigned by Maranello Concessionaires at the 1966 1,000 km of Nürburgring, wearing the famous number 14.
Aside from this fabulous restoration, 006 benefits from a thorough file of documentation, including a full correspondence record from Colonel Hoare through the last forty years, as well as a Ferrari Classiche certification. The most remarkable thing, of course, is that the car has been in single ownership since 1970, with only four owners from new.
Chassis 006 has been refitted with a freshly cast engine block, of which the specification is absolutely correct, as per Ferrari Classiche. The car’s original block stamped “006” is included with the sale of the car. Exceedingly rare and beautifully restored, this unique Dino 206 S is a highly desirable testament to the beauty and power of Ferrari’s race cars and Piero Drogo’s breathtakingly sculpted coachwork. 006 will doubtlessly attract the interest of dedicated Ferrari collectors and marque experts seeking to supplement their collections with an unusual piece of the Maranello racing legend. This particular car has to be one of the only examples in existence that has not been heavily crashed. Coming from single ownership over the last 40 years, it is a fine example for any collector and could be used in competition work.
[Text from RM Auctions]
www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1049444
This Lego miniland-scale Ferrari 206 S Diino Spyder (1966 - Carrozzeria Sports Cars), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 89th Build Challenge, - "Over a Million, Under a Thousand", - a challenge to build vehicles valued over one million (US) dollars, or under one thousand (US) dollars.
This particular vehicle was auctioned by the RM Auction house on Saturday, May 12, 2012, where it sold for €2.520.000 (US$2,707,240)
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however we are not at Cavendish Mews. Instead, we have travelled east across London, through Bloomsbury, past the Smithfield Meat Markets, beyond the Petticoat Lane Markets* frequented by Lettice’s maid, Edith, through the East End boroughs of Bethnal Green and Bow, and through the 1880s housing development of Upton Park, to East Ham. It is here that we have followed Edith and her beau, grocery delivery boy Frank Leadbetter, to the Premier Super Cinema**, where the pair are treating themselves to one of their favourite Sunday pleasures: a feature film with a newsreel and cartoon before the main event.
Even though spring is finally in the air, it is cold out on the streets of London today, with a biting cold wind, so the warmth of the cinema’s foyer is a welcome respite from the weather outside after the journey up the High Street from the East Ham railway station. The foyer is brightly lit and cheerful. The cinema, renovated in 1922, isn’t called a picture palace for nothing, and no expense was spared with thick red wall-to-wall carpets covering the floors and brightly coloured up-to-date Art Deco wallpaper covering the walls, upon which the latest films are advertised in glamourous and colourful posters. Throughout the space, button backed*** armchairs and settees are arranged in intimate clutches around small tables, allowing patrons like Edith and Frank to await the commencement of their session in comfort. It is at one of these clusters that Edith sits patiently in her black three-quarter length coat and black dyed straw cloche decorated with lilac satin roses and black feathers, with her green leather handbag at her feet as she awaits her beau.
“Here we are then,” Frank says cheerfully. “Tea for my best girl.” He places two utilitarian white cups in saucers from the nearby cinema kiosk on the table that he and Edith are occupying in front of a vase of fresh, fragrant flowers. He takes his seat opposite her, enjoying the luxury of his plush seat as he does. “And,” He fishes into his coat pocket withdrawing a purple box and presents it to his sweetheart with a flourish. “A box of Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates****!”
“Oh Frank!” Edith exclaims in delight, her cheeks flushing red as she speaks. “You are good to me.”
“Nothing too good for my best girl!” Frank assures her.
Edith smiles as she looks at the beautifully decorated box featuring a lady with cascading auburn hair highlighted with gold ribbons, a creamy face and décollétage sporting a frothy white gown and gold necklace. She traces the embossed gold lettering on the box’s lid with reverence.
“You’re being very solicitous today, Frank.” Edith remarks as she picks up her teacup, staring at Frank as she takes a sip of hot, milky tea from her cup.
“Am I?” Frank replies in a question, his voice full of nonchalance as he picks up his own cup.
“You are, Frank.” Edith opines. “You know you are.”
“How so, Edith?”
“Well for a start, you agreed to come and see ‘Peter Pan’*****.” Edith replies, placing her cup back into her saucer.
“I like ‘Peter Pan’, Edith!” Frank retorts. “I have read the book, I’ll have you know.”
“Yes, but when you may have one of your last chances to see the ‘Thief of Bagdad’****** with swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks, and you demur to my choice...” Edith does not complete her sentence, but stares across at her sweetheart.
“Oh fie the ‘Thief of Bagdad’!” Frank scoffs. “It will still be running here for a week or two yet. We can see it next Sunday.” He waves Edith’s repark away with a dismissive hand. “Anyway, I chose the last film we saw, ‘Chu-Chin-Chow’*******, and that had enough swashbuckling with villain Abou Hassan being stabbed by Zharat and his forty thieves done away with.”
Edith looks sceptically at Frank. “And this box of chocolates on top of our slap-up tea at Lyon’s Corner House******** in Tottenham Court Road?”
“What?” Frank retorts with incredulity. “Can’t a chap spoil his girl once in a while?”
“Oh, please don’t misunderstand me, Frank!” Edith quickly pipes up with a smile. “I’m not complaining!”
“I should hope you wouldn’t be.”
“But I can’t help being a little bit suspicious.” Edith arches her eyebrow over her right eye and purses her pretty pale lips.
“Well I like that!” Frank answers back, folding his arms akimbo across his chest in defence.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I went to see a clairvoyant the week before last, would it, Frank?” Edith fishes. “And that I didn’t see you last Sunday, because you had to take care of your granny?”
“Clairvoyant? What clairvoyant, Edith?” Frank asks, pleading innocence.
“Oh come on Frank!” Edith laughs. “You know Mrs. Boothby loves a gossip!” she goes on, mentioning Lettice’s charwoman********* who comes to help Edith with all the hard graft around Cavendish Mews a few days a week. “You can’t imagine us not talking, Frank.”
Ignoring her gentle chuckle, Frank continues to decry his irreproachability. “I don’t know what you and Mrs. Boothby talked about.”
“She told me that she saw you Tuesday week ago, the same day I went to see Madame Fortuna the clairvoyant in Swiss Cottage**********, and she told you that I was going to see her. There’s no use trying to say she didn’t, because I know that for all her tall tales and gilding of the lily***********, Mrs. Boothby wouldn’t do that with a story about you.”
Frank unfolds his arms and picks up his teacup, taking a sip of tea. “Alright, so I did meet her that day, Edith, and yes, she told me that you were going to see a clairvoyant, although her description of her was perhaps a little bit less kind than that.”
“Oh yes.” Edith chuckles. “She told me that it was a lot of mumbo-jumbo too, Frank.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’d disagree with her, Edith.” Frank says in concern, cocking an eyebrow. “You know I am a believer in facts, not fiction.”
“Well, I happen to be a believer in Madame Fortuna, and what she had to say.” Edith replies defiantly. “Which I don’t believe to be fiction.”
“And what else did Mrs. Boothby disclose about our meeting in Binney Street, Edith?” Frank asks.
“Oh, not so very much, Frank.” Edith replies with a smirk. “Just that you were out delivering groceries when she saw you.”
“And?” Frank queries.
Edith sighs. “And that she told you how distracted I’ve been about not having a commitment from you about getting married.”
“Which is utter pish-posh************, Edith, and well you know it.” Frank says seriously. “You know I’m committed to marrying you. You’re the only girl for me.”
“I know that, Frank. But Mrs. Boothby also said that you should be a bit more demonstrative with your dedication.”
“I doubt Mrs. Boothby would have used either the word ‘demonstrative’ or ‘dedication’.” Frank laughs.
“Maybe not, Frank.” Edith concurs, chuckling as well. “But she made the point clear, as I’m sure she did with you, Frank.”
“Indeed, she did.”
“So, this is you being more demonstrative of your dedication to me.” Edith says with a smile, toying with the box of chocolates, turning the pretty packaging over in her careworn hands.
Frank thinks for a moment ruminating over in his mind as to whether to tell his sweetheart about Mrs. Boothby’s suggestion that he get on with asking Edith’s parents for their daughter’s hand in marriage, which he did do last Sunday on his afternoon off: a visit which resulted in both George and Ada Watsford readily agreeing to the match. Then he thinks otherwise. Frank may not yet be able to afford a gold wedding band like those which he and Edith saw in the window of Schwar and Company************* along Walworth Road in the South London suburb of Elephant and Castle************** a bit over a month ago, but he has almost finished paying off a silver ring intended for Edith at a smart jewellers shop along Lavender Hill***************, not far from his boarding house in Clapham Junction. Although simple, Frank is having his and Edith’s names engraved on the inside of the band, along with the year 1925. He still wants to surprise Edith with his proposal and the ring, so he decides not to say anything about visiting her parents, knowing that after his conversation with them, that they will not steal Frank’s thunder and give the game away, although it will be far harder for Ada, who is very close to her daughter.
Frank raises his hands. “Guilty as charged, Edith.”
“Oh Frank!” Edith exclaims, a smile of delight breaking out across her lips. “You really are sweet!”
Edith reaches out her hand to him across the polished wooden surface of the pedestal table. Frank stretches out his own hand and allows her to enmesh her fingers with his and squeeze them. The action is only small, but so intimate and full of emotion that Frank takes great comfort from it. Even though Edith does not know his grand plans yet, he knows that everything is alright between the two of them now, and any doubts Edith may have had about his commitment to her have been dispelled by his actions, Mrs. Boothby’s consoling words with Edith at cavendish Mews, whatever prediction Madame Fortuna the clairvoyant made, or most likely a mixture of all of these things. Frank smiles reassuringly across at his sweetheart, who returns his smile wholeheartedly.
“I keep telling you, Edith.” Frank murmurs as his cheeks colour. “You’re not only my best girl, you’re my only girl.” He returns her gentle squeeze with one of his own.
“Well, just you keep telling me that, Frank.” Edith replies softly, looking across at Frank with loving eyes a-glitter with emotion. “I may know it, but I’ll never tire of hearing it.”
“With pleasure, Edith, my best and only girl.” Frank answers.
Just then, the double doors near to them open and with the voluble burble of cheerful chatter, people begin to file out the door in pairs or small groups. Edith and Frank watch the passing parade of mostly women and a smattering of men in their Sunday best as they exit the cinema auditorium, all murmuring about the film they have just seen. As the crowd thins to a trickle with the stragglers leaving the theatre and the vociferous burble of voices dissipates, Frank turns to Edith.
“By the by, what did the clairvoyant, madame whatshername tell you, anyway?”
“Never you mind, Frank Leadbetter!” Edith replies with an air of mystery as she stands up, snatching up the box of chocolates as she does. “She told me the truth. That’s all you have to worry about.”
Frank gets up and follows Edith as they join the crowd of chattering cinema goers as they go into the brightly lit auditorium, and make their way to their plush red velvet seats.
Inside the theatre a fug of cigarette smoke fills the auditorium, a mixture of that created by the previous audience and a few new patrons who just start to light up before the house lights go down. The space is filled with the faint traces of various perfumes, which mix with the stronger traces of cigarettes, fried food, and body odour. Around them quiet chatter and the occasional burst of a cough or a laugh resound. It feels cosy and safe. At the front of the theatre, in a pit below the screen, a middle aged woman whom they have come to recognise by sight from their many trips to the Premier Super Cinema, appears dressed in an old fashioned Edwardian gown with an equally outmoded upswept hairdo that went out of fashion before the war. She starts to play the upright piano with enthusiasm, dramatically banging out palm court music for the audience before the beginning of the newsreel.
Settling in their plush red velvet seats in the middle of the auditorium, Frank winds his arm around Edith’s shoulder. “I love you, my best girl.”
Behind them the projector whirrs to life as the lights dim. Suddenly the screen is illuminated in blinding, brilliant white as the pianist in the pit below the screen starts to play the playful opening bars to the music to accompany Peter Pan.
“I love you too, Frank Leadbetter.” Edith replies as she opens her box of Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates and proffers the open end to Frank so that he may help himself to one of the delicious, foil wrapped chocolates inside.
*Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market in Spitalfields, London. It consists of two adjacent street markets. Wentworth Street Market and Middlesex Street Market. Originally populated by Huguenots fleeing persecution in France, Spitalfields became a center for weaving, embroidery and dying. From 1882, a wave of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in eastern Europe settled in the area and Spitalfields then became the true heart of the clothing manufacturing district of London. 'The Lane' was always renowned for the 'patter' and showmanship of the market traders. It was also known for being a haven for the unsavoury characters of London’s underworld and was rife with prostitutes during the late Victorian era. Unpopular with the authorities, as it was largely unregulated and in some sense illegal, as recently as the 1930s, police cars and fire engines were driven down ‘The Lane’, with alarm bells ringing, to disrupt the market.
**The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
***Button back upholstered furniture contains buttons embedded in the back of the sofa or chair, which are pulled tightly against the leather creating a shallow dimple effect. This is sometimes known as button tufting.
****Starting in the Edwardian era, confectioners began to design attractive looking boxes for their chocolate selections so that they could sell confectionary at a premium, as the boxes were often beautifully designed and well made so that they might be kept as a keepsake. A war erupted in Britain between the major confectioners to try and dominate what was already a competitive market. You might recognise the shade of purple of the box as being Cadbury purple, and if you did, you would be correct, although this range was not marketed as Cadbury’s, but rather Gainsborough’s, paying tribute to the market town of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, where Rose Bothers manufactured and supplied machines that wrapped chocolates. The Rose Brothers are the people for whom Cadbury’s Roses chocolates are named.
*****Peter Pan is a 1924 American silent fantasy adventure film released by Paramount Pictures, the first film adaptation of the 1904 play by J. M. Barrie. It was directed by Herbert Brenon and starred Betty Bronson as Peter Pan, Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook, Mary Brian as Wendy, Virginia Browne Faire as Tinker Bell, Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling, and Anna May Wong as the Indian princess Tiger Lily. The film was seen by Walt Disney and inspired him to create his company's 1953 animated adaptation. The film was celebrated at the time for its innovative use of special effects (mainly to show Tinker Bell) according to Disney's 45th anniversary video of their adaptation of Peter Pan. In 2000, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
******The Thief of Bagdad is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, and written by Achmed Abdullah and Lotta Woods. Freely adapted from One Thousand and One Nights, it tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad. In 1996, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"
*******Chu-Chin-Chow is a 1923 British-German silent adventure film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley, and Randle Ayrton. Abou Hassan and his forty thieves descend on a small Arabian town on the wedding day of Omar and the beautiful Zharat and kidnap them. Abou sells Zahrat to Kasim Baba, the miser and money lender of Bagdad, while posing as Prince Constantine. Later, Abou poses as the wealthy Chinese prince Chu-Chin-Chow, and bids on Zahrat when she is placed at auction. She pierces his disguise and exposes him. He robs the other bidders of their wealth and escapes with Zahrat. Promising that she will live among untold wealth, he sets her free. After she finds Omar, Abou takes them to his treasure cave, making good on his promise. Ali Baba, brother of Kasim, accidentally discovers the cave and helps himself to the treasure. He then goes for aid to free Zahrat. Kasim, led by his greed, also comes to the cave but is captured and killed by Abou. Zahrat, now free, returns to Bagdad. Ali Baba gives a great feast. Abou appears as a merchant with forty jugs of oil, in which are hidden his forty thieves. Zahrat discovers the deception and, assisted by a powerful slave, they get rid of the hidden thieves. Left alone, Abou is denounced and the multitude turn on him. Cornered, he is stabbed by Zahrat who then returns to her village and finds happiness with Omar.
********J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.
*********A charwoman, chargirl, or char, jokingly charlady, is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually lives as part of the household within the structure of domestic service. In the 1920s, chars usually did all the hard graft work that paid live-in domestics would no longer do as they looked for excuses to leave domestic service for better paying work in offices and factories.
**********Swiss Cottage is an area in the London Borough of Camden. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies north-northwest of Charing Cross. The area was named after a public house in the centre of it, known as "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage".
***********The term “gilding the lily” came about as a mistaken version of a line from King John, which was “to gild refined gold, to paint the lily.”, and means to adorn unnecessarily something that is already beautiful or perfect.
************Pish-posh is a phrase used in British slang to express disagreement or to say that something is nonsense. The exact origin of this phrase is not precisely documented, but it is considered a colloquial and informal expression that has been in use for many years. It is often used to express scepticism or disagreement in a light hearted manner.
*************Established in 1838 by Andreas Schwar who was a clock and watch maker from Baden in Germany, Schwar and Company on Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle was a watchmaker and jewellers that is still a stalwart of the area today. The shop still retains its original Victorian shopfront with its rounded plate glass windows.
**************The London suburb of Elephant and Castle, south of the Thames, past Lambeth was known as "the Piccadilly Circus of South London" because it was such a busy shopping precinct. When you went shopping there, it was commonly referred to by Londoners, but South Londoners in particular, as “going up the Elephant”.
***************Lavender Hill is a bustling high street serving residents of Clapham Junction, Battersea and beyond. Until the mid Nineteenth Century, Battersea was predominantly a rural area with lavender and asparagus crops cultivated in local market gardens. Hence, it’s widely thought that Lavender Hill was named after Lavender Hall, built in the late Eighteenth Century, where lavender grew on the north side of the hill.
This beautiful Art Deco cinema interior is not all it appears to be, for it is made up entirely with pieces from my miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
Edith’s green leather handbag I acquired as part of a larger collection of 1:12 artisan miniature hats, bags and accessories I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel. The umbrella comes from Melody Jane’s Doll House Suppliers in the United Kingdom.
The pedestal table , vase of flowers, white teacups and saucers and two flounced red velvet chairs all come from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House in the United Kingdom, whilst the dainty box of Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates, which has been beautifully printed, on the table’s surface, comes from Shepherd’s Miniatures in the United Kingdom.
The chrome Art Deco smoker’s stand in the foreground is a Shackman miniature from the 1970s and is quite rare. I bought it from a dealer in America via E-Bay. The black ashtray inside it is an artisan piece, the bowl of which is filled with “ash”. The tray as well as having grey ash in it, also has a 1:12 cigarette which rests on its lip (it is affixed there). The match box in the stand was made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire.
The Art Deco pedestal stand in the foreground has been made by the high end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq, whilst the vase of flowers on it comes from Falcon Miniatures in the United States, who are well known for their realistic and high quality miniatures.
The posters around the cinema walls were all sourced by me and reproduced in high quality colour and print.
The geometric Art Deco wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend, who did so in the hope that I would find a use for it in the “Cavendish Mews – Lettice Chetwynd” series.
The thick and bright red carpet is in fact a placemat which I appropriated in the late 1970s to use as a carpet for my growing miniatures collection. Luckily, I was never asked to return it, and the rest of the set is long gone!
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however, we are east of Cavendish Mews and South of the Thames, past Lambeth to what is known as "the Piccadilly Circus of South London" the busy shopping precinct of Elephant and Castle. It is here that Edith, Lettice’s maid, and her sweetheart, grocer’s boy, Frank Leadbetter, have come for a wander and window shop together. With Lettice still staying with her family at Glynes, the grand Georgian family seat of the Chetwynds in Wiltshire, Edith has a little more free time than usual, so she and Frank are taking advantage of the opportunity to spend a little bit of extra time together. Edith also wants to visit Elephant and Castle because there are so many shops in close proximity of one another, and unlike many of the retailers north of the Thames, the prices of goods are cheaper. As she plans for a future with Frank, Edith now has her eye on household goods. Emerging from the Elephant and Castle Underground Railway Station, the young couple pass the grand domed and turreted edifice of the Elephant and Castle Estate Building* built of red brick with Portland stone dressings and granite columns, and slowly wander up Walworth Road, a busy thoroughfare congested in both directions with all forms of traffic. The road is lined with two and three storey Victorian terraces with shops all along the street level, many covered by canvas awnings, with red and white ‘blood and bandages’** pointed arches and bay windows on the floors above. The footpaths on both sides of the road are busy with chattering shoppers and browsers: couples like them, mothers and their children, well-to-do suburban housewives and gentlemen in overcoats and hats, all bustling and milling about, walking in and out of establishments and admiring the goods proudly on display in the shop windows.
As they walk along Walworth Road, dark clouds roil overhead, swirling about, obscuring the light and tumbling over themselves as the weather takes a turn for the worst.
“Looks like the weather is making a turn for the worst.” Frank remarks, looking up and squinting at the threatening sky overhead.
“Looks like you’re right!” Edith agrees, grabbing hold of the hem of her plum coloured skirt and black three-quarter length winter coat as a sudden gust of cold wind snatches them and whips at them. “A real storm is brewing.”
As Edith and Frank snuggle closer together as they walk along the footpath, hugging the shop windows and doorways they pass, they watch as people hurry along the pavement around them in either direction, their heads bowed down into their collars, or their trilbies and cloches pulled low over their heads to protect them from the wind as their hurried footsteps scurry along the slick paving stones already wettened by an earlier shower. Umbrellas start to appear at the ready in glove glad hands amidst the bags of shopping being carried. Newspapers and other light pieces of rubbish tumble and dance down the footpaths, gaily skipping past them or wheeling and diving amidst the traffic of the noisy thoroughfare skipping between chugging motor cars, lorries and the constant stream of double decker electrical trams and the occasional horse drawn cart with placid plodding old work horses unperturbed by the belching of their mechanical usurpers or the inclement weather.
As a large drop of rain strikes Edith’s shoulder, she unfurls her rather battered old black umbrella. “I don’t know if this will survive the storm, Frank.” she admits.
“Come on!” Frank hisses. “Let’s take shelter over there!” He points a little further along the Walworth Road to a white and russet striped awning hanging over a brightly illuminated window of a two storey Victorian building.
The pair dash along the footpath, joining the game of dodging other pedestrians until they reach their destination, just as a clap of thunder erupts noisily from above, the sound unleashing a torrent of rain. Edith gasps and draws closer to Frank as the heavy downpour hammers the paving stones, splashing off them and splattering Edith’s best pair of black kid cross strap shoes and tan toned stocking clad legs exposed from beneath the hem of her coat. The wind blows the ruffled edges of the awning, sending a shower of droplets hanging from its hem into the air, however in spite of that, the awning provides enough shelter for them to keep relatively dry.
A middle aged man in a camel coloured overcoat and white polka dot blue scarf taking shelter with them tips his trilby politely at Frank and Edith when they catch his eye. “Lovely weather for ducks.***” he remarks with a gentle smile.
“Yes indeed!” Frank agrees and Edith nods her consensus.
“I think this is one of the best places to be, if one must be caught out of doors in weather like this.” the middle aged man opines, to which both Edith and Frank nod in acknowledgement.
Not really wanting to engage in conversation with the gentleman, Edith turns away from him and looks through the window of the shop whose awning they are sheltering under, and to her delight, she discovers that it is a jewellery shop. “Oh look Frank!” she gasps.
Turning around to join her and observe what she has seen, Frank bears witness to the beautiful sight of the display through the plate glass window on which the name Schwar & Co**** is written in ornate gilt copperplate. Unlike the cold and grey day, the window exudes warmth as light from within is reflected off beautiful pieces of gold jewellery. Stands draped with golden chains and sautoirs***** jostle for space with pads of red and blue velvet upon which are pinned brooches and bracelets, whilst in others, jewel studded rings wink and glitter coquettishly. Edith gasps as she spies first an emerald ring surrounded by diamonds, then a sapphire and diamond one. She smiles with delight. Frank points out a beautiful silk lined Travel de Nécessaire****** commenting on its ornate gold and enamel lidded jars, whilst Edith indicates to a beautifully bevelled hand mirror and brush set.
“Just look at those diamonds!” Edith gasps as she spies a necklace of winking, brilliant stones draped along the black velvet lined shelf of the window.
“I wish I could buy it for you, Edith.” Frank remarks looking at it with eyes agog as it shimmers and sparkles against the black.
“Oh Frank!” Edith scoffs, her greyish purple glove clad left hand coming to rest on his lower right arm affectionately. “Where would I ever wear such a thing, even if you could afford it?”
“Buckingham Palace!” Frank booms, with a sweeping gesture, laughing good naturedly as he does. “You could wear it the next time the King and Queen invite you to tea.”
Edith’s girlish giggles join Frank’s bolder chortles as they laugh over the idea of Edith, a humble domestic, being entertained at Buckingham Palace by the imperious monarchs.
Frank’s eyes flit from a small brooch of gold set with pearls pinned to a lace fichu******* draped over a display stand to a small selection of brooches near the front of the window: the latter gold with either pearls or amethysts set in them.
“That looks like Prince Albert!” Edith remarks, pointing to a large profile of a serious man carved in white against a creamy dusky pink background set in an ornate gold frame.
Frank looks closely at it before stating, “I think it may be.”
“It’s beautifully carved.” Edith observes.
“I’d say it’s a large cameo******** carved from agate.”
“You’re so knowledgeable, Frank.” Edith remarks with a sigh of admiration. “How do you know all the things you do?”
“I read a lot, Edith. You know that! I want to better myself, and the best way to do that is to gain knowledge.” Frank says proudly. “So, I make sure I use what little free time I have, not spent with you, being well read. There’s an old saying you know – a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing – which implies that people who are but a little informed could be dangerous and foolish, so I aim to make sure that I am more than a little informed.”
“I admire you for that, Frank.” Edith acknowledges her beau. “You read serious books and build up your knowledge.” She sighs with frustration. “Whereas all I seem to find the time or energy to read after a day’s hard graft are books about cooking or romance novels like those by Madeline St John.”
“Well, that’s good too, Edith!” Frank assures her.
“Not when you compare it to the things you read, and the things you know, Frank.”
“But as I’ve said before, Edith, we’re all good at different things, and you know how to make a cake, which is more than I know how to do! What could be more important than knowing how to feed people, Edith?” Frank says, pulling his sweetheart close to him by wrapping his right hand around her right forearm and embracing her comfortingly.
“Yes, but you know so many more important things, Frank: things about the world, like political and social ideas, which I know very little to nothing about. They’re more important than cake recipes, or how to mend a sagging hem.”
“There are plenty of politicians who think that what they say, and who they are, are important, Edith, but I can assure you that they aren’t.” Frank replies sagely.
“Oh, you know what I mean, Frank. I’m not very political. Not like you.” Edith remarks flippantly to Frank, yet at the same time she self-consciously toys with her blonde waves poking out from beneath her black dyed straw cloche as she speaks. “I mean, I know you’ve tried to teach me, but I can’t help it. I get confused between the parties and what they all stand for.”
“You aren’t alone in that, Edith.” Frank assures her. “Politicians are a breed of people who aim to bamboozle with their words.”
“Well, I’m relieved to hear that.” Edith admits.
“It doesn’t matter, Edith! You’re wonderful enough as you are, and there are things that you understand and are far better at than I’ll ever be. You might think that they are inconsequential, domestic things, but they aren’t! I’m no good to myself because I can’t cook. I have to rely on Mrs. Chapman, my landlady in Clapham to do that for me, and even if she serves me kippers, which I hate, I have to eat them, because I can’t make anything myself as an alternative. I’m lucky if I can boil the kettle for a good brew!” He chuckles light heartedly.
Edith chuckles along with him, feeling a little better about herself.
Frank looks his sweetheart earnestly in the eye. “One of the reasons why I’ve always admired you, Edith, is because you aren’t some silly giggling Gertie********* like some of the housemaids I’ve known in my time who live around Mayfair, Belgravia and Pimlico. You aren’t turned by just a handsome face, and your head isn’t filled with moving picture stars and nothing else.”
“Well, I do like moving picture stars too, Frank.” Edith confesses guiltily.
“Oh, I know you do, Edith, and I love you for that too.” Frank reassures her. “But it’s not all there is in there. You have a good head on your shoulders, and you’re wise for your years.” he acknowledges. “Your parents taught you well, and common sense is something a lot of people lack nowadays.”
“Oh thank you Frank.” Edith breathes softly, looking up lovingly into her beau’s face. “Then you aren’t ashamed of me then, just because I’m not the most political person?”
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll happily say it again,” Frank rubs Edith’s arm comfortingly. “Of course I’m not ashamed of you Edith, in any way! How could I ever be ashamed of you? I’m as proud as punch********** to step out with you! You’re my best girl.”
“Oh Frank!” Edith wraps her arms loving around Frank’s waist.
“I only wish I could afford to buy you a nice brooch like that.” He nods at an ornate gold brooch set with a single amethyst. “Purple is your colour.”
“You don’t have to buy me a brooch, Frank!” Edith insists in reply.
“I know, but I’d like to buy you one all the same. It will last longer than a box of Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates.”
“Mmmm,” Edith smiles and murmurs, “I like them too.”
“Yes, but a pretty brooch would look so nice,” Frank breaks their embrace and holds his sweetheart at arm’s length. He picks up the corner of her left coat lapel. “Pinned here for all the world to see that Frank Leadbetter loves Edith Watsford. It’s quite fashionable to wear brooches these days.”
“You are well informed, Frank.” Edith laughs in surprise. “And you’re right, but really, all I need is one of those on my finger on our wedding day.” She glances back into the jeweller’s window and nods at a pad of shiny gold wedding bands gleaming in the warm light cast from the lights at the top of the window.
“And you’ll get it, Edith,” Frank pauses. “In due course.”
“And when is that going to be?” Edith asks, looking seriously into her beau’s face, trying to read his expression as it causes his face to crumple.
“Well… well… when the time is right, Edith.”
“Isn’t now the right time, Frank?” she asks.
“Well… well of course… it could be.” Frank stammers.
“Could be, Frank?” Edith shudders as she feels someone walk over her grave***********. “What… is that supposed to mean?”
“I just mean I want the timing to be right when I ask you to marry me, Edith. That’s all.”
Edith doesn’t say anything straight away, but finally she gazes up at Frank and asks a little fearfully, “You do want to marry me, don’t you Frank?”
The question makes Frank feel like he has been punched in the stomach.
“Now what kind of a question is that, Edith?” He looks at Edith and sees her face drain of colour as the unshed tears welling in her eyes add a sparkle and glisten to them. “Of course I want to marry you!”
“Well, we’ve been stepping out for a while now, Frank, and you still haven’t asked me to marry you.”
“Well, I haven’t spoken to your dad yet, and asked his permission for your hand, Edith. First thing’s first you know!”
“I know you haven’t!” The tears that have been threatening to spill finally start: one large drop falls off her lash and lands on her left cheek, only to then be matched by one on her right.
“I’m just getting up the courage to ask, is all, Edith.”
“Well, I don’t see why you can’t ask him now. All that business with me agreeing to move to Metroland************ if you are offered an opportunity to manage a suburban grocers is done now. I’ve agreed, so I don’t see why you can’t ask. I know both Mum and Dad were a little disappointed that you didn’t ask them when you came to our New Year’s Eve party in Harlesden.”
“And you obviously were too.” Frank concludes Edith’s unspoken conclusion to the sentence.
When Edith nods shallowly, he sighs.
“I’m sorry Edith. I don’t mean to upset my best girl, and I know this must be difficult for you to understand, but I’m a man of principles. I want to ask your dad for your hand when I think I look most favourable.”
“But that time is now, Frank!” Edith retorts.
“Not for me it isn’t, or not just yet at least. I just want my prospects to look good enough to show that I can provide for you and be a good husband.”
“But they do, Frank, and you will be a good husband. Dad is very pleased with what you are doing to improve your situation at Mr. Willison’s Grocery, and even Mum is slowly coming around to your ideas of wanting to improve your lot in life. They both know that like them, you want the best for me. When will you ask them?”
“Soon.” Frank assures her. “But just not quite yet.”
“I think I need one of those clairvoyants I see adverting discreetly in the newspapers.” Edith mutters as she opens her slightly battered green leather handback and fossicks around inside it, huffing and puffing as she does. “They’ll give me the answers I seek.”
“No you don’t, Edith!” Frank holds her at arm’s length again whilst she dabs at her eyes with the embroidered lace handkerchief she has pulled out.
“You’re dragging your feet, Frank.” she snivels
“No I’m not, Edith. Please!”
“And I don’t see why. I know you want us both to save a little more money, so that we can set up house together, but just because we announce we are engaged, doesn’t mean we have to get married straight away.”
“Perhaps not,” Frank agrees. “But once the cat is out of the bag, well, there is always pressure put on the young couple to set a date.” He looks at her seriously. “Long engagements are not very fashionable, even when they are for all the right reasons.”
“Well,” Edith dabs her reddened nose. “Just don’t wait too long, Frank.”
“I won’t!” he assures her. “I promise. I don’t want us to quarrel over this.”
“Oh I don’t want to quarrel, Frank!” Edith concurs. “I’m just concerned is all.”
“Well you have no need to be, Edith. You’re my best girl, and eventually you will be my best bride.” He smiles broadly, albeit a little remorsefully, feeling bad for putting Edith in the position where she feels so upset about sometjing that should fill her with happiness. “I promise I will ask your dad the moment the time feels right to me.” He turns around and notices that the rain has stopped, with only showers of drips being blown from the ruffled awning edge by the wind now. They now stand alone together beneath the awning, with the man in the camel coat gone whilst they have been talking. “Look, Edith! It’s stopped raining. What’s say we go back to Lyon’s Corner House************* at the top of Tottenham Court Road for a slap up tea?” Edith manages to smile, and like the sun coming out from behind the clouds after a storm, it makes Frank glad. “I might not be able to afford a gold and amethyst brooch for you just yet, but I can at least afford that now.”
“Alright Frank.” Edith acquiesces with a sniff. “Let’s do that.”
*The Elephant and Castle Estate Building was a local landmark in the London suburb of Elephant and Castle between its construction in 1898 and when it was damaged and had to be demolished during the Blitz of the Second World War. The block of buildings was designed to cover the site of the Elephant and Castle Hotel, together with the shops adjoining. The estate formed an island amidst the busy junction of major thoroughfares, and was well known in a very conspicuous position, the headway facing the north, and having a frontage to Newington Butts and Walworth Road. The Elephant and Castle Estate Building contained a hotel. Th ground floor of the hotel was divided into a saloon, luncheon, private and public bars, and the basement had a three-table billiard-room and cellarage accommodation. On the first floor were a double table billiard-room and large dining room, whilst on the second and third floors, fourteen bedrooms and two large sitting-rooms, and on the top floor kitchen and domestic offices and four bedrooms. The rest of the large and conspicuous building was occupied by nine lock-up shops on the ground floor, with basements. The first floor was approached by a fireproof staircase from Newington Butts, and was designed for three suites of offices. The three upper floors had a fireproof staircase, approached from Walworth-road, and allowed for eight separate suites of residential flats. The building was badly damaged by bombs during the war, along with much of the area around it, and in 1965 the new Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre opened on the site.
**”Blood and Bandages” is an architectural style that was popular before the First World War where buildings are constructed of layers of red brick with intervening white stone dressings. Normally Portland Stone is used for the “bandages”, but in some cases white plaster rendering or tiling was popular. The rather macabre description of the late Victorian style came about as a result of people comparing the striped red and white of the buildings to the blood and bandages seen so commonly during the First World War.
***The expression “lovely weather for ducks” appears to have been in use from the first half of the 19th century. Given its humorous usage it may just be derived from a common reference to the common sight of ducks at ease in the rain.
****Established in 1838 by Andreas Schwar who was a clock and watch maker from Baden in Germany, Schwar and Company on Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle was a watchmaker and jewellers that is still a stalwart of the area today. The shop still retains its original Victorian shopfront with its rounded plate glass windows.
*****A sautoir is a long necklace consisting of a fine gold chain and typically set with jewels.
******A Travel de Nécessaire is an old fashioned style of travelling case. Designed for both men and women they contained necessary toiletry items like brushes, mirrors, button hooks, perfume and eau de cologne bottles, and jars for cosmetics. More elaborate ones could contain such items as travelling sewing kits, notepads, ink bottles, match vestas, hair pin tubes and much more, sometimes consisting of hundreds of items.
*******A fichu (from the French for "thrown over") is a large, square kerchief worn by women to fill in the low neckline of a bodice. It originated in the United Kingdom in the Eighteenth Century and remained popular there and in France through the Nineteenth Century with many variations, as well as in the United States. The fichu was generally of linen fabric or fine lace and was folded diagonally into a triangle and tied, pinned, or tucked into the bodice in front. A fichu is sometimes used with a brooch to conceal the closure of a décolleté neckline. The fichu can thus be fastened in the front, or crossed over the chest.
********A cameo is a material that is carved with a raised relief that often depicts a profile of a face or a mythical scene. Cameos are commonly made out of shell, coral, stone, lava, or glass. Cameo jewellery has varying quality factors including the intricacy of the carving to the quality of the setting.
*********Although obscure as to its origin, the term “giggling Gertie” is of English derivation and was often used in a derisive way to describe silly children and young people, usually girls, who were deemed as being flippant and foolish.
**********Although today we tend to say as “pleased as punch”, the Victorian term which carried on through into the Edwardian era when our story is set, actually began as “proud as punch”. This expression refers to the Punch and Judy puppet character. Punch's name comes from Punchinello, an Italian puppet with similar characteristics. In Punch and Judy shows, the grotesque Punch is portrayed as self-satisfied and pleased with his evil actions.
***********If you suddenly shudder or shiver, for no apparent reason, it is still likely that you will say that 'someone has just walked over your grave', meaning, of course, the site of your future grave. The first known written evidence for this notion is in Jonathan Swift's Polite Conversation from 1738.
************Metroland is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the Twentieth Century that were served by the Metropolitan Railway. The railway company was in the privileged position of being allowed to retain surplus land; from 1919 this was developed for housing by the nominally independent Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited (MRCE). The term "Metroland" was coined by the Met's marketing department in 1915 when the Guide to the Extension Line became the Metro-land guide. It promoted a dream of a modern home in beautiful countryside with a fast railway service to central London until the Met was absorbed into the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933.
*************J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.
This beautiful shop window display may look real to you, however, almost everything in this scene is made up with 1:12 size miniatures from my miniatures collection, except for a few select items that just happen to fit in perfectly amongst them!
Fun things to look for in this tableau:
Central to our story, the pad of “Weekend Wedding Rings” is a small artisan piece made by an unknown artist which I acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop in the United Kingdom. The bras stand with the linen fichu from which the blue necklace hangs also comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop. The gold chain featuring five pointed stars which also hangs from it is one of three pieces of real jewellery I have in this tableau. It is a dainty baby’s bracelet made of nine carat gold that was mine when I was a baby. I still possess it after all these years!
The Victorian cameo of Prince Albert’s profile is a second piece of real jewellery and has only recently been acquired by me. Made in 1862 of shell and set in an ornate gold frame, this tiny cameo is only two centimetres in length, yet it is superbly and intricately carved with his undeniable likeness. This cameo would have been in the top range for its fine details considering its size.
The wooden tree of gold chains standing behind the wedding rings came from Melody Jane’s Dolls’ House Suppliers in the United Kingdom. All the chains are stuck in place along the arms of the tree.
Draped to the right of the cameo is a sparking “diamond” necklace made of tiny strung faceted silver beads. It, the tiny blue bead necklace hanging from the fichu in the background and the three brooches in the foreground in front of the wedding rings and cameo I acquired as part of an artisan jewellery box from a specialist doll house supplier when I was a teenager. Amongst the smallest pieces I have in my collection, the gold and pearl and gold and amethyst brooches, it is really quite amazing that they have not become lost during the many moves I have made over the passing years since I originally bought them.
The Christmas I was ten, I was given the Regency dressing table and a three piece gilt pewter dressing table set consisting of comb, hairbrush and hand mirror, the latter featuring a real piece of mirror set into it. The mirror and hairbrush you can see in the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph. Like the necklaces and brooches, these small pieces have survived the tests of time and never been lost, even though they are tiny.
On the left-hand side of the display, in the background, is a glittering Travel de Nécessaire (travelling case), which is hinged, has an inlaid top and is lined with red velvet. It contains an array of beauty aides any Edwardian woman, or her lady’s maid, would have used including curling tongs (which look like scissors), various perfume bottles, pill boxes and cosmetic jars and a shoe horn as well as a sizable mirror. It has been made by an unknown English artisan. The tiered wooden jewellery box, complete with miniature jewellery, to the right-hand side of the photo in the background, I acquired from Melody Jane’s Doll House Suppliers in the United Kingdom.
The small gold lozenge with a leaf motif upon it that you can see in the bottom left-hand corner of the photo is the third and final piece of real jewellery in the tableau. It is a small antique locket of rose gold set with seed pearls (which you cannot see in this shot). Coming from Paris, it was made for me by a jeweller as a birthday gift from some very dear friends.
The white lace in the far background is a piece of real antique lace which has been hand made and came to me from a collector of haberdashery in Dorset.
By Della Monroe
The shape of a woman is one that is cherished as the body has many functions and undergoes many changes with age. However, there is hope for any female that desires a healthy body and mind. This is why it helps to investigate the best weight loss supplements for women.
It is hard to say how many new diet trends and fads are on the market today. Since women are the most scrutinized by society about their physique, the majority of the ads target them first. One thing that has changed over the years is that more research is performed to ensure that consumers are using a product that is safe.
These days more scientists are looking into plant derived ingredients as opposed to chemicals that may help a person lose weight but are also harmful when taken over a period of time. In the past, artificial stimulants have been associated with organ damage and users normally regain the weight. By recognizing womanly needs, a safer diet aid is more likely to bring long term results.
Things like the menstrual cycle and hormones can have a profound effect on the energy levels of a woman. More is needed than a cup of extra strong coffee or energy drink as a meal replacement. Incorporating vitamin B help to energize and boost metabolism without side effects or organ damage.
Garcinia cambogia, raspberry ketones and green tea are just some of the ingredients gaining popularity with those trying to lose weight and keep it off. Some of these also contain antioxidants and natural stimulants for more energy. As of recent, no major recalls have been made of any product that contains these ingredients.
However, it is up to the consumer to know what ingredients to steer clear of, as many are claiming to have these ingredients or nutrients that can help women diet safely. Many cheap knockoffs contain filler ingredients that, while harmless, do not help one in the weight loss journey. Taking the time to gather data from reliable sources is the best investment in self.
Anyone who is serious about maintaining a healthy weight knows that it is a two way street. Eating the right foods and exercising on a regular basis can help curb cravings and add to energy levels. While cutting calories and fat are also helpful, a dieter has to make sure that those are empty calories and not proteins or complex carbohydrates.
Shops that sell health products or organic food are better than drugs stores when it comes to choosing a diet plan that is safe. Some stores have nutritional experts who can make dietary recommendations and handle inquiries without bias. These types of places have a reputation to uphold so they work in the interest of the customer.
Getting serious about losing weight is a great effort that can have lifelong effects. Looking for quality products and becoming educated is the key to better health both inside and outward. While the process itself is tough and it is common to get discouraged, it can pay off over time.
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Once upon a time, a visit to London's Gatwick airport would produce a number of aircraft operated by the US supplemental carriers, in other words, those aimed at the charter market.
Examples included Overseas National, World, Capitol and to a lesser extent Saturn and American Flyers. However, Trans Interntional were a major operator in this market and later went on to introduce DC-10s. They ceased operations in September 1986, as their parent company, Transamerica, wanted to get out of the airline industry.
My photo shows -63CF N4867T slowing down on Gatwick's runway, complete with vignetting, such a feature of that Soligor 200mm !
The aircraft was later re-engined whilst with the airline and after TIA's demise found work as a freighter with both FedEx and UPS.
London Gatwick
14th July 1973
Praktica LTL, Kodachrome II
19730714 N05 N4867T adj clean std