wendy house

Wendy gets geeky:

These original mold SylvaC Bunnies were produced Circa 1930 (thru to 1970). There are many ‘fakes’ on the Market judging by e-bay listings of what counts as a SylvaC bunny. A lot of the sellers don’t appear to know the legitimate mold numbers or the original colour-schemes. It is easy for someone with a copy of the original catalog (me) to spot the fakes.

A lot of buyers don’t appear to realize that SylvaC ceased trading in 1982. In the 1970’s SylvaC introduced a line of gloss-glazed rabbits and some new molds. I’ve seen sellers have either accidentally or knowingly misrepresented a post-1970 Bunny as “Vintage”. Maybe post 1970 is vintage?

The fakes are actually quite interesting in their own right. I’m thinking of extending my collecting strategy to explicitly collect the fakes. Provenance of the fakes is more difficult to trace. That makes them intriguing.

A catalog entry:

So cute!

All my bunnies have at least one partner except the big blue one,  1028. The big blue bunny was owned by my grandmother. It was searching for a partner for this one that kick started my collection. They are so cute!. But big blue is still in the company of all the little-ones and no partner

According to one e-bay advertisement Mould #1027 was only in use up to 1940… building of rumours and legends online…

Sweet bunny-hopping dreams

A plushy virus from: http://www.giantmicrobes.com/

UK Vacation 12

In recent years the Police have started to ‘dress’ their vehicles in bright yellow and blue checks that make them unmissable. When I was a kiddie they used to have a black and white check stripe called a “Panda Stripe”. Police cars were called “Pandas” or Panda cars because of this black and white decoration. I wonder if the name still holds for yellow and blue?

The CCTV Police van pictured below stopped to let my parents cross the road in front of it before pulling up to the junction. Very polite. Maybe they were filming us through the dark-glass window?

CCTV = Closed Circuit Television.

Evidently the UK leads the world in CCTV technology. There is a debate emerging around the lack of legal regulation of use of CCTV’s and their impact on civil liberties.

UK TV cooks #1: 1950’s thru 1970s

Fanny wore ball-gowns in the kitchen, she barked orders at her meek husband Jonny and sheepish assistant Sarah.  In the same breath she would turn to the camera and smile as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.  Fanny’s fake eyelashes looked like they would support the nest of a small bird.  Her lipstick and eye shadow were applied with the same firm dramatic hand.  One website suggests that she looked, sounded and behaved more like a man in drag than a man in drag.  Her comments often offended people. 

As a child I remember that people either really appreciated Fanny or they couldn’t stand her.  I was not interested in the art of cooking.  I thought that she looked like a pantomime dame.  Her offensive comments made me giggle.  That made her programs worth watching.  Several plays have been written about her.  I’ve not been lucky enough to see any of them.  If you know, or find, some interesting stories about Fanny let me know! 

Meanwhile Wikipedia publishes Fanny’s story. 

Wendy

Ales taste best when hand-pulled from a properly stored cask.

UK Vacation 10

Passiontide is the last 2 weeks of Lent.  Lent describes a 40 day period of ‘fasting’ before the Thursday prior to the Easter weekend.  The 40 days is an acknowledgement of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness.  The word “Breakfast” is quite literally what is says ‘Break fast’ indicating that it is the first food after a ‘fast’.  In this case the fast is the inactivity and lack of eating that happens overnight.  In the morning we break our inactivity and fasting with a meal.  Breakfast.   During Lent the Catholic church covers its statues and crucifixes with purple linen cloths.  The purple has been explained in different ways.  It was an expensive dye,  so it is often called the colour of Kings.  In this context it appears to be a reminder to Christians that they should repent,  called the colour of ‘penitance’.  Covering the statues and crucifixes appears to serve the dual purpose of ’fasting’ of the eyes,  and reminding worshipers that they should repent their sins.  The picture below shows a covered statue in St Stephens College Oxford.

UK Vacation 9

This ball is near the Waterfront in Bristol. The steps coming out of it suggest the scale. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to stand underneath it and take a picture of the distorted view within one panel including passers-by.

:: DISCO ::

UK Vacation 8

In a tiny shop window a large banner declares that ‘Jesus Christ is alive today’.  Minnie mouse flies by.  A horde of Betty Boops’ unsuccessfully try to hold their dresses down from fictional wind gusts.  Tweety-pie looks like he could eat a cat in one snap of his beak.  There are no customers in this small shop.  Its difficult to tell if its open or closed. 

UK vacation 7

Bethnall Green 

The (London) Times describes the highlights of the contents of the fictional ‘average’ 650 contents of a British person’s shopping basket.

Excerpts:

What we bought in 1947

Lamp oil

Prunes

Iron bedstead

Gramophone record

Rubber roller table mangle

Whisky nip

Rayon blouse

Cod-liver oil

Corned beef

What we are buying in 2005

Digital camcorder

Champagne

Mobile phone handsets

Gemstone ring

Staff restaurant sandwich

Cinema popcorn

Gas barbecue

Concert ticket

Hamster

I’ve bought 4/9 items on the above 2005 list this year. “Staff Restaurant” is the posh name for work canteen. My excuse for this poor show is not living in Britain. There isnt quite the same hamster culture over here… …yet.. Though that’s not a good enough excuse for not having purchased a Gas Barbecue or Cinema Popcorn.

When I was in the UK I saw a fabulous TV advert for a car that showed a hamster running maniacally fast in a wheel, then the camera pulled back to reveal it was a car wheel… tee hee … hamster power. That car company had done their market research!

Hamsterless Wendy

UK Vacation 6

My rental car was a cheeky little 206. A Portsmouth friend drove an even cheekier Blue convertible, we cruised with the top down and waved at other middle-aged girlies in Blue 206 convertibles. I want one. The mechanical action (electronically powered) of the roof folding into the boot was so so so pleasing it was almost sexual…

UK Vacation 5

I highly recommended this book.  I suspect the reviewer cited in my March 9th entry has a problem seeing the trees (story details) for the wood (prior knowledge of Ben’s political beliefs).  The review misses Ben’s keen observation of the familiar and ability to smoothly transform this into the plausibly bizarre.  An example of a non-political observation that doesn’t give away part of the plot:

“From Newton to Einstein there has been much fascinating discussion on the various factors that affect time.  These include speed, mass, weight distance and strange phrases like ‘quantum mechanics’ which scientists make up in order to sound important and convince the rest of us that we are thick.  However, for some inexplicable reason, despite all this racking of the brain,  no serious research has been done into the commonest form and most radical ‘time bender’ of them all,  which is,  of course, exercise.”

The plot has many characteristics of a classical western.  Clearly identified good guys and bad guys.  The good guys are revealed as people with strengths and weaknesses and the bad guys are evil, powerful and sometimes just stupid.  Think about westerns where the good guys own the small farms and the bad guys are the big cattle or oil companies whose plans for mass production are radically changing the lives of the farmers.  Think of Star Wars,  the rebels against the Federation.  It’s a classic format that Ben spins with very clever twists. 

The strongest impact for me was in the introduction and description of the heros. opening scenes are fabulous because of the way Ben lets your assumptions fill in gaps about the people he is describing, then he gradually introduces fundamental challenges to those assumptions.

It has an excellent ‘chase’ scene which easily rivals Bullitt.  The key characters are distinctive and richly described, as you would expect from the writer of the Black Adder series.

My main complaints are petty.  For example he describes a character as being  “Farty” this is not a descriptor that I recognise.  The closing scene was rather a sensible close,  and consequently I found it a little disappointing.  I was hoping for something a little more comically fulfilling.   That aside,  this is the 3rd Ben Elton book I have read and I plan to read all the rest.

Good reading,  Wendy

Classic UK gorgeous food…

UK Vacation 4

Chicken curry’s are extremely popular in the UK and with me.

I’ve just had a chicken curry in my USA work-place canteen. They called it Thai. I dont believe it. It was so so so bad compared to all my recent UK meals (listed below). It wasn’t spicy, it wasn’t hot. I’m not sure what qualified it as a curry. It was more like stir-fry chicken and vegetables with a ‘hint’ of curry flavor. Maybe it had been cooked in pans that were once used to cook a real curry. Judging by the taste no marinating was involved in the preparation process. It almost tasted raw, except it was sufficiently warm to qualify as ‘cooked’.

Warning: Do not eat curry in USA canteens if you are a British person. The restaurants can be slightly better. Finding a good curry is extremely difficult.

Here’s a summary of my main meal of each day of my UK visit – can you see a theme?:

1: Toad in the hole (family #1 Pub)

2: Roast Duckling & Yorkshire pudding (family #1 home)

3: Chicken Curry (family #2 home)

4: Chicken Tandoori (family #3 home delivery)

5: Chicken Curry (family #4 home)

6: Chicken in pepper sauce (family #5 restaurant)

7: Chicken balti & onion bhaji (family #6 home delivery)

8: Chicken Curry (family #1 home)

9: Roast Beef (family #1 home)

Hungry Wendy

UK Vacation 3

This “Lord Mayor’s chapel” was originally built to service a hospital in the 13th century.  It was bought by the City of Bristol and is the only chapel owned by a “city” (corporation).  Rather than owned, for example, by a religious order or private family.

It clearly demonstrates the close relationship between local city administration and religion in Britain.  Whether this close relationship is a good thing is open to debate.  I’d be curious about people’s opinions. 

When I looked around the church I found the mix of old and new artefacts intriguing.  Illustrated by the desk and computer photographed below.

The Flags look like they may show ‘coat of arms’ representing ’sponsorship’ of this Church.  The bristol city coat of arms, is one possibility.  Other possibilities include families that have significant relationships with this church,  for example the Dragoo family,  professional Guilds, or oganisations (e.g. Universities).  I wish I’d asked about them while I was there…

UK Vacation 2

Temporary paper signs are often used to show when something is not working. They seem to come with HIGHLIGHTED apologies. These paper signs are ‘updated’ by helpful people. In the lift (elevator) someone has hand written directions to a working lift around the corner. We ignored the sign and discovered the lift was actually working…

The sign about “not entering the water‘ just tickled my sense of humour. I’d never thought of ‘entering‘ or ‘exiting’ water before. Describing the water as “not suitable for any other purpose” also made me wonder what people used it for, surely it has an aesthetic purpose? And where’s the harm in a playful summer water-fight? If its not suitable for anything then why is it there? Or is aesthetic not a valid public ‘purpose’? This municipal, metal, sign also had spikes on the lampost above it. Do they have problems with people climbing the lampost? why is that a problem to be deterred? Lampost climbing seems like a difficult, skillful and healthy activity. Maybe the spikes are some form of aesthetic that I haven’t yet learned to appreciate. I was mildly baffled by this. I suspect I will spend most of my life being mildly baffled by social engineering

“Pay on foot” also took a while to understand, as I looked around for a foot to pay…

I’m about to spend a week driving in the UK.  I’ll be reading Ben Elton’s “Gridlock” (review from ‘Punch’ 1991).  The book title alone is personally relevant given the time I’ll be spending in s ‘Small Car” (Peugeot 205) on infamous roads!

I’ll be driving on the M25 (nicknamed ‘Road to Hell), the London North Circular, A4, A40  M4,  M40, M3, M23, M27,  and other lesser known but equally mystical highways.  I do find British roads fascintating.  There is even a webpage describing infamous bad Motorway junctions!.  Such a thoughtful service to internet enabled drivers.

 The infamous Swindon “magic roundabout” is just one of those life experiences that everyone should have

It is the ultimate ‘traffic calming’ device.  You have no idea where you should be going,  where another confused driver might be coming from, or who has the right of way.  The ony safe strategy is to drive extremely slowly, keep looking around, and ignore your mobile phone..!

I must confess my road-geeky-ness inspired me to read Jack Kerouac’s book.   

I love the description of Ben’s book as a “Comedy Thriller“.  That description applies directly to roads and junctions like the Magic Roundabout! 

Excerpt from the linked review:

“Gridlock is about that den of capitalist conspiracy, that teeming cesspit of iniquity, that well-known centre of the military-industrial complex, the…er…car industry. Yes, that’s right. Elton has got a bee in his bonnet about motor cars. He doesn’t like their macho image, he doesn’t like their snooty names, and he doesn’t like the carbon monoxide they spew out into the atmosphere. Above all, he doesn’t like traffic jams. Faced with a traffic jam, Elton starts frothing at the mouth with righteous indignation. In Elton’s exaggerated, hyped-up view, traffic jams are responsible for the death of innocent babies. In one scene, for instance, a heart destined for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital gets held up in a traffic jam and the patient dies.”

When I return I’ll let you know if the actual book lives up to this generally rather unencouraging review.  I know the roads so well already they are like old friends

Sleep tight,  Wendy

I (heart) powerpoint

E.E.E.I.
Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information

A lecture on art, emotion and Powerpoint by David Byrne (3/6/05) University of Washington.

David gave a typically relaxed, personable and humerous presentation.  He detailed his explorations with Powerpoint from personal (likes),  artistic (what can I do with this?) and academic (how effective is it at conveying ‘information’?) perspectives.

He used a specially constructed Powerpoint slide deck (on an Apple Notebook) to illustrate his presentation.   He made some obvious, poignient, observations.  For example, that bullet points are impactful in business presentations.  Power and impact.  Power points.  David commented that he had recently started using bullet points in personal emails.  Sometimes its difficult to tell if David is being increadibly earnest or facetious.  That’s half the fun.

At the end of his story the audience questions were entertaining in how they reflected the diversity of Davids themes and the audiences make-up:

• “What feature would you like to see added?” (Software development question – the event was 20 miles from Microsoft)
• “how do you think digital media influence culture“  (Exam paper essay question – the event was in a University Hall)

David answered all questions with powerful, pointed, insight.  Answers gently delivered in an un-rushed mild manner.  

I’ll probably update this entry as I recall the humor of his points…  …that weren’t bulletted..

Thanks for visiting – Wendy