Foxtrot

 

Foxtrot

                                        Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Foxtrot is a ballroom dance originally danced to ragtime. It was first danced in public in 1914 and was named after its originator, the vaudeville entertainer, Harry Fox.  From its inception until the 1940s it was the most popular fast dance, combining quick short steps with longer flowing ones.  Most of the records produced in this period were foxtrots.

In the early 1950s rock and roll made its debut. Record companies were unsure which style of dancing would best fit the music, but Decca Records decided to classify their rock and roll discs as foxtrots. Thus, Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’ was called a foxtrot. It is estimated that the recording sold more than twenty-five million copies of the song to become the biggest selling foxtrot of all time.  

Have you seen a fox trot
Neatly through the night,
Keeping out of eyeshot
And the farm dog’s bite?

Red coat and sharp black nose,
Bushy tail held straight,
Fleet of foot on soft toes,
Dinner can’t be late.

Now the henhouse beckons,
All the hens asleep,
Reynard swiftly reckons -
How many will he reap?

One, two, three or seven?
Hungry cubs await
Chicken supper heaven!
Then he hears, too late

The farmer’s heavy footfalls,
The roaring of his gun,
The beating of his heart stalls -
Reynard’s life is done.

JC

Dancing

 

Dancing

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I was educated solely with girls from the age of six to eighteen.

This had a lasting impact on my ability to interact with the opposite sex. I had an older brother, who was no help to me whatsoever, and a glamorous sister, fifteen years my senior. She had a stream of attractive boyfriends, and I used to watch wide-eyed as she prepared for an evening out, knowing I would never be able to achieve her level of sophistication. I overcame these obstacles to some extent, of course, but was always shy and never managed the easy relationships with young men that other girls seemed to enjoy.

Anyway, at the age of eleven, I duly went off to the next stage of my state education. Dancing was part of the physical education curriculum. We learnt country dancing -Strip the Willow and Sir Roger de Coverley, Old Tyme dancing - the Veleta and the Military Two-Step, and ballroom dancing - the Cha Cha Cha and the Foxtrot. We galloped sweatily round the gymnasium, enthusiastic but not completely enamoured of the exercise.

All the staff members were women. (The appointment of two male teachers a few years later caused a great buzz of unnecessary enthusiasm.) One of our PE teachers was a particularly good ballroom dancer, but I’m afraid we callow lasses didn’t appreciate her skill as we watched her spinning gracefully round the assembly hall with her female partner. Our comments were uncharitable at best. We had little interest in anything other than ourselves.

When we were about fourteen, the school organised a ‘formal’ dance and we all dressed in our finest. My mother was a talented needlewoman and made me a very pretty deep pink Empire line dress. Our pleasures in those days were simple, and one of the highlights of the evening was commenting on what everyone else was wearing. After all, we were accustomed to seeing each other only in our hideous green school uniform. We danced together decorously, the bolder girls inviting teachers to partner them.

I wonder what those women made of the event. Many of them, though they seemed ancient to us, were probably in their late thirties or early forties and had possibly lost fiancés in the war. It must have felt bittersweet to them as they twirled around the parquet flooring in the embrace of adolescent girls, some of whom, in the time-honoured manner of single sex schools, had crushes on them.

Looking back, I applaud the magnanimity of those adults in volunteering to supervise us and accept invitations to dance, or maybe they had been coerced into it by our less than amiable headmistress.

Mating Dance

 

Mating Dance

Peacock spider (Maratus volans)

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A courtship display or mating dance is a ritual set of movements designed to attract the attention of a potential mate. If successful, the couple will copulate and eventually young will be born or hatched.

Ritual displays are often colourful and extravagant. The Peacock spider (Maratus volans) is a jumping spider native to Australia. Brightly coloured, he also claps his third pair of legs and dances from side to side as he approaches the female. However, if she is not sufficiently impressed by his display, she may eat him!

About sixteen years ago, we were privileged to watch an incredibly special ritual never before captured on camera. The conservatory was empty of everything except a pair of step-ladders. As we attempted to fold the ladders to put them away, we noticed that they were inextricably tangled. On closer inspection, we realised we had chanced upon the mating dance of the step-ladders.

The ladder on the right in the above photograph, is a five-step ladder, a female. The male, on the left, has seven steps and is taller and broader than his mate. Note the black straps – a secondary sexual characteristic of the male.

The following photograph gives a closer view of the male’s technique. See how closely he embraces his mate. Can you see the female’s black feet?

We were delighted to be privy to this unique event and anxiously awaited baby ladders in the near future. We hoped they would be six-steppers, but would have been content simply to see sturdy baby ladders.

 View from another angle, female on left, male on right

Sadly, it was not to be, and a repeat mating was never attempted, for the ladders were separated and stored, never to meet again.

Tally Ho!

 

Tally Ho!

Point-to-point (steeplechase) 1870s

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Many years ago, Barry and I went to a point-to-point on Salisbury Plain. It was a business meeting disguised as a ‘jolly’ – a pleasant day out with refreshments provided. There was a point-to-point, ostensibly to entertain the attendees, in particular the visiting dignitaries of the company. As the company was American, a number of the guests were American.

It was a sea of green and brown. Men in hearty tweeds, some even in plus fours, sipped whisky. Tweed is a robust woollen fabric, prized as suitable clothing for outdoor pursuits, like hunting and shooting, because it is hard-wearing and moisture-resistant, and proof against thorns and thistles. However, the company was indoors, sheltered from the elements, so the outdoor clothing seemed a little de trop.

Women with strong yellow teeth, were drinking gin. They were dressed a little less formulaically, though still in earth tones, with sturdy legs, and feet shod in well-worn leather.As with all gatherings of this nature, there was a great deal of noise. It might be described as braying and there was a lot of guffawing. Everyone was talking, no-one was listening.

Most of the Brits were entirely relaxed, strapping, healthy, well-built people in an ocean of lovat green, thoroughly enjoying their day out, happy to see and be seen and chortling merrily, displaying their very British teeth.

Into this scrum stepped a dainty, whip-thin woman, clearly well out of her comfort zone, but smiling nervously as she accompanied her husband into the noisy throng. She was extremely slender, tanned, stylishly dressed, and beautifully groomed. She was polished and honed and ironed to the ends of her immaculate nails, a delicate hot-house flower in a garden of vigorous vegetables. The most fascinating thing about her was her teeth. They were such a contrast to the dentition of all around her. They were unnaturally, glaringly white, sunbeams glancing off them and dazzling all around her. They were obviously well-maintained, expensive teeth and no doubt, in her natural environment, would have been unremarkable in a room of similarly blinding gnashers.

I was reminded of the episode of ‘Friends’ in which Ross, played by David Schwimmer, whitened his teeth. They shone in the dark!

I don’t suppose the lady ever attended another point-to-point, but she was to be commended for making the effort. No doubt, she and her husband were invited to a Buckingham Palace reception later and that would have been more acceptable to her, though the Royal teeth are similarly strong, yellow, and large.

The Bedale Hunt, early 2000s
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The point-to-point continued, but only those participating took any notice of proceedings. In the distance, the local hunt (Royal Artillery Hunt) streamed across the fields, resplendent in scarlet. Of course, they were not pursuing foxes, as that had been outlawed, but the spectacle was still colourful and eye-catching.

Eventually, the day drew to a close, all the networking finished, and it was time to return home.

Exercises

 

Exercises

 

Just a few exercises for the little grey cells.

Q: They can be made, laid down, bent and broken, although it’s difficult to touch them. What are they?

Q: The maker does not need it. The buyer does not use it. The user uses it without knowing. What is it?

 Q: I have neither sister nor brother, but my mother’s daughter is the man’s mother. Who am I?

Q: An aircraft carrying 60 Mexican lawyers to a convention in Rio crashed on the border between Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. Under International Law, where should the survivors be buried?

Thingummyjigs and what’snames

 

Thingummyjigs and what’snames

Dorothy, on the right, with her elder sister, Edie, and her father, in Folkestone, Kent, about 1936, when she was 18

I first met my future mother-in-law, Dorothy,  when I was seventeen. She was a cheerful, chatty person, who had learnt to make the most of life.

Dorothy as a young mother with her boys, Trevor, left, and Barry, right, in India

 Her first husband died when he was thirty-five. Her second husband, whom she married after both her sons had married and settled, died two years after the marriage. Thus, she spent sixty years of her adult life living alone, but she never complained about the hand fate had dealt her.

Her widow’s pension was small and she decided to return to work. She had expected never to have to work again, but enjoyed the challenge and the friends she made through it. Her social life was built around her working life.

She loved to talk, but conversing with her could be tricky if one hadn’t been in at the beginning of her train of thought. Sometimes, I felt like saying, ‘Give me a clue.’ However, I soon discovered that she repeated herself frequently and topics were revisited exactly word for word, with even the little laughs in the same places. She was easy to listen to, and entertaining, for she enjoyed gentle gossip, though never anything salacious. 

Repetition is not just a function of old age; some young people are very repetitious. Occasionally, I think it’s my fault, and they repeat their tale because they think I haven’t heard, or perhaps I’m not responding enthusiastically or loudly enough.

Dorothy aged 75

Some speakers become so locked into their narrative that they cannot move on from it and must recount every detail. They remind me of people who  struggle gamely through a lengthy joke long after everyone has anticipated the funny ending half-way through. The laughter they anticipated is less hearty than they felt was justified. Thinking the punchline has been misheard or misunderstood, they repeat it, maybe two or three times, while the patient audience tries to respond with the requisite amount of fervour, rictus forming on their aching jaws.

My mother-in-law didn’t tell jokes. She had a good sense of humour but I don’t recall her ever telling a gag. Thinking about her now, I suspect she thought it would not have been very ‘ladylike.’

She took enormous pride in her appearance and was always impeccably groomed. Going clothes shopping with her, which I did frequently, was an unforgettable experience. It was never a short outing, but she loved clothes and was always delighted with her purchases. Any proposed family gathering - wedding, funeral, Christmas - was an excuse to buy a new outfit, and who would blame her, after a solitary, fairly lonely life, if she indulged her passion for style and colour? 

When she reached her nineties, words began to fail her. She had always had difficulty remembering names and often laughed at herself because of that, but then her conversation became peppered with ‘doings’, ‘thingummyjigs’, ‘what’snames,’ and ‘you knows.’ Some of our grandchildren’s names completely escaped her. She could not remember that our dogs were Dalmatians and called them ‘spotted dogs,’ for the bidden word would not come to her lips.

Approximations would be made – for example,  ‘terrestrial television’ became the more heavenly ‘celestial television’ and ‘trolley’ was renamed ‘lorry.’ Someone else I knew of, and much younger than her, referred to ‘Swarfega’ as ‘Swastika.’ (Swarfega is a British brand of heavy-duty hand cleaner.)

There were also almost-associations – a supermarket chain called Morrison’s became William’s. (William Morris was the association, maybe?)

On her 90th birthday

Later, very near the end of her life, when dementia took its cruel hold, she could no longer remember her husbands’ names and lived in the long-ago past, constantly surprised to learn that her parents had died. Ancient transgressions, such as breaking a window, or trespassing on someone’s land, came to the fore and she lived in fear of retribution. Yet, she still recognised that there was ‘something wrong in her head’ as she expressed it, as reality slipped further and further away.

For all that, when or if I reach my mother-in-law’s age, I hope I shall remain as alert, interested and independent as she was until her latter handful of years. After all, what’s in a word?

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

Black Jacks

 

 Black Jacks

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Thinking about black tongues the other day, I suddenly remembered Black Jacks. They are a British confection that was introduced by Trebor in the 1920s. They had a lovely aniseed taste, still one of my favourite flavours, and were renowned for being chewy and turning your tongue black. That was a delight for young children.

Then I pondered black tongues in general. Giraffes have black tongues, as an aid against sunburn as they spend much time browsing the top branches of trees when, along with mad dogs and Englishmen, they are out in the midday sun. Actually, that’s not true, as giraffes avoid the hotter parts of the day.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Okapi is native to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is related to the giraffe and is known as the forest giraffe, living and feeding in dense tropical forests. Its other names are Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, the latter name because of its striped hind quarters. Its dark tongue is longer than a giraffe’s and is used for browsing and grooming. It shares the same gait as the giraffe, both limbs on one side stepping together, unlike other ungulates (hooved animals) which move their legs alternately. The okapi is an endangered species, being prey to poachers for meat, and also at danger from habitat destruction and warfare.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Other wild animals with dark tongues include the Giant anteater, which uses its spine-covered long tongue to extract termites, and Malayan Sun bears, whose tongues are used to eat honey and insects from beehives. The Giant anteater’s tongue is extremely long, and highly active, able to flick in and out of the animal’s narrow snout almost three times a second. The anteater has no teeth and restricted jaw movement, so uses its tongue to crush ants against its palate before swallowing them. Its stomach does not produce gastric juices but uses the formic acid of the termites it swallows to digest them.

Black bears’ and Polar bears’ tongues may also be black on the underside. Other bears with black or dark tongues include the Giant Panda, the Sloth, American black bears, and Grizzly bears. Sometimes, tongues appear black because of the animal’s diet.

Jersey cow
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Among domestic animals, some cattle, notably the Jersey and Angus breeds, have black tongues. Usually, those with black tongues have darker coats. Jersey and Angus cows do not carry the gene for pink tongues, so a calf with a black tongue born to another breed may have inherited it from Jersey or Angus predecessors.

Chow Chow
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

In the canine world, Chow Chows have blue-black tongues. They are a Chinese breed of large dog with thick, double coats, and were originally bred to guard, hunt, and herd. They are known to be loyal and independent. As puppies, their tongues are pink, becoming darker when they are about nine or ten weeks old.

One legend about the dark tongue of a Chow Chow says that when the sky was being painted, the dogs licked up the spilt blue drops. Another says that an ill monk asked a Chow Chow to collect firewood and the dog’s tongue turned black from licking the charred wood. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, for surely the dog would not be collecting burning wood. I think something may have been lost in the translation there.

A livelier story has the Chow Chow hating the darkness of nighttime and trying to lick away the blackness of the evil, dark spirits.

Shar Pei puppies
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Shar Pei is another ancient Chinese dog breed, notable for its much-wrinkled skin and dark tongue. Like the Chow Chow, it was originally bred to guard and to hunt, and was also used in dog fighting. The wrinkles in its skin were a protection in fighting, preventing an opponent gaining a firm grip. It is a medium-sized dog and is loyal and protective of its family.

Blackbird in honeysuckle, Crowthorne

It is not clear why some animals in extremely hot environments have black tongues, while others do not. Similarly, some birds, even in temperate climates, have black tongues. Blackbirds have black tongues, but their relatives, the Thrushes, have tongues that are pink.

I’m sure someone somewhere is preparing a thesis on tongue pigmentation!