Slasher film

 

Slasher film

I came across the term ‘slasher film’ only recently, so had to investigate a little. I found this:

‘’Slasher films are a subgenre of horror centred on a killer who stalks and murders a group of victims, typically using bladed or close‑range weapons. They emphasize suspense, escalating body counts, and the fear of being hunted.”

Blood and gore, suspense, physical and psychological horror, endless unrealistic ‘fights,’ at least two riveting chases across unlikely terrain, like rooftops (why do perpetrators always attempt to escape upwards?)

Many people enjoy watching horror films, for the thrill of almost being involved and having the associated adrenaline rush in the safety of a cinema or their home. The desire to watch participants fighting and enduring terrible injuries dates back at least to Ancient Rome.

Gladiatorial performances were conducted from 264 BC for almost one thousand years. They were not always ‘fights to the death,’ as films have suggested, but were refereed. Gladiators might fight two or three times a year, and have a career of several years.

Slasher films might be portrayed as modern fairy stories, showing the victory of good over evil. Some films have seemed to glory in the deeds of their villains, with sequential films showing the evil-doer as the main focus, an anti-hero as hero, maybe.

The most affecting and effective horror is that which is suggested rather than shown.

I do not like horror films at all. There are enough terrible things happening in the world without seeking them as entertainment.

 How about you?

 

 

Improving

 

Improving

He has a faintly piratical look now, but with a white patch, rather than a black.

It’s been two and half months since Jellicoe’s operation. His eye is improving all the time. He’ll never look the same again, but his personality remains unchanged.

In every other respect, he’s back to normal, doing everything he’s accustomed to. It’s good to see.

As he was, with symmetrical facial markings

Arthur takes a trip

 

Arthur takes a trip

 Drugs are Bad, Mkay?

Five-year-old Arthur is an affectionate, confident, working Cocker spaniel with a busy nose and an ever-wagging tail. Living in London with Susannah, his walks are enlivened by enticing smells of fox poo, which he eats, or rolls in, or both (ugh!) There is far more fox poo in the cities than there is in the countryside. Country foxes roam far and wide, while urban foxes haunt gardens, and restaurants, and rubbish bins, where the pickings are easy.

If Arthur is caught before he indulges in a tasty ‘treat,’ he is disappointed, but philosophical. (There’s always tomorrow!) However, if he is discovered mid-snack, he rapidly gobbles whatever it is. That is precisely what he did on Thursday last week, local election day. All Susannah could ascertain was that it was a large amount of ‘something’ as it disappeared down his gullet.

Shortly after he arrived home with his mistress, he began to display signs of distress. He appeared frightened, was lethargic, flinching, and occasionally trembling, and was most unlike his normal, extrovert self. Susannah rushed him to the emergency vet, who confirmed her fears that he had been poisoned. By the time she left him with the vets, where he was to spend the remainder of the day, he was extremely unsteady on his feet, though he made a feeble attempt to follow her. 

Blood tests revealed that he had swallowed cannabis, along with newspaper and fox poo, which were evident when he was made to vomit. A dose of activated charcoal was administered to reduce absorption of the toxins. He was monitored for the remainder of the day, and was pleased to see Susannah when she went to pick him up, though still quite unlike himself.

He slept a lot on Friday and was not interested in his toys, or food. He’s normally very tolerant of the cats, but was irritable with them. Always a dog wanting a lot of attention and overt affection, he was more than usually insistent on reassurance, as he still seemed scared and disorientated.

By Saturday, he was much improved and even went out for a short walk, on the lead. He was unusually tired after it, panting a lot, but his appetite was returning, and his usual ebullient character was coming to the fore once more. On Sunday, his eyes still betrayed signs of confusion, but he was almost back to normal. He now has to become accustomed to a muzzle, which he hates, to prevent further accidents, while training is ongoing to teach him not to pick up and eat tasty morsels. He is not a greedy dog, but some forbidden things seem extraordinarily attractive to him.

Cannabis poisoning is a common emergency in dogs and is effectively treated if quickly recognised. It affects dogs intensely because they have more cannabinoid receptors, so the chemical in cannabis binds more powerfully. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is fat-soluble, meaning that it is absorbed with dietary fat and so stays longer in the body, rather than being flushed out quickly.

Poor Arthur certainly did not have a pleasant 'trip,' and ‘coming down’ after it was not enjoyable. The whole experience was frightening and bewildering, seventy-two hours of his life that were a nightmare.

My word, you do look queer.

How and why cannabis had been left under a bush in a London park is a mystery. Was it a deliberate ploy to poison animals, a ‘drop spot’ for someone to access, a secret stash, or an accidental loss? There will never be answers, just speculation.

Fields of Tequila

 

Fields of Tequila

To be more precise, fields of blue agave which will contribute to Tequila! 

Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave (agave azul) or tequila agave

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

An image of a field of blue agave appeared on my screen earlier this week. I took a screen shot, but cannot find it now! 

                                            Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Green, or at least, not blue agave, produces Mescal. 

Worms

 

The worms were biting

It was mid-afternoon and the worms were biting. It was too early for supper, but something was required to allay the hunger pangs.

A bap, sliced in half, with lettuce, and cheese, satisfied me. I put a slice of Quorn in Barry’s bap, as well as lettuce and cheese. Quorn is a sort of ersatz ham, made from mycoprotein. I can’t tolerate mushrooms, so avoid it. We don’t buy ham or any other processed meat because it’s not good for kidney disease.

The dogs watched closely, hoping for titbits. I dropped the heart of the little gem lettuce, when I was making the snack, which Roxy enjoyed, but Gilbert missed out, poor starving boy!

‘The worms are biting’ is an old English colloquialism that means that someone is feeling very hungry, as if little worms are nibbling daintily at your innards.

It, and similar sayings, date back to the mid-1700s.   

It is also used in fishing circles to enquire if the fishing is successful.  

A rather unpleasant story, purported to be true (but who knows?) tells of a young boy who was fishing. When asked one day if the fish were biting, he replied that they weren’t, but the worms were. His father, on hearing that, blanched and rushed to find his son, but he was dead. When digging for bait, the boy had mistaken a nest of baby rattlesnakes for worms.

Baby rattlers are born with the fully developed ability to use their fangs and inject poison. However, they are less dangerous than adults, as they carry much less venom. Therefore, the story is probably apocryphal.   

World Donkey Day

 

World Donkey Day

Jenny and donkey foal

I was pleased to see this picture on my screen this morning, and to discover that today is World Donkey Day. In common with many people, I suspect, donkeys have a special place in my heart. I have never known a donkey, or even been near one since my childhood, but somehow these friendly-looking quadrupeds have found their way into my consciousness, probably through children’s stories and poems.

Christopher Robin’s Eeyore, in Winnie-the-Pooh, the lugubrious, permanently pessimistic animal with the detachable tail, is both sad and endearing. One always hopes for a better outcome for him.

In ‘Don Quixote,’ Sancho Panza, Quixote’s faithful servant, rides his cherished donkey as he accompanies his master on his fanciful journey. Sancho loves his donkey almost more than life itself.

G.K. Chesterton’s poem, ‘The Donkey’ portrays the donkey as a simple, unprepossessing animal with a noble duty.

Mary Oliver in her poem, ‘The Poet Thinks about the Donkey,’ shows him as a patient, unassuming beast who will share in greatness.

Legend has it that the donkey bears a cross on his back for his part in the Nativity, carrying Mary to Bethlehem, then carrying Jesus into Jerusalem. It is also said that the donkey stood by at the crucifixion, and the shadow of the cross remained on his back after the sun rose.

The donkey in ‘Shrek’ is reliable, but extremely loud, and funny.

Before the late eighteenth century, around 1784 or 1785, donkeys were known as asses. It’s not clear why the term donkey came into being. Possibly it referred to the animal’s dun colour. It is preferable to ass, which can be a pejorative term, as in, ‘You silly ass,’ often with ass being pronounced as ‘arse.’

Donkeys have been used as beasts of burden for at least five thousand years. The majority of them work in underdeveloped countries, where their life expectancy will not usually exceed fifteen years. In more advantageous circumstances, a donkey can live up to fifty years.

There are about 185 breeds of donkey, varying from 90 cm (35”) to 150 cm (59”) in height at the withers.

A male donkey is called a Jack, or jackass, and a female is a Jenny. Jackasses are often cross-bred with female horses, to produce mules, which are stronger and more resilient than donkeys. They are valued as efficient pack animals, sure-footed, and capable of carrying heavy loads.

Donkeys have a reputation for being stubborn and awkward, mules less so. Their supporters claim that donkeys are not obstinate, but thoughtful, animals, assessing potential risks before proceeding. I think I’d be pretty careful on a narrow mountain track, too.

Local elections

 

Local elections

I hope all those eligible to vote in today’s local elections have done so, or will before the polling booths close. They are open until 10.00 p.m. Results are expected from the early hours of Friday onwards.

The fight for universal suffrage was long and fraught.

The Third Reform Act of 1884 gave the right to vote to two in every three men, though some men had two or more votes. Unmarried female rate payers had been allowed to vote in local elections since 1869, but were not allowed to vote in General (Parliamentary) Elections.

In 1918, when men returned from the horrors of the First World War, it was felt that there should be a change in the voting laws. The men had fought for their country, but many were disbarred from voting for representation. The Representation of the People Act, 1918, enfranchised all men over the age of 21. Women aged 30 or older, who owned property in their own right, or were married to men who had property, were given the vote.

UK women were awarded the same right to vote as men in 1928. The voting age then was 21.

The UK voting age was reduced to 18 in 1969. This made the country the first democracy worldwide to give the vote to 18-year-olds. Scotland and Wales lowered the voting age to 16 for the Scottish Parliament, in 2015 -2016, for the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in 2021-2022, and local elections.

 In February this year, The Representation of the People Bill (2026) began its tortuous, torturous journey through Parliament. Its intention is to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections in the UK. The government hopes that it will be passed into law before the next General Election.

I know some highly thoughtful and intelligent 16-year-olds, and also many more who are impressionable, and the things they fervently believe often change out of all recognition by the time they have experienced more of life than school, training, and education. They are likely to fall prey to be influenced by some of the wilder claims of the more desperate parties.

There’s still time to cast your vote – if you’re in the UK and eligible.

Losing the . . .

 

Losing the . . .

No, I’m not losing the plot, at least, no more than usual. It’s the letter that comes between ‘f’ and ‘h’ that is proving elusive on my keyboard. I note, however, that it has decided to come out to play now that I’ve mentioned it. Just like a naughty child, seeking attention, it gives the lie to my complaint.

It reminded me of accents, dialect, whatever you like to call them, and some of the regional differences in speech. In some parts of the UK, ‘g’ is given extra value, so that words like ‘singing’ are pronounced ‘sing-ging’ and ‘hang’ becomes ‘hang-uh’. It sounds attractive, to my ears, anyway.

In other areas, ‘g’ is commonly dropped, particularly at the ends of words, so that ‘walking’ becomes ‘walkin.’ That manner of speaking was considered ‘upper-class’, and jokes were made about the Lord of the Manor ‘huntin’, shootin,’ and fishin’. Now, that trait is commonplace in some regions.

In my part of the world, there is an unusual pronunciation of words beginning with ‘str’. ‘Str’ becomes ‘shtr’ so that ‘street’ is pronounced ‘shtreet.’ It’s a ‘shtrange’ quirk.

Anyway, my ‘g’ has returned . . . for now!

Of hats and a song

 

Of hats and a song

Tricorne 

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The tricorne was the normal military head covering in the seventeenth century until 1786, when it was phased out and replaced by the bicorne as a more practical garment. The tricorne had uncomfortable associations with the aristocracy, which were particularly unwelcome in France, following the French Revolution of 1789 to 1799. Furthermore, the bicorne could be carried under the arm, when it became standard etiquette for men to remove their hats indoors.

There are no songs about the bicorne, but there is one that refers specifically to the tricorne. It is a traditional German children’s song,

‘Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,
drei Ecken hat mein Hut.
Und hätt er nicht drei Ecken,
so wär’s auch nicht mein Hut.’

which in English translates as:

‘My hat, it has three corners,
Three corners has my hat,
And had it not three corners
It would not be my hat.’

and in Swedish as:

Min hatt, den har tre kanter,
tre kanter har min hatt.
och har den ej tre kanter,
så är det ej min hatt!

  It is sung to an old Neapolitan melody, and is popular in Sweden, Norway, and Portugal, as well as Germany and Britain, as an action song for young children.

The tune is known as a ‘wandering melody,’ and can be recognised in the works of composers, like Kreutzer, Chopin, Strauss the Elder, and Paganini.

Live and learn (5)

 

Live and learn (5)

Nankeen breeches, Philadelphia, 1785-1815

Image source

Nankeen originally referred to a firmly-woven, hard-wearing material, yellowish-brown in colour, produced in Nanking, (now Nanjing) China. Nankeen is a corruption of the name Nanking. Later, material was dyed yellow to resemble Nankeen. 

The material was used in the 19^th century to produce working trousers, often known by the wonderful name, ‘Nankeen inexpressibles.’

Nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is reddish-brown in colour, and so is also known as the rufous night heron. It is native to Australia, and found in many other parts of Australasia. It is almost entirely nocturnal, emerging after sunset to feed on crabs, crayfish, frogs, lizards, and a variety of insects including crickets, caterpillars and ants.

Nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides) with catch

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Another rufous Nankeen bird, and native to New Guinea and Australia, is the Nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides) Though it is a falcon, it does not pursue its prey, although it often hovers over areas which might provide good hunting. One of its common names is the Mosquito hawk! Generally, it perches in full sight, scanning the ground for prey, mostly in the form of small rodents, and reptiles.

Bicorne

 

Bicorne

Napoleon Bonaparte

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I have been listening to the Wellington and Napoleon Quartet, by Simon Scarrow. It is historical fiction portraying the parallel lives and careers of Arthur Wellesley, (1^st Duke of Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte (1st Emperor of France) A small detail that jumped out at me last night was about the bicorne, and active duty.

The bicorne is a two-pointed hat, usually seen in portraits of Bonaparte, or Wellington, or Admiral Lord Nelson, during the time of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). 

Anne, Princess Royal

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It is still seen in ceremonial dress, though usually in fore-and-aft fashion, whereas Bonaparte et al wore theirs side-to-side, or ‘athwart.’  

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the practice of wearing bicornes fore-and-aft became more popular. It was more practical, because there was reduced wind resistance, when marching or riding, and a smaller likelihood of interference with weapons. There was also less chance of it being knocked off!

Napoleon famously continued to wear his athwart, while Wellington, according to the author Simon Scarrow, altered his from athwart to fore-and-aft to indicate that he was on active duty.

Green shoots?

Not oak, but new rose leaves.

Not all new spring growth is green. The leaves in the oak trees near us are a rich bronze-red colour when they emerge, turning green later on in the year. The red colour is from high levels of anthocyanins, which provide an important natural defence against damaging sunlight. The chlorophyll in young leaves is protected until the leaves mature, and turn first light and then darker green.

Red leaves are less likely to be eaten by pests. Studies have shown that red indicates that a plant is not good enough to eat, lacking nitrogen, or is tough and more difficult to chew. Additionally, some sick or dying plants have red leaves, so will be avoided by herbivores, both insect and mammal.

Freelance

 

Freelance

Where did this expression originate? Were freelancers otherwise known as mercenaries, ‘lances for hire,’ ready to fight for whoever would pay them?

I digress. Our middle daughter, Susannah, is an excellent organiser. Weeks ago, she organised a day’s sailing for her father, brother, and eldest nephew. As the time drew near, she fretted over weather forecasts, but all looked set fair for a glorious day on the Solent. Every day this week the weather was beautiful until today, the day of the projected sail. The forecast was dismal. After much deliberation, they decided to make the most of it anyway. It might be a bit damp and there probably wouldn’t be much wind, but they’d have a good day out together.

Susannah is a television producer. When her contract ended recently, she became freelance. ‘Times is hard’ and jobs are few and far between. The nature of the work means that she is called at sometimes very short notice to work unsocial hours. That happened on Friday evening and she found she would be required to work all weekend as well as next week. She was very torn. Obviously, she couldn’t refuse the job, needing to keep her name in the forefront of potential employers’ minds, and not knowing when or if another would crop up any time soon. She thought long and hard about taking her laptop with her to the boat, so that she could work there. Reluctantly, she decided against that, needing to be on immediate call, and concluding that it would be difficult to concentrate on the job.

She was really upset, especially when her brother, Gareth, drove up with one of his sons. It was the right decision, but it has unsettled her. She had intended staying with us for a few days, but now has to return to London, as the job requires her to go to the office on Tuesday.

The men had a most enjoyable day. The sun shone, the wind blew gently, and the projected rain didn’t appear until late afternoon. It was very pleasant for them to spend time together. Callum, our eldest grandson, and Louis, Gareth’s younger son, are close in age, and employed in the same world as their elders.

Meanwhile, Susannah has highlighted another day for sailing. If nothing else, it may ensure that she is provided with work! She wasn’t very amused by that observation.

(Postscript: I just looked up the derivation of freelance and found the following:

The term “freelance” originates from the Middle Ages, where it was used to describe a “free lance,” referring to a medieval mercenary or knight who was not permanently employed by any lord or king. These knights offered their services to the highest bidder, often being hired for specific battles or campaigns.)

A veritable forest

 

A veritable forest

Api noir apples

Image source

This morning a long cardboard container was delivered to our front door. We knew from the depiction of flowers on the box that the contents were living plants, but we hadn’t ordered any.

They were carefully packed and secured to prevent damage during transit, and we soon discovered that we had been given a veritable forest of fruit trees and shrubs. There were six altogether. If we’re lucky and look after our trees properly, we should be rewarded with some sweet fruit, though probably not this year, of course.

‘Peregrine’ peach is reputedly one of the best-flavoured peaches, heavy cropping, and giving juicy white-flesh fruit from August. It is self-fertile, so does not need a compatible partner.

Apricot ‘Large early’ is also self-fertile, providing large, sweet fruit with orange-yellow flesh from late June to early August. It is described as ‘hardy’ and ‘dependable.’

‘Patio’ nectarine is grown on dwarf root stock and should not grow more than two metres tall. It does not need to be pruned, and is loved by bees. It, too, does not require a pollination partner.

‘Early Rivers’ cherry is an English tree that gives large, almost black, sweet cherries in the first half of June. It is one of the earliest cherries to ripen. It is said to be a heavy regular cropper, and has been grown since 1872. It is self-sterile, so needs a partner. We will attempt to identify our current cherry tree, which produced masses of white blossom this year, and hopefully it will be compatible.

‘Api noir’ apple is a French dessert apple, probably dating from the seventeenth century. It, too, is self-sterile, so perhaps one of our apple trees will fulfil the required task. The apples are small, and purple to almost black. They are plentiful and sweet and keep well.

The Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) is a member of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae) and is native to China. It was originally used for hedging and as a decorative garden plant when it was first brought to the UK by the Duke of Argyll in the early eighteenth century.

All six plants are suitable to grow in patio containers.

They were a gift from our eldest daughter. Thank you, Gillian!

Bow windshield

 

Bow windshield

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Watching the Solent to see if the sea was as rough as we had been led to expect (it wasn’t) we saw the CMA CGM Montmartre leaving Southampton on her one-month voyage to Port Klang in Malaysia.

She is an extremely large vessel, but was making way on her own, without the assistance of tugs, so presumably was relying on large, effective bow thrusters to make the sharp turn into the main channel.

We noticed her large green bow windshield, or wind deflector. Such devices have been fitted on container ships since 2015. They have proved to improve a ship’s aerodynamic profile, reducing resistance, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions.

At present, bow windshields can only be seen on container ships, but it is expected that environmental considerations will see them becoming more widely employed. They can be retrofitted on existing ships in dry dock.

 

Ligers

 

Ligers

Liger

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Ligers result from a mating between a male lion (Panthera leo) and a female tiger (Panthera tigris) They are the largest known cats in the world. They have been recorded since the 1800s, when they were first publicly exhibited.

 Ligers do not occur naturally in the wild, since the habitats of lions and tigers are quite separate and do not overlap. Although there is a small Asian population of lions, they are generally associated with Africa. Tigers are found only in Asia. Therefore, ligers can only occur in captivity, where the two species have been kept together.

It was human curiosity, and an urge to conduct deliberate experiments in controlled breeding, that led to them being mated. The resulting litters produced animals which developed into exceptionally large adults, much larger than either of their parents.

 As with most hybrids, the males, though interested in and capable of copulation, are sterile. Female ligers have the ability to conceive and reproduce viable cubs, but these may be more delicate and prone to congenital defects and other health problems. Tiger mothers often reject their liger cubs. In one well-documented case, in 1824, a terrier bitch was employed to suckle three rejected liger cubs in Thomas Atkins’ travelling menagerie. These were probably the first ligers ever seen in Britain.

Ligers display characteristics of both lions and tigers. They are sociable animals, like lions, whereas tigers are solitary. They enjoy swimming, which is something tigers enjoy. In appearance, they display faint tiger-striped patterning on the tawny background usually associated with lions.

  Cubs produced from a mating between a male tiger and a female lion are called tigons.

House of Commons Select Committee

 

House of Commons Select Committee

House of Commons flag

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It’s a drizzly morning, so a good opportunity to sit and watch a House of Commons select committee.

Such committees are an excellent example of how cross-party politics could work.  They are composed of small groups of MPs appointed to conduct inquiries, question experts and ministers, and make recommendations. They cover a variety of topics like education, public spending, allegations of misconduct.

This morning’s committees followed Sir Oliver Robbins’ appearance last week. The first to be questioned was Sir Philip Barton, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, preceding Olly Robbins. He was followed by Morgan McSweeney, former Downing Street Chief of Staff.

The answers to the questions posed raise more questions about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British Ambassador to the USA.

The plot thickens!

 

 

 

Axolotls

 

Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

On holiday recently, a ten-year-old girl found an axolotl under a bridge over the River Ogmore in Bridgend. Experts said that the axolotl would have died if she had not rescued it, either as a tasty morsel, or because of conditions to which it was not suited. It is possible, though not proven, that this specimen was an unfortunate pet that had outgrown its fascination for its owner. Such is the fate of many creatures.

Axolotls are found in the wild only in the lakes of the Mexican Central Valley. They are a critically endangered species.  They are named after Xolotl, the Aztec god of fire and lightning. The legend holds that he turned himself into an axolotl to avoid sacrifice by other gods. Axolotls are an important feature in Mexican culture, appearing in murals and on bank notes.

They are bred in captivity for research purposes, because they have an extraordinary ability to regenerate parts of their bodies, including limbs, and parts of their eyes, brains, and hearts.

They are neotenic, meaning that they reach maturity without metamorphosing from a fully aquatic form to an amphibious being, as salamanders or tadpoles do. Consequently, they retain their feathery gills and live their entire lives in water.

            They can be triggered into metamorphosis in laboratory conditions through an injection of iodine or thyroxine. Following that, the gills and fins are resorbed, while lungs develop, and eyelids grow, allowing them to adapt to life on land. They then resemble salamanders, though differences are visible. For example, a metamorphosed axolotl’s toes are longer than a salamander’s!

Wild axolotls are carnivorous, preying on small fish, worms, molluscs and other aquatic beasts. They are attracted to food by smell, and suck it into their stomachs. They have teeth, but they are vestigial and serve no practical purpose. The average lifespan of a wild axolotl is five years, though some manage to survive for ten. In captivity, they typically live between ten and fifteen years, though exceptionally, some can reach twenty years.

Axolotls become sexually mature between eighteen and twenty-four months, and reproduce through external fertilisation. The average length of a mature axolotl is 23 cms (9 inches) though there is some variation.

Concern about the axolotl’s decline has led to attempts to release captive-bred individuals, but the very real fear is that they will suffer the same fate as wild-bred animals. Pollution, the introduction of non-native predators, and greater urbanisation, all threaten the future of these fascinating creatures.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Harry Flakers

 

Harry Flakers

Roxy likes sunbathing!

Last night, as Roxy lay sleeping (sounds like the beginning of a poem!) Barry commented that she was Harry Flakers. She and Gilbert had had a wonderful walk, dashing in and out of ponds and undergrowth, sniffing here, snuffling there, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Playing in water always seems to be more tiring than simply running. Anyway, there she lay. Gilbert was also asleep, accompanied by Jellicoe and Herschel, one either side.

When I was at school, I had to take two buses to travel there. I always met a friend at the second stop, and one day she told me her sister was ‘Harry Preggers.’ I didn’t query what she meant, just noted that she was about to become an aunt. Years later, I wondered why putting ‘Harry’ at the beginning of a phrase was thought necessary.  What did it add? Did it mean ‘very?’

I’ve just looked it up. It was ‘upper class’ British slang, originating in the 1930s and 40s from the upper ranks of the Royal Navy, and Oxford University undergraduates, and not much in use currently. During the Second World War it became part of ‘jackspeak,’ about which I have written before. I have also learnt that ‘Harry’ is a ‘meaningless intensifier.’

So, ‘Harry Flakers’ means extremely tired, or ‘flaked out.’ ‘Harry Starkers’ means stark naked, stark meaning ‘completely.’ ‘Harry Flatters’ can mean a flat, calm sea, or driving at maximum speed, or lying down and resting. ‘Harry Hotters’ would be used in a ship’s engine room.

There are other ‘Harry’ expressions, but ‘Harry Flakers’ is the only one we use occasionally, perhaps because we both, separately, grew up in the Medway Towns, (now known as Medway) and were unconsciously influenced by Naval and Military tradition. I don’t recall my parents or my mother-in-law ever using such an expression. (I just asked Barry, and he thinks he picked it up at Sandhurst. Many of his instructors were Second World War veterans.)

It does, however, perfectly describe the total relaxation of a well-exercised dog, or lively toddler.

Brainy bees

 

Brainy bees

The 'Waggle Dance' is a communication behavior observed in honeybees, where a dancing bee moves in a straight line and then in a semicircle to convey information about the distance and direction of a food source to other colony members.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Image source

Robin at TheCrankyCrow was wondering how people discovered that bees could count. It has long been known that honey bees return to their hive and ‘dance’ to tell the other bees where to go, and how far, to find nectar and pollen. 

Bees have minute brains, yet display behaviour usually associated with larger, more complex nervous systems. Experimenters in the 1990s trained honey bees to discriminate between pictures showing different numbers of shapes. They learned that choosing an image with the required number of shapes earned them a sweet reward. If they chose a picture with ‘fewer shapes’ they were given a bitter treat as a disincentive. 

Once they were indicating a high degree of accuracy, of about 80%, they were tested without rewards to discover if they really recognised number difference. When the shapes were changed, or rearranged, the bees continued to choose the correct images, thus showing that they were responding to number, not pattern.

Bees also showed that they noticed and counted landmarks in their flight path. If landmarks were removed or added, the bees adjusted their flight to find the food.

Further research demonstrated that bees can count to at least five, comparable to many vertebrates, though you’ll never hear them chanting their numbers. They can be taught simple arithmetic and understand that ‘zero’ is a quantity smaller than one.

In attempting to understand the mathematical brains of bees, I have succeeded in confusing myself somewhat.

A bumblebee choosing between two patterns containing different numbers of yellow circles.

 Credit Lars Chittka

Image source

Live and learn (4)

 

Live and learn (4)

Skirret

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Polygon a few weeks ago gave me ‘skirret,’ which is a lovely word in its own right. It sounds as though it should be something to do with cooking, like a skillet.

In fact, skirret, or Sium sisarum is a root vegetable belonging to the same family as carrots and parsnips. The name comes from the Middle English ‘skirwhit’ or ’skirwort’ which means ‘white root.’

The Scots call it ‘crummock,’ while the Danes know it as ‘sukkerrod.’ In Dutch it is called ‘suikerwortel’ and its German name is ‘Zuckerwurzel,’ which means sugar root.

It develops a mass of bright white roots which are best harvested during the winter, before the plant is active. If left until spring, the roots may become woody, more fibrous and covered in hairs. Skirret is prepared and cooked in a similar fashion to other root plants, or it can be grated and eaten raw in salad.

Recipe for Skirret Pie from 'The Family Receipt-Book, 1820'
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It was a popular vegetable before potatoes became available to Britain in the late 16^th century. However, although it is easy to cultivate, it doesn’t keep well, and is of unpredictable size and quality. In addition, it is awkward to clean. It can be grown as an ornamental plant, producing clusters of small white flowers in the summer.