Live and learn

 

Live and learn

The spike fiddle rested on the knee to be played.

 Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

More words gleaned along the way – some will be instantly forgotten, I’m sure.

Erhu: the erhu is a two-stringed musical instrument from China, known as a spike or Chinese fiddle. There is more information here.

 Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

'Not very long ago,

When we started for a show, 

We jumped aboard a street car, 

My! but it was slow.'

Jitney: Jitney is slang for a nickel, a five cent coin. A jitney is a low fare bus or car service, originating in the early twentieth century in the USA.

                                    Mahwa leaves and fruit

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Mahwa: Mahwa or Madhuca longifolia is a fast-growing tropical tree found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. 

The leaves are eaten by a moth which produces wild silk, its flowers are used to make alcoholic drinks, and the bark has medicinal qualities. 

The seeds which follow the flowers provide oil which is used for skin care, detergent, soap, and vegetable butter. 

One of its popular names is Butter Tree.

It is a valuable, all-purpose tree.