Heath Robinson

 

Heath Robinson

'How to Rise with the Sun'

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I used the expression ‘Heath Robinson’ on my blog the other day. I didn’t give it a second thought until someone, DB, I believe, said he had looked it up to see if it meant what he thought it meant.

Heath Robinson is a British aphorism to describe a solution or gadget that is over-engineered for the task in hand, and completely impractical. A simple solution is overlooked for a far more complex improvised one.

More frequently, it describes a temporary, often ingenious solution to a problem, using whatever might come to hand in the vicinity. It’s usually rickety and prone to failure if not incessantly tinkered with.

First lessons in walking
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The phrase originates from William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) He was an English cartoonist and book illustrator from a family of artists and became well-known for his capricious drawings of impossibly complicated machines. For instance, a simple device like an egg whisk might employ winches, switches, cogs, and lengths of knotted string. Another could show a machine driven by steam from a kettle heated by candles.

The First World War (1914-1918) inspired Heath Robinson to imagine a series of bizarre secret contraptions for the opposing armies to out-manoeuvre each other. Among the many cartoons he produced was one for ‘an armoured bayonet curler.’

The phrase ‘Heath Robinson’ became a part of British armed forces slang during WWI and thereafter was adopted by the general public. In WWII (1939-1945) codebreakers at Bletchley Park called one of the early computing machines ‘the Heath Robinson.’

The American equivalent of Heath Robinson is Rube Goldberg, while the Danes have Storm Petersen.

Nick Park’s inventions in the ‘Wallace and Gromit’ films are worthy descendants of Heath Robinson.

Things that appeal

 

Things that appeal

Remembering the Muppets the other day and how much I enjoyed watching them from time to time made me start thinking about the appeal of children’s films and television programmes. 

Frankie and Susannah came to live with us ‘just for a few months’ after they had to leave their home in London. Selfish men don’t have any consideration for their small children! ’Nuff said.

Frankie was 16 months old and Barry and I had the privilege of seeing him grow and develop. Susannah was commuting to London every day, leaving early and arriving home after Frankie was in bed. A most agreeable part of the day was sitting with him on my lap and watching cartoons. Bedtime stories were another pleasure.

It quickly became apparent which cartoons were simply for entertainment and which had underlying messages and subtle nods to adult viewers. The ones I particularly liked were ‘Peppa Pig’ and ‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’. Both were created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker and many of the voice actors were common to both.

Peppa Pig was a young piglet encountering many of the experiences that little children have – going to pre-school, visiting the dentist, shopping, playing with friends at the park, swimming. Her favourite thing was splashing in muddy puddles. It was quite common when we were walking the dogs in the woods to see young children emulating her, sometimes to the irritation of their parents!

‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’ was for slightly older children and was centred around a miniature magic kingdom. Ben was an elf and his best friend was Princess Holly. Her efforts at magic were not always successful. They were charming and funny characters, with ‘good hearts’.

Once we had started reading Julia Donaldson’s wonderful stories with Axel Scheffler’s amazing illustrations, we entered a different world of make-believe. Many a walk was enhanced by a search for the Gruffalo, the most persistent of Julia Donaldson’s creations.

The Gruffalo, 'with terrible claws, and terrible tusks in its terrible jaws, and knobbly knees and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of its nose'

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The ‘just for a few months’ extended to 5½ years until Susannah found a nice house nearby. It was the right time for them to move and now they’ve moved again, to an even nicer house. Frankie is no longer a little boy but a ‘twixt and tween’, that awkward stage between childhood and adulthood. I remember adolescence so well – it was horrible!

Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave'

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Some of the best and most talented people are engaged in producing entertainment, in book or other forms, for children and for the children in adults. It is sad if we completely lose our propensity for child-like wonder.

 ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and ‘Up’ remain screen favourites, but books from long ago retain their appeal, too. ‘Heidi’ and ‘Black Beauty’ brought tears. ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and ‘Little Women’ introduced characters in Canada and the USA.  

‘My friend Flicka’ and ‘Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes’ lurk in my memory, as well.

                    Which books and programmes or films do you cherish?                                                               

Gull

 

Gulls

The latest post box topper near my home features a gull, an ice cream and a bag of chips (fries for the Americans among us). These are all features of a British summer.

The gull has a chip in its beak. Gulls are notorious in seaside locations for their thieving ways, swooping down on unsuspecting visitors to steal a lump of fish, a tasty chip, a piece of cake or any other toothsome morsel. In short, anything a human is eating is considered fair game. They can be very aggressive and difficult to deter. Probably the best way to escape being targeted by ravenous gulls is to avoid eating outside!

There is no such species as a ‘seagull’ but we all call the flying creatures around the seaside seagulls, even when they come inland to scavenge in rubbish tips. They are very difficult to identify and change their vestments according to the season and their age. The bird on the post box is probably a Lesser black-backed gull, with its yellow beak and legs. The Herring gull has a yellow beak, but its legs are pink.

On reflection, the post box gull looks very like the seagull in one of the Wallace and Gromit films!