A web log, an æthereal scrap-book if you will, with a somewhat vintage flavour. News items, occurrences, experiences, thoughts and opinions related to Victoriana through to Fifties Americana can all be found here.
I've been toying with the idea of writing this post for some time now but since the subject has been playing on my mind again lately I figure I might as well get it off my chest.
I've said it before and I'll say it again that in the near-five years I've been writing this blog it has evolved beyond my wildest imaginings into what I hope is a bona fide vintage blog able to sit alongside its peers. Last year I wrote my first collaborative, sponsored piece and I continue to have high hopes for the future of Eclectic Ephemera.
Even before that Hawes & Curtis post last December I had many calls from those close to me to "make more" of this blog and take it in a direction where I might actually earn some money from it (seeing as times are tough at Partington-Plans Towers). It was pointed out to me that my links to purveyors of Classic & Vintage Clothing and Accessories are little more than "free advertising" for the companies therein and that it is foolish of me to send business their way and expect nothing in return (this presupposes that someone actually reads my blog, clicks on a link and then buys something from the shop in question, something which I consider rather unlikely to say the least). Perhaps, it has been suggested, I ought to approach all these companies whose products I like and admire and demand that they provide me with some tangible benefit in exchange for a place on my blog.
Now I know that there are many successful vintage bloggers out there (who I admire) who do sell advertising space on their blogs to businesses relevant to their (our) interests, or who offer sponsorship deals, product reviews etc. Frankly a lot of it is all a bit beyond me even at this stage, although I wouldn't rule any of them out for the future. I'm sure the benefits to both parties are worthwhile, but I don't pretend that I am in their league. Just recently this blog passed 300,000 pageviews (although that's using the notoriously inaccurate Google Stats - with something like Google Analytics I'm sure the figure would be far lower). I have 182 valued Followers (plus 60 on Bloglovin', although some if not all of them will also be among the original 182). But the likes of Fleur, Jessica, Jill and Gemma (among others) have upwards of a thousand Followers and probably 300,000 pageviews every year (all fully deserved). In comparison I have never considered myself anything other than a complete amateur, with a capital A. I have no custom domain address. My blog template is a simple Blogger one, tweaked here and there as best I know how. My pictures still sometimes appear gappy; I occasionally curse Blogger's embed function (and others) to this day. I barely know my HTML from my HDMI. I post what I like to read about and what I hope you like to read about as well.
My attitude to this blogging lark therefore puts me in a bit of a quandary when it comes to advertising/ sponsored posts. As mentioned I still currently see myself as an amateur - a gentleman amateur if you will (a description that has elicited exasperated bewilderment from some quarters) - and the idea of paid advertising is one I still have some difficulty reconciling with. I don't want to alienate anyone. Is it for me to put you through looking at distracting banners each time you visit? But like any advertising you could just choose to ignore it, right? Is it any different to the links bar and other banners on this blog? But, in the spirit of amateurism and the real friendship that exists in the vintage blogosphere, is it not a public service to point out these sites - many (although admittedly not all) of them small independents - where we can find clothing and other items intrinsic to our lifestyle that are difficult or impossible to get on the high street? I sometimes get the feeling that I'm being encouraged to participate in a world where everything has a price, where good fellowship and helping other enthusiasts is naïve and outmoded, and it makes me feel sad - and old. I suspect we've all had that feeling once in a while(?).
My positive experience with H&C has proved to me that collaborations can work - and work well - and as I say I wouldn't rule out doing similar again. But it must be on my terms and I'm still working out in my mind what is best for this blog and for you, dear readers. I'm still on the first tentative steps towards this potential path, still learning the ins and outs of "social media" and I remain unsure of it all. I enjoy blogging, I admit it is an escape but it is a joy to maintain and share. I don't want to wake up one day feeling I have an obligation to it, or to end up resenting it because of some commercialisation - that I've maybe "sold out". On the other hand it is everyone's dream to be paid to do what they love and there are many professionally-written blogs out there, even in the vintage blogosphere. But what does it entail, being a self-employed writer/social media whatsit etc.? I suspect quite a lot. Always I wonder if what I write is of any real value. Just words spewing forth from m'brain really; my thoughts on interesting stories I find. I get told by these same people that my writing [style] is very good, a genuine skill I should be proud of (and paid for), and maybe it is but without doubt there are others out in the æther whose prose is the equal of mine if not better. Could it really be mine is worth as much?
To potentially interested parties I say: don't let this stream of consciousness put you off contacting me - I can only say "No"! I just felt the need to get this off my mind and throw it out there where I can maybe gauge reaction and hopefully find similar thoughts and opinions. I've got a lot of classic Eclectic Ephemera subjects on the way after this too, so normal service will resume shortly!
At the very end of last year (it still feels a little odd describing 2013 as "last year" but I'm sure that will soon fade), amid all the Christmas and New Year messages, I was delighted to receive the always-pleasant surprise of a One Lovely Blog Award from One More Stitch.
I can't say enough times how happy and genuinely thrilled I am that so many people actually read, enjoy and comment on this unassuming little blog. When I started writing Eclectic Ephemera back in 2009, simply as a way to the fill the void left by my then-redundant job, I could scarcely have believed it would one day be entering its fifth year as a fully-fledged vintage blog - with a sponsored post under its belt and surrounded by so many like-minded online friends. My very first post was entitled "Giant oaks from little acorns grow", which I'll admit was written with more than a little self-deprecating humour (fans of Laurel & Hardy may also have got the reference!) - as were my comments about it being "the best thing since sliced bread" or "dying a death within the month". While sliced bread's place in history is still safe, things here are very much alive and the metaphorical oak tree is definitely well-established. 2014 could hardly have got off to a more promising start blog-wise and I hope this year will see Eclectic Ephemera evolve and grow even more.
So to this latest One Lovely Blog award, which I see has changed its appearance yet again. The "rules" have stayed the same, though, but just in case anyone's still unfamiliar with them I have to thank the blogger who passed it on to me, reveal seven little-known facts about yours truly and pass on the award to seven blogs that I follow.
Many thanks indeed, then, to One More Stitch for passing on this award to me and for her kind words in re: my blog. If you want to read about knitting pre-1900 and particularly in the 18th century I suggest you toddle on over to her blog.
Now, seven things about me. Considering I was running low on "interesting" facts by the second one of these awards I'm really struggling now to think of seven more! Like OMS I may come up short this time and I can guarantee we'll now be several feet below the bottom of the barrel.
I am not a particularly strong swimmer and have never been able to swim underwater. Couldn't tell you why; there wasn't any off-putting moment in my youth or a struggle to learn, I've just never been able to get my head around the concept. No, it's not for me! We spent millions of years as a species evolving to get out of the water so if we were meant to still swim about under it we'd have been given the means to do so. Instead we've had to create our own devices and they're the only way you'd ever get me below the waves.
I have always held an abiding dislike of wasps and balloons (this will count as two facts!). I'm better now with both than I was as a child (the former in particular bordered on full-blown spheksophobia - there you are, I've just given you all a new word) but I will still move away from wasps or just flail about a bit, and balloons continue to leave me on edge (especially if they're in the hands - or mouth - of a baby!). I'm no fun at parties or picnics, I can tell you!
I'm not particularly fond of loud noises in general, as it happens (hence my anti-balloon stance).
Not in my house
Crockery banging together, doors slamming, shouting - that sort of thing really tries my nerves. Not that I'm a nervous person by nature, but I value my peace and quiet and don't take kindly to noisy interruptions. I do my best to be as quiet and soft as possible in my day-to-day routine and it annoys me when others maybe aren't quite so considerate. Sometimes I just like to sit quietly and listen to the silence around me (even more of a treat if I'm out and about and find there's a sudden quiet moment). Doubtless this is a trait inherited from my parents - mother's side all have pin-sharp hearing while father's lot were peaceful - you never heard him even raise his voice and I'm the same, if I shout it sounds unnatural to me and makes me feel quite rotten.
Thanks to a recently-renewed investigation into my family history I have been able to confirm an old family legend that held an ancestor of mine from Limerick, Ireland, plied the streets of the London as a blind whistler. Lo and behold in the 1901 and 1911 census he is listed as clear as day - "street musician and whistler (blind)"! The story further has it that he was "known to Queen Victoria"! That's still unconfirmed, but as the first part is true, who knows...?
My late grandfather served in the Royal Navy during WW2 as a leading telegraphist - meaning he sent and received [coded] messages in Morse Code, a language that never left him. He was for the majority of the war on minelayers in the Nothern Barrage, around the North Atlantic, the North and Norwegian Seas. His stories, some of which I have written down, would doubtless make for interesting reading and I hope one day to have the opportunity to look up his war record.
Gathering dust...
I think I may have mentioned this before (!) but my favourite board game is most definitely Monopoly. Unfortunately outside of computer versions I haven't played it for years now because none of my friends and family like playing it. "Boring and long-winded" they call it - the blimmin' cheek! Will I ever find anyone willing to give me a game I wonder?
The seven bloggers I have chosen to pass this award on to all have equally splendid, well-deserving sites, such that I'm surprised I haven't already nominated them before. They are:
As always I know these things aren't everyone's cup of tea and anyone is perfectly entitled to do anything or nothing with this award - whatever they see fit.
Thanks once again to One More Stitch for nominating me, thanks to everyone for making it to the end of this post and congrats to the latest seven winners of the One Lovely Blog Award!
I must start by apologising for there being a whole week between posts but the truth is I've still been enjoying a restful period following my recent hospitalisation (all's quite well, I'm just taking my time [read: being lazy!] in getting back into the swing of things). Now though I've taken a moment to think about doing another blog post and, although I've still got a couple of drafts that I'm looking forward to finishing, I received a pleasant surprise this weekend in the form of another Liebster Blog Award so I thought I'd take the opportunity to use that as the basis for a new post - and here it is!
It is Roxie from The Ramblings of Roxie Roulette who I must thank for this particular Liebster and I urge you to check out her excellent vintage/rockabilly blog if you haven't already done so.
Most of you will know by now the rules that come with this award but for those of you who have come in late, briefly - I must thank the blogger who passed it on, answer 11 questions put to me by them, provide eleven random facts about yours truly and then give the award on to 11 of my favourite blogs with another eleven questions of my own. Without wasting any more time, then, here we go:
What is your favourite piece of clothing that you have ever owned?
I've mentioned before the pair of navy cords that are so comfortable I've almost worn them out and my 1940s Kuppenheimer overcoat, which must both vie for the top spot, but there is a special place in my heart for a jumper I had for a few years in my early teens. To call it "novelty" would be to do it a disservice - it was better than that. I bought it from a lovely little wool mill during a walking holiday in Yorkshire. It was made from the softest, warmest pure wool and had as a pattern a beautiful local scene not unlike the one shown in the above picture - although mine featured a windmill, cows and corn sheaves in a field. I wore it throughout the trip and frequently when I got home - until my stepdad stuck it in the wash and shrunk it so that it would only have fitted a small 4-year old(!). Despite his claims that "it will stretch out again" it never did. I've long since forgiven him, of course, although I often tease him about it still - and he has promised over the years to buy me a replacement but no-one's been able to remember the name of the place where we got it nor been back to that part of Yorkshire since, so a new one remains tantalisingly out of reach.
If you could be a fly on the wall for any event in history, what would that be?
This question was tougher than I thought it would be! "Fly on the wall" indicates to me something that occurred inside a building or other enclosed space, so I would say - in the New York Stock Exchange on the 29th October 1929; in other words "Black Tuesday", the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
Guilty pleasure, food wise?
I've said it before and will say it again - strawberry cheesecake. I could easily eat a whole one at one sitting!
Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
The simplest and most obvious answer would be my parents, or perhaps my grandmother, all of whom of course played no small part in raising me into the man I am today. Outside of family I would have to pick... James C. Bigglesworth - better known as "Biggles", the [fictional, children's] pilot adventurer. I read my first Biggles book when I was about 11 - an impressionable age I'm sure you'll agree - and to this day I thank heaven that I did, for I can think of few better role models for a young boy even today. His attitude, actions and principles have inspired me, thrilled me and helped shape my own behaviour far more than any other character in popular culture.
"while men are decent to me I try to be decent to them,
regardless of race, colour, politics, creed or anything else"
Why did you start your blog?
I originally started this blog, as I wrote in my very first post back in November 2009 (seems like half a lifetime ago now!), to post stories that were funny, light-hearted and linked to my wider interests as an antidote to all the doom and gloom that seemed (and still seems) to pervade the media (whoever said "bad news sells" was right, sadly!). Over time I must have begun to realise that I was perhaps casting my net a little too wide so I started to focus just on the purely vintage-related news. I'm glad that I did too, otherwise I may never have come to know all the lovely people in the vintage blogosphere!
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would that be?
I'd been holding off posting my number one "Desert Island Disc" for some time (no real reason) but now that the question has been fairly asked I can think of no better time to reveal it. Oddly enough it isn't even "vintage" - unless you count the 1980s as such; which, having been born and grown up in that decade I don't! I've mentioned this chap once or twice before as my favourite "current" artist but I wouldn't be surprised if you'd never heard of him for he has been criminally under-appreciated for almost his entire 30-year career, despite him winning many Grammy Awards. His name is Bruce Hornsby and it is this song, his 1986 debut recorded with his then-band The Range (he still tours and records with his latest group, the Noisemakers), which ironically became his biggest hit (reaching No. 1 in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands and number 15 in the U.K.). Even if you've never heard of him or the song title chances are you've heard it in one form or another as credits on daytime TV, bad muzak (is there any other sort?) or maybe even on rare occasions on the radio in its pure, beautiful form. I could (and often do) happily sit and listen to this song on repeat - if need be for the rest of my life.
What was your favourite television show as a child?
It would have to be a toss-up between Inspector Gadget or The Transformers. Or possibly, ahem, Wacaday.
I say red, you say...?
Traffic light.
Recommend me a blog to follow.
Gosh, there are so many (just see how long my blogroll ison the right)! One I think Roxie in particular might really like (although I'd recommend it to anyone) is Veronica Vintage.
What is your favourite scent in the whole entire world?
I appreciate how Roxie's kept the questions fairly unisex until now, but I'm afraid my answer for this is going to be rather blokey. It's high octane petrol. (N.B. I'm not suggesting girls need to rush out to their nearest petrol station and fill their perfume jars with Super Unleaded - for one thing the really powerful stuff burns like hell, in every sense! - but as I don't really know the names or smells of any ladies' perfumes, nor have much of a nose for flowers, high octane fuel really is my favourite scent in the whole entire world).
Would you rather have lollipops for fingers, or bread sticks for arms?
Lollipops for fingers, definitely.
11 Random Facts
This being at least the third set of facts, the bottom of the barrel may be scraped(!)
I have a real problem with flash photography (one of the reasons there are few pictures of me on this blog, although I am getting better and have found a spot where I can turn the flash off and then use a bit of computer trickery to give photos enough light). This all stems from when I was diagnosed, at about 10 years old, with a mild form of epilepsy known as "Petit Mal" (now more commonly referred to as Child Absence Epilepsy). Fortunately it is a type that the child usually outgrows - sometimes with the aid of medication - as it was in my case. But obviously for a time flashing lights were a great risk and I developed an aversion to them which still hasn't completely left me. As a result more often than not any photos of me taken with a flash often end up showing me with my eyes shut (many a school class photo was ruined thanks to me!).
My favourite colour is yellow, because it's so bright and happy. My favourite/lucky number, happily considering this particular award, is the number 11!
The country I'd most like to visit is Canada. I went there for a day back in 1997 during a road trip to Niagara Falls but being partial to cold climates and beautiful scenery I would love to go back there and do the place justice, perhaps on a transcontinental rail journey or such.
During a visit to the Laurel & Hardy Museum in Ulverston, Cumbria (Stan Laurel's birthplace) many years ago I so hit it off with the curator that I was accorded the rare privilege of being allowed to actually wear one of Stan's bowler hats that he wore in their films.
I'm short-sighted and have been since I was about 12. One day I'd like to get some proper vintage (or vintage-style) frames; I recently took advantage of optician Roope Vintage's Frame Style Guide to get an idea of what might suit me and I rather like the look of their suggestion - what do you think?
I used to go in for fossil collecting when I was younger and still have my collection of rocks and fossils, some shop-bought and some picked up during holidays to the Jurassic Coast around Lyme Regis and Charmouth.
The first album I ever bought was in 1993 and it was an 11-track CD of dance club remixes of the Laurel & Hardy theme tune, The Dance of The Cuckoos! Oh the shame (I've still got it too)!
I once found a 1967 half crown, which now graces my coin collection, in the pocket of a pair of costume trousers I was wearing during a performance of HMS Pinafore.
My favourite sports are cricket and snooker (also to play) plus motor racing (non-participant!). My least favourites are rugby [shudder] and football.
In yet another visit to my personal library a further valued book in my collection is a 1930s copy of Everybody's Pocket Companion, a little reference book of facts and figures given to me by my late grandfather.
I once saw, a few years ago, what could only be described as UFOs. I don't think they were extra-terrestrial in origin but to this day I couldn't tell you what they were (and I like to think I know a fair bit about aviation); my best theory is some sort of high-altitude military test. I have always believed in life on other planets but remain ambivalent about the possibility of aliens visiting this planet.
Now to the eleven questions I have to set - which I'll be honest I'm useless at so I've again cribbed a good few from previous award-winners, although I managed to think of one or two of my own too:
Why did you start blogging?
Is your family understanding about your love of vintage and your desire to blog about it?
What country would you most like to visit?
When did you discover vintage?
What's your favourite vintage shop?
Is there a lot of vintage in the city where you live?
Did you discover new hobbies or interests after you discovered vintage?
What famous person from the past or present do you think you look like?
Who is your favourite author?
When you sit down to compose a blog post do you plan/think ahead or just write off the cuff?
If you could be a fly on the wall for any event in history, what would that be?
Then finally to the eleven bloggers to whom I gladly pass on this Liebster Blog Award. I know these things aren't everyone's cup of tea so you are of course under no obligation to accept, answer any questions or tell us anything about you if you'd rather not!
My thanks to Roxie for passing this award on to me; it's always reassuring to know this little blog is still so appreciated. I hope you've enjoyed reading this near essay-length post (sorry about that!) and checking out the worthy blogs mentioned above. I hope to be back later in the week with more classic Eclectic Ephemera fare; until then - pip-pip!
Last Friday I received a welcome surprise in the form of a Liebster Blog Award from Little Lil of London. Thank you, Lil, it was very kind of you to pass the award on to me.
I had actually been following this particular award around the blogosphere as it had been bestowed on a couple of blogs I already follow - and, I'm happy to say, helped introduce me to a few more splendid ones too! It seems to have undergone a slight change since I first received it, courtesy of The Vintage Knitter, back in March 2011. Now for bloggers with fewer than 300 (or sometimes still 200) followers it also seems to come with 11 questions - devised by the giver - rather than the "7 interesting facts" caveat of before. Nonetheless I'm still delighted to accept it again and take this opportunity to recognise some of the more recent blogs that I have started following.
Lil didn't provide 11 questions for me to answer, for which I am partly grateful as I had enough trouble before thinking up 7 facts about me that wouldn't send you all into a stupor. I also could not help but notice a common thread running through the questions on each awarded blog involving enquiries about make-up, high heels, dresses and perfumes - queries I would have found very difficult to answer! However, to keep in the spirit of the thing, I have decided to crib the eleven best (i.e. answerable) questions from the various bloggers to/from whom the Liebster Blog has been awarded.
R. J. Mitchell: Schooldays to Spitfire. A combination of biography and historical narrative it tells the [all too-short] life story Reginald Mitchell, the designer of the Spitfire, and the development of that famous fighter aircraft. Written by his son, Dr. Gordon Mitchell.
2. What countries have you travelled to?
Outside those in the United Kingdom, I have been to: America, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.
3. Which famous person/historical figure would you have dinner with?
If it were just dinner the historical figure would be W. O. Bentley, because then we would be able to "talk shop" and about the cars that still bear his name. The famous person would be Stephen Fry, who would be able to talk about anything. If it were more of a party I might choose Bix Beiderbecke historically and Robert Downey Jr. famously.
4. Does wearing or living vintage also affect the way you speak?
Yes, I would say first of all it encourages precise diction and clear speech because one wants to match one's appearance and the expectations it brings. I also use a fair smattering of old-fashioned slang and exclamations, much to the amusement and mockery of my family and work colleagues - one of whom once observed that everything is "jolly good" with me on account of my saying it so much!
5. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I'd like to be an archivist in a museum or similar institution, in a dusty old library or records room, swotting up on my specialist subject while surrounded by books and folders the contents of which I'd know off the top of my head. ;-)
6. What era inspires and intrigues you the most?
It's almost certainly a dead heat between the inter-war period of 1919-39 or the late Victorian/Edwardian era of around 1875-1918. Both have their own æsthetic delights, mechanical marvels and sartorial splendours that I'd be hard-pushed to put a pin between the two.
7. What season is the best & what is the worst for wearing vintage?
Personally for this chap the worst season is definitely summer as I just can't be doing with all the heat, which is a challenge when it comes to dressing in the vintage style and retaining an air of coolness. Best is therefore the opposite - late autumn/winter when unsightly perspiration ceases to become a worry and I can break out even more of my wardrobe: coats, hats, gloves, woollens.
8. What is your most favourite item of clothing that you own?
Properly vintage would be the 1940s Kuppenheimer overcoat that my aunt & uncle brought over from America for me on one of their past visits. Otherwise I have a pair of navy cords that I've practically worn out, so comfortable and adaptable have they been over the last 5-6 years I've had them.
9. What is your favourite vintage name for a female?
I suppose it depends on the definition of "vintage" in this sense, as a lot of old-fashioned girls' names are still popular today. Sophie, for instance. If I were to dig around for something more obscure I might say Georgina (or even Georgiana).
10. What is your favourite vintage name for a male?
Same goes for the chaps. Daniel has long been a favourite (you can't get more vintage than the Old Testament!), while Clive also appeals for its uncommonness. Incidentally, as a bonus fact/challenge, my [real] first name comes from the Greek for "victory of the people" (I know, misnamed or what?) if you fancy trying to figure it out from that.
11. When did you discover Vintage?
As a subculture, in that finding there were other people in the world who liked the same things as I did (and more importantly, were of the same peer group) I would say it was probably around late 2005 or thereabouts. That was when I discovered The Chap magazine and its attendant "chap room", The Sheridan Club, which helped throw a light on the whole vintage scene for me.
There you are, then - a few more tit-bits about yours truly, interesting or not as the case may be. All that remains now is for me pass this award on to five more deserving blogs [with fewer than 300 followers]. If the owners wish to answer the same questions, pose eleven of their own or provide the old 7 facts (or even none of the above if they're not inclined!) then they are welcome to do so. Congratulations to:
Yesterday proved cause for a double bloggy celebration - not only did I hit 150 followers but the charming Anna of the blog Miss Beatrix kindly gave me a One Lovely Blog award. Thank you, Anna, I'm flattered!
Hello too to all my followers old and new - I hope you're all still enjoying my vintage ramblings. Now, I'm fully aware that fifty followers ago I promised a giveaway. I've been a naughtily remiss blogger on that account, but the good news is that I definitely do have something planned for very soon. The prizes are all set, I have a box in which to send them, so watch this space!
Back to the award, and the same caveats remain for accepting it (although the design seems to have changed since Jennie from It's A Charmed Life munificently gave it back in 2010, unless it's a different "One Lovely Blog" award - "Another Lovely Blog", "One More Lovely Blog", or "Two Lovely Blogs" perhaps? - just joshing, I'm honoured to receive it twice!).
First I of course have to thank the giver and link back to their blog (see first paragraph). I then have to nominate fifteen other worthy blogs (something that isn't hard) and tell you all seven things about myself (which is!).
Thanks to my prolific use of the "Follow" function in the seven months since my last award, I have many more fine and noteworthy blogs on my list (and more importantly, ones that haven't received this award recently but which truly deserve it). Here they are (in no particular order, beyond alphabetical!):
Now the hard part - seven facts* about me that I haven't told you before! I have to admit to pinching some ideas from other nominees who have come before me for this time. Here goes...
My favourite blend of tea is Assam. It has just the right mix of tannins, flavour and strength and makes the perfect cup of char. I can go for Ceylon sometimes as well, although I tend to find that a bit weaker. Currently my Assam comes from a certain orange-coloured supermarket but Twinings, Whittards and others have been known to be in my cupboard!
I've been drinking tea since I was about 6 months old, when I suddenly went off milk (in all forms) and juices. Following the doctor's advice to "try him on anything, he has to drink something", a warm and milky cup of tea was proffered and the rest, as they say, is history.
Mmmm, tea! ;-P Check out that cottage suite - nice, huh?
My favourite dessert (and cake) is cheesecake. Strawberry for preference, although most varieties are appreciated (not so keen on chocolate/toffee, though). It takes some not inconsiderable restraint to stop myself eating a whole strawberry cheesecake in one sitting. Yum!
I hate self-adhesive stamps. On a personal level they make me feel like a child playing with stickers instead of a link in the chain of a traditional and time-honoured postal system. As a philatelist they annoy me because they're the very devil to remove from paper - even prolonged soaking in warm water is not always effective and sometimes leaves a lumpen mess where the glue has remained and dried. I've managed to overcome the former objection although not without difficulty. Almost all British stamps are self-adhesive now due to "overwhelming support in public consultations". It wouldn't have been quite so overwhelming if they'd asked me, I can tell you! Sometimes I think these "public consultations" exist only in the mind of the companies who quote them, or are at the very least skewed to favour the preferred outcome (I should know, I used to work in market research!). After much investigation the only stamps I can find that are still gummed are the Country Definitives, which bear the various symbols of each nation of the United Kingdom. Over time I have stocked up on sheets of these definitives (the 2nd Class English three lions passant, for preference) until I have now got nearly 300 of them, setting me up for the foreseeable future (and avoiding the Royal Mail's recent extortionate price rise, ha ha!).
My favourite board game is Monopoly, but I'm alone in my liking of it, so I almost never get to play it. I have to make do with Monopoly Deluxe CD-ROM and play against a computer, while hoping to find someone to play my Nostalgia Edition with. Another of my favourite traditional games that I picked up from a charity shop many years ago is the card game British Towns. Great fun, and at least the family enjoy it too so I get more of a chance to play it!
My first word was nothing so pedestrian as "cat", "dog" or "car". No, the very first word I ever said was "butterfly" (or to be precise "utterfly", as apparently I didn't quite make the "b")! What a bright kid - where did it all go wrong, eh?
Another of the most highly prized books in my library is a tome entitled Power and Speed: the story of the internal combustion engine on land, at sea and in the air, a 1938 first edition detailing all the latest advancements in engineering in all the disciplines mentioned and with lots of lovey fold-out cutaway drawings of 1930s cars, aeroplanes and boats (including some record-breakers) as seen in magazines of the day such as The Motor and The Aeroplane. It even has contributions from the likes of Sir Malcolm Campbell and Prince Chula of Siam. A beautiful book (despite 74 years of age and wear) that I am proud to own.
Well, there we have it again. Thanks again to Anna for the award, and I hope you've found at least some of this post interesting(!). Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for the forthcoming One Hundred and Fifty Followers Giveaway, in the meantime have a great weekend all! Enjoy the sunshine now that it's here, and before it goes again!
...because I've just received another blog award, once again from generous Jenny over at The Life and Times of a Vintage Obsessive. Aren't I Mr Popular all of a sudden?! Thank you Jenny!
I'm flattered to receive a second award so soon after the first and any lingering doubts I may have had that this blog was for my benefit alone - in that it saves me from drowning in a sea of newspaper cuttings like some cranky old man - have been well and truly dispelled. Thank you all for your continued interest; I love reading your comments and seeing which posts are popular - so keep 'em coming!
Same deal with this award as with the last one - acknowledge the bestower, post the award on your blog, then pass it on to 15 fellow bloggers. As I mentioned previously, I had a struggle finding 15 blogs to pass the previous award on to (not through lack of talent, I hasten to add) so this time I'll have no chance unless I repeat myself. Many awarders have the same problem, though, so the of selecting fewer than 15 blogs is commonplace. I have therefore chosen 5 new and fairly disparate blogs that I enjoy following:
The lovely Jenny over at The Life and Times of a Vintage Obsessive has very kindly bestowed upon me and my unassuming little blog the "One Lovely Blog" award! Such wonderful recognition; thank you! Coming just after this blog's first anniversary it makes the last twelve months seem even more worthwhile.
Now that I've got it, I must do the following:
1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who awarded it along with a link to their blog.
2. Send it on to 15 other bloggers that you have recently discovered.
3. Contact those bloggers and let them know they've been chosen.
So, without further ado, having accepted the award I now pass it on to the following 15 bloggers. I have to be honest, this award seems to have been going around a fair bit lately and it was a bit of a job to find fifteen of the blogs I'm following that didn't already have it, but I managed it! Here they are (messages to follow):
