Now that's a bollock knife!
From The Luttrell Psalter (British Museum MS. ADD. 42130), c. 1320-1340
A "ballok-kynf with boutones ouergylte" an early documentary reference dated to 1337 (Oxford English Dictionary).
I shall explain anon!
posted by Gavin Corder at 7:07 PM
30 Comments:
Puts a whole new complexion of a man and his trusty sword!
Seen one. Museum of London!
Good stuff there.
Could I use it to cut up green tomato's? :-)
Rupe, you are considerably scarier than I first thought....!
Mags I knew you were scary but same applies!!
If I'd had one I'd have used it on my second husband.
And then given the dingle dangle to my dog who would have eaten it
with gusto. oh dear.
Rupe is quite fearsome, you wouldn't want to cross her !
That knife shows a remarkable resemblance to one of my tomatoes (still growing on its vine).
I am both repelled and fascinated by this mutating specimen - should I eat it or stamp on it?
Rupe, it must be something about second husbands because I can think of a few uses for that knife on my second husband and all of them involve dissection in one form or another.
Sarnia, this opens up a whole psychological profile on you that I might have preferred to have left in your closet. If you eat it it says one thing about you and whether you should swallow the seeds or spit them out and stamping on it....well, how is Mr Sarnia these days? Well and intact I hope.
Gavin, I am mortally wounded. How can meek and mild me be considered scary? That's scary!
Mags, I can't leave messages on your blog. But re- family history, my great uncle managed to trace my father's side of the family back to Lincolnshire in 1553, they were pig keepers !
My great uncle also survived the sinking of the Lusitania (sp)?
Probably the origin of "Drop a Bollock"
My great great grandfather was (according to legend) a horse thief in the Russian Steppes.
I think he also had a fruitful connection to an African Negress.
That's fascinating Rupe, was it your Grandparents or an earlier generation who fled Russia during the Pogroms ?
My grandparents fled before first world war They were mixture Russians,Polish, Lithuania. Some family members went to Argentina, & America.
My paternal grandfather had a barber shop in the East End. He was a lovely olde worlde English Gentleman. Always wore a waistcoat, and I have his exercise book in which he practised his English when a boy, before he got to England. He never spoke with any accent other than English.
Thanks Rupe , aren't families histories interesting ?
That's OK Curmy. Families are interesting, but sometimes awfully sad.
When I spent a week at Auschwitz, making a record of the place for myself. I came across a massive display of suitcases with names of their now dead owners, written in white paint by their owners or parents.
There was one which said Thomas G. kleinkind geb. 1937. Which meant he was a child and died aged about 9 years old. Next to his suitcase was the name of my maternal grandmother, but it was not her, just thh same name. These photo's were eventually published in The Jerusalem Post, and a family in Haifa telephoned the newspaper because this name was the name of their mother, it was her suitcase, and this was their only proof that their mother died at Auschwitz.
I spoke to both her sons, and sent them the photo. Now that's sad.
Sally, that's awful, I suppose at least the family know where she died, but it's so harrowing.
Touching and interesting story Rupe and one that should be recorded! Along with all that family stuff that you have given little glimpses of above. If your family don't want it, donate it to a local record office who would be pleased to receive it.
Hello Mags, there are thousands
of recorded stories of how people fled from the pogroms and then the Nazi's. The history of my own family is really nothing out of the ordinary.
The Auschwitz story is just one tiny bit of my visit there, and the aftermath after the publicaton of the photo's. They were published in the International edition of The Jerusalem Post, along with a diary I kept whilst I was there in 1979.
When I returned to London after the publication, I found 60 letters addressed to just my name c/o my newspaper, from all over the world.
Shortly after I got home, the Editor of my paper had just returned from a newsaper conference in Bologna, the Ed of J. Post post thanked my Editor for all my photographs. Probably with a big grin on his face.
I was called upstairs to my Editors office, he was furious that one of his staff had supplied the Auschwitz photo's and story without him knowing anything about it, even though I had done it in holiday private time.
I told him that indeed I had offered everything to our newpapers magazine, and I was told that the 35th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was not a big enough peg to use my material. My Editor was very angry, but it was too late.
Eventually, some years later the photo's were exhibited at The Jewish Museum in New York. I gifted the lot to the museum.
But I have all the prints here at home for my young grandchildren, if they are ever interested.
Come on Gavin. Explain yourself man
Oh dear Gavin, all of this is far away from Bollocks.
Rupe, your editor must have been very blinkered.
It wsa the editor of The Magazine who was blinkered. He got a bollocking from Editor of my newspaper. Sorry I didn't explain properly.
Crikey! You lot are brilliant without me!
Drop a passing reference to a Fourteenth Cenrury Bollock Knife and you lot are away!
We're contemplating unmentionable acts upon evil second husbands (curiously the first husbands don't seem to attract such approbrium).
Or unspeakable things with vegetables. (Oops sorry I'm repeating myself!)
Which has now gone through the sinking of the Lusitania, through Russian demon barber grandparents to Auschwitz!
All I can say is, blimey really!
Sorry Six old chap, but I've been wrestling all day with an Open Source Portal Content Management System called Mambo. I THINK it's brilliant. Exactly what I need. I just need to understand the bastard thing.
I'm sure I shall beat it into submission.
Ironically I'm not really a techy type at all. I'm an arty, literary, humanities type! But if some spoddy 15 year old can hack into the Pentagon from his back bedroom, I can run a database driven portal site or two without said spoddy kid having to do it for me!
And I owe Rupe a proper email.
I'm afraid I can't let the bollocks out of the bag right now...(...not really a nice image given the above.....) ...but I shall post, soon!
Although not until I've contructed a poster and speech for my younger daughter who has just announced she needs a full-on election campaign, complete with posters, handouts and supporters badges... for tomorrow!
Thanks Yanna! Don't you just love kids!
Oh and for those who follow these things the Evil Daugter commenced College today...
So far so good....
More anon. But one wouldn't wish to speak to soon...
Oh and I should have said, the prize goes to our very own Rupe (ra tar ra tara RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!) for skillfully, smoothly and seamlessly bringing the converstaion back to bollocks where it belongs!
Gavin, very witty post.
Please let us know how your elder daughter gets on at college.
Rupe, I know about all those recorded stories, I studied some of them and fascinating, interesting and informative they were too. None, not one, was ever 'ordinary'. The point is that every persons history is different as are the recollections and reflections and all of it is important. I urge you to record it. If I was still in London I would be round to yours like a shot, cat or no cat (!) with my trusty digital recorder.
LOL Gavvybabes, super stud of this parish. I should imagine that your wonderful (I refuse to use the word you use to describe the young woman) daughter will far exceed your low expectations of her and will end up being brilliant. The trouble makers always do. Just look at me!!!
Mags, you are very welcome to come over whenever you like.
My cat vanishes when strangers appear, so with luck you wouldn't see her, in spite of her being the most incredibly beauteous fluffy thing in the whole world.
Don't you ever visit London? Rupe
I agree with Mags, the rebellious ones always end up successful. She'll be absolutely fine Gavin.
Rupe, apart from one visit of a week last year, we have not visited London since we left. I find it quite upsetting visiting because it isn't 'my' city anymore. My next visit will be when I have won the lottery and I come down to purchase a little place to indulge mt London fantasies, all of which are legal, sane and perfectly respectable.
As an old member of the Dingle Dangle Club (and the Order of the Bedlamites but that's another story)I'm a little concerned by Ruperts earlier comment :o
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