We're all now lazing about looking stuffed and wondering if we can ever move again.
As you all appreciated the last picture I got from the 'sky cops' (India99/98/97) I thought you might like another one. Not fireworks this time - but hopefully just as interesting?
So, soon I have to move and take Mycroft back, unless he decides to go back with Anthea and the hounds.
I'm not much for poetry - well, unless it's set to music ;) but this picture reminded me of when I was little and saw this - which YouTube has happily made available to me again.
I don't know, it just sounded...exciting. I wanted to be an engine driver! Even though it was all well on the way to diesel and electric by then.
25 years since the Kings Cross fire today, too. I'm sure a lot of people are thinking about those lost there today.
87 comments:
Rewatching that video it seems a different world - not only the passing of steam trains, but also the idea of all communication being by mail.
how would that work for us? We'd post columns in a national newspaper, and then you lot would all post in letters in response...and we'd respond to those? We could have got up to our 200 comments in...ooh, a month?? Maybe 6 weeks? :) (and our postman would hate us.)
Telegrams are the closest you get could I suppose.
Could we use Sherlock's unending energy reserves to run back and forth to the telegram office? Other people could pay him a few pennies to run for theirs too...he'd be like a street urchin....except he'd read all the telegrams and be unendingly nosey about their lives.
And then he'd come home and eat twice his body weight in cake...but he might sleep until six or even seven in the morning.
hmmm. we could hope...
Maybe as a Christmas miracle. Did I say that last year? I have a feeling I did.
I'm sure all teenagers go through a stage of hibernation...right?? If we last that long...
I don't know... Mycroft doesn't seem to have hit that stage yet.
yeah...I know.
Did Mycroft make it back to school safe, sound and full of biscuits?
Its strange how three is so much quieter than four but not long until Christmas hols now :-)
I hope you're having a relaxing evening.
It sounds like a lovely afternoon, and, like Anony, I hope your evening is good, too. :)
yeah, i took him back. and it's three vs. four+two hounds, so it is quiet!
sorry I forgot the dogs.
Enjoy the peace if you can.
we're doing our best.
And the dogs take up so much room and make so much noise just..existing!
That's an amazing picture, L. And the video was neat. I love the way the words make the rhythm of the train as it goes along. It reminds me of the one time I saw a steam train at night. There were embers everywhere and bright places leaking out of the firebox -- it was like a slow motion roman candle on wheels.
Did you know that the telegraph has been called the Victorian Internet? There were a lot of operators who were women or kids, because no one could actually tell who was on the other end of the wire. I expect Sherlock would simply run a spare line of the network to his bedroom if he could and spend his days immersed in Morse.
What do you do with the dogs when Mycroft rides pillion with you? Does someone bring them along in the car?
rsf
I think it's why I liked it, RSF, the rhythm of it.
I can imagine that of the telegraph. They say experienced operators could tell one another 'accents' on the morse button.
Dogs go with Anthea - with most of Mycroft's stuff - when we go on the bike. His books and things end up being too much for us to take.
It's a great poem, and one I hadn't encountered before. I like Stevenson's "From a Railway Carriage" for much the same reasons, and also because I learned it because it was set to music.
I should imagine you need quite a bit of cargo space for Mycroft's books, as well as the dogs.
Speaking of books, there's a bookshop owner in Canada who's created a book vending machine. Looks dangerous to me!
rsf
We still have a working steam engine here. It's only in operation in the summer but open to the public. It's called the Blue Goose (no idea why)
images can be found on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1bxywcMKnI
3 hours sleep is not enough to have a fully functioning brain.
Help.
I can't help but I can sympathise!
Coffee? Chocolate? Biscuits? A walk in the fresh air?
No help at all I know sorry.
I am, as you can imagine, deeply immersed in caffeine therapy...
But getting outside is a good idea. I shall try to wangle my way into getting out and doing something!
Something outside that doesn't involve something dead would be best ;-)
Very little of this job doesn't involve dead things, sadly. Am now having a nice look around a crack house.
Almost tempted to sample a few products, see if one of them is an upper...
No, three hours is really not at all enough! (Save some for the rest of the insomniacs, will ya?)
I reckon that anything found in a crack house would tend to be a downer.
RR - save some what?
I'm suffering from general lack of sleep, plus Sherlock waking me up extra early to tell me he missed Mycroft - which is lovely, but I just wanted to sleeeeeeeeeep
small children jumping on you to tell you cute things is an awful combination, you can't tell them off because they're being cute but at the same time you really really want to because its sleep time not waking up time!!
How many cups of coffee so far today? I'm not allowed to mention the liquid form of caffeine I partake of around here but I've drunk a lot of it today ;-)
Are they selling the energy patch things in the UK? I got handed some the other day by some folks outside the library, but I haven't been brave enough to try them yet.
rsf
RR - save some what?
Uppers. (I'd be afraid to take any, really. :))
I didn't get woken by a cuddle-wanting person, but I haven't been sleeping much, and I can only hope I'd be as good about it as you if I'd been woken when I finally managed to be asleep!
You can't get angry when he's being a bit sad and wants a hug. Although I will remind him of this when he moans Mycroft gets longer holidays than him!
Heh heh!
(And no, I don't suppose you can. I don't think I would either--I hope not, anyway.)
I attempted to deflect and asked if he wanted me to wake John. He said no, because John didnt make any sense in the morning.
Logical on both sides. :)
True enough...
You would have made as much sense as me on the subject of jam vs jelly vs compote vs preserve, elephants - specifically why we don't have any here, and why we drive on the left and NOBODY else does. (untrue, but I wasn't up to arguing) and why all houses didnt have slides or firemen's poles.
I always reckoned that was why my kids quickly learnt to sleep through the night - I could manage the absolute basics, preferably with my eyes shut, but that's as far as it went.
He does wake up with his mind already going full speed, doesn't he!
Here's a piece on why the British drive on the left. I can't swear to the accuracy, but so far as I can tell, everyone gives pretty much that reason for why you lot drive on the left. Why most of the rest of the world drives on the right has a lot more variation--I looked at a dozen sites, and every one offered a different reason.
Ah, internet research... One of the reasons I still have a job. ;D
rsf
rsf--I figure the part upon which there is agreement is probably accurate--and the rest of it isn't. (And now I'm really curious, so if you can find out... :))
I've only got as far as the question - why does the questioner think we have an outdated system of measures?
The question (and answer) was written in 1988, so I assume either the questioner didn't know the UK had switched over to the metric system, or was trying to be funny.
why all houses didnt have slides or firemen's poles.
I think that's a very good question, personally.
I am desperately trying not to crack a joke regarding you and sliding on poles.
Sherlock can check Google for any reasons he feels like taking then.
He'd rather have an elephant, no matter which side he has to drive it on.
Firemen's poles?
Sherlock on an elephant sounds much safer than Sherlock on a motorcycle...at least for him.
I think if you're driving an elephant you can pretty much drive on whatever side of the road you please :)
I would like to think your allegiance rested with a different branch of the emergency services...
Anon - that's probably why he wants one!
I can assure you, they do.
It's just as well it was you. I probably would've said something about elephant jam with that progression.
I imagine if everyone in London travelled by elephant there would be even more severe jams. On the bright side, you could walk over silly cars...
And possibly excellent roses?
RR, the source you linked at least cites dates and documents, so it's probably close to being right. But you're the kind of person who checks several answers instead of just taking the first link at its word.
John, I think houses don't have slides or poles because they mostly get designed by older people who think they would look silly sliding down one. But schools used to have fire escape slides, at least in the US.
rsf
So did everyone carry a sword? I don't know why, but I assumed your average person, visiting the next door village, wouldn't be armed with a sword. Maybe some form of knife, at most.
People who were rich enough to own riding horses, maybe? I know that a knight's gear was pretty expensive.
rsf
Even if it were a knife, you'd still want that hand free, I'd assume. You know, assuming you were right handed and not sinister in any way...
Maybe not a sword--I imagine most people couldn't afford a sword. In fact, during the era of the feudal system in Europe, most people wouldn't be allowed to travel at all, they were tied to the land, and couldn't move or travel or take up some other occupation without permission from their lords. But, as John said, I imagine anyone who did move around more than within their own village--even if it were just taking foodstuffs to a nearby market town--would have had some sort of weapon with them, even if it were just a club. And they'd be safest if they had their weapon arm between themselves (and their goods) and an approaching stranger.
John, I was just wondering about left-handers! I suppose it might be that those trained in fighting, anyway, were trained to fight with the weapons in their right hands regardless? I know that most schools of martial arts today teach weapon forms right-handed only--my teacher is left handed, but uses a sword (and all other one-handed weapons) right-handed.
Thought you lefties were all just burned as witches or something. And even if you weren't, you'd have been waving weapons around cack-handed, apparently. Amazing that any of you are still around, really! ;)
out of curiosity how difficult is it for one left handed man and one right handed man to play with each others weapons at the same time?
Anon - that depends upon your angle of attack, really.
I was going to say I shoot right handed, but now I'm worried how you lot will take that...
You should know they'll take you any way they can get you by now.
I occasionally shoot no handed. Beat that (actually, you're usually beating it when I do shoot no-handed...)
Very slightly more seriously, Anon, it hasn't yet presented us with an insurmountable problem.
(having wanted to get home all day, now I'm worried John will actually turn me into a pillar of salt with his glare when I get in.)
good luck then ;-)
Just leaving...if you never hear from me again then you'll know... the weapons were the end of me!
It's all right. I've told Sherlock you'll explain what you meant when you get home.
I'm certain that's a nanny's job...right? That sort of education. Important.
Not when his DI brings it up...
you are evil in the very best way John!
have fun with that conversation Greg ;-)
Somewhat belatedly, I can confirm that you can tell morse operator's "signatures" or "accents" - I was absolutely rubbish at morse, and even I could tell different lecturers apart at college.
I was going to say I shoot right handed
Yeah, I've heard some guys like to use their other hand, helps to disassociate from the activity a little bit.
I occasionally shoot no handed
0_0 I'm impressed.
So I wake up, get Sherlock-questions, escape to work...escape from work...get Sherlock questions :)
And here was I thinking that the police got to ask the questions.
That should please Sherlock! (He does have a badge, as I recall... :))
I can shoot left handed, or use a bow that way, even though I use my right hand for most things, and get better scores from the left handed way of shooting because I'm left eyed. Mostly though, I forget and try to shoot right handed. I just look really really awkward while I'm aiming.
I'm not really sure about the whole "swords" thing for the side of the road. It makes sense for keeping your scabbard out of the way, but if you've ever watched jousting, you know that they come at each other so that their shields, not their weapon hands, are nearest their opponent.
rsf
It's about love stuff not swords at all!
You're right Sherlock it is. did you ask lots of questions?
I don't think you can shoot with a sword anyway, Sherlock.
Do you know if you're left eyed, or right eyed?
rsf
He told me what that sort of shooting means too and it sounds yucky. I think you should be able to make the other person feel nice without it being messy unless you wanted a baby. People are stupid. I asked some questions until it was boring.
I'm right eyed Lestrade just showed me how to know but I bet I could be either if I tried really hard and had to or I could wear an eye patch.
Some things that sound yucky can feel pretty good, but there's no rule that says you have to do them anyway.
I have a friend who can be either-eyed, and ambidextrous too, and she says she was a real klutz when she was younger, but once she figured out when to use which eye she got better at not dropping things.
I've tried wearing eye patches for shooting guns, and they work, but I don't like having a blind side so I don't use them often.
rsf (who is getting tired of having her computer freeze)
I think a lot of people think that Sherlock but design is not perfected yet I guess.
Now you've stopped the interrogation are you doing anything fun this evening?
Few people travelled in full armour carrying shields. Only get dressed in all the gear when you have to.
I'm a bit sus about the whole "have to fight" explanation because if you were going to attack people then as now you did it in groups.
IF you decide you are going to take out someone who has a weapon then you will get your mates to help out.
Plus as others have said, in medieval times swords were not all that common. The common man's weapon was spear or staff. (And having been on the sword side of a sword vs quarterstaff encounter, I can tell you to bet on the 7ft iron tipped bit of wood. Couldn't get past it, couldn't engage it, just got clobbered...)
I suspect that the on the left thing was much more about handling stock than weapons. Roads were more used for wagons and droving than they were for single people with swords wandering about.
There may also be something about managing entrances to walled cities, counting people for tax purposes, possibly something as late as turnpikes. But mainly I think the droving and driving explanations are more likely.
Without statutes to give explanations (and to give a time when this happened) it's all guesswork but I'd be wary of guesswork that is based on the idea that lots of people carried swords and fought with them enough to make something like this happen.
I've shot a gun yet.
I want to make the honey stomach for my bee but John says there isn't time after dinner.
I HAVEN'T SHOT A GUN YET.
Lestrade made me write it wrong by asking me about peas.
I can imagine that peas can be highly distracting, Sherlock. How's the bee coming along, anyway?
its naughty of Lestrade to distract you by trying to feed you Sherlock!
Honey stomach? I hope we're all going to get a full education about bees at some point Sherock :-)
I can never remember what's on the list of acceptable vegetables each day... (peas are on today, luckily.)
The brain is fairly maleable, Sherlock, so I do think it's possible that you could train yourself to be left-eyed if you wanted to, or if you had to.
I think that replacing "sword" with "weapon" would make more sense, Rider--most pilgrims did have staffs, and that would be both for walking and protection. (If indeed Pope Boniface codified the "traffic on the left" rule for those on pilgrammage in 1300--every single site I've looked at cites it, but no one provides a link to a text or translation of the papal decree.)
I haven't shot a gun yet, either, Sherlock, but I think I'd like to take it up one day. (Preferably after my cataracts are dealt with. I don't think shooting a gun with one increasingly blurry eye is a very good idea.)
I want to make the honey stomach for my bee
I found the idea of a tiny bee having two separate stomachs absolutely amazing when I heard about it, Sherlock! I'm looking forward to you showing us your model when you've done with it. (Of course, you'll want to take your time and get it right, so after dinner is probably not the best time to start working on it.)
It's not really a stomach it's a crop but it's called a honey stomach too and it's REALLY stretchy but I don't think mine will be because we're not making it of very stretchy things. I'm making the outside bit at the moment so you can open it.
Cool!
(It is all seriously fascinating, what can I say? :))
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