Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[atdc21]

Ha yeah those ride on mowers can be awkward things, i used to look after one for an old boy i knew, apart from fork trucks prob biggest pain in arse to do anything with.

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Ha yeah those ride on mowers can be awkward things, i used to look after one for an old boy i knew, apart from fork trucks prob biggest pain in arse to do anything with.

Forklifts. Ugh! What a load of hydraulics.

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Tinternet, or more accurately Wikipedia, has changed my life.

Bits of memory, fragments of a song, a line from a book or perhaps a name have a habit of popping randomly into my mind, and then they would pop out again, replaced by more important things, like wondering how long will my dinner will be.

But now that I'm connected to all the knowledge in the known universe, I can tease those fragments of information into a full blown memory.

For example, the other day I entered a few words from an obscure song that my dad used to sing into a search box, I found out who sang it, when it was popular, and what else was happening in the world at that time. Before long I was listening to the song on YouTube and a whole raft of memories that otherwise might have lain dormant forever came flooding back.


The song turned out to be Lonnie Donegan's version of Lost John. I serched for it's origins and found them.. in German, so I had to translate the page.


The roots of Long Lost John are still not well known. It is thought an African-American origin, based on the Minstrel -Song Old John Booker. The text of the song, which is documented in numerous variations, goes back to an incident in the prison of Bowling Green, was selected after the imprisoned John Dean to act as "test rabbit" for a new pack of bloodhounds. However, Dean escaped the dogs and fled the prison. This story of WC Handy picked up, who published a written down version of Lost John the 1920s. The song, however, was already decades ago spread in circulation and by oral transmission, whereby variations arose in text and melody. Especially among African-American workers and inmates of the title as a work song was very popular.



Strangely, my dad added several verses that Donegan didn't sing, so he must have included them from other versions, and the line I remembered wasn't in any of the lyric lists.




Lost John made a pair of shoes of his own
The finest shoes that ever were worn.
Heels on the front, heels behind,
You couldn't tell which way lost John gwine.


So I had to look 'Gwine' up.

Gwine
gwine  (gwīn)
v. Chiefly Southern & South Midland US
A present participle of go.


And so it went on. I'm currently working with.

A turbaned Turk who scorns the world
May strut about with his whiskers curled....

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Mrs Red reckons I'm immortal.



https://www.facebook.com/721103904679222/photos/pb.721103904679222.-2207520000.1463764828./882254701897474/?type=3&theater

[MrDickie]

Looks like an upgraded mobility scooter to me.................

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Stuff that isn't flying off the shelves

[Skippy]

I've had this stuff:



which I feel may be related to Pet Sweat in some way. It's not too bad.

[EvilPie]

'Sea entrance' made me chuckle

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'Sea entrance' made me chuckle

Haha. Me too, but my favourite is the Shitto.

[MrDickie]

http://www.wankersstore.com

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http://www.wankersstore.com

Ooh, I see they sell classic wankers T shirts too.

What more could a guy want?

[Rod Paradise]

While we're on the subject of accidents, repairs and guessing, my granddaughter Lisa is staying with us us for a few days and yesterday she broke her glasses playing dodge-ball.

I effected a temporary repair until she goes home. (her friends think it's a fashion statement, now they all want one)

Can you guess exactly what I used to mend them?

Click to see full-size image.

Is it some heat shrink tubing?

Have you ever used (or heard of) Sugru (maybe it's Sugru in the picture)?



It's quite interesting. I had some but I didn't think it quite lived up to it's promise. The pitch is that it's a bit like play-doh, you form it into shapes then it dries out and becomes like moulded rubber. I found the rubber wasn't rubbery enough and the end result was too powdery.

I've had that when the sugru is out of date, it's great stuff but doesn't have a great shelf life.

[RED-DOG]

Guess what I saw on the motorway today?

A bloke was driving in the middle lane while the nearside lane was empty and a police car came along and pulled him over. Hooray.

Motorways would be much safer if they started prosecuting the dangerous manoeuvre brigade and the middle lane owners club instead if concentrating on the speeders.

Give me a fast driver who is concentrating over some dawdler who's mind is elsewhere any day.

In fact, I think, given the option I would do away with motorway speed limits altogether.

[Karabiner]

Guess what I saw on the motorway today?

A bloke was driving in the middle lane while the nearside lane was empty and a police car came along and pulled him over. Hooray.

Motorways would be much safer if they started prosecuting the dangerous manoeuvre brigade and the middle lane owners club instead if concentrating on the speeders.

Give me a fast driver who is concentrating over some dawdler who's mind is elsewhere any day.

In fact, I think, given the option I would do away with motorway speed limits altogether.

Maybe he hadn't paid his road-tax.