Brian Wolfe

Hi ccj,

Thanks for your comments. Funny how, for me at least, coffee has become a habit more than a conscience choice. It's the old, "Well if you having one (coffee) pour me as well". When I get together with my son-in-law, a former Brit, it's tea all the way.

Thanks again.

Regards

Brian

Thanks for your reply Patrick, just in case some might not know what the Belgian WW1 Medal you were referencing looks like I have included one here. I understand that the small crown on the ribbon denoted the recipient was a volunteer.

Thank you for sharing your story, it was most interesting and greatly appreciated, it makes this blog well worth the time to post.

Regards

Brian

Thank you for your most interesting comment. The thrill of the chase didn't interest me in the beginning but over time it started to overshadow the act of simply adding yet another medal or group to the collection.

Regards

Brian

No problems Spasm, Colin's work is indeed awe inspiring.

Regards

Brian

Those are spectacular, very well done. The closest I would ever come to art is using a paint roller. 

Thanks for adding some true art to the post.

Regards

Brian

?Very good!?

The only real downside of this whole isolation thing is that I miss having kids still at home. We have grand kids but of course they can not come over nor can we visit and play with them. They are the only soft spot in my cynical personality. ?

By the way, a group of geese is a gaggle, would a group of grandchildren be a mess?

Thanks for your reply JohnF, it brings a much needed air of humour to the forum.

Regards

Brian

Those are great thanks for adding them.

Regards

Brian

Great idea. I have used a ribbed boot tray with success in the past but this time I think the vegetation was wetter than normal and that was why I was surprised when the bag gave way. I try to time my weed pulling and shrub trimming to the weekend before the compost pickup on Tuesday, which is also every other week here where we live; in the case mentioned in the blog the bag had sat in the garage for an extra week, so I was totally to blame. 

The forum used to have a quite active "What's In Your Garden" section a few years ago which was interesting but seems to have run its course.

Thanks for your comments.

Regards

Brian

Right on!

Regards

Brian

Hello RGJDEE,

Great photo of your grandfather and the stacked (proper term?) SMLEs. 

You've progressed to swords and especially cavalry sabres? I'd say you are going in the correct direction! ?

Thanks for the comment.

Regards

Brian

Hello bolewts58 and mconrad,

Thank you very much for your comments.

Not being a real writer (I'm more of a conversationalist) I must think that, like a sports game from the day before, if there are no comments or disagreements about the game then it surely must have been a dud. Some people liked the acting and others the writing, so all in all it was a great series. We own all seven seasons and when season eight is out for sale we intend to binge watch it until our eyes bleed. That's my plan, I doubt my wife would agree, she being the brains of the household. 

Thanks again it is encouraging to see comments.

Regards

Brian

OK, I've had time to do some reading and I can see how the history of the War of the Roses could very well have had a bearing on the writing for The Game of Thrones. However, I would like to hear the opinions of others.

Regards

Brian

Thank you very much, that was greatly appreciated.

Regards

Brian

Hello eurorders.

Thanks for your comments and what beautiful reproductions. You are a very talented fellow indeed.  I tend to stay in the area of less attractive archaeological specimen copies, such as the two mummies shown below. These are copies from photos of British museum specimens and represent the mummified remains of cats and hawks used as temple offerings in ancient Egypt. The wraps are on carved wooden bases and the wrapping style is as close as possible to the originals. I attempted to make the cat look as if the pitch and natron used on originals had seeped through the bandages. I was not all that pleased with the outcome even though it was pretty close to the originals. When I made the hawk mummy the wrappings were more complex and I didn't want to take away from their decorative looks so I simply artificially aged the bandages (as with the cat) and left it alone. I thought it was more pleasing to the eye.

Keep up the good work and if you have any more I would like to see them.

Thanks again,

Regards

Brian

Hello eurorders,

Thank you for your comment. I would have to agree with you completely. I like to reproduce different museum items for my own amusement and a friend of mine often assists me. We were talking about what we do and both agree that we, for the most part, lack the talent to develop, weapons for example, that are unique or fantasy items. We are pretty handy at reproducing what we see but the idea of developing items completely of our own design is beyond our skill base. I think the same thing holds true with fiction writing as compared with non-fiction. Personally, I simply lack that degree of imagination. 

I do hope others will weigh in on this point.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog and respond.

Regards

Brian

Congratulations on the new addition. This hobby is never dull, always something to challenge the collector's knowledge.

Regards

Brian

That was a good one, Michael. 

Regards

Brian

Thank you for your kind comments Patrick and welcome back to the forum.

Regards

Brian

I would suggest a Google search.  I did a search for chicken and dumplings today as I wanted to make it this coming week and my wife said, "Really? You had to look it up?" Yep, if I can't burn it on the BBQ then I'm lost.

Regards

Brian

Thanks for your comment IrishGunner, that is a familiar story, though I never left the country.  

Regards

Brian

Thank you very much for this most interesting response Paul; I'll admit to a touch of envy as I read it. 

I think we need a lot more such personal collecting stories here on the forum.

Regards

Brian

Hi Muckaroon1960,

Your point is very well made. 

Many thanks for your comment.

Regards

Brian

Reading the comment about the placement of the conclusion, or summary, of my blog above reminded me of a story from my past that I would like to share with you.  As Irish Gunner has alluded, some think my writing is pedantic so this one is on them; I accept no blame.

I am retired from a 30 year career working in government here in Ontario with 20 years with municipally government and a decade with the oldest and largest conservation authority in the province.  The last position, managing the lands and holdings of the conservation authority can only be described as a dream job.  While at one municipality the department heads were required to attend council meetings every Monday evening, this is common throughout Ontario and most likely the rest of the country; though some hold council during the day. 

My reports were almost entirely composed of statistics such as permits issued, projects completed, and number of charges, prosecutions and revenues.  Pretty mundane and consisting of one page; two if it was the yearend report. The Planning Department on the other hand presented reports that weighed in at around twenty pages.  The council packages were hand delivered on Friday so that they could be reviewed by the council members on the weekend in order to be ready for the Monday evening meeting. For the most part they would show up at the meeting and only then rip open their council packages.  It should be noted that in those days council meetings could run as late as 2 PM.  The Planning Department Director and I were, and are, good friends [he is my neighbour as well] and we would each write down the name of one of the older council members that we thought would fall asleep first as the meeting wore on. The bet was for morning coffee the following day.  He knew that the council never read his reports as long as he wrote the longest most drawn out reports imaginable.  Since his department’s job was to support or object to a development proposal he would “hide” certain facts within the body of the report then write a summary at the end that may or may not contain all of the pertinent facts; depending on how he wanted the decision to go. In a sick way it was brilliant.

One day all of the department heads received an inter office memo stating that the required format of the council reports were to change.  I couldn’t help but smile at the thoughts that his scheme was over. Imagine if you will the look that must have been on my face, at the next council meeting, when the only proposed change to the summary was now it was now to appear at the beginning of the report! I was dump struck, looked over at the planner who looked at me, smiled and winked.  The reason for the change was that there had been a complaint from a member of the public that when they were presenting their petition it was difficult to be heard due to the rustling of pages by the council members who had left their microphones on.  They were rifling through the planner’s long report to get to the summary and, of course, ignoring the speaker. With the new change in format there was even less chance of finding something hidden in the body of the report as now the summary was right there on top. Ah, local government; sharp as bread pudding; when they’re awake.

Regards

Brian  

Hi Irish Gunner,

Thanks for your comments and no I didn't forget "verbose" I just  ignore that concept. I am, after all, paid by the word.?

Regards

Brian