Peter Morwood
@peter.petermorwood.com
Novelist, screenwriter, arms & armour fan, amateur historian, amateur cook. Interested in many things. Likes cats. CATS ARE NICE.
That's a first-generation Mainz-pattern gladius from Albion. IIRC it was discontinued because grinding the bone grip involved too many health risks, but IMO the main health risk about this is being on the wrong end of it. "XIII! XIII! XIII!"
May 1, 2025 at 7:44 PM
That's a first-generation Mainz-pattern gladius from Albion. IIRC it was discontinued because grinding the bone grip involved too many health risks, but IMO the main health risk about this is being on the wrong end of it. "XIII! XIII! XIII!"
Here are a couple of rock crystal sword pommels, also AFAIK German. The first is in private hands, the second is in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich.
April 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Here are a couple of rock crystal sword pommels, also AFAIK German. The first is in private hands, the second is in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich.
There's a gruesome painting from 2013 by John Brosio (johnbrosio.com/figures/) which fits the bill.
April 9, 2025 at 11:20 AM
There's a gruesome painting from 2013 by John Brosio (johnbrosio.com/figures/) which fits the bill.
A vertical mouth would fit with old-style ribbed hydrants in a Dark Manhattan where the feral cabs are - you told me once - Checkers. But I always saw that horizontal mouth as where cap met trunk, like a trapdoor spider lair. Prey approaches, lid pops up, tongue shoots out and Gotcha!.
April 3, 2025 at 9:35 PM
A vertical mouth would fit with old-style ribbed hydrants in a Dark Manhattan where the feral cabs are - you told me once - Checkers. But I always saw that horizontal mouth as where cap met trunk, like a trapdoor spider lair. Prey approaches, lid pops up, tongue shoots out and Gotcha!.
Last year DD said “decant it into smaller bottles so The Scent Doesn’t Fade,” so I did. They were screw-top bottles. Oops. Big mistake. The R&G push stopper and the old wicker wrapping may have been a safety feature as much as a design trademark. In case of BANG. (4/6)
March 25, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Last year DD said “decant it into smaller bottles so The Scent Doesn’t Fade,” so I did. They were screw-top bottles. Oops. Big mistake. The R&G push stopper and the old wicker wrapping may have been a safety feature as much as a design trademark. In case of BANG. (4/6)
Two Christmases back I bought @diane.duane a bottle of R&G Jean Farina, her favourite, and because I was a bit flush I made up for being more skint at prior Christmases with a 1 litre bottle. Divvied into sprays etc. I thought, that should last a while. (3/6)
March 25, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Two Christmases back I bought @diane.duane a bottle of R&G Jean Farina, her favourite, and because I was a bit flush I made up for being more skint at prior Christmases with a 1 litre bottle. Divvied into sprays etc. I thought, that should last a while. (3/6)
Next, "frying tonight..."
March 16, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Next, "frying tonight..."
When @diane.dianeduane.com mentions "idiotic pauldrons", I'm pretty sure I know the ones she has in mind. You'd be hard put to find more idiotic pauldrons than these. And then you start to notice other details...
March 12, 2025 at 8:04 PM
When @diane.dianeduane.com mentions "idiotic pauldrons", I'm pretty sure I know the ones she has in mind. You'd be hard put to find more idiotic pauldrons than these. And then you start to notice other details...
I still have some of that old tech - camera body & flash - but the 28-210 Tamron zoom which took the photo met with an accident and was replaced by two Sigmas. The camera has deep sentimental value, being my Dad's last birthday present to me before his death.
February 16, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I still have some of that old tech - camera body & flash - but the 28-210 Tamron zoom which took the photo met with an accident and was replaced by two Sigmas. The camera has deep sentimental value, being my Dad's last birthday present to me before his death.
Photographic evidence - the illustrated transformation took almost 35 minutes (13:56 - 14:29).
February 10, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Photographic evidence - the illustrated transformation took almost 35 minutes (13:56 - 14:29).
An official bullion bar as in "Goldfinger" would weigh 400 troy ounces, that's 12.4 kg / 27.4 lb. The "Kelly's Heroes" bars were a product of unofficial wartime casting so probably weighed less, but would still need a bit of effort to hold - so Act Some Effort, Guys!
February 9, 2025 at 11:55 PM
An official bullion bar as in "Goldfinger" would weigh 400 troy ounces, that's 12.4 kg / 27.4 lb. The "Kelly's Heroes" bars were a product of unofficial wartime casting so probably weighed less, but would still need a bit of effort to hold - so Act Some Effort, Guys!
The terminology, function and shape of tools changes with time, but I'm pretty sure that picture shows what's now called a pruning knife (couteau-serpette).
A billhook(serpe) was / is a much bigger, cleaver-like implement..
A billhook(serpe) was / is a much bigger, cleaver-like implement..
February 8, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The terminology, function and shape of tools changes with time, but I'm pretty sure that picture shows what's now called a pruning knife (couteau-serpette).
A billhook(serpe) was / is a much bigger, cleaver-like implement..
A billhook(serpe) was / is a much bigger, cleaver-like implement..
Splendid story, splendidly told.
A cat playing the role of Simon, though uncredited) appears briefly in "Yangtse Incident" (1957, starring Richard Todd as Lt Cmdr Kerans.
More here (where I found the stills) - cinemacats.com/the-yangtse-...
A cat playing the role of Simon, though uncredited) appears briefly in "Yangtse Incident" (1957, starring Richard Todd as Lt Cmdr Kerans.
More here (where I found the stills) - cinemacats.com/the-yangtse-...
February 7, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Splendid story, splendidly told.
A cat playing the role of Simon, though uncredited) appears briefly in "Yangtse Incident" (1957, starring Richard Todd as Lt Cmdr Kerans.
More here (where I found the stills) - cinemacats.com/the-yangtse-...
A cat playing the role of Simon, though uncredited) appears briefly in "Yangtse Incident" (1957, starring Richard Todd as Lt Cmdr Kerans.
More here (where I found the stills) - cinemacats.com/the-yangtse-...
Colin Watson commented on kitchen knife misuse as long ago as 1971, in "Snobbery With Violence - English Crime Stories and their Audience".
February 2, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Colin Watson commented on kitchen knife misuse as long ago as 1971, in "Snobbery With Violence - English Crime Stories and their Audience".
It's the same principal as supermarkets not needing to put a lid on something like this.
January 28, 2025 at 1:16 AM
It's the same principal as supermarkets not needing to put a lid on something like this.
Everything else...
January 25, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Everything else...
Daube of salmon for @diane.dianeduane.com, "meat feast" pizza for me, bottle of Pinot Grigio, trickle charge electricity for everything else.
January 25, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Daube of salmon for @diane.dianeduane.com, "meat feast" pizza for me, bottle of Pinot Grigio, trickle charge electricity for everything else.
We've got these, which are great. They go into the oven as usual but, on the stovetop, water goes into that cavity on the lids. It causes re-condensation & self-basting inside, only evaporates off very, very slowly, and we've never had an instance of inside or outside "boiling dry".
January 21, 2025 at 12:06 AM
We've got these, which are great. They go into the oven as usual but, on the stovetop, water goes into that cavity on the lids. It causes re-condensation & self-basting inside, only evaporates off very, very slowly, and we've never had an instance of inside or outside "boiling dry".
The muffin-baking yesterday evening was a great success so I'm having a couple, toasted, for my supper. The pics are Mind Palate "glamour shots", and though mine look rather less photogenic, they do have rather more butter. Also some raspberry jam. Yum.
January 20, 2025 at 10:49 PM
The muffin-baking yesterday evening was a great success so I'm having a couple, toasted, for my supper. The pics are Mind Palate "glamour shots", and though mine look rather less photogenic, they do have rather more butter. Also some raspberry jam. Yum.
I don't think our Interlibrary Loan system has a long enough reach...
January 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM
I don't think our Interlibrary Loan system has a long enough reach...
The chorizo was an excellent addition, so final verdict on the soup is...
December 24, 2024 at 9:36 PM
The chorizo was an excellent addition, so final verdict on the soup is...
And then there's the shark-hat-hat, seen here at Worldcon 2005,where the fore-to-aft bash in the crown of a fedora turned out to be Just The Right Shape...
December 21, 2024 at 1:31 AM
And then there's the shark-hat-hat, seen here at Worldcon 2005,where the fore-to-aft bash in the crown of a fedora turned out to be Just The Right Shape...
Hang on, *I* didn't set your bangs on fire. You managed to do that quite nicely all by yourself...
Full story on Tumblr. www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2...
Full story on Tumblr. www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2...
December 13, 2024 at 8:34 PM
Hang on, *I* didn't set your bangs on fire. You managed to do that quite nicely all by yourself...
Full story on Tumblr. www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2...
Full story on Tumblr. www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2...
These have also been made with (1) mature cheddar, not Parmesan and (2) the smallest cookie cutter, not a press. We've also simply cut them into squares with a knife. The recipe (modified from Mrs De Salis) has worked every time.
December 4, 2024 at 6:32 PM
These have also been made with (1) mature cheddar, not Parmesan and (2) the smallest cookie cutter, not a press. We've also simply cut them into squares with a knife. The recipe (modified from Mrs De Salis) has worked every time.
@fritscartoons.bsky.social ID'd the car already - Hanomag 2 / 10 PS (2 seat, 10 HP AKA "Kommisbrot" because it was the shape of a military-ration loaf. It was used as all sorts of things, including a tiny taxi, and occasionally had a lightweight wickerwork body which made it even more breadlike.
November 27, 2024 at 4:30 PM
@fritscartoons.bsky.social ID'd the car already - Hanomag 2 / 10 PS (2 seat, 10 HP AKA "Kommisbrot" because it was the shape of a military-ration loaf. It was used as all sorts of things, including a tiny taxi, and occasionally had a lightweight wickerwork body which made it even more breadlike.