Monday 30 July 2012

Good-looking things


Back to the wonderful old church again, last week.  Parts of it - like that amazing stone tower - are about 1000 years old, and the newest bits date from the mid 19th century.


Inside the village hall which is attached to it, the girlie models for H.I.'s Summer School.



The latest lump of scrap metal, bought a couple of weeks ago, just before I turned the last Volvo into scrap.  A massive, bell-metal mortar with a brass pestle, dating from around 1750.

Most of these mortars and pestles were used in conjunction with the tobacco industry (grinding snuff, etc.) because the metal would usually react badly with certain medicinal chemicals, tainting them and making them potentially poisonous unless removed pretty quickly.  They were also used for pounding small quantities of gunpowder, because the bronze and brass would not spark when struck together.

Most of the early apothecary's M's and Ps were wooden (before expensive porcelain was invented), so hardly any have survived intact.  There are plenty of these brazen ones left around - I have three - so they are surprisingly cheap to buy.  This one is a beaut, but I expect it will end up being sold on again.

It's nice being close to good-looking things for a while though, including girlie's green eyes and the church.

13 comments:

  1. Beautiful tower; as you say. And I love your Mestle and Portar.

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    1. Both classic items - one more portable than the other.

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  2. village halls around the uk all look a bit different on the outside .. but inside they could be fashioned by the same brush could they not?

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    1. I think they have to conform to certain standards, usually not set by the villagers themselves. Or at least, that's what it looks like. A bit like town centres.

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  3. I'd love a decent pestle and mortar.

    I checked out the Green Eyes. That's National Geographic standard.

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    1. The look in those eyes is not haunted enough for National Geographic - unlike that Afghani girl all those years ago. Maybe I should haunt her a bit more.

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  4. I have never seen one of those pestle and mortars before but shall look out for them in future Tom.
    Expect with all these girls posing you will be unable to keep away from village halls - and you can always make the excuse that you need to look again at that fantastic church tower.

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    1. I don't need to look at any church towers as an excuse. I have her on tap. A dripping tap, granted, but a tap nevertheless.

      I didn't know that 17th century medicine, fireworks, tobacco and - later - antique shops never made it to Wales. How else could you have never seen one of these mortars? You probably have one in a barn somewhere, and never noticed it, Weave.

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  5. "The look in those eyes is not haunted enough for National Geographic - unlike that Afghani girl all those years ago. Maybe I should haunt her a bit more."

    Man, don't do that. What do you want, a Pulitzer prize or a beautiful girl?

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    1. The award-winning photo was your idea, not mine. I cannot see myself doing anything to harm her, aside from displaying an offensive sense of humour.

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  6. Fuck this. I am getting tired of my own voice, let alone other people's. I might have to take a break.

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  7. I'm still quiet with lash envy ever since you posted that picture of her eyes.

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    1. I know Iris - her brother has similar lashes too.

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