Of Memory, And Music

It Is Unwise To Offend One's Memory
     Conrad had a bit of a go at his memory last night, with predictable consequences - his memory had a go at him in return.  For a start, he forgot to bring in his newly-purchased jars of Marmite and honey, and thus bought a jar of Marmite in the on-site shop and made do with a scraping of honey from the bottom of the jar.  He also forgot to bring in any of those weird-but-nice liquorice teabags.
     Yeah, I know, tragi -

A moose on the loose.
Why?  Why not!

     That was it!  I'd come up with a word whose origins were obscure - and then forgot what it was before I could get to pen and paper.  Obviously Oscar* feels guilty about keeping that one back.
     Anyway, on with the blog!

Music
     Back in the day - that day being in the mid-to-late Seventies, where an atrocity like bell-bottom jeans were acceptable and even stylish - Conrad used to listen to, and record from, radio shows.  Now, one of the records he got at the weekend was the Greek keyboard whiz Vangelis' "Albedo 0.39".  The first track seemed not as unfamiliar as it might, leading Conrad to muse that he had once recorded a Vangelis track which ended with the Speaking Clock - hay pesto!  The first track, "Pulsar" ended with the Speaking Clock.  Conrad's first listen for over thirty years.

Vangelis in the recording studio, 1976

     Here An Aside For The Younger Reader
     Looong ago, before the PC and digital technology and reality television, it was possible for the concerned man in the street to find out exactly what time it was according to Greenwich by ringing a number that connected to the Speaking Clock, which was a lady intoning "At the next pip the time will be eleven fifteen and twenty seconds precisely - pip pip pip At the next pip the time will be eleven fifteen and twenty five seconds precisely -"  It was recorded, she didn't sit there speaking into a microphone twenty four hours a day.

A Telephone, 1972 vintage.  What do you mean, "where is the screen?"

"Bampot"
     The word I forgot earlier.
     It's a term of mild abuse, said of someone who is stupid if you wish to be offensive, although since it comes from Glasgow, where everyone is made of granite, it ought to be deployed with caution.
     Where does it come from?  The "bam" part is a corruption of "barm" which is an alternative for "balm", from which we derive "barmy" - barm itself referring to the froth atop and around fermenting beer.  
     "You, sir, are a pot of fermenting beer with  a surmounting froth" lacks the verbal punch of "Yiz ra bampot!"

A bampot.  Literally.  Frankly, it's not too terrible a thing to be compared to

Kapusta - Polish for "Cabbage"
     Conrad posted about this yesterday.  It's Polish pickled red cabbage, and Conrad got his cheap.  He asked Edyta (who is Polish, and approachable) what it was and how it was used.
     She explained that it's used as a stuffing for dumplings, which are consumed with bacon and mushrooms.  No, you definitely do not eat it on it's own.
     Oh, replied Conrad.  Nice but very filling.  And very, very purple.

Easily confused

More Of Music
     Listening to Mike Oldfield and "Ommadawn", which has not troubled Conrad's ears for lo! well over thirty years.  He remembers none of it, not even the bit playing now with tubular bells up front in the mix.  Thank you, Oscar.
     Some very nice, lyrical guitar work there as well.

My Goodness, Goodwin!
     Whilst inputting details of an employee onto the database at work today, Conrad was struck by the surname - "Goodwin".
     "The Goodwin Sands" instantly popped into his head.  
     What are the Goodwin Sands?  They are shoals off the English coast, near Deal, 10 miles in length and the grave of many a ship, including the SS Montrose, which ship was an answer in the pub quiz last week.  Intrepid - not to say daft - Englishmen go out to play cricket there when tides permit.

Whilst on the subject of sport, this was also deemed a "Good Win"

     Then there is Jimi Goodwin, one-third of Doves, that epic indie guitar band who are on a long-term sabbatical, but who have not broken up.  No they haven't!  They have NOT!
     Then we have "Senlac". The connection here is another odd coincidence.  Conrad can point to posting the word "Senlac" on Twitter yesterday, and not explaining what it was**.  It refers to Senlac Hill, where the Anglo-Saxon army deployed against the invading Normans.  Who was the Anglo-Saxon king?  That's right, Harold Goodwinson.

Okay, that's enough, I want my dinner, my pipe and a kip by the fire.



*  Oscar.  Conrad's memory.  From yesterday, remember?
** 'Cos he's rotten like that.