Psycho Sild From Bardfuild!

Yes, Mentioning Fish In The Title Again
I think Bardfuild is in France, but can't be bothered to look it up as I only used it to rhyme. 
     If you've never had sild, then I can inform you that they are small fish, eaten mostly whole, and are rather pricey for what they are.  Conrad buys the cheaper Morrisons value-range sardines, which might have generated a title of "Killer Sardines And The Bishop Of Rheims!", except it didn't.  Not today.

NO!  Art Department, get it right, NOW -

     I do apologise about Art.  He's a bit a lot of an idiot.  Why do we employ him?
     Oh, that's right, he works for free.  Not sure who gets the better side of the bargain here, anyway -

Packed in like sard - sorry, like Sild.

Car Booting Once Again
With April having arrived, so begins the Car Boot season.  The day began rather misty in nature, before we set off for Bardsley.  Alas not many stalls there.  So, since we were up and about, we went to the huge one at Bowlee.  Conrad always bores you, the reader, with a snapshot of what he's got and today - today is no exception!

     It's not clear from the photo - let me just enlarge it - but the volume top left is the AA's "Book of British Villages", which I bought as a useful source for possible background information about Eden Underwood.  And, wouldn't you know it, after buying this at Bardsley, there was a paperback edition at Bowlee.  Coincidences, eh?

     Right, this is a bit early but I think the can of "Warka" that I put in the fridge will be chilled enough by now to drink, so excuse me for a second -

"Mason And Dixon" By Thomas Pynchon
Oh no!  Thomas has been stricken by the curse of Non-Translate!  "Ceteris Paribus" - which I had to perforce look up myself, and which means "All other things being equal".
     Well they're not.  Today I made "Indian Pudding", which is mentioned in the novel, and which intrigued me.  What was it?
     A baked pudding made with cornmeal, milk, sugar and spices.  Here's one I made earlier:

Looking at the images on Google, I think mine might be a bit runny.  It tastes pretty treacly, which is to be expected as I put treacle in.*  I'm probably going to be eating this solo, and Conrad's Rule applies - no matter how foul, I made it so I have to eat it.
     I'll let you know.

You What?
Saw this on the way to the car boots -

No!  Not the tax disk, the circus tent ...

     Apparently the circus is in town.

"History of the 51st Highland Division"
Once again, if you care not to hear details of the travails of the 51st in the First World Unpleasantness, move your optics further south into sunnier climes**.
     The division took part in two major battles during the Third Battle of Ypres - which was actually a campaign, that lasted over three months.  In these battles I'm afraid the division and it's components behaved utterly unlike the stereotypical "lions and donkeys" descriptions some of you may be familiar with.  With excellent training and rehearsals, the Jocks took all their objectives, suffering losses but inflicting very severe ones upon the bally Bosche - who at this time deemed the 51st to be the best division in the British army.  High praise indeed from a skillful and brave opponent.

Don't worry, Angela, we're tremendous friends now.
(Just don't mention football)

    Some salient points emerge.  Conrad has read little about tanks at Third Ypres and dismissed them from his mind - which is unwise as they intervened at several crucial points of both battles (Langemarck and Poelcappelle).  A "Cable Tank" was used to lay the same and bring signal supplies up to a dump for the divisional signallers.
     The prodigious use of ammunition in this and other battles can be illustrated by the 152nd Machine Gun Company, who fired an interdictory barrage in answer to an SOS call - 20,000 rounds fired in an afternoon - 80 boxes of bullets!
     That most ghastly of gasses, mustard gas, is also mentioned.  Some of the 51st's victims of this awful stuff were witnessed being taken to medical care, forming the inspiration for Singer Sargent's iconic "Gassed" painting.  

A stern corrective to the "War is Wonderful" folks

The author, however, also points out that it's use was a double-edged sword: since it was persistent, in that it remained potent for days or even weeks afterwards on ground it had contaminated, the Germans would never use it on ground they intended to attack or occupy themselves.

Onto less serious matters!

Nuclear Apocalypse

 - less serious matters

Cute Animals
Cute teddy bear with a rat being all cuddly -

Seconds later, it ate the photographer -

* Not on a whim - the recipe says so.
** That is, "Look further down the page".
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