Shocking Stuff

Tasteless But Accurate
Don't worry, we'll get to that in a minute.  Maybe two.  Or maybe tomorrow.  First of all, Treason, which is pretty shocking stuff in it's own right.  Unless you're an anarchist, or even a nihilist, in which case it would be Business As Usual I suppose.
     Conrad pondered earlier this week about the distinction between workaday mere "treason" and the far more impressive "high tr " excuse me "HIGH TREASON", and there is actually a difference.

Close enough

     Firstly, "treason" used to be actually titled "petty treason" after Tom and his betrayal of the American new wave musical ethos after the fact that this was a relational crime, one where the perpetrator* had owed a duty of service, responsibility or honour to the victim.  The butler did it, if you will, where the 'did' was bloody murder.

One for the ladies.
Er, I mean, like him in "Rock 'n' Rolla"

     Okay, murder, that's bad enough.  "High Treason" refers to crimes against the sovereign or state, with a few odd inclusions.  Guy Fawkes, who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament when King James was visiting, was committing high treason**.  Mark Philips, who romanced Princess Anne, was also sailing close to the shores of high treason - luckily for him she wasn't married.  I believe attempting to burn down one of HM's dockyards also carried a neck-stretching penalty, as, historically, so did being a Catholic priest.  Given the number of Catholic priests boldly practicing being Catholic priests today, I don't think this one's a runner any more.  Oh, counterfeiting money was also high treason, because of course money is the root of all live***.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ

    And one of the stand-out tracks on "Dark Side Of The Moon".     

The Chair
No!  Don't worry, this is nothing to do with that rather ghastly engine of destruction as found in Sing Sing - the electric chair.  Although there were travails a-plenty in us acquiring this particular chair.  Art?

The Chair

     Having sat in the object, I can confirm it is indeed very comfortable, which is just reward as it was a swine to obtain.  Firstly, off to a stone-built village in West Yorkshire, up an exceedingly steep hill with roads too narrow for more than one car to pass at a time.  What, are cars rare and exotic items in West Yorkshire^?  The target destination is, of course, at the very top of this hill.  And it's not on a road, either, requiring the Murdermobile to be parked up a goodly distance away.  Inevitably the house is at the very end of Meadow Street (although High Alpine Pasture Street would be more appropriate^^), and whilst Degsy goes back for the leather upholstery, the only car to go by in 10 minutes - of course! - turns into the street we're parked in.  They just manage to squeeze past and for a moment I fear they're going to reverse - phew here's Degsy with the rest of the chair.
     The other potential problem looming in the middle distance is getting this unwieldy artefact into the Mansion - old narrow doorways, you see.  Them Victorians must have had very thin furniture, or an early form of Ikea.
     Surprise!  and a good one this time.  The Chair - for so I have come to dub it already - just fitted in without more than a minor jiggle or two.
     Now, after all that, and I hope you are vicariously exhausted as well, I think another picture is not only needed, but demanded.  DEMANDED!

I Are Clever
It's official - Mandy said so.  She was commenting on BOOJUM! at work, saying that she didn't always understand it, which is entirely credible because your humble scribe is frequently at a loss to know what he was wibbling about last week, never mind last year.  For example, there's an anagram that I wrote down years ago and not only do I not know what it means, I can't even remember what it is.
     That probably takes the biscuit as non-news.  Anyway, a little proof of Conrad's ability to be clever with words:

Codeword - at 21:25

     You will just have to take it on trust that I didn't spend all night and the next morning until 2:17 a.m. to complete it.  Art?

Codeword - at 9:45

     There you go.  I find that you have to be very very careful about placing the first letters you deduce in situ, because otherwise you can throw the whole thing awry.  With time it fills in faster, so I challenge you to do better than 20 minutes on this.


*  I love saying that word, it sounds so official.
**  Please note an absence of cheap political jokes.
*** Er - is this right?
^  Conrad, Lancashire by assimilation, bites his tongue REALLY HARD.
^^  Nod to "Where Eagles Dare" there.