Family Tree Frog

S is for Ships My father and I often have this exchange: Me:  That's a nice boat Him: That's not a boat.  It's a ship. Me: What's the difference? Him: It's too big to be a boat. Me: So how can you tell it's too big. Him: ..... I can't remember what he says next (if it floats, it's a boat is my logic and I tend to tune out to specifics).  I would probably have known the difference between a boat and a ship if I'd listened to him. But I didn't, so I was forced to google it the other day in preparation for this post. (Gasp of shock from fellow librarians)   Google told me that if you can put a boat on another boat, then it's a boat and the other one is a ship.  Or something like that. If you wish to investigate further then you can go here or here. Here's a ship for you. HMAS Choules RAN Can you see all the sailors lined up neatly on the deck? Here is a boat.  And my dear father. These p...

Little Nell says: This week's prompt comes from the George Eastman House Collection on Flickr.com. in the set of Nickolas Muray. Regular Sepians who click on the link of his name will immediately recognise images of his that have been featured before. Yes I know they're anything but sepia and for that alone they are remarkable. Muray was a pioneering commercial photographer, responsible for establishing many of the conventions of colour advertising. This example is for an insurance advert and those Sepians who like to theme may choose from any number of prompts here. The photo appears to have been taken by the doctor, who has left his coat draped on the bedposts and his bag on the bed itself, thus ensuring that any bacteria is neatly carried on to his next patient. In addition we have a boy in bed, toys and patchwork quilt. If the prompt throws up (sorry) any other themes we look forward to reading them on your blog, which should be posted on or about 28 September....

Some times you just need to be alone. You need space : space to think, space to breathe, space to contemplate your place in the great scheme of things. What better way to find such space than to get into a boat and row out into the middle of the sea. This is what this young lady did back in 1900 somewhere near Estonia. And her trip into the middle of nowhere was recorded and is preserved for ever in the Flickr Commons stream of the National Archives of Estonia. For Sepia Saturday posters who like a theme, there is any combination of girl, boat, middle and nowhere. Sepia Saturday strikes again! "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Kenneth Grahame Wind in the Willows. Have you ever read Wind in the Willows ?  I didn't really read it.  I listened to it and still have the LP adapted and produced by Toby Robertson for the Argo Record Company .  There were two records but I...