it seems there's a significant population of UK folk here. I suspect because needlework is a more-established "hobby" (using the word loosely) there than in the US?
the "Rule Britannia" post got me wondering. Never heard of Crackers until I became a 'net wanderer. Despite living in London for 2 years.
The first incarnation I read was "only in the US" - so I guess we're more alike than we realize, eh? Or should i say, more than we care to admit?
just curious - among pen folk, there are a lot of European collectors/enthusiasts who were fortunate enough to grow up using fountain pens. Unlike most US baby-boomers.
From time to time we have organized posts of the type "Who we are". Some of the time I have kept statistics. The representation of rctn is mainly from the old, old, British Empire. UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and USA. The numbers, except for SA, are roughly what you would expect from populations. Then there are a few expats living in other countries. Finally a few people who happen to speak English in different countries. HTH.
-- Jim Cripwell. A volante tribe of bards on earth are found,/ who, while the flattering zephyrs round them play,/ on "coignes of vantage" build their nests of clay;/ how quickly from that aery hold unbound,/ dust for oblivion!/ To the solid ground/ of nature trusts the mind that builds for aye. Wordsworth.
I personally have a great fondness for fountain pens. It may be because I am a lefty and appreciate the smooth flow of ink you get with a fountain pen over a ball-point. It just feels elegant to write with one.
We had some clarifications to go through while Carolyn Potts and family were here - from crackers, chips, crisps, biscuits, scones etc. Definitely two cultures separated by a common language! Crackers have at least three meanings here. Christmas crackers - crackers to eat with cheese, a safe-cracker, a joke can be a cracker - as can a beautiful woman - or, in fact, anything excellent, as I said before.
We even managed to have some nice warm and sunny weather for them! Mind you, we`re always much drier here on the East Coast.
thanks for that info. it's interesting to me because obviously there are some areas of study ("hobby" doesn't really convey what I'm trying to say) that are definitely associated more with Europe or as you said, the old British Empire. I would suspect simply due to longevity. The US is so young. Within the US there is variation as well. I'll go back to fountain pens I'm afraid because this is my primary interest outside of real life. Here in SE Texas, we are even "younger" compared to the East coast. On the East Coast, the FP community is much larger. It is a significant community on the West Coast as well - i think perhaps due to the diversity there and the strong influence from the Far East (Fountain pens are still much appreciated tools there.) So here on the Third Coast, at least my part of it, finding vintage pens or even people interested in vintage pens is rather a challenge.
Cost may factor into a lot of this as well. It seems that needlework was once something people just did and in fact saved money by doing it rather than buying something made by others. Now the costs savings just don't seem to be there. Textiles have become so varied and exotic and large-scale manufacturing so cheap, that handmade work can't compete. We have a pretty low cost-of-living here, but as a result we also have a lot of folks who can much better spend $5 at Walmart for an "embroidered" handbag, then spend the money and time to make their own. I am curious if this is the same trend in other parts of the world or if it's largely a US thing with all of the cheap imports coming from around the globe. I'd guess it is global, but with the US perhaps leading the way in our gobbling up of cheap goods?
so... learning the lay of the land here. or is that lie of the land? jlB will fix me on that one I'm sure. :) I'm just intrigued by all of this. I don't quite understand why in a city that is so large (4th largest in the US?) I can only find a smattering of needlework shops and *one* shop catering almost exclusively to fountain pen enthusiasts.
FWIW that particular script is older than dirt - as them 'murkins say. And has a few variations depending on [C]ountry [o]f [O]rigin. There is another one floating around about pilots, quite popular during the Northern Winters
London for 2 years.
Not surprising at all We of the 'Baby Boomers' [.au], who were "brung up" in the Regionals, are quite aufait with "crackers",, or "bungers" as we knew them. The Guy Fawkes nights I remember were something else, as was the whole of "bunger season" . Some great memories. Unfortunately it was the City Folk who had the whole thing canned here. The number of fires and personal injuries to kids gradually wore at the Legislators, so universally they were banned. Ironically, up in the NT = Northern Territory [ The Top End],, where there are millions of Sq. Acres to burn and thousands of supposedly "hick folk", you can still buy and use fireworks any day of the week. Have a guess where the 'smart populace' is located? A little story.. Back in ..ummm 1969?...as part of our Uni's "Orientation Week" it was traditional to worship/commemorate 'The Saint'. That year we built a huge wire frame structure of him (~5m/15ft), loading his "wedding tackle" with a heap of goodly sized bungers. On the Ceremonial Night we towed him through the Main Street of town with all bungers lit and a poppin'. The crowd loved it..! The traditional burning afterwards was quite an event with the extra onlookers and the accompanying merriment. Of course the fire was doused in the traditional way after the necessary amount of alcohol had been consumed
ummm.. for those who do not know:
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is a wealth of info to be had on The Saint from that link, but that pageactually shows some quotes that may make it clearer as to why our Universityadopted him as a mascot /icon(?). Sadly, I do not know that like dogma survived our exuberant promotion. It is many years since I have seen or heard of TS during Orientation Week news.Another indicator of attitude change in contemporary Australia, perhaps?
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I too subscribe to the use of the pen and ink. The skill *_was seen_* as the highest of achievements in lexicographic abilities when mastered. They are now dust gatherers in my domain since I first wrote a position application, using the skill, to be told I was not successful in having my application viewed - "we only accept electronic format for this position,, it is an IT position after all" [circa 1987]
ohhh goody... feel free to take a look at FPN - we're a nutty but very friendly group. We have a lot of lefties. Lots of left-handers think they can't use FPs because of the ink smearing but there are some excellent fast-drying inks out there now (Swisher's most notably) and the choices on pens and ink are just amazing to me considering how few people I meet IRL who even recognize the things.
Also, there are a couple of us that are stitchers who have started chatting about that topic on FPN (we have a section for "Chatter" which is anything off-topic.)
I can list a number of reasons why FPs are superior. :) But I am biased. Only mechanical pencils get *almost* as much praise from me.
the only problem, as with so many interests, once you are hooked you can end up spending a fortune on FP "stuff" without ever spending more than $20 on a pen. :) I have not seen many new members of FPN who started out with "I only have one fountain pen" and can still say that after only a few weeks on the group. it's an addiction.
My sincere apoligies for the redirection, KC..mybad! That *was* an alzeimers moment. I do not readily use that switch, as it is not often necessary. Hence I failed to remember to turn it off after having my chuckle at the KazyOnes post,, so sorry
Oh I always loved a fountain pen - somewhere along the path of life I got away from them. I remember so well taking shorthand with a fountain pen - it was magical and so very very pretty. What a nice idea (for me) for Christmas.
Just so you know, your new buddy (jBl) purposefully sends folks replies to anything nasty he or she (who can tell?) to a newgroup called alt.idiot.hens. One of your posts went there. One of mine did too, as I noticed the addy it was sending to too late. Shame IT doesn't have the balls to allow people to stand up to IT in the same forum IT attacks others in.
So, we have an individual who attacks others, holds them up as amusement to outsiders, and then doesn't have the stones to archive their own posts, so that people can see their actions. What a winner! NOT!
I'm an American baby boomer, and used to write primarily with fountain pens until I had one leak all over my purse. I still own a bunch of them, but at this point, 90% of my writing at home is done on computer, so they don't get used much.
aww come on now! I can read too! You started in on the new guy. You got your bootie spanked. Build a bridge and get over it. Posting notices to the newbee peeps is most presumptuous of who they are and very arrogant of you.
What you spat is copied for us to consider. I say you were put in exactly the best newsgroup.
Pull up the bobby sox and go have a soda. Stop doing what you accuse others of. Play nice please.
Google my email address and it goes back 7 or so years, google snipped-for-privacy@aol.com and you go further back then that. It is impossible to tell exactly how long you have posted since you decided you didn't want your posts to be archived. My history here, in contrast, is an open book.
I think that qualifies ME to know who is a veteran here. Your ignorance of who is who around here betrays just how NEW and how arrogant you truly are.
You are one person, you have the same one voice the rest of us do. You have the right to express your feelings, your thoughts, your opinions. You do not have the right to tell anybody else they don't have the same rights to express themselves as they see fit.
BTW, since it seems to matter to you: I read and post via Google, because I don't feel like paying anybody to read the newsgroups. I use AOL because I also enjoy the message boards and chat rooms AOL offers, I am perfectly capable of paying a service for newsgroup access, and posting from a made up email address like you do, I just choose not to. Granted, it is none of your blooming business what services I choose to use now is it?
I remember that when we started school we learned to write with Pens and had an Ink well on our table ,,,, caused many a nasty mark on our bags, clothes and fingers ,,, Than when Biros were invented , we had a teacher who forbade this, saying "it will ruin our handwriting!!" loooking at some handwritings now , maybe he was right ???? mirjam
GEEE FRED As i just had my first coffee, and am tired after haveing learned a lot in 3 days of an International Conference , it only now downed on me that you last sentence is misleading ...
Since in All those other countries English is taught as part of the Obligatory program. Thus people don`t happen to learn it, they Have to know it. mirjam
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