Friday, August 13, 2021

Hydrangeas and Applesauce


This hydrangea reminds me of the hats I used to see on some of the older ladies at church when I was a kid. All it needs is a little bit of netting and bingo -- you've got a hat. Maybe I should try it for the first day of school?

Yesterday was very domestic. I did laundry, I vacuumed, I did some minor gardening. I trudged through another 20 pages of "Smoky the Cowhorse." I talked to Dave, who is in Indiana and preparing to take his pre-flight Covid test to come home. I know he's ready.

Last night, perhaps because my visit to the Hastings battleground put me in a medieval frame of mind, I wanted to watch "The Name of the Rose," the 1986 Sean Connery movie about a series of murders in an Italian monastery. No one is streaming it, but I found a version dubbed in Spanish uploaded to YouTube. I tried the "auto translate" function to get English subtitles, and they were wonky and occasionally nonsensical. One random sentence fragment read "use Bulgarian people to take classes of their effects," and I'm pretty certain the movie didn't actually mention Bulgarians at all -- and any rhythmic sound or background noise generated a subtitle that said (applause). But I followed the plot just well enough to keep track of the movie, and in a way the wonky subtitles even added to it. They forced me to pay attention.

I mentioned yesterday that I'd show you what I bought at the antique store in Hastings:


Do you remember the onion pot and celery jar that sit on our kitchen windowsill? Well, this was made by the same manufacturer, a British pottery company named Sadler. I couldn't resist adding to our set! And it was pretty cheap -- only £8.


I also got this great old beer bottle with a figure of Britannia on the front. It says "G.E. Andrews, late J. F. Bray, Shrewsbury." I figured I'd keep it and discard some of the broken glass bottle fragments I've found here and there -- it's probably not a great idea to have them lying around!

47 comments:

gz said...

Name of the Rose...read the book!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

That's a lovely bottle. At the risk of stirring your indignation, may I ask how much it cost you?

Ursula said...

Absolutely.

U

Ursula said...

Subtitles are a mixed bag. Most films I watch are foreign language films (the languages not necessarily that foreign to me) as I am partial to the rather nuanced output of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, indeed the promise of Eastern delights further afield.

Most of the subtitling/dubbing is spot on. Some of very poor quality indeed. I have come across examples where it appears the person writing the subtitles sits there with a dictionary and translates word for word. Which, when it comes to idioms in particular, adds to my hilarity and takes away an awful lot. Still, as you indicate: What's stopping us making up our own story line as we go along without a clue? Second guessing as it were. However, as GZ above indicates, there is more to a GOOD story than just getting the gist.

U

Anonymous said...

Hydie blooms are lovely but they quickly get fritzed by our hot summer sun.
I think I have seen Bulgarian men on the internet who I would not mind meeting for classes of their effect.
I love the bottle. The other thing, not really.

Marty said...

Long, long ago when women (and in my case girls) wore swim caps, I had one that was entirely covered in exactly the same flowers. I thought it was way coll. Scary.

Steve Reed said...

Ten pounds -- I see it for less on eBay, but I'm happy to support the shop.

Steve Reed said...

Thanks for the recommendation! I think I might just do that.

Steve Reed said...

Well, I think I was following the story, not making up my own! But I get your point. We also see bad subtitling on some of the films we watch.

Steve Reed said...

So you have Hydies and Aggies, huh?

Steve Reed said...

Ha! I remember those old swim caps with the flowers all over them!

Moving with Mitchell said...

I love your two purchases. I probably would have taken home that apple sauce jar. What bargains, too. Marty’s comment about the swim cap reminded me that my mother had one like that! The hydrangeas were bluer. And since you clearly don’t remember: “Use Bulgarian people to take classes of their effects” even appeared in the book!

Pixie said...

The hydrangea does indeed look like a fascinator hat but I can't imagine how you would attach it to your head:)

The Bug said...

That applesauce jar is adorable! I would absolutely keep applesauce (or, even better, apple BUTTER, in it).

If you do the hydrangea hat you have GOT to take a photo. And a video of student reactions. Ha!

Ms. Moon said...

Excellent thrift store finds! That bottle is a beauty and the applesauce guy is a jolly sort. Will you keep something in it?

Bob said...

Love the Apple Sauce jar. Every window sill needs one.

ellen abbott said...

I love hydrangeas. I think I planted one once. it died. I bought some as cut flowers once and was sorely disappointed that they only lasted a day. maybe they were old when I bought them. a couple of nice finds at the antique store. not to my taste though. headed out to an estate sale today, we'll see if I find anything interesting.

Anonymous said...

Lovely additions to your eclectic collection of interesting things. The hydrangea flowers are beautiful.

Edna B said...

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous. I love your little green pot. Is it for apple sauce? The bottle is quite interesting too. You got great finds! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Red said...

I dare you to wear the flowered hat on the first day of school! It would probably give you many posts.

Ellen D. said...

I love your 3 pots for the kitchen sill. That is a sweet collection! You do need a new hat but I am not sure about adding flowers!

Mary said...

I can totally imagine a hat made of those hydrangeas.

The swim cap comment above is so true. Some time ago Mitchell did a post on his mother's swim cap and I sent him a photo of a pink/white frilly cap cover I still had from 1964-5 (females were required to wear caps in the pool back then and the cover was meant to improve the look--Ha!; it snapped onto the rubber cap). We had a good laugh about it.

The Padre said...

Cleaner Bee - Love That Busy Bee Mentality - Good On You - Keep Walking While Randomly Snapping Off iPhone Photos - Enjoy Your Weekend

Cheers

Sharon said...

I know exactly what kind of hat you are talking about! I love the Applesauce jar. That's a great find.

Kelly said...

You could attach the hydrangeas to something like a garter and wear it around your head - like you see babies wearing! Speaking of flowers.... you should come take a look at the jigsaw puzzle I just completed. I think you'd appreciate it!

Marcia LaRue said...

I love all 3 of those containers! So whimsical!

Catalyst said...

And your favorite color is . . . green?

Janie Junebug said...

I don't know how you can tear yourself away from Smokey to do anything else. *cough cough* The hydrangeas would make a gorgeous hat and yes, you should definitely make them into a hat to wear for back to school (never take advice from me). Love your pottery find.

Love,
Janie

Linda Sue said...

Only missing Beetroot, must keep an eye out for that one, then you will have the complete set, right? Really cool bottle, too.

Steve Reed said...

Seems like a terrible way to treat the Bulgarians!

Steve Reed said...

Glue!

Steve Reed said...

I'm used to being a spectacle but that might make me TOO MUCH of a spectacle. LOL

Steve Reed said...

Probably not. We've had the onion pot and the celery jar for nine years and we've never put anything in them, as far as I can remember!

Steve Reed said...

Right?!

Steve Reed said...

Hydrangeas don't do well in super-sunny areas. They like a bit of shade, and it may just be too hot where you are. They didn't do well in peninsular Florida, either. But I'm surprised the cut flowers didn't last longer.

Steve Reed said...

Dave is a hydrangea fan, so we have lots of them. I do enjoy them!

Steve Reed said...

Yes, supposedly the pot is for applesauce, though I think it's mostly just decorative.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! It might also get me fired! LOL

Steve Reed said...

I would look like Hyacinth Bucket!

Steve Reed said...

Do people even wear swim caps now? I guess competitive swimmers do, but I don't know about anyone else.

Steve Reed said...

I need to walk more. I've been lazy in that department!

Steve Reed said...

Isn't it? And all the better because I got it on a day trip, so it's a fun souvenir.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Now THAT's an image!

Steve Reed said...

I do too, but there are others by multiple manufacturers and some of them are downright SCARY.

Steve Reed said...

It's really not, weirdly!

Steve Reed said...

You're like Dave. I call him "Bad Idea Bear" (like the characters from "Avenue Q"). He's always trying to talk me into doing something problematic.

Steve Reed said...

I didn't know about beetroot, but I Googled it and YES, we need that one too! There's also a cute one for mint. But there are other "face pots" made by multiple manufacturers and some of them are downright terrifying. So we won't be buying them all.