Hanging basket of pansies outside the back door. I'm told that the name pansy comes from the French 'pensee' meaning thoughtful because the French think that the little faces in the centre of these flowers look thoughtful. Typical French I'd say. The faces in the middle of these flowers look like grumpy old men, all with 'Old Bill' First World War moustaches. Still they brighten the garden up.
6 comments:
Strange how grumpy little old frenchmen look astonishingly beautiful when clustered in a hanging basket.
Should we hang more of 'em?
Wasn't Old Bill's surname Moocher? I'm sure I've heard substantial moustaches of his chosen style referred to as 'Bill Moochers'.
The only phrase of his which I recall is 'If you can find a better 'ole, go to it!' Uttered at a time and in a place when 'better' was improbable and the 'going' was impossible!
Hi Carl. Re Captain Bruce Bairnsfather's cartoon creation Old Bill. The cartoon caption you mention is, I think, "Well. if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it." But I can find no mention of a surname for Old Bill.
P.s. One further idea I came across whilst looking up 'Old Bill' is that after WW1 a fairly high proportion of police officers effected large walrus moustaches of the type Old Bill favoured, hence the eventual nickname for the police -the Old Bill. Daft enough to be possible, I suppose ?
I can imagine great-uncle John William being a bit of an 'Old-Bill' type; looking out for the less experienced squadies with a deep but simple wisdom and a profound and stoic calm. Wasn't he in the Catering Corps at some point.
He made a lovely curry - his green tomato chutney was exceptional - and his steamed rice pudden with sultanas in, topped with treacle was irresistable. I wish I'd known him longer - but I would have been rounder!
Yes. I think he could well have been the archtypal 'Old Bill'. WW! was his third war. Boer War, North West frontier uprising of 1908. Re enlisted in WW1, then in 1939 rejoined as an instructor (by taking 15 years off his age, and shooting right handed but left eyed). As, when he first enlisted in the 1890s, he'd added a few years to his age, he never had any great respect for army records, as they never spotted the huge discrepancy in his date of birth.
And yes, at some stage he was in the Catering Corps. Cushy billet for a senior N.C.O. I suspect.
Cheers, Mike.
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