This morning we motored up the A140 to Dunton Hall to have lunch with friends Cath and Derek. Took the above photo travelling North on the A140, near the village of Mendlesham. Mendlesham Church contains the only surviving Church Armoury in England. The Armoury was founded in Mendlesham when the Armada was chucking its weight about in 1588.
Good lunch in good company. Got home about four thirty.
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The above photo is of this week's
MYSTERY OBJECT.
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It is a useful little object (it was more used when our children were young - but it still gets used occasionally now). It is made of silver plated iron. It is five and a half inches tall.
The object is to guess its purpose, its nationality, and its age.
Good guessing, although I expect some of you will probably KNOW the answers.
16 comments:
As 'one who knows' I would commend the aspirants to consider the zoological feature at the centre as a strong hint as to its purpose!
Would it be for taking the top off a boiled egg?
Well done, Carl and Maggie. The little round bit t the top is used to tap a small hole in the egg. Then the tool is used by fitting the point of the cutter into the little hole, and it is used like a very large cigar cutter. Et Viola, as the French say.
Too late!
I was going to say it is a miniature siege weapon to break down the battlements and let the soldiers in.
Any chance of a photo of the oodecapitator in the open position so we can see the point of the cutter, please?
An eggcellent mystery object and a part of our childhoods! Thank you x
I think it's a miniature medieval siege machine.
Its purpose is to crack the walls and let the soldiers in!
errr... Quand tu ecrit 'Et Viola', Michel, est ce que le fleur ou l'instrument orchestrale?
Un oeuf is un oeuf M. Crowbard....
To see the object in use please look at the next blog entry, where the last photo should make all clear.
Crowbard - Ref 'viola'- you know what French spelling is like. Bit like ours, it's main function is, of course, to confuse foreigners. I think perhaps they mean 'Voila!' which is, of course, Frog for 'So there!'
P.s. Which reminds me of a sentence in Wodehouse :- "He wore the slightly guilty look of an English who is about to speak French, which is a thing I bar! - it sounds so affected."
Je m'excuse, Mike. I am deeply affected by your spirited defence of traditional British Franco-phobia. The French, I must admit, are world champions at surrendering, back-stabbing and exporting nasty wine they can't sell in France! And as for Viola! Perhaps they all are a load of pansies! Remembering of course that there are three realms of France. The gentle southern realm where Occitan is spoken still by every faithful Bonne-homme, the Normandy of glorious Scandinavian occupation and that lesser realm where insufferable Parisians hate each other and despise everyone else.
You are quite right Rog, un oeuf is always sufficient, but enough of that; as the short French painter's companion asked "What have we got Toulouse?" to which the customary response is "Five centimes and a lead sou - will it buy us another pastis?"
My compliments on your erudite description of the item, by the way, it brought back childhood memories of nursery tea-time.
Rog. I have just seen the point about cracking the walls and letting the soldiers in(bread and butter fingers). I think I must be slowing up.
Rog. I have just seen the point about cracking the walls and letting the soldiers in(bread and butter fingers). I think I must be slowing up.
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