[BITList] an oldie but worth a rerun

[HUGH]

KEN,

YOUR LANGUAGE STORY REMINDS ME OF ANOTHER.  WHEN LITHGOWS SHIPYARD HERE WERE GETTING A MAGNETIC "CRANE" TO LIFT PLATES AROUND THE PLATE PREPARATION AREA, THE ONE THEY PICKED CAME FROM GERMANY.   A PARTY FROM GERMANY WERE COMING OVER TO DISCUSS DETAILS, AND THE FIRM WISHED TO ACQUIRE A GERMAN SPEAKER TO ASSIST IN THE NEGOTIATIONS.  HEARING OF THIS, ONE OF THE YARD LABOURERS VOLUNTEERED - HE SAID HE HAD PICKED UP GERMAN DURING AND AFTER THE WAR.  SO ON THE DAY APPOINTED HE TURNED UP IN HIS BEST SUIT.  WHEN ALL WERE ASSEMBLED AT THE SITE OF THE CRANE, A DIRECTOR TURNED TO THE LABOURER AND TOLD HIM  TO ASK THE GERMANS WHAT THEY WANTED TO DISCUSS FIRST.  HE TURNED TO THE GERMANS AND SAID, "VAT YOU VANT?"

JANET IS DOWN AT AYR WITH SUSAN AND GRANDDAUGHTER SARAH AND A FEW OF SARAH'S PALS.  I WAS TOLD THIS HAD TO DO WITH MOTHER'S DAY.  SHE LEFT YESTERDAY AND SHOULD BE BACK THIS EVENING.  I'VE DONE A WASHING AND HUNG IT OUT - THERE'S A GOOD DRYING WIND - AND THE WHITES ARE WASHING AS I WRITE.  I'VE CHECKED THE VIDEO, AND I CAN RECORD DANCING ON ICE IF SHE'S NOT HOME IN TIME.  SO I CAN RELAX.

I HAD A LETTER YESTERDAY FROM A DOCTOR SO-AND-SO IN STOWMARKET (WHEREVER THAT IS).  SHE WRITES SCIENTIFIC NON-FICTION.  BACK IN THE 80s I HAD CORRESPONDED WITH VARIOUS ACADEMICS ON THE SUBJECT OF JOHN FULTON, A SHOEMAKER FROM FENWICK IN AYRSHIRE WHO BECAME A SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MAKER WITH ROBERT BRETELL BATE AND OTHERS IN LONDON BETWEEN 1834 AND 1850.  FULTON WAS A DISTANT RELATION OF MINE, AND THE ORRERY HE MADE IS IN THE KELVINGROVE MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY IN GLASGOW. I HAD TRACED AND TRANSCRIBED A COLLECTION OF LETTERS HE WROTE BACK TO HIS FAMILY, AND THE LADY WANTED TO KNOW IF I STILL RETAINED THE TRANSCRIPTIONS.  SHE GOT MY DETAILS FROM MY CORRESPONDENCE WHICH IS ON FILE SOMEWHERE IN ACADEMIA. NOT ONLY DO I HAVE MY TRANSCRIPTIONS, I'VE GOT A BETTER SET COVERING A WIDER FIELD, SO I SENT THEM OFF TO HER, MUCH TO HER DELIGHT.  MY GOOD DEED FOR THE WEEK.

WELL, TIME I HAD LUNCH.  SOUP, I THINK, PROBABLY MINESTRONE.

REGARDS,

HUGH.
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