1st July

This is the day in the year when even quite young children realise that next Christmas is nearer than last Christmas. Detective Inspector Mrs Carpenter Maxwell and I are currently fortunate that Nolan is not terribly acquisitive, so his Christmas list is usually short and relatively cheap. Metternich's list, on the other hand, runs for two pages and, should we comply with his requests (and let's face it, if we want to keep the skin on our legs, we will) it will keep the shareholders of Pets At Home in Caribbean holidays for the next year or so.

Anyway - on with the blog -

One hundred and sixty five years ago today the first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in America. For younger readers, I should explain what this experience was. You licked the back of the stamp (and it tasted horrible) before sticking it on the envelope. People who did this a lot used damp sponges at their workstations so that their tongues didn't get all furred up.

For even younger readers, these workstations were called Post Offices and they used to be in buildings (not hidden inside a shop) where you could post letters; even quite small villages had one and most towns had several.

For younger readers still, letters used to be ...

In other news ...
One of the great heroes of all time was born today in 1929 - he has other birthdays, chronicled in this blog on 11 April, but this is his Official Birthday (this is the only attribute he shares with the Queen, God Bless Her). He was a deformed sailor called Popeye, who had no teeth, one eye (hence the name), seriously large forearms and an appalling taste in women (Olive Oyl was a cartoon version of Wallis Simpson). Popeye was picked on every episode by a bearded thug called Bluto, who knocked seven bells out of Popeye until our intrepid sailor was able to down some spinach (which he ate straight from the can) and this gave him superhuman strength.

They don't make them like that any more (and aren't we grateful!).

11th April

A remarkable character was born today in 1929. He served in the US Navy, smoked a pipe all his life and had a deformed jaw. He only had one friend, who was addicted to beefburgers and his girlfriend left a lot to be desired in the hour glass figure stakes. He was constantly having run-ins with a moron with a beard and huge shoulders and there was a kid who looked just like him and was always crawling off high buildings. Robin Williams played him - not very well, it must be said. His real claim to fame was trying to get children - or indeed any sane adult - to eat spinach.

Thank you, Popeye, for what you've been.

In other news ...

William Anne Mary was crowned today in 1689, the only official hermaphrodite monarch of England (the unofficial ones, if you're wondering are: Richard I, Edward II and [almost] Wallis Simpson).