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Janty

Pearls of wisdom

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My maternal grandfather (who I never met) when asked why he had a shiny tooth told my mum that he had a gold filling to pay for his passage to "the other side"

 

Just a piece of unashamed trivia, but that's precisely why sailors in Nelsonian times wore ear rings.

 

They were a superstitious lot, and thought that, without a proper burial, they'd be doomed to remain as ghosts, and dreaded the possibility. However, they also realised that their body, if left in the sea for a while, would soon part company with any valuables kept in pockets or purses. Therefore, they wore a plain gold ear ring that would remain with their body for a long time, and would pay for a proper burial once it was found.

 

[Michael Caine voice]

Not a lot of people know that...

[/Michael Caine voice]

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My maternal grandfather (who I never met) when asked why he had a shiny tooth told my mum that he had a gold filling to pay for his passage to "the other side"

 

Just a piece of unashamed trivia, but that's precisely why sailors in Nelsonian times wore ear rings.

 

They were a superstitious lot, and thought that, without a proper burial, they'd be doomed to remain as ghosts, and dreaded the possibility. However, they also realised that their body, if left in the sea for a while, would soon part company with any valuables kept in pockets or purses. Therefore, they wore a plain gold ear ring that would remain with their body for a long time, and would pay for a proper burial once it was found.

 

[Michael Caine voice]

Not a lot of people know that...

[/Michael Caine voice]

 

Just to add my own bit of useless trivia sailors Jumpers were knitted in cable or fairisle/Shetland patterns unique to there homeport if they drowned they could be identified by the jumpers pattern and returned home

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Gosh, both those facts are new to me (and I love the 'Michael Caine voice', Major B!).

 

Which leads me to another Pearl of Wisdom, something I've always believed but phrased very succinctly by Warren Buffet on the BBC 2 programme last night ...

 

"The School of Life is never closed".

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One I've just remembered...........A journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step............it sprung to mind as I looked around my pigsty of a house & started wondering where to start, and decided a dog walk was a good way after taking back the chicks and dropping DD off at a pony day and delivering back a load of bits & bobs left at our house by other people :roll::?

 

I think I saw the "sailor nose stitch" on Hornblower :wink:

 

Have a good day everyone,

 

Sha x

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One I've just remembered...........A journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step............it sprung to mind as I looked around my pigsty of a house & started wondering where to start, and decided a dog walk was a good way after taking back the chicks and dropping DD off at a pony day and delivering back a load of bits & bobs left at our house by other people :roll::?

 

Sha x

 

That's one that I use a lot! Especially at work...

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