A Christmas Tractor For Adrian

Who Can Mong?

I recently came across a website entitled "Drinkmonger".  It mongs, principally, alcoholic beverages.  Interestingly I can never recall the term drinkmonger ever being used before.

However we have fishmonger, ironmonger (who does not sell iron), cheesemonger and I can recall that, in my youth, in the market we had a costermonger (who sold fresh fruit and vegetables) who also had a barrow which went round the streets. 

We also have rumourmongers, fearmongers and scaremongers.

So why do we not have shoemongers, clothesmongers, breadmongers, cakemongers, sweetmongers, tobaccomongers and peacemongers and so on and so forth?

Liverpool Central Library

There's nothing like a good catchy name for making something memorable. Having been brought up in Liverpool and been involved professionally many years ago with the Library, Museum and Art Gallery which were three joined or adjacent buildings on William Brown Street owned by Liverpool City Council I knew the three edifices simply as The Musuem, The Central Library but always the Walker Art Gallery. I have discovered over the years since that one only has to mention "The Walker" in art circles and someone in the company will know it well.

The Central Library had a magnificent circular reading room called The Picton Reading Room. Most of the Library has been completely revamped in recent years to bring it into the digital age. However, the magnificent Picton Library remains, as always, a haven of peace and tranquillity in the modern world. 

Liverpool University had many libraries open for studying in but when I was there the beautiful new Arts Library with it's adjacent lawns had just opened and I wrote many an essay seated looking longingly at students basking in the summer sun outside.  Later when I was studying at the Liverpool Polytechnic (a mass of dislocated buildings in the city which had been the College of Commerce and the Technical College etc) there was no library that I can recall and I often retired to The Picton instead.

The Picton Reading Room from William Brown Street

The Picton: no pen and paper these days

The Picton: a better idea of its magnificance

The incredible, and beautiful, interior of the new Central Library

Contre-jour

Adrian recently reminded me of the term contra-jour as used in photography. At this time of year at this latitude we have to contend with a very low sun. It's really bad when driving but on my morning walks recently it has been a bit of an irritation. Having said that I'm delighted just to have sun so I'll happily put up with screwing up my eyes in order to see.

It has also given me the opportunity for a few pleasing photos on my walks.