“Jim's notes/musings from the Pete Bog” 1.

“Jim's notes/musings from the Pete Bog” 1.

I am very happy with the reception and responses that this blog has received since its launch at the end of July this year. Currently we are heading rapidly toward achieving the 2000 hits/site visits mark, which is very encouraging and certainly makes it all worth while.
In an effort to continually improve the content and add some more general non - Peterson specific interest, I have decided to add a new regular 'light' addition to the current blog format. I hope it does not appear to detract from the main Blog and is seen as being complimentary to it.

Welcome to my new 'Notes from the Pete Bog'. I hope you enjoy the experience.
These frequent brief notes are my personal ramblings,musings,anecdotes,news items and stuff. Primarily intended as a light-hearted look at all things Celtic. Mixed in with pipe/tobacco and general interesting related topics, which may be of interest to you Pete Nuts.
Health warning, not to be taken too seriously!

Autumn in Scotland - The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.





Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
      Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
      To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
      For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
(Extract from “To Autumn” by John Keats.)

Well, we’re now past the autumnal equinox, one of the two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the equator and day and night are equal. Make that “almost

equal.” This year the equinox took place on Wednesday, Sept. 22. A full moon was visible on that day. Traditionally the “harvest moon” is the full moon closest to the equinox and, since it happened on the same day, that is about as close as you can get!
However, because of other factors, the day when the hours of daylight and night are equal come a little before the vernal (spring) equinox and a little after the fall equinox. (However on those days the sun does rise due east and sets due west.)

A Scotsman having a 'wee blaw' on the pipes. - Here in Scotland we love to play with our pipes first thing in the morning, it impresses the neighbours!!

Unfortunately the guy in the picture grabbed the wrong pipes. His excuse was that he had been celebrating the previous evening and got confused.

Bog factoid (a note or article of general interest ).-

The Trevor Barton collection of unusual pipes.

‘The Pipe Man’. That is how the locals of Portobello and Bermondsey market referred to the man who regularly trawled the Saturday stalls for a new addition to his ever-growing collection. Trevor Barton owned what was arguably the finest, most wide-ranging collection of pipes and smoking memorabilia in the world. This month’s Masters & Makers sale includes a selection from that fantastic collection, reflecting over fifty years of passionate pipe collecting.

Spending much of his life working abroad, Trevor Barton’s pipes come from all over the world. Having so much to offer he was a valuable member of the exclusive Academie Internationale de la Pipe. Synonymous with likes of Sherlock Homes, Einstein and Harold Wilson, pipes it seems, are quite the debonair accessory. This remarkable collection includes many pipes that possess huge ornamental flair. Whether you are an aspiring collector, or drawn in by the character of one particular piece, this collection is bound to persuade you to pipe up and bid.

http://www.christies.com/features/2010-august-pipe-dreams-899-1.aspx

I hope that the link above works for you all, it has not turned the usual blue colour!

Bog link of interest – Here is another link in association with the previous article/factoid on the Trevor Barton collection of pipes. Great little piece from the WPA film library.

http://www.wpafilmlibrary.com/detail/pipe_collection_extraordinary_collection_of_pipes_on_display_-_various_shapes_sizes_and_origins/2d231480-225b-16d7-bb38-df3392aa4fcd.html

Pipe Poem

'Sweet Smoking Pipe'.

“Sweet smoking pipe; bright glowing stove,

Companion still of my retreat,

Thou dost my gloomy thoughts remove,

And purge my brain with gentle heat.

Tobacco, charmer of my mind,

When, like the meteor's transient gleam.

Thy substance gone to air I find,

I think, alas, my life's the same!

What else but lighted dust am I?

Then shew'st me what my fate will be;

And when thy sinking ashes die,

I learn that I must end like thee”.

ANON.

Useful Things – Spotted this nice little pewter pipe holder on Esterval's site.

It is made by Pinder Bros of Sheffield and priced at around $40.

Please look out for the next edition of 'notes from the Pete Bog' and to all of you loyal blog followers, “Lang may yer Lum reek”, an old Scot's farewell greeting, which in essence, hoped that the person receiving the greeting, always had smoke coming from their house chimney fire and enjoyed a long life.

Jim.