Hodgepodge - dead, beer, and cassettes

Book #1 2012 Dead, She Said by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson. A dark, gritty, and quite twisted graphic novel.

As I clean my study, I come across tidbits from my Forgotten English calendar from last year. October 24 marked the date of the Dalton-in-Furness Fair, where the Lord would pick a few ale-tasters, assigned to visit all of the pubs in the town and taste the beer. They report back and prizes for the best are awarded.

One technique used by European aleconners was to pour a bit of a brewer's ale onto a pub bench. Wearing a pair of leather breeches, the official would sit in the beer for 30 minutes and then rise. If his trousers stuck to the bench, the brewer would be fined for serving inferior "taplash".

My question - does the dude get to change pants between pubs?

We finally got together to exchange gifties with Jenny & Aaron this weekend and the major craft give of 2011 was finally unveiled...

A lamp made from clear cassette tapes.

I had seen a couple of these online. Turns out the one I was trying to recreate actually used a specially molded plastic framework, but I adapted another version to get this.

I used 6 inch pieces of beading wire to hold it together. Here are some in-process shots.

Outside

Inside

Two

Diversion

Here's a curious bit of history that I came across this am and thought I'd post as an aside...

December 1 marks the anniversary of the death of the "Lady of the Haystack"

Lady of the Haystack made her appearance in 1776 at Bourton, near Bristol, UK. She was young and beautiful, graceful, and evidently accustomed to good society. She lived for 4 years in a haystack, but was ultimately kept by Mrs Hannah More in an asylum and died in December 1801. Mrs More called her Louisa, but she was probably a Mademoiselle La Frulen, natural daughter of Francis Joseph 1, emperor of Austria.

- source Ebenezer Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1887.

Fascinating and I want to know more. I found a little. Maybe there isn't more to know. Maybe it's a story waiting to be crafted and told.....