D R Harris's Pick-Me-Up

On the east side of St James's Street there is an old chemist shop called D R Harris and in the shop's opulent (but welcoming) space there is a chair (maybe more than one, I forget) up by the top counter, where customers may sit and order a D R Harris Pick-Me-Up. I have no doubt that it was formulated to blow the cobwebs away, on the morning after 'dining well' and there must be thousands of men (in succeeding generations too) who have sat in that chair and blessed the memory of D R Hariis and his secret formulation. It does not take long to prepare in the shop but when the glass is brought "With beaded bubbles winking at the brim", drink it straight down for maximum effect, place the empty glass on the counter, leave your £1 (or whatever it may now be), bid them a hearty "Good Day!" and be off about your business with a spring in your step!

This must be one of the oldest and the best chemist shops in the world and, besides being friendly and helpful, how many other chemists still prepare a potion for their customers' immediate consumption?

Wikileaks

I said a couple of posts back that I am no fan of the Wikileaks' founder but I cannot see that the USA does itself any favours when US representatives start baying for the Wikileaks' founder to be executed. Presumably, they would have a trial first? Or just lynch him? Or just bang him up untried in Guantanamo Bay? The image today is of the lynching, by prominent members of the community, of Leo Frank, less than 100 years ago in Georgia, USA:

"America, America..."

Think about it.

Safari Suit

Maybe, it's about time for at least something more on dress. Here is a titbit from Book III, on the Sporting Life:

Safari suit
A safari suit, in a traditional, pattern is terrifically comfortable for wearing when travelling. The best cloth for this is undoubtedly Ventile, which is a proprietary name for a type of waterproof cotton, with an interesting history. In the Second World War, the British ran short of linen for making fire hoses and so an alternative cloth was developed from cotton. It was so successful that it was also used to make flying suits for the intrepid pilots of expendable fighter airplanes that used to escort the North Atlantic convoys until the ‘planes ran out of fuel. These pilots then had to ditch their airplanes in the freezing ocean and take their chances of being picked up by the convoy before they froze to death. The advent of Ventile flying suits undoubtedly saved many of their lives.

You just match your safari suit up with a pair of comfortable, elastic-sided, slip-on shoes, which will expand as your feet swell. If you are going somewhere hot, take a sola topee or a panama hat; if somewhere cold, a heavy overcoat, a pair of gloves and a good felt hat.

In the picture is contemporary explorerColonel John Blashford-Snell in his 'Explorer' suit, made by Norton & Sons.

Wikileaks

I have not been following the disclosures very closely but they appear to me largely to comprise candid exchanges of views between politicians and diplomats who are all on one side about politicians and diplomats on another side. It would be impossible for government to work if there were not a realm of communications such as these that are generally kept confidential. Moreover, there is no general public interest whatsoever in the disclosure of the material that I have seen. There is no 'whistle-blowing' about the exercise; although it is disappointing to read that Cameron, Hague and their cohorts (secretly)see themselves as Children of Thatcher and embarrassing to read about them puckering-up quite so obsequiously to the USA and being ridiculed for it. The exercise is neither in the realm of education or entertainment and the perpetrators should be dealt wih decisively for breaking the laws relating to computer security.

The whole exercise is simply a cynical attempt to express vindictiveness and find notoriety (and, presumably, somewhere along the line, a deal of hard cash). I would not be at all surprised if those Dark Forces, which the Queen mentioned to Butler Burrell, eventually showed some interest in the matter and more 'penknife suicides' turned up in the woods. There could then be more cover-up (so-called)Public Inquiries, chaired by chaps happy to pucker-up to the governments of the day.

I shall have to go and see what Jeff Archer makes of it all on his blog...

Statues of Dr Johnson and Hodge

Here is the Fleet Street statue of Dr Johnson and also the statue of his cat, Hodge, in Gough Square.

The Spirit of Commemoration

No race on earth celebrates the spirit of commemoration as the British do: all the plaques and statues: even Beau Brummell in Jermyn Street: the whimsicality of it all. I have just put up the statue of Dorothy L Sayers and here is the statue of Sir John Betjeman, staring up at the roof that he helped to save at St Pancras station. A couple of great British characters; indomitable and utterly unforgettable. It is also amazing what a talent exists for placement: consider the statue of Dr Johnson set to look down Fleet Street on the eastern side of St Clement Danes.

Dorothy L Sayers

Here is the statue of Dorothy L Sayers, mentioned by Anon. I very much like the daring inclusion of the fag between her fingers (she chain-smoked Senior Service cigarettes) - and also the moggy; delightful creatures. I recommend the biography of her: A Careless Rage For Life, by David Coomes.