Rose tinted spectacles and funky fish

Hi Folks,

This week has seen a flurry of activity here at Deadman Towers. On Monday Deadman ventured out of the county to Nottinghamshire for the day leaving me to my own devices. He returned with a batch of beautiful gold round eyes, some of which are already on our website.

We have recently splashed out on a tint bath, for ophthalmic lenses, (not my hair, although the time for that is very close, I fear.) On Friday Deadman was getting in the Halloween spirit mixing coloured concoctions in said tint bath. He presented me with a tray of beautiful pince nez and monocles. We now have pink, blue and green. The yellow and lilac are yet to come. Deadman junior has a plain red lens which looks like a boiled sweet. This could be good for tricks on grandparents and other unsuspecting relatives.

Our collage of the tinted lenses. 

This was a joint effort between myself and Deadman Junior, 

my technical advisor when it comes to using Picasa and Picnik.

Tinted monocle are now on the website here

On the domestic front, the sausages in lard have been duly placed in the vicar’s donation box in the church and the courgette is still producing, but not quite as vigorously as before.  The chickens have had an extension on their run. It was getting incredibly muddy and now they have a lovely patch of fresh grass, until they start scratching around on it.

On Saturday we met up with our friend Bunny Hooper and his two children at West Runton a great place for rock pools. The tide was in when we arrived so we took a stroll along the beach to Sheringham. Having company definitely speeds Deadman Junior along; he can be a very reluctant walker. 

Bunny and Deadman looking wise

After lunch on the terrace of the Funky Mackerel we headed back to West Runton. There was a camera crew out on the rocks and Deadman Junior was highly intrigued by this, he kept drifting out towards them only to be reeled back in landwards by his dad. When they returned to their van, I asked the question and discovered they were filming about a 17^th century Norwich man called Thomas Browne. Deadman Junior was impressed.

Bunny modelling the Arnold our Tart Arnel copy.

TTFN

Claire

A nod and a wink to the monocle

If you do a search on Google for monocles you will be told in no uncertain terms that the monocle is back.

“Monocles to be sold on high street
Monocles, last in fashion during the era of PG Wodehouse, are making a comeback.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6780193/Monocles-to-be-sold-on-high-street.html

At http://www.deadmensspex.com/ I have been selling them for the past 5 years and can indeed confirm that the proliferation of monocle wearers is a very real phenomenon (unlike the users of pince nez).

We can trace the original decline of the monocle in the early to mid 20th century to one of two causes.

Firstly the monocle took a public relations hit in Great Britain just post WWI due to its close association with the enemy High Command. Caricatures were used in the press of the day to ridicule and demonise the Hun who was invariably wearing a monocle to symbolise arrogance and haughtiness. You’d have thought that a lesson would have been learned, but, come WWII they were at it again!

Secondly and perhaps more importantly was the demise of the waist-coated suit which by the 1940’s was well on the way out with the advent of double breasted suits. The increased wear by men of casual clothing and the popularity of pullovers and the ubiquitous sleeveless pullover (soon to be known as the TANK TOP Aghh!!) sounded the final death knell of the monocle as the waistcoat pocket was its true home. Un-housed and left to roam it quickly went the way of its companion the fob watch.

So why the increased demand for this rudimentary optical device that with improved refraction techniques and contact lenses should really have gone the way of the dodo?

I would suggest that firstly they are the perfect device to carry when a lens is required to aid short periods of reading i.e. the menu at your favourite bistro, as they are small, light and easily carried.

Secondly with the increase in popularity of historical re-enactment and lifestyle, nothing shouts "Dandy" or "Cad" like a monocle!

TTFN

D.Man