And now for something completely different!!

24^th July 2016, and what have I done to further my hobby? A slow ponderous walk to the Carsington wild life centre AND BACK. Hirundines in good numbers, and Swifts no doubt starting the fattening process for their long journey home, and that’s about it.

So I was looking at another of Julian’s’ pictures of a Robin, this time from an angle that showed strange elongated claws, and very spindly legs.

          

And the word legs gave me the inspiration I was looking for. You see, most of my readers will not know that I have another hobby as well as Ornithology, a hobby that does not have a collective word, does not have an “…ologist”, but some have been known to tell me what the hobby SHOULD be called.

Now before you deride my second hobby, please be aware that I have appeared on the BBC Antique Road Show in 2013, with some of my collection, so it gives my interest some credibility.   As proof, and as seen on TV!!……………… (Sarah is on the left!!)

 

Yes….I admit it…I collect legs. Well to be more precise, pocket size items that are in the shape of a leg.

No discrimination, I have (naturally-) legs of the more artistic female form, and legs with socks.. the male style. Apart from the shape, which can vary widely and depends on whether the leg is hand carved or machine made, legs have a huge variety of finishing, like bows, buttons, even creases.

I’ll show you some others later on, but basically all 73 in my collection are items that have a function. They are not just carved or made in a leg shape for fun, they can be used. A large proportion of the legs are pipe tampers, the little hand held device that my Grandpa would use to tamp down his backy ( i.e. Tamp = Tampers).

I also have Scissors, pipes, combs, toothpick, vestas, nut-crackers, bottle openers, tweezers, and even an American pair of industrial callipers; a shoe horn, a French dragees bottle, and most important a nail file.

The nail file is important because it was the first item I bought, albeit at the time not for a collection, but because Mary and I were on holiday at Weymouth in 1962, and she needed a nail file. At the time, we just thought the leg shape was fun, and never expected it to lead to a TV appearance. When Mary has had reason to take the file out of her bag, someone has often said “that’s unusual”.

In 2009, whilst attending an Antique fair at the NEC, and having cash on the hoof due to selling some silver sugar tongs (another story!), I had the opportunity to buy 2 ivory pipe tampers, and thus the collection started. Mary gave me her nail file to get the collection moving, and I have been adding different shapes and styles (no 2 the same) as we visit antique centres on our holidays etc over the last 7 years.

Sometimes, a very kind person gives me an addition to my collection as happened this week when I received a well wrapped package with the notation “As soon as I saw this I thought of you”. I took it as a very kind get well gift, which the lady found whilst browsing in an antique shop in Norfolk.

So these are a few examples.

The first one dates from c1850, a bone and Ebony Pipe Tamper

                                        

   

A plastic comb, in a case - a corporate "give away" from "Notebook of Birmingham"

An ivory hinged toothpick, c1830. 

A brass boot shaped bottle opener. (collection addition 24/7/2016)

A Brass vesta in the shape of a leg, probably German.

Well, I have to say that there are 2 tenable, if not remote connections with birds…. The gift from a fellow birder, and the Robins legs…. Well…..that’s good enough for me this week!!

I welcome any comments on this hobby, just as much as I do on Ornithology. I have been a philatelist, a bit of a horologist, stretching it a bit, a botanist, but  what could you suggest for my hobby. Remember I do have the delete button!!