I was driving along the B1172 near home yesterday when I saw a character that looked for all the world like Gumby.
You will of course remember Gumby from Monty Python? There were lots of them. They used to curl up a fist and shout inanities in a very loud voice whilst wearing one of those old pullovers with no sleeves. They also wore long and old shorts that came below their knees. But above all they wore the old knotted handkerchief on their heads.
Go back 50 years and you could see them at the seaside. It would be 80 degrees but they would wear a suit or at least trousers. Some might even wear a tie. I thought of all this as somebody that has lived in a T-shirt and shorts for the past week or so. These Gumbies would always wear knotted handkerchiefs, never a hat.
The bloke on the B1172 had all the accessories and looked plain daft. But he had a hat. Where did the wearing of knotted handkerchief come from I ask?
And you might be surprised to know it goes back much further than you thought. In fact it comes from the Middle Ages when kerchiefs or handkerchiefs were used to cover the head. Then in the 16th century, people in Europe began to carry kerchiefs in their pockets to wipe their foreheads or their noses.
But here is the internet description of Gumby which is much better than mine: "Gumbys would wear handkerchiefs on their heads, small moustaches, spectacles, braces, knitted Tank Tops, 1950s-style shirts rolled up to the elbows (without the detachable collar), and Wellington boots (commonly known as gumboots, which gave them their name). They would usually hold their arms in an ape-like position, speak loudly and slowly, and pronounce words syllable by syllable.
Sounds a bit like my dress sense.
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Elton John played Norwich on Wednesday evening and by all accounts he seems to be feeling his age. He was helped onto stage and hardly moved from his piano stool. One acquaintance described his wig as ridiculous. But here's a quiz question. How many pairs of sunglasses does Sir Elton own? Would you believe around 250,000. I have two and I thought that was probably one too many.
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Our church hall in the village has been sold and will become a private home. It went for £262,000 in an auction - way above the expected price of something around £170,000. Much of the money will be used to make essential repairs and necessary improvements at the parish church.
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Meanwhile still on a religious theme - the village Methodist Church is 100 years old this year and a display is being put together to remember this landmark. The first brick was laid in July 1922 and the building was opened just four months later in November. I am hoping to write a piece on this for the local media and also for Hethersett Herald and it looks like being another bumper edition.
Talking of press articles, I have finished and submitted my piece on the commemoration stone to mark the 900th anniversary of the building of Norwich Cathedral. Hopefully this will appear in print shortly.
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Here's another quiz question. Which two music legends hit 80 over the next three days. The answer is simply two of the greatest songwriters of all time - one being British and the other being American.
Only three days but an ocean separate Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. McCartney was born on June 18th, 1942 and Wilson on June 20th, 1942. More about them and their music tomorrow.