I got a letter from the postman, and a big sack of mail

[venta]

Aargh. I have been shockingly remiss. Slightly in posting here, but mostly in providing my thanks to someone...

Last weekend, I wombled into the house and found a pretty postcard on the doormat with some botanical-y sort of plants on it. On the reverse (or is it obverse - I'm never sure with postcards) was a block of big, black text.

I was baffled.

Then I remembered that some weeks ago pseudomonas said he was practising his calligraphing, and was offering to post out postcards of examples. I requested "something in half-unical"[*], which is a favourite script of mine.

The resulting postcard has my name and address beautifully lettered on one side. The other side is a solid block of text, which on reading is revealed to be a scurrilous limerick. The whole thing is dotted with tiny, painted green dragons one of whom is puffing smoke out of a set of bagpipes. Lettering, rude limericks and dragons! What's not to like?

[*] I just went to find a wikipedia entry to link to in case you didn't know what it looked like. "Half-unical", I typed. "Did you mean 'half-uncial'?" it asked. Do you want this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-uncial#Half-uncial

Eh?

Bugger me, I've been misreading that for more than twenty years. And mispronouncing it, to boot. No one's ever called me on it.

So thanks, pseudomonas. It made my day :)

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

I'd have assumed that 'half-uncial' meant 'half-snow leopard'.

[venta.livejournal.com]

You would?

<googles snow leopards>

Ah. You would.

The trouble is, I just think "uncial" sounds a bit too much like "runcible".

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

You say that like it's a bad thing!

(And thanks for that Wikipedia link, which has introduced me to the splendid word "majuscule"!)

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

bah, I was hoping it would mean something like 'impressive but very small', even though that's clearly not the etymology of it...

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It is quite a strange word: literally it means "bigger small thing". As opposed to a minuscule, which is a smaller small thing.

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

majuscule

Now, there's a capital word!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Remind me never to ask you for six fluid ounces of anything to drink…

[beckyl.livejournal.com]

That's the kind of post I never ever have received. How fantastic!

[ylla.livejournal.com]

Many years ago, I was sent 'a letter' - which turned out to be the subject of this icon (and is much more amazing in real life) :)

Still, dragons with bagpipes!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's really quite impressive!

Though the dragonal 'T' that starts my limerick is also pretty good :)

(My camera is currently 250 miles away from me, sadly.)

[exspelunca.livejournal.com]

Old Fashioned Saturday Night?

[venta.livejournal.com]

One kudo to you, ma'am.

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

I've long had a certain affection for Caroline Miniscule - who sounds as if she ought to be a character in a book. But I doubt if I could produce a decent written version these days.