‘Stone Me’…..Origins Of Words…. More From ‘Unbound’…..
by Bernie Bell - 08:58 on 15 July 2023
‘Stone Me’…..
https://archaeologyorkney.com/2023/07/12/brodgar-podcast/
This set me off thinking of all the songs about getting stoned – in one way or another…
https://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/stoned-in-song
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Origins Of Words….
When I was growing up, people I knew in Ireland would sometimes refer to an object as a ‘Yokebus’ – maybe folk still do so. I have no idea of the correct spelling – if there is one. It was sometimes shortened to ‘yoke’ – for example – ‘Would ya’ pass us that yoke….. ’.
I thought it was an odd word, but no-one appeared to know what its origins were.
I’m reading ‘The Japanese Chronicles’ by Nicolas Bouvier, in which he writes of when Portuguese merchants first arrived in Japan and brought with them guns, which the Japanese hadn’t encountered before. He writes…. “ Tokitaka asks his arms factory to make copies of the harquebuses.” And I thought – harquebus – yokebus. These were Portuguese merchants – Spanish sailors were washed up on the shores of Ireland when the Spanish Armada sank – did ‘arquebus’ morph into ‘yokebus’ - with the actual meaning being lost, except as a word for an un-familiar ‘thing’?
I don’t know – just playing with ideas - playing with words.
I ‘Googled’ and found a definition of harquebus…
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/harquebus
….but no sign of yokebus – just yoke…..
As to ’The Japanese Chronicles’ – it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Nicolas Bouvier has a way with words, and is good at describing things – but not so good at ‘pulling things together’ - so his narrative is interesting, but not as interesting as it could have been.
Damning with faint praise!
It’s an insight into a different world though – a very different way of life and way of being.
I’d love to see the moss temples in Kyoto – I’ll have to make do with pictures and telly programmes!
http://saihoji-kokedera.com/en/about.html
A word origin I didn’t know about. Nicolas Bouvier has described a typhoon which destroyed the Chinese armada which was all set up to attack Japan, and adds…
“Today we give typhoons pretty, feminine names (Beryl, Laura, Cathy….), most likely to appease their fury. The Japanese of the thirteenth century baptise this savior-typhoon the Wind-God (kami kaze) , and the suicidal pilots of World War 2 adopted this name for their cause after all was lost.”
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More From ‘Unbound’…..
“Is there room on your bookshelf?
It's the last of our special editions sales and we have another impressive selection of books to whet your appetite!
Books on craftivism, social justice or just VERY TIRED parents are available. Have a good look through because once they are gone, they are gone forever...
How to be a Craftivist
by Sarah Corbett
'I love what Sarah does! It's quiet activism for everyone including introverts'
Jon Ronson
Award-winning campaigner and founder of the global Craftivist Collective Sarah Corbett shows how to respond to injustice not with apathy or aggression, but with gentle, effective protest.
This is a manifesto for using craft to engage, empower and encourage us all to be the change we wish to see in the world.
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What Doesn't Kill You
edited by Elitsa Dermendzhiyska
Featuring stories from Rory Bremner, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Irenosen Okojie and a wealth of master storytellers, What Doesn't Kill You is a collection of stories of survival that have shaped their lives.
As they take you on a journey to the darkest recesses of their mind, the authors grapple with challenges that haunt us all.
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Common People
edited by Kit de Waal
Common People is a collection of essays, poems and memoir written in celebration, not apology: these are narratives rich in barbed humour, reflecting the depth and texture of working-class life, the everyday wisdom and poetry of the woman at the bus stop, the waiter, the hairdresser.
Features original pieces from Damian Barr, Malorie Blackman, Louise Doughty, Stuart Maconie, Paul McVeigh, Daljit Nagra, Cathy Rentzenbrink and more.
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Another Life
by Nick Danziger
In 2005, Nick Danziger began to create an archive of photographs documenting the lives of women and children in eight of the world's poorest countries.
The stories he tells in pictures and words are unforgettable and have created a unique document, one that reveals the uncomfortable truths of a globalised planet. It is full of hope, sadness, pain, anger and beauty.
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Trans Britain edited by Christine Burns
Trans Britain chronicles the events which shaped the transgender community over the last five decades, in the words of those who were there to witness a marginalised community grow into the visible phenomenon we recognise today: activists, film-makers, broadcasters, parents, an actress, a rock musician and a priest, among many others.
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Cut from the Same Cloth edited by Sabeena Akhtar
'Extraordinary women leading ordinary lives. Lyrical, funny and enraging, this arresting collection of essays shatters every myth and stereotype of what it means to live as a Muslim woman in Britain today' Monisha Rajesh
From modern pop culture to anti-Blackness, faith and family, politics, education, creativity and working life; this anthology gives visibly Muslim women a space to speak.
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In Other Words
by Mainspring Arts
A shift in the nature of light reveals an eighth colour in the visible spectrum. A single mother finds help at the darkest point of her life. A young man finds himself trapped in a university overrun by crows.
These transcendent stories were created by autistic writers, people often dismissed as unimaginative or incapable of creativity. This collection shatters those stereotypes and the perception that one must be neurotypical to be afforded a voice in the arts.
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The Arrow of Apollo
by Philip Womack
'There is much to admire in this intriguing, ambitious, immersive book'
Literary Review
An epic children's adventure set in the legendary past: three friends must find the magical Arrow of Apollo before evil consumes the world. The gods are abandoning the earth, tempted by other worlds where they can live in peace. Only a few keep an interest in mortals. In their place, darker, more ancient forces are wakening...
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The Very F*cking Tired Mummy
by Martyna Wiśniewska Michalak
Have your kids ever shaved the dog? Or decided pants are optional? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Parenting is hard and this mummy is f*cking tired.
Inspired by the story of a beloved caterpillar, The Very F*cking Tired Mummy is an all-too-relatable tale of the frustration, exhaustion and sometimes unexpected joy of parenthood.
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Philosophy@Work
curated by Anders Indset
Philosophy@Work explores the integration of philosophical tenets into the business landscape, and how they can be applied to personal development, the art of leadership and coping with the forces of change.
This is a starting point to a world of practical applied philosophy, a first glimpse into the beginning of a new era.
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Get these books over the line!
The Hard Way
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love lay down beside me and we wept
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When Helen was admitted to a psychiatric ward and sectioned she expected her stay to be grim. Amid the horror though, there were moments of pure comedy and unexpected comradeship.
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Patrick McCabe's black comedy set in 70s Dublin: a theatrical agency acts as a front for British counter-terrorism.
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Here’s one I made earlier…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/09/02/buying-people-is-wrong/
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