The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 8)

[deb usa]

that's good news..... I was scared they had lost everything 

welcome back Nat!

[alpinecottage]

On Saturday 14 Nov, Mr Moore's toyshop and the pub next door (The Wheatsheaf) fell down completely, it was reported in the Morning Post.  Several people had a very narrow escape but Mr Moore was "totally ruined by the catastrophe".  I wonder if Nat will mention this next week.

[Daisy Loo]

Hmmm...anyone know what an office dial is? Some kind of clock?

and why would baked mutton, pots and pudding be an unusual meal?  (Can't imagine baked mutton ...blugh! surely couldn't compare to lovely roast lamb anyway!) And a PINT of tea? 

His sunday's seem to be getting very mundane

[Aniseed]

Nat's description of the toyman's house really reminded me of one of the final scenes in Little Dorrit (the TV version, I've never read the book  ) when Mrs Clenham's house falls down. It was spectacular. Sounds like the same thing happened to poor old Mr Moore. Wiki says that Little Dorrit was written 1855-1857...maybe Dickens based the house collapse on poor old Mr Moore's house. Maybe Mr Dickens was reading the Morning Post on 15 November and noted it down for future use.

I assumed that a dial was a clock...he seems to be fairly interested in them. Today's entry is the Sunday one about his visit to St Mary, Islington and also St Alban's, Wood Street, followed by;

Had Ann up in my room as usual in the evening.  At home all the evening reading etc.

Was 'reading' a euphemism for 'hanky panky' in those days??? Or maybe that comes under the 'etc.' 

[Ruskie]

um Aniseed, it didn't cross my mind but perhaps Nat's "reading" did equate to something else. 

Daisy, I also wondered why his baked mutton meal might be unusual - I wondered whether it was the time he ate it (rather than what it comprised of) which was unusual?  I believe that mutton used to be a fairly common meat in days gone by but you can't get it today for love nor money. I think it might actually be a very tasty tender meat if it was baked (roasted?) long and slow. I used mutton in an indian curry a few times (I can no longer buy it) - very flavoursome.

I also thought dial to be clock ... but perhaps it could be a sun dial? 

[Siamese Girl]

From the 1841 Post Office Directory: Samuel Moginie 17 Brewer Street Pimlico watchmaker - I assume he would clean clocks as well.

I'm surprised Nat says baked  mutton is an unusual meal for him, I thought he might have eaten quite a lot of it. Perhaps its the baked bit? perhaps it was more usual for him to have mutton in a stew? I thought a mutton chop was a pretty basic kind of meal for the time 

Carole

[Aniseed]

um Aniseed, it didn't cross my mind but perhaps Nat's "reading" did equate to something else.  ;

Well, he put in shorthand that he had Ann up in the evening as usual, and then claimed in longhand that he spent the whole time reading, which I for one don't believe for a minute!!!

[Ruskie]

um Aniseed, it didn't cross my mind but perhaps Nat's "reading" did equate to something else.  ;

Well, he put in shorthand that he had Ann up in the evening as usual, and then claimed in longhand that he spent the whole time reading, which I for one don't believe for a minute!!!

 

Maybe he read to take his mind off what happened (or did not happen  ) between himself and Ann earlier that evening. I'm sure some of those tomes he owns would do the trick. 

[deb usa]

or maybe he was reading "Clock Repair, 101, For Dummies"

deb