PREVIOUS NEWS

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Belleek Newslettre (# 12.3)

** 2009 CONVENTION !!

YES, it’s just around the corner, at least the way I
procrastinate !! I’ve been in contact with the organizing
Belleekers for our upcoming 2009 Convention and they
promise another spectacular affair !!

AND NOW, IT's HERE !!

If you haven't received your Convention Information as
yet, please Navigate around my Site below and you'll be
able to obtain ALL the information you'll require
regarding Registration, Proposed Convention Itinerary,
information specific to Convention Donations as well as
a Page dedicated to sights, sounds and gastronomical
experiences in the Garden State !!

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/
2009_conv_welcome.html

NOTE : Registration and Auction pages are single sheet
printable while, the Itinerary and Sights and Sounds
pages are two pages each !!

If you would, PLEASE pass this Convention Link on to ALL
your Chapter Members or friends that you feel will be
attending !! THANKS !!

AND, remember to mention that you're a BELLEEKER
attending the B.C.I.S. 2009 Convention !!

The DISCOUNT Marriott Hotel Code is : "bicbica" !!

SEE YOU ALL IN NEW JERSEY NEXT YEAR !!

** JURISPRUDENCE !!

After a trial had been going on for three days, Finley,
the man accused of committing the crimes, stood up and
approached the judge's bench. "Your Honor, I would like
to change my plea from 'innocent' to 'guilty' of the
charges."

The judge angrily banged his fist on the desk. "If
you're guilty, why didn't you say so in the first place
and save this court a lot of time and inconvenience?"
he demanded.

Finley looked up wide-eyed and stated, "Well, when the
trial started I thought I was innocent, but that was
before I heard all the evidence against me."

** ROSENBAUM COLLECTION SALE !!

Jon Rosenbaum has placed his late parent’s Belleek
Collection up for sale !! There are still some very
fine and interesting items left and he invites you
to visit my Link below for your perusal and purchase !!

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/auctions/jrosenbaum.html

If you are curious regarding a particular item please
contact him directly !! Both his E-mail address and
telephone are on his list !! If you desire a picture
let Jon know and he’ll do his best to accommodate your
request !!

PLEASE take a moment and pass this Link on to ALL your
Belleeker friends and acquaintances !! Don’t worry about
someone else contacting the same person(s) as I’m SURE
that everyone would rather receive ‘duplicate E-mails’
as opposed to NOT receiving this important information !!

Remember, the Holiday Season is upon us and there’s some
SPLENDID gifts in this fine collection as well as additions
to your own treasures !!

** NO IMAGINATION !!

Two Irishmen in a bar and one said to the other.

"Hey! Can you tell me what the date is please?"

"No idea." says the other.

"But you've got a newspaper in your pocket," he says.

"Sorry mate, it's no use, it's yesterday's!"

** ROBERT BURNS !!

Simply put, Robert Burns was a poet and a lyricist !!
He was born on 25 January 1759, and passed on 21 July,
1796 at the young age of 37 !! Also known as Rabbie Burns,
Scotland’s favourite son, the Ploughman Poet (in reference
to his failed attempt at farming), the Bard of Ayrshire
(county of his birth) and in Scotland as simply The Bard,
he is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland,
and is celebrated worldwide !!

We discouver from the Internet : “Scots around the world
celebrate January 25 (Rabbie's birthday, born in 1759)
with a Burns Night Supper, revolving around the haggis
(Burns' poem : To A Haggis*), the whisky and the toasts
to the lassies. This has been going on since Burns' death
over 200 years ago and, along with our singing of Auld Lang
Syne each New Year's Eve, indicates the tremendous impact
this young roué and some-time farmer has had on his country
and culture.”

* Editor’s Note : (Explanation of Burns Poem ‘To A Haggis’,
again gathered from Internet information !!)

Address To A Haggis	The Translation
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm.	Fair is your honest happy face Great chieftain of the pudding race Above them all you take your place Stomach, tripe or guts Well are you worthy of a grace As long as my arm
The groaning trencher there ye fill, Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your pin wad help to mend a mill In time o' need, While thro' your pores the dews distil Like amber bead.	The groaning platter there you fill Your buttocks like a distant hill Your skewer would help to repair a mill In time of need While through your pores the juices emerge Like amber beads
His knife see rustic Labour dight, An' cut you up wi' ready sleight, Trenching your gushing entrails bright, Like ony ditch; And then, O what a glorious sight, Warm-reekin, rich!	His knife having seen hard labour wipes And cuts you up with great skill Digging into your gushing insides bright Like any ditch And then oh what a glorious sight Warm steaming, rich
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive: Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive, Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve, Are bent lyke drums; Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, "Bethankit!" 'hums.	Then spoon for spoon They stretch and strive Devil take the last man, on they drive Until all their well swollen bellies Are bent like drums Then, the old gent most likely to rift (burp) Be thanked, mumbles
Is there that owre his French ragout Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or fricassee wad mak her spew Wi' perfect sconner, Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view On sic a dinner?	Is there that over his French Ragout Or olio that would sicken a pig Or fricassee would make her vomit With perfect disgust Looks down with a sneering scornful opinion On such a dinner
Poor devil! see him ower his trash, As feckless as a wither'd rash, His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash, His nieve a nit; Thro' bloody flood or field to dash, O how unfit!	Poor devil, see him over his trash As week as a withered rush (reed) His spindle-shank a good whiplash His clenched fist, the size of a nut. Through a bloody flood and battle field to dash Oh how unfit
But mark the Rustic, haggis fed, The trembling earth resounds his tread. Clap in his walie nieve a blade, He'll mak it whissle; An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned, Like taps o' thrissle.	But take note of the strong haggis fed Scot The trembling earth resounds his tread Clasped in his large fist a blade He'll make it whistle And legs and arms and heads he will cut off Like the tops of thistles
Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care, And dish them out their bill o' fare, Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer, Gie her a haggis!	You powers who make mankind your care And dish them out their meals Old Scotland wants no watery food That splashes in dishes But if you wish her grateful prayer Give her a haggis!

BUT, I’m not here to discuss the life and times of
Robert Burns as there are innumerous Sites available
on the Internet as well as hundreds, if not thousands,
of volumes written of his life as well as his poetry !!

Although, I can't believe one could compose a beautiful
poem to a haggis, I’m DEFINITELY, NOT HERE to
discuss the preparation of a haggis or implications
of serving one at a formal gathering !!

What I would like to discuss, in passing, is of another
Crested Belleek item that recently came into my
possession !! Below, you will see what is commonly
referred to as the SMALL Rock Spill !! NOTE, this is
NOT a miniature, but simply the smallest of three sizes
that the Pottery produced !! It is quite an elegant
piece with alluring yet simple lines and exquisite
silhouette !! Defined as a Spill, there is not a true
left or right piece, but combinations of differing
sizes of this spill, arranged properly, would be quite
visually appealing !!

Below, I’ve included a picture of my Small Rock Spill !!

Belleek's Small Rock Spill !!

You will see a partial Crest
on the right side of this
cute little Rock Spill !!

Now, if you recall from some of my earlier articles, we
can have Country, County, City and Family Crests !! What
I WAS NOT aware of, was that an INDIVIDUAL could draft
their OWN Crest !! And this is EXACTLY what Burns did !!

PLEASE Click on the follow Link for a complete discussion
of Burns’ ideas, construction and model of his personal
Crest !!

http://www.worldburnsclub.com/newsletter/0010/1000_the_myth_and_the_gentle_science.htm

Retreating back to the year of Burns’ passing, i.e.,
1796, it is interesting to note that the 100th anniversary
of his death would place us early within Belleek’s Second
Period of production, i.e., 1891 thru 1926 !! It was
during this timeframe that Belleek was modeling and
producing the majority of its Crested Miniatures as well
as applying various Crests to its dinnerware and other
decorative items !! I would then suspect that this ‘Arms
for Burns’ Crested Small Rock Spill was NOT produced by
accident, but rather in honour of the centennial of his
passing !!

Whether it was produced by a long distant relative,
employed at the Pottery during that period, or it was
commissioned specifically for a particular celebration in
his homeland of Scotland will probably never be known !!

However, whenever or for whomever it was produced, the
one item that is a fact is that this crest WAS produced
via a decal transfer !! Belleek utilized clear decals of
simple black outlines to visualize what the finished
crest would appear as !! VERY skilled painters would
then delicately (and I would suspect VERY exhaustingly)
fill in the decal outlines with the proper paint colours !!

As you can observe from my close-up photograph below, the
black outlines of Burns Crest !! The fact that a decal was
used, leads us to the fact that one had to be manufactured !!
If this is the case, then who made this delicate decal and
assuming one was made, then probably at least a ‘sheet’ of
them were possibly produced ?? Thus, leaving us with the
possibly that this particular item was produced in (some)
quantity or at least other different Pottery items had
this Burns’ Crest decal applied and decorated !!

Does anyone out there in Belleeker Land have another
Pottery item with Burns’ Crest or ANY further discussion
regarding my thoughts and speculation ??

Close-Up of Burns' Crest !!

Above, we see a close-up of Burns personal Crest !!
Note the black outlines of the decal transfer !!

Editors note : The phrase ‘Arms for Burns’ is NOT a call
for weapons or such for arming a revolt, but simply what
a designer or modeler might have noted on his sketch pad
as reference to a work in progress, i.e., this is my
progress on a request from Burns to design his Crest !!
It is not part of the finished Crest, just a simple
definition of what you are observing, i.e., the ‘Arms
(Crest) of Burns’ !!

Lastly, I discouvered one of Burns’ (Love) poems with
reference to a ‘ROCK’ !! Could it possibly be the
‘Rocks Melting with the Sun’ as a simile to Belleek’s
Rock Spill base, representative of the rocks at the
(once famous) water falls of the River Erne in Belleek ??

My Luve

O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

** SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION !!

For those of you I've 'lost contact' with, if you
WERE receiving my Newslettre and have NOT received
one in a bit, it's MOST probably due to a Change
in YOUR E-mail ID !! Post me, i.e., E-mail, your
current ID and I'll get you back on my list !!

If you read my Newslettres regularly and DID NOT
receive an E-mail notification of this Newslettre,
PLEASE just drop me an E-mail and I’ll be sure to
get you BACK onto my Circulation list !! THANKS !!

Of course, if you’re NOT currently on my List and
would LIKE to be in on my Mailing List, ALL you need
do is to drop me a SHORT note indicating 'that you
would like automatic notification of new Newslettres' !!
And, BINGO, I'll ADD you to my list and you'll begin
receiving upcoming Newslettre notifications !!

Belleekingly,

Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue, WA 98008-2711
U.S.A.

Telephone : 1 (425) 746-6363
Message : 1 (425) 746-6363
FAX : 1 (425) 746-6363
E-mail : delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site : The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek (or) :
http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html