PREVIOUS NEWS

Sunday, October 30, 2005  
 
Belleek Newslettre (# 9.4)  

** HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!

Due to our calendar FULL of Holidays, 
scheduled within the next 60 days, this 
will be my Holiday Issue and hopefully a 
'double issue' !!  May this Holiday Season 
shine its light on ALL Belleekers, and 
their loved ones, keeping them joyful and 
prosperous and secure !!

**  2005 BELLEEK HONOUREE !!

Mr. Roland Glendinning was honoured this 
year as our 20th, I believe, Belleek 
Honouree for 2005 !!  Other than a  
Belleek enthusiast, Roland has both 
extensive Theological and Educational 
Backgrounds !!  More detailed information 
is available in our latest B.C.I.S. 
Newsletter, as well as his Gallery 
Photograph !!  It will be a privilege to 
admit Roland into our Honouree's
Gallery !!  CONGRATULATIONS ROLAND !!

** WELCOME NEW PRESIDENTS !!

Charlotte, again in our latest B.C.I.S. 
Newsletter, has Updated ALL the current 
information regarding our Chapter Presidents !!  
Salutations to those of you whom have 
recently assumed your duties and MANY 
KUDOs' to those of you whom are continuing 
your positions !!

I have revised my Chapter Mailing List and 
ALL those of you whom have E-mail Addresses, 
will be receiving my latest Newslettre !!

For those of you who were on my previous 
President Mailing List, but are no longer 
a President, I have MOVEd your E-mail ID's 
to my E-Correspondents List !!

I am ALWAYS appreciative of those recipients 
whom forward my Newslettre on to their 
Belleeker acquaintances !!

** MAILING LIST ?? 

AGAIN, if you read my Newslettres regularly 
and would like to be in on my 'Automatic' 
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 
E-Correspondents and you'll begin 
receiving upcoming Newslettre notifications !!

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 our list !!

** MICHIGAN WAS ALIVE
      IN 2005 !! **

Well, the Convention is OVER, BUT all in 
attendance, I believe, came away with fond 
memories !!

My fondest were, of course, in meeting all 
those fellow Belleekers, whom, up to this 
time, one only has a name to associate with !!  
In fact, one couple arrived the first day 
whose sole intention was JUST to see the 
faces of those they were continually bidding 
against on E-Bay !!  A STRONG point was made 
to INCLUDE one's 'Bidder ID' on your Name Tag !!

As to the program that had been arranged 
for us, I MUST admit, it was SPLENDID !!  
KUDOs' to Phyllis and ALL her Chapter 
Members for their exquisite Convention !!

My favourites, included David Reynolds' 
engrossing talk on 'Belleeking the U.K. Way' 
and Fergus Cleary's marvelous presentation 
on the (Master) Molds he has been able to 
identify from the old mold room at the
Pottery !!

Another talk, actually scheduled for a 
panel discussion, which, I REALLY was 
interested in, was unfortunately skipped 
over due to time constraints !!  It was to 
be a discussion on 'How to Dispose of a 
Belleek Collection' !!  Hopefully, Angela 
can include this in our upcoming Convention ??  
PROGRAM HINT !! 

** UPCOMING CONVENTION ??

Speaking of which, Angela has made an 
OFFICIAL announcement that our next 
Convention will be the 150th. Anniversary 
of the Pottery Convention to be held at 
the Belleek Pottery in 2007 !!  It is 
currently slated to be a SPRING convention, 
tentatively scheduled for April of that year !!  
SO, it's ONLY 18 months away, time to start 
making arrangements !!  And for those of
you whom are persistent procrastinators, 
like myself, we had best begin packing !!

**  BELLEEK LIVING !!

Another item, not only introduced, but 
discussed at length during the Grand Rapids 
Program, was that of Belleek's 'NEW' Lines !!  
These will include, as I understand it all, 
TWO separate lines of China that will 
ACTUALLY be produced in (the country of) 
China !!  YES, you read it correctly, 
"MADE in CHINA" !!  The first of these 
will include all the ornaments and cake 
toppers, etc., that are currently produced 
at the Pottery in Ireland !!

The second line will consist of a COMPLETE 
line of 'everyday' table ware, which, can 
go from fridge to microwave to table to 
dishwasher, etc. !!  Following the Convention, 
I had the honour of relaxing at Lady Marion's 
Estate for a week and we all visited the 
Pottery one day and I was able to view the 
complete (or fairly complete) line of Belleek 
Living Ware !!  I was VERY IMPRESSED !!  It's 
quite 'simple' in design BUT I would have to 
say VERY utilitarian and functional !!  And 
keep in mind, that this is China, NOT Parian 
ware !!

Editor's Note : While at Marion's, I 
learned JUST about everything I ever 
wanted to know regarding the raising of 
chickens and ALL other assorted fowl !!
I now TRULY respect the fact that one can 
purchase fully 'prepared' fowl in 
supermarkets and restaurants !!  BUT, as 
someone else has said, "This is another 
story .. for another time ..  in another 
dimension .." !!

BOTH new lines, will carry their own 
distinctive mark, BUT NEITHER will 
incorporate the 'traditional' Harp, Hound 
and Tower which, we ALL so cherish on our
collectibles !!  Each item will also carry 
a little 'China' sticker, which, should 
wash off easily, but is required of any 
product to identify country of manufacture !!
Angela also stated that these lines will 
be shipped in red coloured boxes as opposed 
to the Parian Belleek which, is shipped 
in green boxes !!

It was somewhere, about this time, that, 
I believe it was Fergus, interjected that 
the Pottery would NOW be able to concentrate 
on more 'limited' edition Parian items as
well as society collectibles !!

I might interrupt here myself, to note, as 
I traveled about Ireland, the Belleek shops 
are now being named 'Belleek Living' stores !! 
And they are stocking BOTH the Pottery's 
Parian ware as well as the new Belleek 
Living line of China !!

So, what does all this mean in a nutshell ??  
First, ONLY items produced at the Pottery in 
Ireland will carry the (original) Harp, 
Hound and Tower Mark in ANY variation !!
ALL Belleek produced OUTSIDE Ireland, will 
have its own appropriate Mark, but there 
will NEVER be a Harp, Hound or Tower on ANY 
of these foreign produced wares !!

Angela correctly stated that ALL other 
glass and china manufacturers have had to 
'outsource' their production !!  This is NOT 
unique to JUST Belleek !!  In fact, Belleek 
is probably one of the last, if not THE last, 
to outsource some of their production !!

What does this do for Belleek ??  Again, 
as Angela properly stated, it allows the 
Pottery to produce an 'entry' level of
porcelain (actually China), that can be 
produced and exported and imported 
relatively inexpensively !!  Hopefully, 
this will achieve a greater worldwide 
recognition of the Belleek 'Name' and 
will consequently increase sales, etc. 
of our beloved Irish Parian !!

PERSONALLY, I believe that this will 
INCREASE the values of ALL 'original' 
Belleek, i.e., those items currently in 
production at the Pottery AS WELL AS ALL 
those precious collectible antique and 
historic items from Belleek's past !!

I'm sure that we'll all be presented with 
additional details as everything falls in 
place !!  ALL comments are welcome and I'll 
publish ANY updates as I receive them !!  
THANKS !!

** TERRORISTS !!

If any of you have been following the 
news lately, there's been several severe 
TERRORIST shark attacks off both coasts of 
the United States in the past several months !!  
And these fools claim there are NO sharks in 
US waters ??  Of course, we ONLY hear of the 
idiots who survive their attackers !!  What
about the folks who are just simply digested 
as dinner ??  I for one suffer from SEVERE 
and abnormal and persistent fear of sharks !!  
It's a phobia classified as Selachophobia !!

** SHARK TRIVIA !!

Most men's pupils get 1/3 bigger when 
looking at pictures of sharks, but shrink 
in reaction to pictures of babies.  

** SPEAKING OF PHOBIAS' !!

Dean Bagnall, coincidentally, Phyllis' beau, 
is DEFINITELY NOT a Mageirocophobic !!  He 
spent TWO Days (and nights) baking up SIX, 
I believe, of the recipes, submitted by 
members for the Convention Dessert Cookbook !!
These were DEFINITELY the culinary highlite 
of the Convention Food !!

** PENGUIN OR PLASTIC ??

On my return from Lady Marion's, I flew out 
of Belfast Harbor Airport !!  Marion was 
generous enough to present me with a pair of 
glass penguin paperweights prior to my 
departure !!  MUCH to my surprise, upon 
entering the airport, I was requested to 
like totally unpack my luggage as apparently, 
LEADED glass 'appears' IDENTICAL to PLASTIC 
EXPLOSIVE !!  This happened twice, so my 
advice to others and a remembrance for 
myself, is to SHIP your glass home !!




        Pair of CUTE 'DYNAMITE' Penguins !!

Editor's Note :  Upon arriving at Heathrow 
Airport, London, less than an hour later, we 
were going down the escalator to the first
floor exit doors, when the alarms sounded, 
EVERYTHING 'shut' down, including the 
escalators, and armed police forced us all 
back up to the second level where we had
to exit to OUTSIDE stairways down to the 
first level !!  BUT, now, we're ALL outside 
and the airport didn't reopen for like an 
hour, so by this time, I'd ALMOST missed 
the LAST transportation out to the hotels !!  
I HOPE IT WASN'T MY PENGUINS AGAIN ??!!

** TRAVEL POWER !!

A wee hint for travelers abroad, whether 
that be from the UK or the Continent to the 
US or vice versa or ANY other combination !!
IF you expect to carry a LapTop or NoteBook 
Computer along with you for use at your 
hotel, etc., BE SURE to include the proper
wall plug adaptor for the country(s) you 
will be traveling in !!

MOST LapTops manufactured today, are 
supplied with 'intelligent' step down 
transformers (power converters), i.e., 
that little 'black box' that's in-between 
your wall jack and your computer !!  Look 
on the base of your transformer and VERIFY 
that it's labeled 100 - 240 V(olts) 50 - 60Hz 
(or 100 - 120V 60Hz, 220 - 240V 50Hz, or the 
equivalent) !!  This indicated that your 
computer's transformer is 'SMART' enough to 
be plugged into EITHER a US style 110 Volt
power supply OR a European style 220 Volt 
supply !!  

THUS, ALL you will require, for proper 
operation, is a conversion adaptor plug 
allowing you to plug into your 'foreign' 
power outlet receptacle !!  These adaptor 
plugs may be reasonably purchased at most 
electrical supply outlets or across the 
Internet !!  

NOW, ENJOY YOUR VACATION !!

** E-BAY HINTS !!

If you sell on E-Bay and utilize their 
PayPal utilities for production of Shipping 
Labels, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS !!

IDEALLY, utilize the gummed label sheets 
that are designed specifically for this 
size label !!  IF you elect to print your 
label on 'plain' UN-gummed paper, when you 
attach your label to your package, take 
caution to secure your label with either 
glue OR enough tape to fasten your label 
properly !!  I.e., suggestion, use 2" wide 
clear tape ACROSS the label !!

To make a LONG story short, I had won a 
small bid and the chap shipping my parcel, 
produced a plain paper label, and ONLY
secured it to my package via a thin border 
of tape around its perimeter !!  Somewhere, 
during shipment, MY label 'pealed' off my 
parcel and attached itself to another 
parcel due for a family in Portland, OR !!  

I was awaiting multiple parcels that 
week, so this one 'looked' like it might 
be one of mine AND, it DID have my Name 
and Address on it !!  ONCE I had signed 
for it, it's OUT of the US Postal system, 
i.e., it's been delivered, and THAT's 
THAT !!  I.e., MY 'tracking number' was 
recorded as delivered, ALTHOUGH my label 
was on someone else's parcel !!  They, 
i.e., the postal authorities, ASSUME 
that the proper label is attached to the 
corresponding parcel !!

Editor's Note :  ALWAYS INCLUDE INSIDE 
ANY parcel you are shipping, either your 
'card of introduction' or business card
or a copy of the auction or ANYTHING which, 
specifies either the shippers (and 
preferably the receivers) address !!  
This allows the postal inspectors, IF 
your parcel is lost, the opportunity of 
discouvering its origin or intended 
destination when they open your package 
in a final desperation attempt to complete
delivery !!

** IRISH TRIVIA !!

Jack o' lanterns originated in Ireland 
where people placed candles in hollowed-
out turnips to keep away spirits and   
ghosts on the Samhain holiday !!

Research defines Samhain as the first day 
of November, celebrated by the ancient 
Celts as a festival marking the beginning 
of winter and of the new year according 
to their calendar; All Saint's Day or 
Hallowmass !!  Samhain Eve became known 
as All-Hallows' Eventually, corrupted to 
Hallow-e'en and now spelled Hallowe'en 
or Halloween !!

** THE HARVEST MOUSE !!

In 1970, Belleek begin producing Christmas 
plates to commemorate the season !!  The 
first series of 7 (seven) plates were 
basically representative of Irish heritage, 
peace and historic monuments !!

The second series of plates, beginning in 
1977, were designed to honour the native 
animals of Ireland !!  As chief modeler and 
designer, Fergus, in his usual methodical 
fashion, combined with exhaustive research,
decided in 1978, to utilize the Harvest Mouse 
of the British Isles as the representative 
animal prototype for that year !!  

Painstakingly, drawings were sketched, molds 
were crafted, etc., and finally, a finished 
product, a beautiful Christmas plate for 1978 !!
Unfortunately, for all concerned, those that 
previewed Fergus' craftsmanship felt that his 
beautiful image was more representative of a 
ravenous rat !!  They had absolutely NO 
appreciation for his beautiful Harvest Mouse 
creation !!

SO, back to the drawing boards and, eventually, 
the 1978 Christmas plate was redesigned to 
honour the Leaping Salmon !!  I mean, salmon 
ARE nice, BUT, you can obtain salmon just 
about anywhere !!  We can even purchase FRESH 
salmon just about year around out here in Puget 
Sound !!

In any case, the Harvest Mouse plate eventually 
found its place of honour in the collection of 
one of our very fond Belleek International 
Collector Society Honourees !!  I was fortunate 
enough to acquire this 'one of' plate from
this collection and here it is for your perusal !! 




              The Prototype One Of 1978
         Harvest Mouse Christmas Plate !!

There's an ecological and environmental strip 
in our Sunday Seattle Times PI Newspaper 
Funnies Section, designated Mark Trail by 
Dodd & Elrod !!  I subscribe to this edition 
ONLY so I'm able to read the Sunday funnies !!  
In any case, one edition last fall, I came 
across this insert which, is exactly what 
prompted this editorial !!

To quote Dodd & Elrod :

"Except for the pygmy shrew, the Harvest 
Mouse is the smallest mammal in the British 
Isles .. It is about 5 inches long including 
its tail

"It lives mainly in the ditches, pastures 
and fields of cereal crops, and its most 
noticeable features are its agile climbing 
ability and its cleanliness

"The tiny rodent is one of the most assiduous 
bathers of all creatures and spends much of 
its time grooming

"Only when it is thoroughly clean does it 
turn its attention to other matters

"Even the face-washing house cat is careless
compared to the Harvest Mouse

"Several times a day it stops what it is
doing and tidies up by licking its small 
pink paws then scrubbing from head to tail ..

"Jack Elrod"




        A REALLY Cute Little Harvest Mouse
              Playing in the Crops !!




        A Closer View of His Antics !!

Wildlife pictures, compliments of :

        http://www.surfbirds.com/ !!

This is basically THE Site for Ornithologists, 
i.e., Bird Watchers, BUT they also maintain a 
voluminous picture collection all rare and 
endangered species of animals !!

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