An Extra Large Tea-Towel

 Last Day of 2024 AND a Tedious Tuesday. What a challenge to find a suitably appropriate image.

Perhaps this one is suitable .

Bonus - For your next car, make sure it has a Trunk Monkey.

End of 2024 Bonus - 

Oh, Hell Yeah.

Fruit Meringue as Headwear

 

So, apparently, in the remote Watzachapl Region of Peru, it's is the fashion for mothers to bake meringues and fill them with fruits and berries for their daughters to were on the Fest Day of Saint Celia.

Who Knew?

Bonus - 

Time for a Bracing Walk

 

After the excesses of Christmas, what could be better that a bracing walk in the countryside.

In this case, it would appear to be in Timbuktu.

Bonus - 

Libby and Gustaf's Christmas

 

Libby does seem to be in shock, so maybe she was a bad girl and wasn't expecting a Bride Brenda doll. Gustaf, seems to know a lot more about what's happening.

Bonus - 

"I'm Dreaming Of A White (Goods) Christmas"

 

An undated slide, but probably early 1960s. I guess that this is what little suburban future-housewife girls really wanted for Christmas. 

Yikes.

Bonus - 

Mrs Consumer, Christmas 1956

 

The Christmas Selection Continues

...and I love this slide. The snugness of this suburban wife, the fake aluminium christmas tree, the copy of Consumer magazine, and the crowning glory - The opened present of a French Fry Cutter. Pure Suburbia.

Don't ignore the mysterious lurking bloke on the right, ready to give Mrs Consumer the Christmas Gift she really craves tonight. Curses.

Bonus - Super Snowflake maker

Merry Christmas from The Derpendoofer Family

 

Hope You're Having An Excellent Day !

Bonus - 

 

Today's Yule Lad - Nope.   The good news is that they're all leaving, one per day, starting with Stekkjarstaur "Sheepcote Clod"

He comes just once each year

...and he empties his bulging sack at the based of a ... bush?

Don't blame me...

And since when did Santa leave Little Baby Jesus under the tree? 

Bonus - 

Star

Today's Yule Lad - Kertasníkir  Candle Beggar Follows children to steal their precious candles, made of tallow and thus edible.

Kertasníkir

 

Everyone Enjoys a good Carol

 

Especially when Carol looks as good as this.

Actually, not sure if the slide really is a Christmas-time slide, or just a model in a red dress, but I really could < Sexist banter deleted>

Bonus - How A Fake Band Made A Christmas Classic

Today's Yule Lad - Ketkrókur    Meat Hook Uses a hook to steal meat.

Nativity Scene

 

A fairly obvious choice of slide for today.

Labelled "1955 Christmas St Pauls", so 69 years old. Wow.

Which doesn't explain why Mary is cradling a suckling piglet, does it.

Bonus - 

Today's Yule Lad - Gáttaþefur Doorway Sniffer Has an abnormally large nose and an acute sense of smell which he uses to locate leaf bread (laufabrauð). 

Gáttaþefur

The Festive Family

 

Here to spoil your Christmas are the Fargles, the Festive Family From Fleetwood.

From the left, Felicity Fargle, Frannie Fargle, Fifi Fargle, Fergus Fargle and Gladys Hinchsmith. I could explain, but.... it's not really that interesting.

Bonus - 

Today's Yule Lad - Gluggagægir Window Peeper A snoop who looks through windows in search of things to steal.

Rascals Under The Tree

 

Yes, we ARE getting close to Christmas, aren't we.

And the number of rascals waiting under the tree, awaiting presents are growing.

An application of "Rascal-B-Gone" would shift them.

Bonus - Vintage Photographs of People Dressed Up in Christmas Tree Costumes

Today's Yule Lad -Bjúgnakrækir Sausage Swiper Hides in the rafters and snatches sausages that are being smoked.

Bjúgnakrækir

The Christmas Cowboy

 

Huh?

Well, actually he is Mr Chris Maas, of Lubbock Texas, and actually he's getting a bit tired of the teasing.  However, his chum Hal Owen has similar issues about the end of October.

Bonus - Major General Horatio Gordon Robley and His Collection of Māori Tattooed Heads    ( Speechless).

Today's Yule Lad -  Skyrgámur Skyr Gobbler Has a great affinity for skyr, a regional style of yogurt.

Skyrgámur 

Banished to the Garden

 

Doesn't matter what the time of year is, when Uncle Elroy comes round to visit mummy, the kids are banished to the garden for an hour. Rules, is rules.

Bonus - Rochester men die after fertilizing marijuana plants with bat feces

Today's Yule Lad - Hurðaskellir Door Slammer Enjoys slamming doors, especially during the night, waking up the household.

The Great Tree (But Not A Christmas Tree.)

 I wonder where it was.

probably not Iceland.

Bonus - List of mass shootings in the United States in 2024

Today's Yule Lad - Askasleikir Bowl Licker Hides under beds awaiting the wooden food bowls placed on the floor.

An Evening of Food, Alcohol and Debauchery

 

Yes, A and N are round again this evening, to discuss what important lessons have been learned from 2024.

Accompanied by Scrumpy Jack, spicy pizzas and naming the countries of Africa. Including Benin.

Bonus - Life Pro Tip - Want to get the snow off your car? Use your leaf blower!

Today's Yule Lad - Pottaskefill Pot Scraper Steals pots to scrape out the leftovers.

The Arrival of Cardinal Fang

 

In the small city of  Mosher in South Dakota, there is an annual tradition held on the third Sunday in December. The Mud-Wrestling  battle between the churches.

Originally a personal disagreement between the leads of the Lutheran and Catholic churches, the locals enjoyed the event as a celebration of community, with a evening of prayer and alcohol after the event.  Eventually, the local Rabbi and Sikh Guru got involved, and it became more of a Battle Royale.

Here is the build up to the 1964 event, with the arrival of defending champion, Cardinal Fang, with his seconds Monseigneur Biggles, and Deacon Blue (Actually, high school wrestling coach Bob "Muscles" Flowerdew... yes, a ringer.)

Bonus - More Ice Please

Today's Yule Lad - Þvörusleikir Spoon Licker Steals wooden spoons being used for cooking. Extremely thin from malnutrition. 

A Treat For Buster

 Don't forget to treat your pets (or "Fur Babies" if you're twee AF) to extra stuff this winter season. They deserve it.

Bonus - Goede Hoop Marimba Band play Vivaldi 

Today's Yule Lad - Stúfur Stubby Abnormally short. Steals pans for the food baked to the bottoms and brims.

Stufur

Is Your Tree Up?

 

I'm doing my decorations, limited tho' they will be, tomorrow.

Back in 1965, I'm sure this aluminium Christmas Tree would have been the height of fashion.

Bonus - Aluminum Christmas Trees and Wiki

Today's Yule Lad - Giljagaur Gully Gawk Hides in gullies, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk.

Giljagaur

Lower River Campground

 

Upper and Lower River Campgrounds on the north side of the Merced were inundated by the 1997 flood and permanently eliminated per the park's Yosemite Valley Plan in 2000 along with the Group Campground and about half of Lower Pines Campground.

Bonus - well, actually, No.

Today's Yule Lad - Stekkjarstaur  He is particularly fond of sheep’s milk but has enormous trouble with getting it because his stiff knees make impossible to bend his legs.

The Snow Clearing Squad - Are Still At It

 

Nope.

You don't get out of a commitmentg that easily.

Clear It !!

Bonus - How A Capybara Works

Dull. Very Dull.

 

In fact...

EXTREMELY TEDIOUS

Bonus - 

Maria Callas and Marilyn Monroe

Swing Time

 

( I remember having a cardigan in that colour. )

Oh, how swinging has changed since 1976.

Bonus - Cat Chilling

A Crisp Welsh Morning

 

No info on this slide (you're not surprised, are you?) but it wasn't tricky to recognise Pistyll Rhaeadr in Wales.

Nice.

Bonus - The Chief Apologises.

Beryl in South France, 1964

 So, here in Britain today, we're lashed by Storm Darragh. Bleaugh.

So, let's travel back to 1964 and the Beryl Blood collection. This seems to be Beryl in South of France ("Before it became popular, dahling").

Beryl is rocking the Mid-Sixties BoHo chic look. and the chap is sporting a.... hat.

Bonus - World Bed Making Championship

The Snow Clearing Squad

 

The whole car park for $10. A Deal is A Deal.

Bonus - Don't forget that Scotland has a fleet of excellently named gritters. "Sled Zeppelin" and "Licence To Chill", for example.  Follow them

Bonus 2 - 

Marilyn Abers: The Pool

 

There was no written info on the slide, other than "ACM Siggraph".

But, it doesn't take a genius to know that that means the SIGGRAPH 1983: Exhibition of Computer Art, and their decent archives allowed a rapid identification of this as Marilyn Abers' artwork The Pool.

Fascinating to see how leading edge computer graphics have advanced in 41 years.

Also - Computer art -> 35mm slide -> Comouter scanned image.

Bonus - apparently-not-every-nation-uses-the-same-tally-system-neat

The House of Terror

 

Hey folks. Wouldn't it be interesting to try and track down this house, and figure out where in the world it was?

Nah. Probably not.

Luckily, the slide is annotated with "May-1975-Glenview Trevelmond".

Looks like a nice part of Cornwall, tho' that slide doesn't do it justice.

Bonus - New Sport - Cat Drifting

The Dingwall Acropolis

 

Few people are aware that Ancient Greece had control over norther Scotland until the events of 76BC. But, here's the evidence.

Just outside of Dingwall,  the remains of Plato's Acropolis...remain. Ignored by most NC500 drivers, and remembered only as the name of Dingwall's Gyro and Kebab Takeaway.

Worth a visit.

Bonus - Interactive Double Pendulum Playground

December in The Lakes

 

This would appear to be Blea Water, the deepest Tarn in this Lake District.

It's from a set of slides seemingly documenting a university department's trip to the Lake District to do some sampling of water n stuff from teh various areas. And some nice picturescque slides... like this.

Slide Number 5900, in this collection. 

Bonus -  How MTV’s First Rival Became Cable TV’s Biggest Flop