Port and literature
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
What a tantalising ending to tonight's episode!! Has anyone guessed the twist yet?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Re: Port and literature
I knew it all along - it was the kitchen maid with a poisoned filter in the pantry!
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
Nice idea. But is it right?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Re: Port and literature
Yes. I bought the book yesterday.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
Then someone's been interfering with your maid.DRT wrote:Yes. I bought the book yesterday.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3513
- Joined: 14:22 Wed 15 Dec 2010
- Location: Near Cambridge, UK
Re: Port and literature
I did wonder about the funnel or cheesecloth, as near the start, the niece was present near the cradle but not the bottle, and the nicotine could have been soaked onto with if they were on that tray; but that would not explain the need to switch bottles later, so can't be correct.
Either, the was opened, poison added, and re-corked by the niece with huge biceps and a recorking machine in the corner of the cellar, or the butler did it. Or both. The butler IS the niece, with a false moustache?
Either, the was opened, poison added, and re-corked by the niece with huge biceps and a recorking machine in the corner of the cellar, or the butler did it. Or both. The butler IS the niece, with a false moustache?
Re: Port and literature
That was never proven and you know it. Move along...djewesbury wrote:Then someone's been interfering with your maid.DRT wrote:Yes. I bought the book yesterday.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3707
- Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
- Location: Somerset, UK
Re: Port and literature
And it wasn't nicotine.
Re: Port and literature
{Eastenders} Dum, dum, da-da-da, dum!LGTrotter wrote:And it wasn't nicotine.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3707
- Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
- Location: Somerset, UK
Re: Port and literature
And he isn't dead!
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3513
- Joined: 14:22 Wed 15 Dec 2010
- Location: Near Cambridge, UK
Re: Port and literature
He's just... Pining for the fjords?
Re: Port and literature
That explains it. I knew the prostate cancer theory couldn't be trueLGTrotter wrote:And he isn't dead!
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14906
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: Port and literature
I don't. Every time someone asks me, I have to get my butler to look it up in my cellar book.jdaw1 wrote:I always know exactly how many Dow 1908s are in my cellar.DRT wrote:It surprised me that a butler of Craven's experience would not know how many dozens of Ck08 remained in the bin. Perhaps that was the only way to introduce the cellar book as a suspect?
Things that happened in 1908:
- Henry Ford started selling the Ford Model T - which sold for $850, if you could get hold of one
- Bulgaria declared itself independent from the Ottoman Empire; Bosnia-Herzegovinia was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire
- Representatives of the citizens of Crete voted to become part of Greece and to give up independence
- The Belgian Parliament takes ownership and control of the Congo Free State from the King and criticises his brutal policies
- A meteorite crashed into the plains of Siberia, creating the Tunguska crater and flattening trees for miles around
- The first large oil deposit in the Middle East is discovered in Persia, starting the Middle East oil boom
- SOS came into force as the international distress signal
- The FBI was founded (presumably to prevent future forging of high value wine and port)
- The Christian Science Monitor was first published
- Robert Baden Powell published Scouting for Boys
- Jack Johnson becomes the first black heavyweight boxing champion
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
Wow! I can't wait to post tonight's episode (get back!) now we that know so much about 1908!
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
Well well. Who could have expected that we'd arrive here so soon - only a page and a half remains and it makes no sense to leave half the final exposition until tomorrow so here you are, the end of the road and a dose and a half of goodness. Enjoy it. It's been fun. Soyez soin. A bientôt.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3707
- Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
- Location: Somerset, UK
Re: Port and literature
The butler did it? Dotty Sayers does it again, I was fooled by the assumption that poison was traditionally a female murder weapon. Most enjoyable Daniel. And congratulations on finding a story with port at it's heart.
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
- Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Contact:
Re: Port and literature
My pleasure, Owen. It was great fun. And rather thrilling that you liked it too, hmm?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Re: Port and literature
Most excellent. Thank you, Daniel.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3513
- Joined: 14:22 Wed 15 Dec 2010
- Location: Near Cambridge, UK
Re: Port and literature
So the butler did it after all; I guess we should have known.
Great job in finding such a port-focussed story, and enjoyed your presentation of it.
Thank you, it was fun.
Great job in finding such a port-focussed story, and enjoyed your presentation of it.
Thank you, it was fun.
Re: Port and literature
Seconded.PhilW wrote:So the butler did it after all; I guess we should have known.
Great job in finding such a port-focussed story, and enjoyed your presentation of it.
Thank you, it was fun.
Re: Port and literature
Great entertainment Daniel...thank you. All that is needed now is a nice glass of Dow 1908 to mark the end of this wonderful serial.
For those interested in other Maxims from 'The Salesman's Handbook' that Egg seems to live by, I found the below collection...
-To serve the public is the aim of every salesman worth the name
-It's useless to bluster and say "No, no", when it's perfectly clear that the facts are so
-Don't let the smallest chance slip by; you never know until you try
-If you're a salesman worth the name at all, you can sell razors to a billiard ball
-The hardest problem's easy of solution when each one makes his little contribution
-Whether you're wrong or whether you're right, it's always better to be polite
-Ready to learn means ready to earn
-The haberdasher gets the golfer's trade by talking, not of buttons, but of Braid
-Account with rigid honesty for £ and s and even d
-The goodwill of the maid is nine-tenths of the trade
-Don't trust to luck but be exact, and certify the smallest fact
-The salesman with the open eye sees commissions mount up high
-Don't wait for unpleasant disclosures to burst. If the truth must be told, see you tell it first
-The salesman who will use his brains will spare himself a world of pains
-Well-kept hands that please the sight, seize the trade and hold it tight, but bitten nails and grubby claws well may give the buyer pause
-Discretion plays a major part in making up the salesman's art
-The salesman's job is to get the trade - don't leave the house till the deal is made (Monty's motto)
-Attend to details and you'll make your sale - a little weight will often turn the scale
-Never miss a chance of learning for that word spells "£" plus "earning"
-When it's a question of stamps to lick, the office-boy knows most of the trick
-If accidents happen and you are to blame, takes steps to avoid repetition of same
For those interested in other Maxims from 'The Salesman's Handbook' that Egg seems to live by, I found the below collection...
-To serve the public is the aim of every salesman worth the name
-It's useless to bluster and say "No, no", when it's perfectly clear that the facts are so
-Don't let the smallest chance slip by; you never know until you try
-If you're a salesman worth the name at all, you can sell razors to a billiard ball
-The hardest problem's easy of solution when each one makes his little contribution
-Whether you're wrong or whether you're right, it's always better to be polite
-Ready to learn means ready to earn
-The haberdasher gets the golfer's trade by talking, not of buttons, but of Braid
-Account with rigid honesty for £ and s and even d
-The goodwill of the maid is nine-tenths of the trade
-Don't trust to luck but be exact, and certify the smallest fact
-The salesman with the open eye sees commissions mount up high
-Don't wait for unpleasant disclosures to burst. If the truth must be told, see you tell it first
-The salesman who will use his brains will spare himself a world of pains
-Well-kept hands that please the sight, seize the trade and hold it tight, but bitten nails and grubby claws well may give the buyer pause
-Discretion plays a major part in making up the salesman's art
-The salesman's job is to get the trade - don't leave the house till the deal is made (Monty's motto)
-Attend to details and you'll make your sale - a little weight will often turn the scale
-Never miss a chance of learning for that word spells "£" plus "earning"
-When it's a question of stamps to lick, the office-boy knows most of the trick
-If accidents happen and you are to blame, takes steps to avoid repetition of same
Re: Port and literature
I must confess that I don't follow the last paragraph. How does addressing Mr. Egg as "sir" after previously addressing him as "young fellow" immediately identify Craven as the culprit?
Glenn Elliott
Re: Port and literature
A butler of good standing would be very deferential to those he thought of as his superiors but quite dismissive and authoritarian over those beneath him. A salesman visiting the master's house would fall into the latter category, as evidenced by the greeting on the previous occasion.
On this particular day Craven would be feeling guilty and perhaps behaving out of character, thus addressing the salesman in an unusual manner.
On this particular day Craven would be feeling guilty and perhaps behaving out of character, thus addressing the salesman in an unusual manner.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3707
- Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
- Location: Somerset, UK
Re: Port and literature
Now this is over, can we talk about port again? It's just that Alex has sent me a spreadsheet that's given me a nosebleed and I need to talk about it.