random thread, for all that you can't find an appropriate thread for.

[TheoK]

My grandfather told me that during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the 1930's the kids used to say like this:

I Kina går kineserna med långa bamburör
och sticker japaneserna i röva så de blör.

 

["couldbecousin"]

The lady who hosted the BBQ today found a young adult opossum in her trash can.  We weren't positive how it got in the can, but we left it there so she can tip the can over tonight and free it.   Opossums are not cute, nor particularly intelligent.

    Why you gotta hate?

[El]

[TheoK]

Inscription on a young Roman wife's grave

HIC SITA SUM, QUAE CUM CONIUGE HAS FRUGIFERAS TERRAS COLUI, SEMPER DILECTA MEO MARITO.
MYRSINA MIHI NOMEN ERAT.
QUINQUENNIA QUINQUE VIXI  ET CURSUM PEREGI, QUEM DEDERAT FORTUNA.
CARE MIHI MARITE ET DULCISSIMA NATA, VALETE ET MEMORES SEMPER DATE MEO SEPULCHRO IUSTA.

Here I am laid down, who with my spouse cultivated this fertile soil, always loved by my husband.
Myrsina was my name.
Five times five years I lived and then the journey was ended, that Fortuna gave.
My dear husband and sweet daughter, farewell and may you always remember to give due sacrifice at my grave.

[midlifeaspie]

That's cheerful

[Queen Victoria]

Uh, yuck?

The name is derived from Middle English buterflie, butturflye, boterflye, from Old English butorflēoge, buttorflēoge, buterflēoge, perhaps a compound of butor (beater), mutation of bēatan (to beat), and flēoge (fly).[2]
 
Alternate etymology connects the first element to butere (butter) as the name may have originally been applied solely to butterflies of a yellowish or butter-colour. This may have merged later with the belief that butterflies ate milk and butter (compare Middle High German molkendiep -literally “milk-thief”; Modern German Molkendieb and Low German Botterlicker - literally “butter-licker”), or that they excreted a butter-like substance (compare Middle Dutch boterschijte - literally “butter-shitter”, also Middle Dutch botervliege, Dutch botervlieg, German butterfliege).

[TheoK]

Funny.

Rival originally meant a person who used the same stream as someone else. Then it meant someone who had sex with the same person as someone else. Already when Pompeji was destroyed by Vesuvius' eruption, it had gotten the meaning it has today, which we know, since Roman grafitti used the word in the sense that we do today.

A rivus was the Latin name for a small stream. As you can see, it is cognate with river.

[lutra]

Again the little hedgehog was in my garden this evening. Um, read in my encyclopaedia that they also eat carrots (amongst a lot of other things like worms, snails, eggs, fruit, mushrooms, etc.. ) so I left some pieces of the sweet (bigger) carrot for the little fella. Checked 15 minutes ago but.. no, it's still there intact. If I see 'him' tomorrow I might try some pieces of apple.

Oh, encyclopaedic also mentioned that hedgehogs (=mammal) were already around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Didn't know that.. or better put forgot it.. for, no kid ya, I've read the whole book-set (of 8 books) when I was 20 y/o and had Pfeiffer's disease. Okay, I've also skipped quite a few articles about stuff I had no interest in.

Still use the (old/published in 1965/bought it second hand for 30 gilders back then) set quite often, even now with lots and lots of (way more up to date) info is to be found on ja, the internet. Um, have you already heard of the internet? 

[lutra]

^ Oh, did 'that' out of the top of my head.. checked encyclopaedia (it's downstairs and I'm/this laptop is upstairs) and it says the fossils found show a creature very similar to 'our contemporary' hedgehog. Slight difference but still..

[TheoK]

Eriici fortes sunt 

[lutra]

^ This is a shy and cute little chap. Kinda small also (this year's youngster is my guess). Well, hope to befriend the chap the coming month(?).

Are there hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) up where you live? Encyclop. mentions something about they live in most parts of Europe (but also in parts of Asia and Africa) but not above the 'border' where broad-leaved trees do not grow any longer. Let's say.. coniferous' territory.

(blah/sørry)

[TheoK]

There are lots of them here. You rarely see them, because they're shy, but they're there.

[lutra]

Ah. Well, same here. Best chance to see/notice one is early evening when the sun's down and the dark has settled in. 

['andersom']

They do make lots of noise, scurrying around. I like the little buggers. Got half a skeleton of one in a box, somewhere. Like them better alive though.

Airway infections can be a real problem for them. And, when you have one in the garden with that, you will notice. They make more noise than a blocked up toddler with bronchitis.

Someone I know has a minor hedgehog asylum, to get the sick ones, and the too small ones through winter. Feeding them well, getting them healthy, with help of a vet, and, when they are well enough, they will go into winter sleep, to find themselves set free soon after waking in spring. Flees and insects are hard to get rid off, when taking care of hedgehogs.

[lutra]

Fascinating creature this is (imo)..

Imagine one encounters a dragonfly the size it had p/m 225 million years ago nowadays. Um, with a wingspan of p/m 70 cms?

Maybe best to carry your laser sword  with ya in Summer then..