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Next Item: Las Vegas
Previous item: ABC Wednesday from the archives – the letter ‘N’
ABC Wednesday from the archives – ‘O’
Posted on October 29, 2009 in Johnny Depp, Life, the Universe and Everything, Oddities by Jay35 Comments »

Well, here I am, back from our nice long oliday, and ready to get properly organised for this week’s ABC Wednesday!  Fear not, gentle readers, I shall be getting around to read other blogs this week and answer comments – at last!

And we’ve reached the letter ‘O‘.  Not the easiest, but a glance through my archive folders revealed some interesting things.  For a start, I went to Oakham earlier this year, when I was mourning the loss of our two dogs and needed to get out of the house.  Oakham is a pretty market town, and not only is it on a local branch line, but the railway station is very close to the town centre, so I took the train.

OkhmSttn-750cjs

Looks to me as if there’s a definite orange tone to that brickwork – what do you think?  And you have to love that old-fashioned overhanging canopy.

Talking of overhangs … here’s a road sign I found in the pavement just around the corner from the station.

OvrhngSgn-550cjs

Not something you see every day, is it?  But what does it mean?

Well, Oakham is a very old town, and some of the older buildings do lean a little.  This is one of the oldest, I think, and it’s a bit of an oddity.

OvrhngngBldng-550cjs

No, not just for the overhang, though it does make it look a tad precarious.  What you can’t see in this shot is the blue plaque on the front.  They put blue plaques on buildings in England to mark the site if someone famous was born there, or lived there. And someone famous – in a small way – did live there!

See?

SmllstMn-550cjs

Poor Jeffrey Hudson.  I wonder how often he got overlooked in crowds, or in shop queues?

Actually, his story is interesting, since he became a courtier in the court of Queen Henrietta Maria, fought in the civil war, and killed a man in a duel, despite reportedly being only eighteen or nineteen inches tall.  Later, after being captured and enslaved by Barbary pirates he was ransomed and returned to England having grown to 45 inches!  This, apparently, suggests he was suffering from congenital hypopituitarism, since not only did he not show the classic signs of skeletal deformity usual in people of limited stature (dwarfism) but it isn’t unknown for people with hypopituitarism to suddenly produce growth hormones much later in life and grow some more.  Nothing to do with ‘O‘, but interesting, don’t you think?

Anyway, moving on ..

There are many very old walls in Oakham, as you might expect, and I found this one in a side street – well, more of an alley, really.

OldWll3-750cjs

And look at that!  The lichen in that picture is a distinctly orangey shade, isn’t it?

Talking of orange, here’s a yacht with beautiful orange sails.

OrngYcht-750cjs

This yacht is sailing on Rutland Water, which is literally just outside Oakham, which is the county town of Rutland.  It all ties neatly together, you see.  Rutland is England’s smallest county, which is why it says what it does in that blue plaque.

Now, orange is the colour of autumn, as I’m sure you’ll agree.  Fallen leaves, dead plants, autumn flowers … and of course pumpkins!

HppyHllwn-750cjs

Happy Halloween to all my readers!

Oh, but wait!  Here’s another picture.  One which was taken a very long way from Oakham indeed, in the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.

CptnJckSprrw-550cjs

Well.  I couldn’t disappoint my Johnny Depp fans, not when I had an orange-tinted picture with a Johnny Depp connection, could I?  It’s not manipulated in Photoshop, this was the cast it acquired through the lighting in the basement room where it was displayed during the triple showing of the Pirates OF the Caribbean movies.

And I’m not going to apologise for working that one in, either!  It is, after all, Johnny Depp’s pirate outfit.

35 Responses to “ABC Wednesday from the archives – ‘O’”

  1. on 29 Oct 2009 at 12:51 am1photowannabe

    Whew, I was wondering how you were going to work it into the O post…good stuff and a great set of archive pictures for the letter O.
    .-= photowannabe´s last blog ..ABC WEDNESDAY LETTER " O " =-.

  2. on 29 Oct 2009 at 2:01 am2Sistertex

    Great post, glad you had a nice holiday and got back home safely!

  3. on 29 Oct 2009 at 3:41 am3Granny Smith

    Lovely story, lovely photos.
    .-= Granny Smith´s last blog ..O is for Ocean =-.

  4. on 29 Oct 2009 at 4:05 am4Tumblewords

    Do they have signs for low hanging signs? A great set of O’s.

  5. on 29 Oct 2009 at 4:18 am5Judi

    Great collection of O’s.
    .-= Judi´s last blog ..Major Civil Rights Legislation Signed Today =-.

  6. on 29 Oct 2009 at 4:39 am6Hildred and Charles

    What a lot of interesting facts, all tied to the letter O. A great post, and very impressive pictures.
    .-= Hildred and Charles´s last blog .. =-.

  7. on 29 Oct 2009 at 6:05 am7Gel

    Hi Jay,
    I’m overjoyed as well as overwhelmed by the overflow of information beyond obligation in your non-ostentatious post. What a grand tour for me to “oooh and Oh” at!
    Although I knew about dwarfism from university studies, I still enjoyed someone else being interested in such material.
    Terrific photos, too.
    .-= Gel´s last blog ..Soul Walks =-.

  8. on 29 Oct 2009 at 9:32 am8sandy

    did Sid go crazy when he saw you ?I bet you missed him..sk

  9. on 29 Oct 2009 at 9:52 am9Taffy's Mum

    Even ‘oliday started with ‘O’ :D
    Welcome back to the real world!!

  10. on 29 Oct 2009 at 9:54 am10Anthony North

    Some great ‘O’s. I don’t think I’ve been to that town, but I’m sure I’ve heard of the little fellow.
    .-= Anthony North´s last blog ..ORATORY =-.

  11. on 29 Oct 2009 at 11:30 am11Jay

    Photowannabe – Thanks! I do like to get Johnny in there when I can. ;)

    Sistertex – Thanks – it was a GREAT holiday! Maybe one year when we’re over, we can meet. I’d love to see you, and all your beautiful dogs!

    Granny Smith – Thanks! Nice to see you back in circulation, too! :)

    Tumblewords – Haha! No, sadly not. I must admit, I was glad I wasn’t taller!

    Judi – Thanks! :D

    Hildred and Charles – Thank you!

    Gel – Wow – your comment is a mini ‘O’ post! I’m overly impressed! You deserve an ovation!

    Sandy – Oh yes – he went nuts! He was trembling with delight when he saw me. Very reassuring. :D

    Taffy’s Mum – But I don’t like the real world! LOL! Maybe I’ll feel better when I’m over the jetlag?

    Anthony North – Thanks! Well, I guess Jeffrey is famous! :)

  12. on 29 Oct 2009 at 1:03 pm12Spiderdama

    Interesting. Looks like a nice city. Great pictures and history:-)
    .-= Spiderdama´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday – O =-.

  13. on 29 Oct 2009 at 1:25 pm13Rose

    Great O’s, Jay! But my favorite has to be the overhang on the leaning building. Thanks for all the info on Jeffrey Hudson; he certainly had an interesting life in spite of his small stature.

    I don’t know how I missed your last few ABC posts…hope you had a great trip to the US. I had to laugh at your post about the closed restrooms…men just don’t understand:)
    .-= Rose´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday: The Color of Autumn =-.

  14. on 29 Oct 2009 at 1:45 pm14hip chick

    Fantastic O shots. I love the story behind the smallest man from the smallest county. Very interesting.
    .-= hip chick´s last blog ..just for the joy of it =-.

  15. on 29 Oct 2009 at 2:29 pm15Jama

    I would love to visit this old town!
    .-= Jama´s last blog ..Thursday Challenge : CLOTHS =-.

  16. on 29 Oct 2009 at 3:12 pm16Jay

    Spiderdama – Thanks! :)

    Rose – It’s OK – I wasn’t really on the blogging circuit for the last three weeks. I had the ABC posts prepared, so I was able to post those, but precious little else! I couldn’t resist doing one about the closed restrooms and my little adventure though. LOL! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it.

    Hip Chick – Thanks! I liked that story, too!

    Jama – You should! It has a lot of history, and some very cool specialist shops and boutiques!

  17. on 29 Oct 2009 at 4:02 pm17Roger Green

    OK, I’ll give you the “orangish” brick.
    Yes, a week without Depp is like a week without orange sunshine.

  18. on 29 Oct 2009 at 4:19 pm18Reader Wil

    Thank you for the interesting post about the smallest man i the smallest county! Don’t ask me to pronounce “hypopituitarism”. It’s a real tongue twister!
    Thanks for your visit! I would love to see Colchester!
    .-= Reader Wil´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday O for Origins =-.

  19. on 29 Oct 2009 at 7:56 pm19Mara

    I love the story about the smallest man from the smallest county. But with all those re-alignments and stuff, is it still the smallest or has it been eaten up by another county?
    .-= Mara´s last blog ..Les pompiers =-.

  20. on 29 Oct 2009 at 9:58 pm20Pam

    That was quite an interesting O post. I guess if your Only nineteen inches tall you have the advantage of being small and therefore much harder to hit.

  21. on 29 Oct 2009 at 10:53 pm21Sherry

    Such an interesting O post.
    Thanks for getting Johnny in.
    I do miss him when ever he is absent…
    Sherry
    .-= Sherry´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday =-.

  22. on 30 Oct 2009 at 12:26 pm22Gerald

    A lovely tour of the town. I’ve only been to Oakham a couple of times I think and it was a long time ago. I remember a very nice park on the edge of town where we took the dog for walk.
    .-= Gerald´s last blog ..Friday Bench (22): Nuuk =-.

  23. on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:19 pm23liz

    What a very little man! Nice post, Jay. Welcome back.

  24. on 30 Oct 2009 at 4:38 pm24carolynUSA

    What a great post! You gave a very “large” space for a “little” man! I love England…have visited 2 times but quite some time ago. I would go crazy these days with my greater interest in photography! Your photos bring back such fond memories. The age of cemeteries, buildings, walls…amazes me! (as in all of Europe) Great captures of a grand place!
    .-= carolynUSA´s last blog ..The World in Black and White / Fence or Mural? =-.

  25. on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:38 pm25Dragonstar

    As usual, a lovely post Jay. That leaning building does look rather precarious, and the background story is fascinating! My favourite shot, though, is the moss and lichen on the wall – I love the contrasts of colour and texture. Beautiful!
    .-= Dragonstar´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday – O. =-.

  26. on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:40 pm26Jay

    Roger Green – Sadly, I think we will soon have several weeks without orange sunshine, due to the increasingly wintery weather as the year progresses, but I can always find a little Johnny. :D

    Reader Wil – The Roman wall is no longer complete, but there’s a lot of it left, and there is a great deal of history there. Maybe you will get to visit one day?

    Mara – They made Rutland a part of Leicester, back in the 1970s, but we rebelled (I lived there at the time) and they reinstated it. A victory for the common man. And woman. ;)

    Pam – Indeed! And as the challenged party, Jeffrey could choose the weapons and place, and he chose pistols on horseback. He must have presented a very difficult target, mustn’t he? Clever little guy.

    Sherry – Thanks! LOL! I’ll try to find more Johnny for you.

    Gerald – I don’t know which park you mean, but most towns have at least one! Oakham is very traditional.

    Liz – Thanks, Liz! Part of me is still across The Pond, I think, but I’m catching up! ;)

    CarolynUSA – We have a lot of history here, that’s for sure! It’s possible to find little stories like this all over the place in England. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

    Dragonstar – Thank you! I liked that shot, too, but some might find it uninteresting. :)

  27. on 31 Oct 2009 at 1:08 am27Baino

    YAY, better late than never! Great stuff, lovely pics. That is one very picturesque town!
    .-= Baino´s last blog .."Hallo" Ween! =-.

  28. on 31 Oct 2009 at 10:29 am28EG Wow!

    You found a mice variety of O words plus told us some interesting bits about Oakham. Thanks!
    .-= EG Wow!´s last blog ..Bagged/ Photo Hunter =-.

  29. on 01 Nov 2009 at 11:36 am29Jay

    Baino – Thanks! Yes, indeed it is picturesque. I love Oakham, though I wouldn’t want to live there, I think, because it’s incredibly inconvenient to drive and park there. But that’s why I took the train!

    EG Wow! – Thank you! I aim to please! :)

  30. on 02 Nov 2009 at 7:51 am30ethelmaepotter

    Fantastic post, and I was delighted to see the story of Jeffrey Hudson. I remember his story from my childhood; we had a huge book of paintings by famous artists, and there was a painting of him by…Van Dyke, I believe. I remember getting him confused with Tom Thumb and Little Jack Horner, of nursery rhyme fame. It was said that, as a child, Hudson was “given” to the Queen as a pet, and he was delivered in a large pie! Tsk, tsk, what a sad story.
    .-= ethelmaepotter´s last blog ..Milestones =-.

  31. on 02 Nov 2009 at 11:59 am31Jay

    Ethelmaepotter – Good grief .. I didn’t read that bit! Poor little soul. Still, he seems to have become a feisty (not to say ‘belligerent’) young man eventually. And I found his birthplace in Oakham! Small world, isn’t it?

    Is that the same painting on the Wiki page I linked to?

  32. on 03 Nov 2009 at 3:48 am32swapna

    That was indeed an interesting O post. Loved the pictures from oakham, the orange sail was beautiful too…enjoyed it all.
    .-= swapna´s last blog ..brush aside =-.

  33. on 03 Nov 2009 at 9:03 am33ethelmaepotter

    Yes, jay, I checked and that’s the same painting I remember!
    .-= ethelmaepotter´s last blog ..Milestones =-.

  34. on 04 Nov 2009 at 4:00 pm34Maureen

    Loved the story of the small man, thank you !

    And of course, for the last photo… you never fail to disappoint Jay!
    .-= Maureen´s last blog ..The Scariest Part of Halloween =-.

  35. on 05 Nov 2009 at 2:13 am35Jay

    Swapna – Thank you! :)

    Ethelmaepotter – I thought it might be! :)

    Maureen – I nearly didn’t go down into the display area of the cinema you know, but I’m glad I did! I had no idea they’d have Jack’s costume down there! It’s really small … Wow. There goes my dream of getting into that shirt! LOL!

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