WAGS 02.12.2020: Cosy Little Bubbles.

 

Well I am really coming to the limits of my imagination when it comes to the theme of the last few weeks, 'Bubbles'. And all because Boris decided to name the small Covid-Proof groups we are permitted to gather in as such.  I believe according to nearby sources that in Portuguese the small allowable groups are called rather boringly - 'nucleo'!  Be that as it may, I will rely on someone with rather more linguistic skills than myself to argue for the Portuguese language terminology.

    Unfortunately - and if you are of a sensitive disposition -read no further - I find myself forced into examining 'bubble(s)' as applied to human anatomy.  

   I asked John for inspiration for this week's Blog title, and he came up with 'Suds' being a collection of bubbles. My thoughts immediately descended to bubble-baths, and the opportunity to load some gratuitous photos showing naked flesh thinly veiled by bubbles, but I didn't want to encourage a 500+ word comment from Yves on the pulchritude (or otherwise) of the human female form . Perhaps the Silves Bubble are less inhibited!

   The word 'Callipygian' flashed into my brain.

I made the connection with the modern expression 'Bubble Butt' which appears in modern song lyrics with increasing regularity, and also if you have ever watched the Scientific and Educational plastic surgery program, 'Botched' on TV.  Now my first thought was that Bubble Butt might refer to 'Ugly cellulite' and best avoided in a senior blog, but no! The Urban Dictionary puts it rather succinctly:-

     I am resisting the temptation to illustrate the point with photos of real life examples, for the reason aforementioned, but during my research I came across some interesting items.

It is fast becoming one of my favourite words too, but I came across an even better one -  Steatopygia. Wikipedia has this definition:-

Steatopygia

Description

Description

Steatopygia is the state of having substantial levels of tissue on the buttocks and thighs. This build is not confined to the gluteal regions, but extends to the outside and front of the thighs, and tapers to the knee producing a curvaceous figure. Wikipedia

Harmless, objective and to the point . Not a mention of race, disease etc.  But unfortunately the internet is populated by those who want to turn anything around to being insulting and racist. The same people that made children forgo the pleasure of collecting enamelled metal Golliwog badges from Robertson's Jams by saving labels.  The same people that ultimately caused Golden Shred to become a non-British firm in 2012 for the first time in its 150 year history. Here is the  racist and offensive (to me) diatribe from one of these people!

It is headed by this statement which gives an indication of the tone:

Racism in the dictionary: Steatopygia vs Callipygian

Followed up by this comparative photo

By Shareef Hameed

In the Webster Dictionary and encyclopedias , they have racist and stereotypical words for black women. Look up “steatopygia” which is Greek and means excessive fat on the buttocks especially in Hottentot or Negro women. Look at the picture on the left that is suppose to depict this “disease” of African women.

Now the Greek word to explain a “normal” or nice butt is called “callipygian” which means having shapely buttocks or a waist. Look at the photo on the right, which is of a statute of Venus, a Greek Goddess.

What the white men who publish dictionaries are saying is that if you have some junk in the trunk which women from all races have, you have the disease of steatopygia which is attributed to only black women by using the photo of Sarah Bartmann also known as Venus Hottentot who was exploited in Europe and put on display as if she was a freak show.

However, according to the definition of callipygian, if you have a flat, pancake ass like Venus the Greek Goddess then you a “normal” or “beautiful” ass but by using the photo of Venus, the assumption is that only white women have this characteristic.

These words should be taken out the dictionary as they have no common usage in language and especially since it seems most women are doing all they can to pump up their “gluteus maximus“ either by exercising or by silicon or fat injections. White men have always loved the shape of Black women going back to chattel slavery and present day pop culture but they also demonize Black women at the same time.

Look up these two words for yourself. The imagery is very powerful but it is my intent to show Black people in the light they deserve which is greatness, intelligent, proud and a wonderful people.

Now I would say that both being Greek words and ergo, applying to the Greeks of the time they are inoffensive and beautifully descriptive.  No doubt they will be struck from US dictionaries but let us hope that this ridiculous claim has no effect on our use of language in UK. It is not as if they occur in everyday conversation.

Steatopygea is not a disease, it’s just a distinct body characteristic like red hair or brown eyes. Women of all races tend to have more fat on the buttocks than men, and even within races, it varies among individual women. It just so happens that there are certain populations of African decent who have even more fat in the buttocks than is usually found in other populations. “Callipygian” doesn’t mean “flat buttocks”, it means “beautiful” buttocks, and is open to some degree of interpretation. Also, there have been many different depictions of Venus and other Greek (or other European) female figures, and some have more buttock development than others, although it’s true that you probably won’t see one with the full African steatopygian degree of development because that was rarely seen outside of specific parts of Africa at the time that those statues were made, but they’re not all “flat”, and that’s not what callipygian means.

Think Beyonce v Kylie Minogue!!

Another word that was eradicated early this century was 'Golliwog'. Thought to have been used in children's stories The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg by Florence Kate Upton, published in 1895..

(NB NOT this Kate Upton!!)

Easy! Yves!

Illustration for The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg

This had been shortened to Golly by Robertson's Jams during their use of a sales incentive or promotion which stretched for 80 odd years from the 1920's to 2001 when the last of 20,000,000 enamelled badges was released.

Robertson's logo

However 'Golliwog' is a portmanteau word comprised of Golly and Polliwog. A Polliwog is an old word for 'tadpole' and also naval slang for someone who has not crossed the Equator.. In a different context Wog, whose origin is uncertain, was thought to be derived from 1920's Maritime slang for the Indian shipping clerks or babu.

Suggestions that the word is an acronym for "wily Oriental gentleman", "working on government service", or similar, are examples of false etymology or backronyms.

Robertson's officially 'retired' Golly in 2002. The company had found that Golly was, on the whole, no longer popular with children, although the scheme was still successful and popular with adult collectors.

Robertson's always insisted that they did not retire the Golly because of the pressure of political correctness in the 1990s, but simply for commercial reasons.^[3] The brand director at Robertson's commented:

"We are retiring Golly because we found families with kids no longer necessarily knew about him. We are not bowing to political correctness, but like with any great brand we have to move with the times."

If you are still with me - Congratulations - that has gone to areas formerly unexplored and unintended. Let's raise the mood a little:

Yet another word for you to research yourself!!   

A good start if you are interested is HERE,   where you may also find a paragraph on 'Association with racism in the 21st Century.

To get back to the WAGS, and the title of this piece where I began to get sidetracked. The reality is, because of 'The Rules', we have fallen into 'Cosy Little Bubbles' geographically based, and not allowing a certain mixing of personnel to avoid the same old conversations week after week.

    What is now common usage of the word 'bubble' by Wednesday Algarve Geriatric Strollers, is now in the Open Dictionary as the 6th meaning of the word.

"in the context of a pandemic, any restricted area or group within which people can move and contact each other freely

New Zealanders will not have long to wait for the opening of a so-called air bubble to allow flights between New Zealand and Australia to resume."

   This Wednesday the Cosy little Lagos Bubble decided to meet up for a walk. My original suggestion was to explore the rural hinterland of Continente which stretches to the N125. However weekend heavy rains had left a lot of very muddy puddles in the area, and Antje suggested an alternative.  She wrote:

A key lost and found.
As I suggested a walk on the beach today and gave Paul something to write about, a few words from me to start the blog.
I had to  refuse Paul’s Request to meet at the Meia Praia Cat Hotel at the Fishing end of the Marina. Sascha would have had a great time chasing after the cats. So we arranged to meet on the beach  instead. 
A beautiful day and a large expanse of hard flat sand to walk on. Quite a few other Walkers enjoying the sunshine too, so it was not difficult to find a willing punter to immortalise the Lagos Bubble on camera.

 

The Starters!

The plan was for a coffee stop at Meia Praia beach bar and then return to Lagos Marina.
We had left a car at the start and halfway point of the walk to provide an opt out option. Good plan but ........
I hand this  blog over to Paul to finish;

'But'  - a small word and a lot of tales start there. I heeded Antje's admonition to 'Be kind', so as it is almost Christmas, I will, and you may get all the gory details from Antje - or better still, Chris - if he is on his own!

      We all made it to Bar Por do Sol, as Bar Quim has shut for an extended break, and settled down for coffees.

Relaxing at Bar Por do Sol.

By this time, I was showing 3.3 km on the Health Mate App, View Ranger had opted out of recording on my temporary phone, a Xiaomi Poco X3nfc.  Chris decided to call a halt there, and after a nanosecond, so did Antje, claiming a sore foot. We decided to go to Ate Qu'Enfim for a substantial lunch after Chris and Antje had dropped Sascha off.

     Myriam and I set off back and after a km or so, Myriam decided she could not keep up with my blistering pace, as her knees were suffering and cut up to the road to walk slowly until I could meet her with the car.

Myriam drops out

And then there was One!

I was making good time, just past the Gaivota, when I received an unsolicited call from Antje, and decided to divert up to what I thought was Bar Linda, but found to be Bar Sao Roque. Too bad, so I picked up my car and set off to find Myriam on the road.  She had come much further than expected while I was delayed so I found her at the last roundabout. We then went to Bar Quim car park again for undisclosed reasons!  

  His rebus gestis (if you know your ablative absolutes - John will tell me if I am wrong!) Myriam and I headed for Ate Qu'Enfim and a well deserved lunch (by me anyway). Myriam had an appointment at HPA in the afternoon and we had to leave Lagos by 1415 hrs. so we ordered and started when we arrived.

Myriam had Jawali and I benefitted from the chips........

.........which complimented my Arroz de Pato.

Both choices were excellent and served hot and we changed sides at half time.
Chris and Antje soon arrived, and both went for Jawali.

and a helpful waitress acted as photographer.

Included desserts were bounteous - Apple tart with Ice Cream.....

..... and Bolo de Ananas. Plus drinks and coffee/tea it came to €10,50 pp.

Myriam and I had to run so we left Chris and Antje lingering over their desserts and coffee. No record of any further conversation.

And that was another Wednesday with more calories ingested than expended. We went without dinner as a penance.

Over to the Cosy Little Silves Bubble.........

On the technical front, the Silves Bubble´s walk this week was, to be frank, a bit of a disaster. First, our star camera artist H C-B had inadvertently left his ´phone at home - on the charger, so he said. Cynics, however, suspected that it was deliberately done so that he could not receive the customary instructions from Catherine on what groceries to shop for on the way home. Then Rod confessed to having left his ´phone at home as well so he could not activate his ViewRanger measuring gizmo. And, to cap it all, JohnH´s ´phone battery died on him after only 1.5 kms, so his ViewRanger contributed very little to the proceedings. Luckily, things were much better organised in the kitchen department, where Hazel had the coffees nice and hot before the Starter photo.

The walk set off along some very familiar tracks before the Leader cut straight across the middle of a new avocado plantation to hit the tarmac near Tufos.

 Soon after that, a bit of off-piste where the challenge for the Leader was to navigate across a trackless waste in search of two crucial gaps in the maze of stone walls. A map of the track (reconstructed via Google Earth) might be useful at this stage.

Gaps duly located and journey across the trackless waste successfully accomplished, the group then took it easy for a moment or two, with our star cameraman borrowing Hazel´s smartphone to take some snaps in rather tricky lighting conditions, the sun being very bright but low on the horizon.

We looked in on a small enclosure at the back of a property which in times past had belonged to one of Rod´s partners in WineMine, where there were some antique items just lying around, among them a marble-topped sewing machine table.

No amount of photoshopping can correct the lighting on this one.

Rod and Yves contemplating a pile of rubbish

On then, past the large house that was once the House of Words, now repainted.

As it was in 2009

As it is in 2020

Now, I wonder how many of you can remember the blog for 11^th November? In it was this bit, and I quote:-

“It was shortly after this that Yves transmogrified into a sort of latter day Henri Cartier-Bresson (for you who don´t recognise the name, sorry about the reference: H C-B was a renowned French photographer) and managed to persuade Maria to risk life and limb by scrambling across a wilderness of boulders and old trees just to pose for an extra artistic picture. This took him quite a few minutes before he was satisfied. Here is a shot of the maestro in action.”

But the strange thing was that that very carefully posed photograph was never released to public view, and Yves has told your Blogger that he hadn´t been satisfied with the exposure. And now, would you believe it, we find ourselves walking past exactly the same spot again and what does Yves do? He has the nerve to send Maria scrambling once more over boulders and old trees so that he can re-take the shot! Talk about art for art´s sake.

And still he will not release the results !!!!!! Will it have to be third time lucky?

After that, it was just  a brisk walk back to Casa Esperança where the kitchen department again came up trumps (non-political,ones), with Hazel dishing up Cockaleekie soup, served in the traditional manner with prunes added to the soup. 

With garlic bread, oatcakes, cheese and suitable drinks, it all went down a treat.

Statistics:

Time: 2 ½ hours. Distance: 7.93 kms. Ascent: 211.5 metres. Speed: gentle (very).

And I will leave you with one of the current fads of parody songs, which seems appropriate.