Peanuts

Coming down from artistic matters, we were entertained at breakfast by this jar of peanut butter, the lid of which was still sealed on with a ring of plastic.

How did the large crack develop in the absence of any kind of evaporation? Absence, partly because of the seal and partly because there is probably not much water in peanut butter to evaporate - with the label not admitting to any at all.

Was the stuff packed hot, with cracks developing as it cooled? Did the stuff shake down in the jar, ditto?

Not getting very far with this, we reverted to the air time of the previous post and the idea, strong in both the Iliad and the Nibelungenlied, that one should do as many stirring deeds as possible, while one could. This would probably result in an early death, but would also result in one being celebrated for many years, in song, at all the grand feasts to come. Stirring deeds usually meant killing men in battle, real animals in hunt or fabulous animals in quest, against the odds; deeds portrayed in song at least as straightforward, manly acts, involving none of the cares and quibbles of the last post. In any event, lots of air time. Immortality through air time, rather than in soul. But did the songs in these epic poems have anything to do with the real life of their times?

So from there we passed onto Powicke and the times of the Angevin kings of England, noticed most recently at reference 2. From which I had got the idea that while doing stirring deeds in battle, mock or otherwise, was important, it was not nearly as important as gathering in treasure and power for oneself and one's family. But what about honour? The honour which kept the Saxon thegns in their king's shield wall long after it was all hopeless? Probably time for me to turn up Johan Huizinga and Norbert Elias again, both of whom have probably survived the regular culls: I am sure that they will both have lots to say about all this sort of thing.

Also time for Yaverland.

PS: given the England plays Sweden as I type, it is fair to mention the way that celebrated sportsmen have a habit of reliving their glory days in pub and club. Some of them sinking so low as to buy a pint for anyone with the patience to listen. While some of them do rather better, having tame pundits to sing their praises at their parties, quite possibly in the rooms excavated underneath their Kensington town houses.

Reference 1: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=Nibelungenlied+Hove. An early mention of the Nibelungenlied.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/06/powicke-on-lord-edward.html.

Reference 3: http://www.norberteliasfoundation.nl/. Immortality through the Internet.