MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Steeplejerk]

Some boffin thinks the name Lewis comes from some latin word that means levitate.Uncle Toms is still good for live music and chancy women

[Stanley]

Right, that's the Lewis pin out of the way. Now come on, have a stab at the one I put up. It's a goodie and we could have some laughs here. I#ll repeat, if you know what it is let the others stew for a while.

[Gloria]

Stanley, what is it made of and how big is it?

[Marilyn]

Ok, Stanley.
( ready for a laugh?)
Looks like something I saw on the "Dragon's Den". It was a device enabling women to pee standing up.
( don't expect it was a big seller)

Apart from that, it looks like a door wedge.

[David Whipp]

It could be a she-wee.

A dozen bought for female family topped the pops as our clan's favourite Christmas gift a few years ago.

[Marilyn]

Aye...that's right...called a 'she-wee'!
But what would our Stanley be doing with one?
Stanley! Please explain!
( and a strange thing to be passing about at Christmas, but I can see the funny side)

[chinatyke]

A cheese sampler, also known as a thief?

[Stanley]

Wonderful! That's it, a Shewee. See this link http://www.shewee.com/. Not mine, don't worry! I knew nothing about them until daughter Susan educated me. She does a lot of serious walking, Wendy may have seen her and Mick passing as they are in training for doing the Coat to Coast walk so they are doing walks over the hills carrying the same weight they will have on the walk. She says it is wonderful and means no more bare bums in a howling gale! Evidently they are standard issue in the army now.

[Marilyn]

One to Maz!
( think I would prefer to have my bum exposed to the howling gale though. Can't imagine fiddling about with that thing.)

[sandy]

Eeek, I've forgotten all about you , that's what was suggested to me Stanley ie for cheese, you would line it with muslin or a cotton towel ect.

[Bodger]

As a mere male which way do you use the She Pee, do you insert the small end and flood out, or use the wide end and pretend to be a male, ie. writing in the snow ?

[Stanley]

Log onto the link, full instructions on there.
Maz, Susan says it is wonderful and very convenient.

[Marilyn]

Magnetic tea towel/dish cloth holder. Could be used for a variety of things, even the stringing of a temporary washing line, or holding a rubbish bag in place.

[Stanley]

Too easy Maz! You got it right away. Not magnetic though, it has a sticky back. Now I'll have to find another one!

[Marilyn]

Maybe I should stand back for a bit if I think I have an answer?
Mind you, I had only seen the she-wee on Dragon's Den...and I don't actually own a sample of the last object. ( bit 'old hat' for a modern lass like me)

You will have to get more canny, Stanley.

[Gloria]

Those which stick to the wall are pathetic, they are forever coming unstuck. We gave up on ours ages ago.

[Stanley]

My experience as well Glo but these are far better quality and really do stick!

[Marilyn]

And there it is, in all it's glory.
( you have/had one Gloria?)
I am strictly a "tea towel over the oven door handle" kind of gal.

[Gloria]

Our sticky back is attached to a hook in the downstairs loo for the towel, yank at the towel and off comes the whole damn thing, complete waste of money.

[Steeplejerk]

I recall those towel holders from my grans house when i was a lad,they used to be slightly different and came in different colours,red,blue,yellow and green to match the kitchen colours of the time when those formicer tables were all the rage

[Stanley]

Not sure if this isn't a repeat but have a crack at it anyway!

[chinatyke]

Definitely a counter of some sort. And it can be used on shafts that rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise, that is why there are two input shafts on the right hand side. But what did it count? Strokes of a beam engine?

[Stanley]

Let's see if anyone else has a clue....

[Steeplejerk]

A "trumeter",for counting the yardage of cloth going through an machine ??

[Stanley]

That's a good one Tom and very similar, but that was driven by the friction of the cloth. China got it actually, it's a rev counter and the way you used it was to hold it on the end of the shaft in the centre hole for a known time, read off the revs and work out the RPM. I've used it many a time and it's a very accurate way of measuring shaft speed. Now I'll have to think of another!