My great-uncle Gordon (of the Wiltshire Uphills), the retired trawler-captain and one-time windjammer foremast hand, used to crack walnuts with his hand -- just squeezed, made a fist, and -crack-. He was in his 70's at the time.
I'm considered reasonably strong, but I sure as heck could not crush walnuts the way you great uncle did! And I recall how you had Raj Whitehall crushing walnuts or almonds in his hand exactly like that in your fourth GENERAL book.
There are many such details, of course. The book is not grabbing me. You can see that I wander off onto the well-trodden path of the Technic History. But I will pursue THE DEVIL.. to the end.
In the evening, when I am supposed to stop using the laptop, I do other reading and I am really involved in rereading yet again Stieg Larsson's Trilogy, which I recommend together with its 2 screen adaptations. That, of course, generates further posts as when I compared the metaphor of "pawns in a game" in MILLENNIUM Vol II and THE GUARDIANS OF TIME.
I started rereading THE DEVIL'S GAME last night. And I think it will be interesting to me. This is an old line of mine, but DEVIL'S interests me in particular because of how Anderson set it in what was then contemporary times. And not the remote past or future. Also, I thin the book was and will be more interesting to me than the Yamamura novels.
Incidentally, it's easier to crack walnuts two at a time in your hand. The shells give you something unyielding to squeeze the other nut against; whereas if you're doing them one at a time, you have only the (comparatively) soft surface of your palm to use as an 'anvil'.
I've occasionally been able to do two walnuts at a time when I was in unusually good shape, but never one.
9 comments:
My great-uncle Gordon (of the Wiltshire Uphills), the retired trawler-captain and one-time windjammer foremast hand, used to crack walnuts with his hand -- just squeezed, made a fist, and -crack-. He was in his 70's at the time.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I'm considered reasonably strong, but I sure as heck could not crush walnuts the way you great uncle did! And I recall how you had Raj Whitehall crushing walnuts or almonds in his hand exactly like that in your fourth GENERAL book.
Ad astra! Sean
Anderson's Larry cracks them two at a time.
Kaor, Paul!
Another reason for rereading THE DEVIL'S GAME, since I've forgotten that detail!
Ad astra! Seam
Sean,
There are many such details, of course. The book is not grabbing me. You can see that I wander off onto the well-trodden path of the Technic History. But I will pursue THE DEVIL.. to the end.
In the evening, when I am supposed to stop using the laptop, I do other reading and I am really involved in rereading yet again Stieg Larsson's Trilogy, which I recommend together with its 2 screen adaptations. That, of course, generates further posts as when I compared the metaphor of "pawns in a game" in MILLENNIUM Vol II and THE GUARDIANS OF TIME.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I started rereading THE DEVIL'S GAME last night. And I think it will be interesting to me. This is an old line of mine, but DEVIL'S interests me in particular because of how Anderson set it in what was then contemporary times. And not the remote past or future. Also, I thin the book was and will be more interesting to me than the Yamamura novels.
Ad astra! Sean
Incidentally, it's easier to crack walnuts two at a time in your hand. The shells give you something unyielding to squeeze the other nut against; whereas if you're doing them one at a time, you have only the (comparatively) soft surface of your palm to use as an 'anvil'.
I've occasionally been able to do two walnuts at a time when I was in unusually good shape, but never one.
Figures.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Two almonds braced against each other makes it easier to crush them in your hand. That makes sense!
Ad astra! Sean
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