comes the morning and the headlights fade away

hello there 

something of a little bit of a throwback (in all sorts of ways) with this post, look you see. predominantly this is in respect of me celebrating a mug on these pages, but also with regards to at least one (1) of the people what feature on the mug. 

whilst it is simply not true to say that i have my finger on any sort of pulse pertaining to fashions, trends or such things, every now and then i notice something. in recent times i have, to this effect, noticed a revival, or if you will rejuvenation, of interest in those "heat changing" mugs. should you be more or less unaware about what that is, exactly, fear not. basically, or in essence, it is a mug what has a "hidden" image on it, so it looks plain when stood cold (or "room temperature"), but an image (or pattern or similar) appears on the mug the moment some hot liquid is placed in it. well, not the precise moment, but still. 

i have no need to purchase any further mugs at the moment, and even less time to use to do such a thing. however, as a somewhat happy accident, it came to be that recently i unpacked not one, not three, but two of my own heat changing mug things. with regret i have to say one of them is most unsuitable to share here. but the other is, well, sort of kind of, so long as no one gets all busy and upset. 

yes, in the clarity of the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, that is indeed a mug what features two stalwarts of the Carry On films, Barbra Windsor and Jim Dale. indeed, further, as you can more or less see, that is them in a scene out of one of the films; Carry On Doctor i think, but could be Matron or some similar medical thing. 

despite, or perhaps although, i would describe myself as someone who very much appreciates the artistic endeavours of Jim Dale (how can you not but help like him), it is of course the sadly no longer with us Ms Windsor who is in focus here. she passed away recently, an event which caused rather understandable nationwide sorrow. terms like "national treasure" and "icon" get used with ease these days, but she well and truly ticked all of those boxes. 

how and why? well, bubbly personality is often attributed to her. an open love of life, and embracing making the most of the world and being happy were her traits, all done with a tickle of a giggle and a quite remarkable, infectious smile. this touched, or affected, virtually all who ever saw her. famously, or infamously if you prefer, so much so that she had the most notorious and feared of East End gangsters, with particular emphasis on the Krays, wrapped around any finger she cared to choose.

that's the mug not in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, then. also, it is pictured here with no hot (preferably boiling) liquid in it. yes, also, that is my quite class coaster what celebrates the motion picture The Shining. for anyone reading this what or who is easily upset or a bit sensitive, you are possibly advised to skip the rest of this, and certainly suggested to avoid the other picture, which shall come below. rather than, you know, above. 

one reason in particular that Barbra was so treasured is a little bit tricky to word properly. it's something close to a sensitive subject, especially under the rules of the English way of doing things, where there are subjects, in particular that sort of thing, which one is not to speak of. but, let me try to assume a reasonably grown up audience is reading this, and i shall endeavour to be diplomatic, or delicate. 

for at least one, two or possibly three generations (and i was certainly one of them), it was so that a rite of passage, or expectation, was that the first semi undressed (at the least topless) lady any male would encounter would be Barbra Windsor. specifically, of course, that celebrated scene out of Carry On Camping. whereas nudity, or any expression of anything sexual, is generally frowned upon (mostly by the British Board of Censors) in our society, there was a determination by TV studios to screen Carry On Camping as frequently as possible. or include scenes from it in shows. all during prime time early evening entertainment slots. 

above is the mug (or chalice) with some hot liquid in it, tea i believe. well, you were warned before you looked at it. perhaps i should have gone further and written something so as you did not get your expectations of saucy excitement up way too high. but still, a lovely vessel for having a fine cup of tea out of. 

exactly how it came to be that in a nation determined to block or censor as much nudity as possible it was so that Barbra Windsor's quasi topless appearances were unavoidable to the point of being compulsory to see is, as you may well guess, a mystery. she herself said that she didn't (ahem) particularly consider her "assets" to be sensational, but in her usual style was thrilled and delighted that so many people appeared to think they were wonderful. let me not disagree with the latter. 

mostly i just use the mug for drinking out of, in truth. yes, just tea. it would be criminal to use such a decidedly English item for coffee, after all. but, a glance at Barbara allows one to see (based on how many clothes she has on) is a quite useful and very satisfactory way of determining how warm the tea in it (the mug) is. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!