Yorkshire Gold, Trump And Art
A long week
Hi there Majong Maniacs
It’s been a full week, almost a longer week than normal. Really struggling to walk properly not with my back, but this time with my hip giving me jip. Not being able to sit in the same place for longer than an hour has made for interesting poses whilst standing.
But enough of getting old gripes. I’m back on a lifestyle review, food included which is a little tough to do without chocolate completely and to give up coffee... I was drinking in excess of 6 cups per day but good old Yorkshire Tea Gold has stepped in. I forgot how lovely a mug of builder’s tea was/is.
Mahjong this week only lasted for one hour for me (sitting issue). I won two games but for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. Not like me I know, but if I don’t make note of them at the time, I forget them. (I usually write them down in the car as soon as i have finished the game).
Friday evening was the student exhibition for the visual arts course. I had 6 pieces up for exhibiting. I’ll post some of my work here. Some of you have seen the portraits but I also include my Orkney inspired prints.
Got the buzz for linocut printing. Bought all the equipment needed so I will be producing my own prints soon.
It’s Trump’s birthday celebrations as I write this. I am comforted in seeing so many USA citizens protest against the dictatorship USA is currently becoming. I wonder how this will all end. Trump changing the law so he can get into power again? There are so many human rights being stomped into the ground, so many rights rescinded, so many laws broken. If we saw this happening in an African county, we’d impose sanctions immediately. Talking of sanctions, exactly what use are sanctions against individuals when it’s a government that needs sanctioning? You know what I’m talking about.
Ukulele group get-together today. It’s always lovely to gather with friends for playing, food and chat. A good ending to my week which has dragged by. I don’t want to wish my life away but occasionally, time plays in slow motion and I find it difficult to be creative and productive at such a pace.
So no Mahjong hands to share today, just trivia and my pics. Have a good week ahead and take time to do something creative, just one thing.
MAHJONG TRIVIA
Mah Jongg tiles have traditionally been made of bone, often with a bamboo backing. Bone tiles can still be found but most modern tiles are constructed using plastics. A small number of sets have been made with jade or ivory, and these sets are rare.
Regardless of what a tile is constructed of, the symbols on them are usually engraved or etched into the tile. Some experienced players can determine the value of a tile without looking at it, by feeling these engravings with their fingers.
There are two main categories of sizes for Mah Jongg Tiles, a larger size range used in China, and a smaller size range used in the US and most of the rest of the world.
The Chinese size is further sub-divided into 4 generally used size ranges which are:
8 ~ 39 × 30 × 23 mm
7.5 ~ 38 × 28 × 22 mm
7 ~ 36 × 26 × 21 mm
6 ~ 34 × 25 × 19 mm
The ratio of length to thickness in the Chinese sizes is usually over 1 to 1.5, so that the tiles can stand upright, since Chinese players typically do not use racks to support their tiles.
The sizes typically used in the US and the rest of the world (other than China) have lengths that vary roughly between 3 cm (1-5/32″) and 2.5 cm (1″).
The Japanese typically use tiles thicker than those used in the US, so they can stand upright without a rack, as the Japanese players like the Chinese, normally do not use a rack
Racks are commonly used along with slimmer tiles by players in the US.
https://www.mahjonggnetwork.com/fun-facts/mah-jongg-tiles/
Portrait of the artist as a 6 year old in Africa
Test drypoint etching, Maeshowe dragon head
Monoprint with organic material, derived from Pict image for Beast