I made my first posting at Sync Miss For Him in quite a while this morning…

Yes, it’s the US Presidential election and Trump’s in Putin pocket, if Hillarity is to believed…

*Yeah, she is somewhat scary, Click*

After posting I sat on the old box in the conservatory, whilst Mistress Ploppy went outside for a pee. I looked down and stared at the upside down writing between my legs…

 

 

CLICKY: Witch way up?

*No, that’s a terrible reconstruction, Clicky. You’d never get a job on Crimewatch… /squints …let me set it out…*

Although I’ve owned the box more than 20 years, it was the first time I’d noticed what is printed on it since… /thinks… well, since I bought it from the Stationery Dept at John Lewis, Oxford Street.

TRUMPERTON’S

AMAZING

TOY

EMPORIUM

MECHANICAL NOVELTIES

MUSICAL CONTRAPTIONS

TIN & CAST TOYS

BOOKS

PORCELAIN DOLLS

MAGICAL APPARATUS

GAMES & PUZZLES

WE LEAD

OTHERS FOLLOW

It reminded me that there was a card game from my youth that all the boys used to play…

Top Trumps was a card game popular with adults and children in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s, especially amongst boys, for whom it was a popular playground pastime. The topics tended to reflect this, and included military hardware, modes of transport and racing cars. The packs tended to be priced so that children could collect new packs by saving pocket money for a few weeks.

The original Top Trumps were launched in early 1976, with eleven different packs selling at 50p each, published by a company named Dubreq. Dubreq was also known for the Stylophone. Dubreq was taken over by Waddingtons in 1982, and they continued manufacturing packs until the early 1990s. The packs from this period are now collectible.

*/nods… Yes, that’s certainly a musical contraption, Clicky… And a bit of mechanical novelty*

Clinton’s got her cards… /sigh… I’m a sucker for an underdog… /rolls eyes…

Ruthenian (adj.) 1850, of or pertaining to the Ukrainian people (earlier Ruthene, 1540s), from Medieval Latin Rutheni “the Little Russians,” a derivative of Russi (see Russia). For consonant change, compare Medieval Latin Prut(h)eni, from Prussi “Prussians.” Another word in the same sense was Russniak.

*Yeah, have a Song*