Steamboat Willie.

Christmas is always an awkward time; our life philosophy is that, if we want something, we buy it – so Christmas presents are so difficult that we don’t normally bother. However, a couple of weeks ago, Mrs TD expressed an unlikely interest in Primo Levi’s book, “The Periodic Table.” Levi was an Italian Jew who survived the war and its concentration camps by being a chemist and so a valuable asset to the Germans and this book is a hybrid of his autobiography and a chemistry lesson.
 
Jnr, overcome by a bout of gratitude (38 and still sponging off living with us), not to mention using my skills as a proof reader for his Master’s thesis (submitted for publication without my name in the credits and his successful PhD application) decided to raid his stock of Lego and offered me Steamboat Willie. I’m a sucker for nostalgia and “Steamboat Willie” was (allegedly) Mickey Mouse’s film debut. It was a spoof on the titles of both the song and the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr.  and the Lego fan who came up with the design has deservedly (and allegedly) made a fortune from the royalties. Watching the film is a pleasant way to while away nearly seven and a half minutes. The one question remaining is: Why did Lego put “S. S. Willie” on the side of the boat?
On February the 1st, Jnr leaves for a remote corner of Norway (Brexit permitting) to start studying the habits of red deer and mountain hares.