Original Selfie

I didn't opt for the Platinum Patron Saint Blipfuture status (£100,000) so couldn't BackBlip this to the correct date. Actually can't find out how old it is but suspect it may depict a scene around 1840.

The wall painting is on a house (extra photo) in Gerberplatz (Tanners Square) in Memmingen. I am using Tanner but in fact it could equally well be "Tawer" and I know most Blipers know the chemical attributes of human urine and oak bark, to appreciate the difference.

Red Tanners use oak and fir bark while White Tanners or more correctly Tawers, use Alum which the UK tried to produce in the 18thC using human urine and shale and thereby nearly devastating the entire landscape of northeast Yorkshire. They should have just stuck with the agreement with the Papal States and forked out a few florins more per ton for the packaging & post charges. In fact in 1578, Elisabeth I did buy,  on tick, the entire stock for £29,000.  Something must have gone wrong and it seems to be a UK trait to get out when one doesn't like the rules previously agreed to - like her father getting out of the catholic club and later Boris out of the EU club. Luckily none of the modern day players christian names are Thomas; unlike More, Wolsey, Cromwell or Cranmer.

I trust everyone is still following me. There were basically two types of tanners: the ones who made leather for things like saddles and bridles for horses (red tanners) and the ones who made leather for fine things like clothing and presumably books (white tanners or tawers). Memmingen did both.

The wall painting though is not directly connected with tanning but according to the words, this house was a "former town farm house with a haulage business". Presumably the wife is holding a basket with what looks to be a duck and husband in his wagon drivers kit. Perhaps he had a contract to transport Alum up from Italy.

Was in Memmingen to have the specialist check my wound. As I had an appointment no long wait and all done in 30 minutes. Back again on Friday - it will be a long process as is normal for me, the stitches will remain in much longer than normal and probably be removed singly over a period. Metaphorically, a pain in the backside but otherwise no pain but perhaps if the weather improves, I can bring some better Blips of Memmingen.

Why isn't Memmingen twinned with a UK town? It's longest standing twinning is with Glendale in Arizona (the US dropped a bomb on the Tanners Square on 20th April 1945). They are twinned with French, Israeli, Turkish, Italian, Ukraine and Austrian towns. Same with Ottobeuren who include Tenterfield in Australia!!!! Tenterden, Kent I could understand but New South Wales? I tried looking for a suitable candidate with the same population size - Grantham, Fareham, Winchester but they all have twinning with unsuitable north German towns.

Well things may change with Brexit, EU collapse and Bavaria leaving the German Federal Republic. I have an ideal Somerset town lined up for Ottobeuren and they don't have a German twinning at all. Now just need RedFlash to help get Winchester sorted out for Memmingen. Mindelheim our county capital is actually twinned with East Grinstead, which in terms of size and charachter doesn't make much sense to me (their is a rather unpleasant link in that a bomb was dropped by the Germans there in 1943) The MP Nicholas Soames recently picked up something I wrote and twittered it through the halls of Westminster and before I knew it MEPs in the gangplanks of Brussels were retweeting it. They liked what I had written but it did cause me to cancel my Twitter account 2 weeks ago!

On the way home did the dog walk over flooded fields with a 10cm cover of slush - +7°C and drizzle which turned to downpour when we got home and snow by evening. Learnt today that due to a "reversed weather situation", we lower down have had more snow than those higher up in the alps. About time Tochterpleach , Blips official Alp weather reporter got her journal up to date - missing her reports but can understand there is a life outside of Blip, apparently.