Handball

It rained today, it rained all day.  Not only did it rain, it was cold too.  I can take one or the other but both together is no joke.  Anyway I ventured out to meet Ann and we scurried to Pret for lunch and papers.  Eventually we had to leave, even though it was still raining and dived across the road into Lakeland for a pre-youknowwhat look.  Then home where we ensconced ourselves and I realised I hadn't taken any photos.

Luckily I found something without having to venture out again.  This is a hand painted pen holder for a desk.  It was painted by my step-father, who enjoyed painting well into his retirement, and is dated 1994.  He must have been influenced by drawings he saw in Egypt when they visited the country as part of a Mediterranean cruise.  I found a similar painting on the Internet with the following description:

Drawings of this sport are found on the Saqqara tombs, five thousand years old. The ball was made of leather and stuffed with plant fibers or hay, or made of papyrus plants in order to be light and more durable. It was seldom used for more than one match.
The painting shows four girls playing handball. Each team throws the ball to the other at the same time. Players can either be on their feet or on top of their teammates’ backs while exchanging balls.

http://www.sis.gov.eg/section/722/733?lang=en-us

Accompanying the stand is a pen which presumably I was given at the same time.  The pen has the inscription Micro Ceramic Egyptian Pen Museum 0.5 Black Korea not surprisingly the ink has been used, or dried up!

I've had the pen stand on my desk for years.