Thursday 17 April 2008

Three Dolphins



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I saw the third photo, I got the pun. But then I saw the first two photos--those I don't get. Is the downspout, or the water gushing out, a "dolphin"?

And now, for the grand prize, please tell me why dauphin indicates the royal boy. (I could google this, but your blog is more fun.)

By the way, we had a hearty laugh about the garden gnome comment.

Simon said...

Louise, if you click on the Dauphin it will take you to the Wiki page, but here's an extract:
"Guy VIII, Count of Vienne, had a dolphin on his coat of arms and had been nicknamed le Dauphin (French for dolphin). The title of Dauphin de Viennois descended in his family until 1349, when Humbert II sold his signeurie, called the Dauphiné, to King Philippe VI on condition that the heir of France assumed the title of le Dauphin."

Our roofer referred to the spout at the bottom of the downpipe as a "dauphin". The cast iron piece in the middle photo is so the pipe doesnt get damaged by passing traffic. (I think this cast iron bit is truly be the "dauphin", but we now use it for any spout.)

Simon

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