On Sealing-Wax

Sealing-wax is a delightful item which has been used for hundreds of years and was frequently used during the Middle Ages.

The all important quest to use the sealing-wax begins with the need for several basic things: a seal, something to melt the wax, something to seal or to place a seal on, and, most importantly, the sealing-wax itself. Once these items have been obtained, most likely after a brief search through drawers and cupboards, the sealing-wax bearer may begin the process of sealing. First is the determination of where the wax needs to be placed, something easily decided upon in most cases. Following this is the hazardous step of melting the wax with some sort of flame and may involve burnt fingers and shrieking if not done properly. The melted wax is then to be dripped in the area where the seal should go and the seal, carefully checked to insure it will not be upside-down, is then to be pressed into the very tiny puddle of dripped the wax. Upon removal you will have an impression of the seal, whatever it may be, and the recipient will now be able to know who the letter is from, as well as if some snoop (who, very clearly, is not minding their own beeswax) has been tampering with the letter if they find the seal broken upon reception. However, if you have a particularly crafty messenger or a messenger in league with a particularly crafty person with knowledge of opening letters without them appearing opened, then your seal is for not.

While not as regular a practice as in the past, using sealing-wax can be a lovely way to send off your letter and, of course, if for nothing else, it gives a walrus something to talk to oysters about. ♥     

On Ships

Many a fine person has set sail on a ship and many a fine person has been shipwrecked. And then there have been many a fine person who has become sick on a ship, causing them to wish they had not set foot on one.

The ancient Mariner would have been considerably better off had he not been on a ship, but in that case he would have been the ancient Landlubber. This would have therefore resulted in Coleridge having to have titled his poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Landlubber’, which, as all will probably agree, does not sound nearly so nice, showing how important the ship in the poem is. However, despite the problems faced by the ancient Mariner, ships have proven to be quite beneficial for others. For example, there are numerous explorers who without their ships would never have discovered countries far from their homeland, because, of course, they would not have been able to successfully make it across the sea and then there are the pirates who would not have been nearly as intimating had they only had row boats. Furthermore, on a smaller scale, ships may provide a hobby for people who like building things in bottles. So, on that note, ships can be as equally beneficial as they are problematic. ♥