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James Dempster

@cocktaillion.bsky.social

160 followers 230 following 750 posts

Heraldist, delver into obscure, arcane & occult. Photos, bad art, worse poems. Even stranger than I think I am. Lefty. All views own/odd. He/him. 🩷💛🩵

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 3h

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 10 - Urn.

The top of a dark grey polished granite memorial. A square top composed of four pediments with acroteria, all with shallow carved foliage, is surmounted by a square plinth on which is a part covered urn. Just below the shoulder of the urn is decoration consisting of a series of incised shallow circles between two lines

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 1d

Both the loading bay, and part of the former Safeway store in Elgin, now converted into council offices, are haunted, with CCTV footage. It was built in the 1990s, on the site of a car park, on the site of an 18th century haunted house, on part of the site of the former Greyfriars monastery.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 1d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 9 - Hand.

The top of a sandstone gravestone. The topmost edge is formed of a border of flower buds. Three on each sides face down, those on the top face towards the centre. On each corner a fleur-de-lis rises up from the top edge and the centre curves upwards to form an arch-like section, higher than the fleurs-de-lis.

Top centre of the arched portion the date 1853. Below it in small capitals the word "Erected" in a curve out of which is a vertically striped sleeve with plain cuff and a hand gripping a carved border, below which the main inscription. Either side of the striped part of the sleeve "B" and "Y" in script lettering. Either side of the cuff "James" and "Gordon" in capitals. Only the top line of the main inscription can be seen. It's in script lettering and reads "Farmer Goat Craig of Dallas".

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 1d

An AI girlfriend? 😂

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 2d

The almost grownup (once we can get the leader off the water slide) centre right party is surely the Liberal - Democrats. But say that to Polly and it'll be head spinning, pea soup everywhere time.

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 2d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 8 - Glass.

You don't see many immortelles these days, too fragile for modern times. Even here, the cloche seems to be a replacement as it's a bit too small. Whether it had flowers in it as well as the now unreadable plaque, its difficult to say.

Looking down at an immortelle, a glass cloche inside a metal framework. Sometimes they contained dried flowers, more often ceramic flowers. This one contains a rounded metal plaque, once painted white, but now mainly rusted. Any inscription on the plaque is unreadable. Between the immortelle and the gravestone (which is leaning at about 30 degrees off vertical) is quite a build up of thatch from modern mowing.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 3d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 7 - Angel.

The angel Joffrey? 😁

Carved head, shoulders and chest of an angel in low relief within the top of a pointed arch gravestone. In one hand the angel holds a scroll with the inscription. The other hand is held against the angel's breast.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 4d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 6 - Gender.
All very male, erected by (Master Trades)men for another man.

Large sandstone high cross, the cross part with unequal rounded ends, the size of the ends getting less pronounced as one goes upwards, and filled with Celtic interlacing. A Tao-Rho symbol is in the centre. The upright is filled with five large panels, three of interlacing and two with inscriptions. The large panels are separated by narrow bands of interlacing.

First panel of inscription.
Erected By
The Master
Tradesmen Of
This District
To Shew
Their Esteem

Second panel of inscription
[Cross Patee] In Memoriam
George Melven
Architect Who
Died At Elgin
20th September 1879
Aged 56 Years

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 5d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 5 - Bird.

White marble cross with a carved dove perched on the left arm and pecking at lilies carved in high relief emerging from the upper arm and spreading across the face of the cross.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 6d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 4 - Languages.
I could have used this on 18th for mistake, because it definitely says Vaya con Dids rather than Vaya con Dios

Gravestone of Helen Hamilton and John Dalgarno. English and Spanish.

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Reposted by James Dempster

Jens Notroff @jensnotroff.com · 6d

Bearded #vultures as collectors of historic artifacts, or: The deep #stratigraphies of multi-generational vulture nests ...

🐦🏺 www.popsci.com/environment/... (h/t @sapinuwa.bsky.social)

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

Crossbow bolts, sandals, slingshots, and more.

www.popsci.com

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 6d

Amazingly our Tory-led, propped up by Labour, council had the flags all down in a day.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 6d

That sounds very primal. Just make sure none of them have access to large leg bones.

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 6d

I have decided to frazzle (or bedazzle) my brain with this little thing, as I sit out the storm.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 7d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 3 - Tomb.
And it's open...

Black & White (with post processing to look like IR) photograph of a chest tomb On the long side an Adam style urn within an oval and surmounted by swags, all in relief. The short side on the right, nearest camera, has been swung round so that it sticks out, as if it were an open door.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 8d

#31DaysofGraves 👻 No. 2 - Nautical

Dismantled granite headstone of George Jenkins, Shipmaster, who died 7th October 1882 on board the ship Lady Jocelyn, in Lat 8 Deg 13m; North and Long 24 Deg 50m West aged 57 years.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 8d

It was photos last year but writing? Why not.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 8d

#31DaysofGraves - Flower

Slightly off vertical headstone. A pale grey granite, flat topped obelisk surmounted by an urn, well covered in moss. At the top of the obelisk arched panels, the nearest containing flowers and foliage. Possibly meant for double roses at the bottom either side and at the top a daffodill or narcissus flanked by Solomon's Seal.

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 8d

It's October so it's #31DaysofGraves 👻

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 9d

I see that Fascist, Racist, Gammon, Cxxts have hung Butcher's Aprons from the Cooper Park bridge and the Reiket Lane roundabout.

If you follow me and agree with any of this flag-shagging twattery. Just FOAD. You're no friend of mine.

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 10d

In the 80s, after a very "truffle hunting" paper appeared in Annales, one of my lecturers threatened to write "How many wheelbarrows were there in Sienna in 1554". This was followed by the wry reflection that she already knew.

Reposted by James Dempster

Thomas S Brown @tomsbrown.bsky.social · 11d

Going to be sending more copies of this enchanting foray into the life of Hookland by @taliskimberley.bsky.social early next week, let us know if you would like one too. thomas-brown-1.sumupstore.com/product/the-...

The Latchless Door, Rhymes & Songs of Hookland, signed numbered edition.

Price includes UK Shipping. (Only shipping to the UK, currently) The Latchless Door is a small book of Rhymes &amp; Songs of Hookland by Talis Kimberley illustrated by Thomas S Brown, with a fore...

thomas-brown-1.sumupstore.com

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James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 12d

It's also a 1999 track by Suicidal Tendencies that fits 2025 even better.

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 13d

So at last the truth... You're the one responsible for the "interesting red wine stains" on the Prato Haggadah, ca. 1300. 🤣🍷

James Dempster @cocktaillion.bsky.social · 15d

1926 silent (should be on YT) of Maugham's The Magician which was a very thinly disguised attack on Crowley (whom Maugham knew).

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