Belfast: Smithfield Market & Granny

One day while Michelson was in port I decided to go antique shopping at Belfast's Smithfield Market. Not far from the city center, this was a big flea market housing multiple vendors of well, junk. On a serendipitous urge, I bought a large, noisy brass bell with a wood handle and a souvenir coffee mug commemorating the 1935 silver jubilee of King George V.  


A sense of cosmic nuttiness overcame me when I saw an oval framed photo of an elderly woman. "That's a beautiful old Victorian frame" said the shopkeeper. Indeed it was. On a whim I bought that too.

My bell was king of grungy, encrusted with grime and that green stuff that tarnishes brass. The ship's chief electrician let me use his electric wire brush and buffing wheel.  That got the gunk off. Some hours later, with the help of some brass polish, the old bell looked pretty good. 

Granny
The picture attracted more attention. I wanted to hang it in my stateroom but was concerned that others might not find it appropriate. Some people had no sense of humor. One of the navy guys told me "you could say it's your grandmother ... nobody could make you take it down". Sure enough, he opened up the frame and inscribed my photo "To Johnny with love from Granny" in a shaky looking hand. From then on the woman in the old Victorian frame was "Granny".

Having little wall space in my stateroom, I hung it on a wall (a/k/a bulkhead) in the survey control center where I worked. Until I left the ship Granny swayed back and forth as the ship rolled. Granny observed all activities and she was on watch 24 hours a day. Nobody told me to take Granny's picture down. 

After all these years I still have the bell and George V coffee cup, but I left Granny aboard the good ship Michelson.