Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Update Just To Update: August 2012

A fine little Hermes Baby with an uncommon deluxe case that beckoned to me, but I resisted - especially once I found out that the space bar would not move the carriage, even with the drawstring seeming intact. It might have been an easy fix, but I'll leave that for someone else to figure out. 

  This is what the top of the case looked like, in case you have not yet come across one of these deluxe Babies yourself. A sort of pebbled, faux leather covering, probably meant to match the mint green of the typewriter when new, but now faded and dusty. 

On a cloudy Sunday in July we ventured off to Nyon, which has a monthly flea market I am only now discovering. Worth the fifteen-minute train ride to see a few times a year, I think. Not many typewriters, though. 

The few we saw were fairly ordinary: a late '70s Olympia SM-8 with a wide carriage; 

An Olympia (AEG) Traveller de Luxe from the same era; 

And a cheerful yellow Japan-made Brother Deluxe 800 (also the same age, I would imagine).

Yellow Brothers turn up often around here; just a few weeks later, we sighted this one (re-branded M-Office 1800) in a local thrift store. Almost identical but not quite: a different shade of yellow (or maybe it was just the poor lighting), and the ribbon cover/ general shape is really quite different as well. Features seem identical, however.

 Also in the thrift store was this gorgeous minx - an Olympia Splendid 33 with the cream-and-turquoise color scheme I am so fond of from Olympia. So very tempting, but ordinary pica does not particularly inspire me these days, so I stood firm.

This Hermes 3000 looks familiar; I think it has been there for quite a while. Pity, it's in excellent shape and just begging to be used!

 An AZERTY Erika that was so dull it barely merited a picture, but I like to be thorough in my documentation. 

Back to the flea market, this lovely Olivetti M40 had a forbidding "do not touch" sign rolled into the platen. It took me a while to figure out what it was (since the paper obscures the badge) as I don't come across these often, if ever. I cheated and nudged up the sheet when the seller wasn't looking... and there it was, Olivetti!
Something for Ton to look forward to :-)

 Not as interesting but still worth taking a shot of was this Mercedes Standard. AZERTY though, ugh. 

Self-portrait: Adwoa at flea market photographing typewriters :P Wish I had found a more interesting model than this (AZERTY) Olympia (electric?) to pose with, but not all my finds conveniently have a reflective pane of glass behind them...

Sewing machine sightings have been too many to count, but here are a couple of Swiss-made ones I found intriguing enough to post: a Turissa Ultramatic (made by Turissa AG in Dietikon, Zurich) from the '60s with a rather interesting retro-telephone-dial-like stitch selector; 

And this darling "Darling" that was made by FAVTA AG of Frauenfeld, Switzerland, in the '50s as an Elna Grasshopper knockoff. Had to tear myself away from this one; it is just so adorable!

How is your summer coming along? Here in Geneva, it is awfully hot, a "canicule" (heatwave) as the French call it. My plan for dealing with it is not to move too much when it is hottest (35 degrees Celsius) and keep making ice cubes. It won't last long, I'm sure. August 11 marked the end of the three-week long Fêtes de Genève, and we were treated to a Breitling Jet Team display in the afternoon: 


And an hour-long fireworks exhibition in the evening (if you ask me, I would have been perfectly happy if it was much shorter; my poor ears!): 


This is the only part of the Fêtes I bother to take part in (not that I have much choice; we live too close to the fireworks to be able to tune them out, so we might as well watch!); for the rest of the time I was too busy soaking in Olympic spirit. It's the only time I regret not having a TV, but online streaming from Television Suisse Romande worked remarkably well, thank goodness. 

Now off to catch up with my letter-writing - I am woefully behind!

27 comments:

  1. Happy to see this, Adwoa, welcome back! I've missed your posts, most especially your flea market adventures.

    I am two machines away from "Typewriter Chastity," glad I will be in good company. It's really wise to shift energies at some point and simply enjoy the gems that you actually have. Although I must say, the Olivetti M40 would have been extremely tempting to me!

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    1. I wish you a full recovery!

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    2. Thank you, Ton! Wondering which typewriters are left for you to acquire, now that the ICO has been conquered...I look forward to finding out!

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  2. Nice update, skillfully typed on your Graphika! Hope you're feeling 100% soon.

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    1. Thanks, Richard! Getting there; I feel better every day.

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  3. Good to see a post from you again!

    I really like that Olympia Splendid. Now that I have a Corona 4 finally I guess the travel Olympia is my new most wanted typewriter.

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    1. Thanks, Mark! That Olympia was absolutely gorgeous, especially with its tight-fitting clamshell case. And spotless, too. I hope you find one you like; I love how the American ones are called "Olympia Socialite"!

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  4. Welcome back. I hope you get back to good health in quick time.

    Nice post. You are not alone on delayed posts. I have some ready and some I would like to do. All I need is time.

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    1. Thanks, Bill! Indeed, it's been a while. Funny how time gets away, isn't it; so many projects to be taken care of.

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  5. That Olivetti looks impressive! Also like the Turissa sewing machine. Do you ever see slide rules?

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    1. Peter - Yes, there are slide rules sometimes, and I'll photograph a couple if I remember next time I see them. I don't know how to use them myself, so I'm afraid my eyes glaze over and I look right past them!

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  6. Nice update, even if it was just to update. (:

    I hope you're feeling better - this time of year has gotten rough on my old bones too, with the extreme flips in temperature and barometric pressure triggering weird but thankfully temporary nervous system failures. A daily regimen of Ibuprofen seems to keep it in check, but gosh it feels weird to have to take pills every day. :P

    Also, congrats on your contentedness with what you have overtaking your lust for what you don't. It's a fine feeling, isn't it?

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    1. Oh dear, that sounds awful! Hope you feel better soon too, Ted! You might look into getting your levels checked; sometimes a B12 deficiency can affect the nervous system and you can take a supplement for it. At my worst I was taking painkillers every day too and resenting every second of it... just not normal, really.

      Yes, it took me a while to reach contentment, but now I can't be budged. Although one might argue that I have only redirected my acquisitive tendencies...

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    2. Ahh but a house well-stocked with vintage typewriters and sewing machines is a house that encourages you to *create*, far better than a house packed with Hummel figurines or beanie babies. :D

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    3. That's what I tell myself too! And it is fun, I love feeling productive even if it is just for myself :)

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  7. Good to hear from you again! Get well soon - there's a Type-In to be hold in September, I think!

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    1. Oh, where shall we meet? Hope I can pick up some of the discount SBB tickets Migros is selling and use them for the Type-In!

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  8. OH! I love that little Hermes baby's case. I have a H3000 with a similar case. That's the 'Deluxe case'? I never knew that they had a deluxe case! Now I understand why my unit has a totally different case then I expected to get.

    Get well soon indeed....

    Oh, and nice outfit!

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    1. Thanks for noticing! Self-made shirt :D

      Yes, this leather-like shell is the deluxe case, and I don't see them very often! You are lucky to have one. I used to swoon over the cursive H300s on Etsy which also had deluxe cases... just lovely.

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  9. Hi Adwoa!! Hermes Baby and Hermes 3000: WHAT'S THE SERIAL NUMBER? For future posts, I shall use the abbreviation "WTSN" :)=

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    1. Love the new acronym! It's easy to remember, maybe if I keep repeating it I will actually note down (or at least take pictures of) the serial numbers for you...

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  10. Welcome back! Love your travel pics too. ;-) I thought I was done collecting (except for that someday Oliver 5 I hope to find for some drawings I want to do). As I said, though I was done . . . but in these last two weeks I picked up a Facit TP1 and a Royal Arrow, circa 1950 (with the 'tombstone keys'). Sigh (but a happy sigh!).

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    1. Those sound like fantastic acquisitions! The Facit TP-1 is a perennial typosphere favorite, and tombstone keys on a Royal are much too handsome to pass up! I can understand :)

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    2. Ledeaux, please do a post on your Arrow. I am very interested in getting a 1950 QDL to go with my 49 and 48, so checking out yours would be pure typornography. (:

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  11. Like everyone has said - great to see a post from you.

    I do really like that typecast font. most lovely!

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  12. Good to read your post! I haven't been posting much, either. Finally broke my 4-month freeze on collecting. A Royal Arrow like Ledeaux'.

    Am very glad to hear that your energy is returning! Best wishes from The Woods of Northern California.

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