Christmas is coming...

It's a bit late — in Melbourne you are apparently supposed to do this around Cup Day — but it's still November, at least, and I am half-way through assembling my Christmas puddings. I really do need a proper camera, but this shot from the phone will have to do: that might look like a teaspoon, but it's a full-size dessertspoon, placed to give you an idea of the size of this mass of raisins, currants, sultanas, cherries, ginger, citrus peel, apricot, peach and prunes soaked in port, the whole pile soaking in brandy. It is extremely delicious. Almost a shame to go to the next stage, really.

This picture is brought to you courtesy of Bluetooth, which I learned over the weekend in a fabulous paper by the excellent Kim Wilkins at a terrific medievalism conference is named after King Harald Blatand (Bluetooth).

From their website:

Bluetooth started as the code name for the association when it was first formed and the name stuck. The name "Bluetooth" is from the 10th century Danish King Harald Blatand - or Harold Bluetooth in English. King Blatand was instrumental in uniting warring factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark - just as Bluetooth technology is designed to allow collaboration between differing industries such as the computing, mobile phone, and automotive markets.

Apparently the Bluetooth logo spells the name runically.... So there you go: tenth-century Danes providing a model of communications harmony.