All my three brothers are handsome and clever but, according to our mum, Robert (her youngest – “Golden hairs”) has an extra string to his bow – “He is the best piano tuner in the world!” she tells everyone. You might assume that our mother is rather biased, however, the other day a phone call from far away (on the continent) seemed to support her opinion; I imagine the conversation went something like this….
– “Herr Robert Porch?”
– “Ya, I mean yes. This is Robert Porch. How may I help you?” (My little brother is very well mannered.)
– “Well, zis is Herr Klavier. I understand zat you are one our select team of tuners in Great Britain?”
– “That’s right, ya. Yes.”
– “Ze best in ze vorld, ya?”
– “It’s not for me to say -”
– “Zat’s alright, I haff it here in black and vhite. Now let me see….”
– “In black and white? It says that? Really?”
– “Ya, ya, I haff in mein hand ze piece of paper. Alzo, it says ‘Robert looks very goot in uniform’; you are a fireman as well – no?”
– “Vould you happen to be holding a letter from my mother?
– “Ya, ya! It’s very goot – your mama’s words really ‘struck a chord’, as we say at our remarkable piano company (real name withheld due to modesty on the part of the said company). She has all her ‘marbles’, zo she says. In my country we haff a lot of respect for ze elderly mit the murmelm – marbles. Anyvay, Hrodebert, tomorrow vould you be able to make it to Falmouth in Cornvall to tune ze marvellous piano on ze sailink ship, ze Sea Cloud 11? I hope you don’t get ze sea-sickness.”
And so it was that Herr Hrodebert Porch of Dawlish went all the way down to Cornwall to tune a grand piano on-board a luxury cruise sailing vessel called the Sea Cloud 11; Frau Fiona accompanied him and they made a nice day of it. No doubt the captain was thrilled, also the pianist and the elite passengers (maximum ninety-four – in number, not age!); not to mention our Mum who knows for a fact that her youngest son is the best piano tuner in the world.
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- Handsome in uniform
And on a note of interest….
The name Robert is a Germanic given name, from Old High German Hrodebert “bright with glory” (a compound of hruod “fame, glory” and berht “bright”). It is also in use as a surname.[1][2]
After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form (Hrēodbēorht, Hrodberht, Hrēodbēorð, Hrœdbœrð, Hrœdberð) had existed before the Norman Conquest
One of the finest and most handsome of fish in all of the Ocean….the Piano Tuna – its melodious tones whilst swimming in music schools are a joy to fisherfolk everywhere. And very tasty it is, too! (in uniform, of course)
I wonder if it goes to the Florida Keys?